Question about calories

sianarna
sianarna Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wanted a bit of advice, when I set up MFP it gave me 1200 cals based on my current weight, height, age and activity level, I have been steadily losing since I started back in mid Jan, however on a fb group I belong to someone told me I am not eating enough cals and gave me this formula to work out my cals: The quickest way to work out your calories is use your bodyweight in Kg, multiply this by 25. Once you have this add either - 20% if you are not very active, 50% moderately active, and 100% very active, minus 15%

So according to this formula I should be eating 2205 cals a day which is obviously a huge jump from my current 1200, I do work out about 3/4 times a week, should I stick to my current 1200 cals or give the 2205 a try? Any advice would be welcome

Replies

  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    That depends on your current stats and how much you're losing per week. If you're losing more than two pounds per week then you really should increase your calorie intake. However, 2205 seems high. That's a 1005 calorie jump and to lose one pound per week you need to be in a deficit of 500 calories per day. So this is an increase of 7035 calories per week which is a bit over two pounds. Unless you're losing over two pounds per week, that caloric intake would make you maintain or even gain depending on your current rate of loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    sianarna wrote: »
    Just wanted a bit of advice, when I set up MFP it gave me 1200 cals based on my current weight, height, age and activity level, I have been steadily losing since I started back in mid Jan.....

    You missed a big factor in setting the MFP calorie goal - the rate of loss you selected. If 2lbs/week that's taking 1000 cals a day off your estimated maintenance amount down to the floor of 1200 (it won't go below that).
    Also remember MFP goal expects you to log and eat back exercise calories. Other estimators don't work that way.

    You need to be careful about comparing apples to oranges.

    Big question is what does "I have been steadily losing since I started back in mid Jan" actually mean? What is your recent rate of weight loss and how appropriate is that in terms of how much you have to lose?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,474 Member
    sianarna wrote: »
    Just wanted a bit of advice, when I set up MFP it gave me 1200 cals based on my current weight, height, age and activity level, I have been steadily losing since I started back in mid Jan, however on a fb group I belong to someone told me I am not eating enough cals and gave me this formula to work out my cals: The quickest way to work out your calories is use your bodyweight in Kg, multiply this by 25. Once you have this add either - 20% if you are not very active, 50% moderately active, and 100% very active, minus 15%

    So according to this formula I should be eating 2205 cals a day which is obviously a huge jump from my current 1200, I do work out about 3/4 times a week, should I stick to my current 1200 cals or give the 2205 a try? Any advice would be welcome

    So you're sedentary then ... how does that factor into your quick and easy formula?

    Also, where, in that formula do you adjust for how much you want to lose? If you want to lose 0.5 kg/week ... that's about a 500 cal/day deficit. If you want to lose 1 kg/week, that's about a 1000 cal/day deficit.

    So maybe the formula is actually that 2205 cals/day - 1000 cals for your deficit = 1205 cal/day???

  • sianarna
    sianarna Posts: 7 Member
    I think I set mfp to lose 1.5lbs a week. I need to lose 40 lbs and have lost 23 since 12th january, did put 3lbs on in march after my 40th birthday
  • sianarna
    sianarna Posts: 7 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    sianarna wrote: »
    Just wanted a bit of advice, when I set up MFP it gave me 1200 cals based on my current weight, height, age and activity level, I have been steadily losing since I started back in mid Jan, however on a fb group I belong to someone told me I am not eating enough cals and gave me this formula to work out my cals: The quickest way to work out your calories is use your bodyweight in Kg, multiply this by 25. Once you have this add either - 20% if you are not very active, 50% moderately active, and 100% very active, minus 15%

    So according to this formula I should be eating 2205 cals a day which is obviously a huge jump from my current 1200, I do work out about 3/4 times a week, should I stick to my current 1200 cals or give the 2205 a try? Any advice would be welcome

    So you're sedentary then ... how does that factor into your quick and easy formula?

    Also, where, in that formula do you adjust for how much you want to lose? If you want to lose 0.5 kg/week ... that's about a 500 cal/day deficit. If you want to lose 1 kg/week, that's about a 1000 cal/day deficit.

    So maybe the formula is actually that 2205 cals/day - 1000 cals for your deficit = 1205 cal/day???
    So should I stick to my 1200 cals? Just worried about upping them as I don't want to wreck the hard work I have done losing what I have lost so far
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    edited May 2016
    If you have been at this since jan and lost 23lbs...thats an average of a little less than 1.5lbs a week. So your cal goal of 1200 seems good.

    With 40 more to lose you can change your settings to 1lb a week loss...which will slow your rate of loss slightly, but give you more cals each day.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    The best way to determine if your calories are appropriate is by how your body is reacting. Formulas are just estimates and guides.

    Based on what you posted, you are averaging just under 1.5 lbs lost per week. That pace is a little aggressive, but if you are feeling good, and want to stick with it, then there you go. If you are hungry a lot or lacking energy, you could add a couple of hundred calories a day so you can give yourself more fuel and lose at a pace of 1 lb per week, which is still awesome.

    You can always play around with your calories to lose a little faster or slower. Nothing is ever set in stone :). Just make small changes week by week so you can gauge the effect it's having without throwing your progress into reverse.
  • sianarna
    sianarna Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks everyone for the replies :-D
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    if you're not losing weight too fast (think over 2 pounds a week), and you don't feel weak or dizzy, you're probably not eating too few calories.

    those formulas that determine how many calories you should be eating are very general - they apply to the average person with the age, weight and height you input. i have less muscle mass than the average person my age and height apparently, so they don't apply to me.

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