MFP Calories

officiallymrswhite · August 2011

So, MFP has me at around 1200 calories for losing 1.5lb/week. I am working with a personal trainer 3x a week and running 2-3 miles about 5-6x a week. I was talking to my trainer and he said that for that activity level, 1200 calories is simply not enough. He suggested that on rest days, I eat 1800 and on workout days I eat 2200.

So, my question is do you personally go by the recommended guideline of MFP or do you set your own? And, do you think I should be eating more for my physical activity level? (I will say, I have been hungry most days recently)

FirewifeCarrie · August 2011

I was in your shoes and now my shoes are stuck in a sticky plateau! Sounds like you are working out a lot and everything that I've been told and read says the more you burn the more you need to consume. Feed the fire so to speak. I go in and change my goals but I am zig zagging my calories to confuse my body. I'd say listen to your personal trainer and eat more....remember to eat healthy things not 1800-2200 worth of the wrong things!

(I'm sure you know this though!)

Monica_has_a_goal · August 2011

I'd go with the suggestions from your trainer. 1200 cals would be for someone whos not active :happy:

Wyoruby · August 2011

MFP bases those calories on you being sedentary and still be able to lose the weight. If your working out that much just eat back some to all of your exercise calories for that day!!

officiallymrswhite · August 2011

I was in your shoes and now my shoes are stuck in a sticky plateau! Sounds like you are working out a lot and everything that I've been told and read says the more you burn the more you need to consume. Feed the fire so to speak. I go in and change my goals but I am zig zagging my calories to confuse my body. I'd say listen to your personal trainer and eat more....remember to eat healthy things not 1800-2200 worth of the wrong things! (I'm sure you know this though!)

Yeah...he suggested more complex carbs (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain bread, oatmeal) and protein...I have already been doing a great job consuming fruits and veggies....but he said I need more substance.

VRoseDuda · August 2011

if you add all the activity calories, you are probably close to that. I get 1200 but I have better results when I burn about 500 per day and eat a total of 1500-ish.

rosadona · August 2011

i set my own. mfp calories are based on math, without taking into account the fact that you are smaller than someone who needs to lose, say, 100 pounds - "vanity weight" (or those last 15 pounds, anything fairly close to your goal weight) is going to come off slower and you should be eating more calories to do so. it's not impossible to lose a pound or so a week at the weight you are at, but since you are not necessarily at an unhealthy weight you are going to have to fight with your body and compromise a little to do so. your body doesn't necessarily feel like it needs to let go of any weight, so you have to nudge it in the right direction with a smaller deficit and exercise. it tells me i should eat about 1200 a day but i am eating 1500 plus exercise calories (not all of them, usually i'll burn like 400 and eat 200-300) and i'm losing more, feeling more satisfied and less grumpy.

jaybee25 · August 2011

That is your guideline for not doing anything, the aim is to eat back the calories you have burnt off from exersizing to keep your metabolism goin (out fuel back into your body so it can keep buring so to speak) .Most days if I don't end up eating all my exersize calories as well then I at least try to eat half of them back. If you did that much exersize and didn't fuel your body more it would end up putting on weight as it would go into starvation mode.I have set mine at the 1200 also and add all my exersize so i know how many extra cals I have burnt

MFP Calories

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