310lb male, should I be eating more than 1200cal?

MFP is often wrong about the numbers they give you. Mainly because everyone is different. Here's the thing. The best thing to do is to figure out what maintenance is for you. You can use MFP to give you a starting point in figuring this out. You can even do what they suggest for losing 2lbs a week. If you are actually losing 2 pounds per week following what they say, you will know they are right. You will also know that adding 1000 calories per day to that number is your maintenance. BTW, you cannot base is on 1 week of measurements alone. Do it steadily for one month and then go on weekly average. Trendweight.com is very helpful for this if you don't want to crunch the numbers yourself. They really spell it out for you. They give you reports like this:
https://trendweight.com/u/d3de78258b8b42/
Yes, you will lose more than 2 pounds is you eat less, but you will also be less healthy and have a lot of hanging skin to deal with, leaving you somewhat disappointed. It's best to stick with 2lbs a week. Look at it this way. You can lose 100lbs in a year at that rate. And that is fantastic! And 100lbs lighter with skin that is not hanging everywhere will be something to really feel good about. At that point you will find your weight loss to slow down and will then need to lower your intake. You may even need to before that point. But what you should focus on is adjusting as needed based on your weekly weight loss. Trendweight.com really helps guide you in this. Check it out. It's free! It was written by a computer nerd who needed a program for himself and he decided to share it.
If you have a Fitbit Aria it makes it even easier. Well worth the money in my opinion.

I don't think that's healthy or sustainable. I lost a significant amount of weight a few years ago, starting at 320 and eating around 1800 calories (I allowed myself to eat more calories if I burned more than 250 during exercise). That allowed me to lose anywhere between 1-5 lbs per week.

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

Enter your stats into MFP and go by what calorie target it gives you-this already has your needed deficit built in, (at your current weight you can select the 2lb a week loss option, and then adjust this down as you get further along).

This is the correct answer.

How many calories you eat is specific to you due to your age and height.

It is also correct that if you are eating 1200 calories you are depleting essential muscle tissue with your rapid weight loss.

Yes

Wow, that is far too low OP.

I weigh 123lb atm and I lose on 1600 calories a day.

He/she who eats the most and still loses wins!

At your weight, with appropriate guidance, 1200 is just fine, and you can stay there for a while.

BUT...it will be a lot better for you to choose a level that you can stay with for a long time, than to choose one that seems great right now but may not be sustainable. Because the next 100 pounds are going to take 12-24 months....

I'll go a different way and say don't starve yourself and micromanage your intake to the point that you hate what you are doing. One main thing I've learned is it really isn't about a quick fix but rather changing your relationship with food for long term success. I eat what my body needs and it dictates to me vs me dictating to it. Some days my body only needs 1300 calories and other days it needs 3000. I started at 281 less than 150 days ago and am into the 240's at this point. Everyone is different so you need to find what your body likes.

My suggestions based on what worked for me:

• Eat when you are hungry but eat your calories in a smart way most of the time. 450 calories worth of a chicken fajita is a lot of food and filling vs barely a cup of Macaroni and Cheese that sends you looking for more food 20 minutes later. I tend to use things like Cauliflower rice vs normal rice because I can eat the who bag and only have consumed 120 calories vs eating less than a half a cup of white/brown rice for the same 120 calories.
• Water, fiber and good carbs are your friend. Get to know them well and you will have success.
• Cheat days are a joke. Eat in moderation. I eat out a decent amount each week but it fits perfectly in my max allotment of 3000 calories on a high end eating day. For instance, a Medium Fry + A Buttermilk Chicken Sandwhich + Zero calorie drink is around 900 calories at Mcdonalds. A Subway breakfast egg white footlong wheat flat bread is 700 calories if you load up the veggies with the egg white and hold the cheese and go light on the mayo. Options are out there. A lot of time its not the meal itself that is horrible calorie wise but rather the junk and condiments we add to it.
• Find a workout you enjoy and stick to it. I do a 25 minute HIIT/Strength based workout with a trainer 3 times per week. Every now and then I'll go for a run but that is few and far between. The key here is doing something that you enjoy so you look forward to it or at least that awesome feeling after the workout.
• Plan as much as possible. What are you doing for breakfast for the week? Lunch? Dinner? Snacks?
• Stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery most of the time. Lots of junk in there. Again eat your calories in a smart way. I love Potato chips but the calories suck at 150 calories for 15 chips and who eats 15 chips only? I can eat myself stupid of strawberries for the same calorie count.
• Don't be a prisoner to the scale. Use it as a nice accountability tool but don't weight yourself every hour. I weight myself out of bed after a bathroom stop and thats it. If I weight myself after dinner I'm probably 10 pounds heavier than my morning weight. A better way is to take a tight piece of clothes and try it on at the same day each week to see progress.

Best of luck on your journey.