ladies- what is your calorie goal?

MFP gave me terrifyingly low numbers!
I'm on 1,800 on a rest day (C135, F80, P135)
and 1,965 on a training day (C210, F65, P135)

I'm 36, just under 5'6" and about 62kg, but my most recent caliper measurements put me at 16.6% body fat, so I'm smaller than my weight implies!

I dropped 2.6% body fat between November and February on slightly lower calories than this, but it wasn't making me happy so I upped my training day allowances a bit.

Your daily Kcal requirements = Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) x Physical Activity Level (PAL) factor. To loose weight, reduce your daily requirement between 500 - 1000 Kcal in order to do it safe. Don't lose more than 10% of body mass in 6 months (you will pick it up again) Maintain a negative energy balance until you reach your target and slowly go back to RMR x PAL. Based on your age, weight and activity level, your normal daily requirement is 2770, minus 1000 Kcal (max and safe) bringing your target to 1770. (Split that into 50% Carbs, 20% Protein and 30% Fat)

imgr8stmom wrote: »

i have been on MFP for about a month, and still cannot figure out what my calorie goal should be?
Do you go off what MFP gives you? do you go based on your TDEE?

I'm 48/f
current weight: 202
Height- 5'5"
i have a desk job, but average 8-10k steps per day. I also workout 4 days per week

I currently have my goal set at 1800- this is using my TDEE as sedentary, and adding in/eating 1/2 back my activity..

What is working for you??????????

I walk anywhere between 7000-25000 steps per day averaging maybe 10000. I'm 27 and 188lbs. My goal is 1200 NET ideally but I try to stay under 1500-1600.

I'm 5'6" / F / 42
SW: 252 (Sept 2016)
CW: 177
GW: 150-ish

My calorie goal M-Th is 1300. With exercise (just walking typically), I usually get up close to 1400, though.
My calorie goal F-Su is 1500. Depending on what we have planned that weekend, I may stick closer to 1300 some of those days if we have plans that include a big meal so I can make sure the calories fit. On 1500 days, I usually am right at that number or a hair over.

TavistockToad wrote: »

imgr8stmom wrote: »

Thanks for all the great reply's! My goal, which I forgot to mention, is to lose 40lbs- i'd like to get to 165 by at least november 2018, so I have plenty of time.

So now after reading your replies, I think i've been doing it wrong this entire time, which is may be why i have been on a weight loss standstill.
My TDEE is about 2200, so I cut it down to 1800, but then add my excercise calories & eat 1/2 back.

I cut my calories down to 1450- we'll see how that works!!!

Thanks again for all your great replies!!!!!

If you're using tdee then you don't need to eat back exercise cals, just take off 20% to lose a pound a week.

^^ This ^^ Don't make it more complicated than it has to be

When I started losing successfully in Nov '15, I was 39 and 151 lbs (female). I set calories to 1350/day plus I would also eat back 1/2-2/3 of my exercise calories, on average. Playing around macros was really helpful for me, too, and November is when I hit on macros that worked well for me at that calorie level in terms of satiety and adherence (for me, that was LCHFAP). I had about 20 lbs to lose and it took me about 3 months to hit goal weight.

I have my calories set at 1740, which is my maintenance sedentary calorie goal. I create a deficit through exercise, so anything left in the green is my deficit for that day.

5'8
149lbs
age 45

I liked 1650 plus eating back 50% of intentional exercise calories (i.e. not walking around a mall/steps, but yes to Zumba or other higher intensity cardio. No to weight lifting calories - not saying they don't count, just saying I didn't input them into MFP to eat them back).

I'm 5' 6" and 28 years old (started at 24 years old) and ranged between 127 lb and 145 lbs while on MFP. I have not been perfect over the years... but I stuck to it best at 1650. I also have a desk job. I think 1650 net usually gave me around a 0.7 lb loss per week.

Now I'm trying to eat 2800 calories but am intentionally going the other way hahah. I'm reaching more like 2650 a day... and gained 0.8 lb over 13 days. But that is not useful for you!

I don't .. ... remember.. what I was going to say after that. Anyway... I'll leave it here then!

5'8" and 61 years old.
Lightly active.
1200 calories per day, no more than half my exercise calories eaten back, on days when I do an uphill bike ride.

I'm just doing a slight adjustment on my maintenance at the moment because I gained a few pounds during the winter. Since it's just a short period, I'm able to keep under 1200 calories. No cheat days, almost no refined carbs. I'm hungry a lot.

Started March 30 at 142
Currently 137
Goal: Wherever I end up on April 30, because that's the final day of this weight loss period. Then I go back to maintaining.

I am in the healthy weigh category for my height by about 2-3 pound and maintain on around 1600. I am a sedentary, short and weigh 133lbs. I set it to maintain my weight as I am a healthy weight so if I don't hit that and lose a few pounds very slowly then fine but if I stay the same, also fine. Just as long as I don't gain.

MFP set my maintenance at a little more but I slowly started gaining. I tightened up my logging and still gained, albeit very slowly so over time it would add up. I dropped it down by 100cals a week till I found my own maintenance level. Every few weeks I am half a pound down so I am eating at a deficit though most days am under 1600. I'll up it slightly if I get more active or if things change though.

If you are happy with your rate of loss, stick with that number. If you aren't, just try cutting a couple of hundred calories. There is no one right number you should hit.