Net calories under goal: 7,346 (weekly)

dlm007
dlm007 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello I just wanted to get some input/opinions from others about this and make sure I am not messing something up badly.

I am currently about 298 pounds, male. Lost a little over 40 in the last year and about 24 in the last 1.75 months due to more exercise and quitting soda (and drinking water).

I set MFP to "not very active" and for goal I put "lose 2 pounds per week". I eat about 1,800 calories a day on average and I walk 12,000-13,000 steps a day.

According to the data I have since I made the big changes I have been losing about 3 pounds a week. From what I gather this is pretty much the maximum I should be losing -- about 1% per week.

Yet I see this number telling me that I am 7,346 calories below what I should be eating per week (over 1,000 calories per day!). Is everything okay with this or should I actually be eating more? From what I gather from most posts related to this which I have read here I am "starving myself", however it doesn't really feel like that to me at all and I feel fine and don't even have any cravings. I do have MFP connected with Google fit so it is giving me calories back for all the steps I have been taking.

Also given that I am losing a near optimal 1% of body weight consistently now (and not more) doesn't this suggest that what I am doing now is fine and that maybe I just have a very low metabolism?

Thank you.

Replies

  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    You are eating 1800 calories a day? And losing 3 pounds a week? I think you are doing great. Carry on.
  • dlm007
    dlm007 Posts: 4 Member
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    You are eating 1800 calories a day? And losing 3 pounds a week? I think you are doing great. Carry on.

    Thanks! :) It's easier for me though because I was over 300 pounds so it seems I'm expected to eat more to maintain and my exercise helps more with calories burned

    I went ahead and opened my food diary now too so people can see that I'm not starving myself or anything. I'm not eating very healthy but it is far better than what I used to eat. I don't believe I am messing up on the quantities either so I feel it is probably pretty accurate -- at least for the last two weeks or so I have been logging.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    dlm007 wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    You are eating 1800 calories a day? And losing 3 pounds a week? I think you are doing great. Carry on.

    Thanks! :) It's easier for me though because I was over 300 pounds so it seems I'm expected to eat more to maintain and my exercise helps more with calories burned

    I went ahead and opened my food diary now too so people can see that I'm not starving myself or anything. I'm not eating very healthy but it is far better than what I used to eat. I don't believe I am messing up on the quantities either so I feel it is probably pretty accurate -- at least for the last two weeks or so I have been logging.

    I think it's typical that the heavier you are, the higher your estimated calorie budget. I suppose that being used to eating more, they don't want you to get too hungry and wind up giving up. And that makes sense to me. If you are losing consistently, I think you are doing it right! ;)
  • kdavid1987
    kdavid1987 Posts: 107 Member
    Hi there. Sounds like you're doing AWESOME. Congrats on your weight loss. I think you will probably need to start scaling back the amount of calories you take in as you get closer to your goal weight, but it sounds like you've hit the sweet spot where you are right now. Keep up the good work and don't worry too much, you can always adjust your diet as needed as you go along. Congrats again!
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    3 pounds per week at your size is great.
  • JobasIsaacs
    JobasIsaacs Posts: 26 Member
    Good work on what you've achieved so far. From someone who used to be in your current situation I don't think you have an issue at your current size.

    I think there's two things to be aware of that I found on my journey...

    As the weight comes off, you may need to psychologically adjust to accepting a lower weight loss figure. I found it very motivating to see big changes early on but got discouraged when I "only" saw smaller movements later on. I'd recommend mentally preparing yourself for this, so that it doesn't become a blocker. For me, I started to find other ways of measuring success - measurements, how I looked in the mirror, clothes that fit.

    And second, as you get closer to a goal weight you may need to increase your calorie intake if your maintenance levels are higher than 1,800. Mine certainly are. At the same time, I found my body was telling me it was hungry more often as it no longer had this fat supply in reserve. It took more discipline to manage this without overshooting than I expected. Again, I'd recommend mentally preparing for this.

    But mainly, keep going. It's worth it!
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