Is 1890 calories too high?

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AngeleyesJo
AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to lose my last 15 pounds, mfp recommends I eat 1890 calories. I am in an active job with some physical work like lifting and carrying so have selected active. I am 5ft and weigh 155 pounds. Would I put on weight at 1890 calories or maintain rather than lose?
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  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    No one on the Internet can figure that out for you, especially with a vague description like "some" physical work like lifting and carrying. Is that what you do 8 hours a day, or is it maybe a half hour out of your total day, and the rest of the time you're mostly sitting? What exactly is your job?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Eat at that goal for four weeks and then adjust calories up/down based on results if necessary.

    This.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    Mine is at 1960 and weight stays fairly steady.
  • AngeleyesJo
    AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
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    Thanks
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Mine is at 1960 and weight stays fairly steady.

    I can stay fairly steady at 2370. There are certainly people who will gain at 1800. One person's experience is pretty irrelevant for another, especially without more information on OP's activity.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,144 Member
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    AngeleyesJo wrote: »
    I'm trying to lose my last 15 pounds, mfp recommends I eat 1890 calories. I am in an active job with some physical work like lifting and carrying so have selected active. I am 5ft and weigh 155 pounds. Would I put on weight at 1890 calories or maintain rather than lose?

    What is your goal, how old you are, and what is your BMR? Over 7 years ago when I joined MFP, I was about 113lbs at 4'11" and I got at my goal weight eating around 1200 calories and some of my exercises calories. I have been in maintenance for 7 years (between 102 and 104) eating about 1450 calories. Yes, I am a much older individual and my exercise routine is not as demanding as it used to be, but at your size eating close to 1900 calories seems a little bit high to me.

    Considering that your BMI at your height and present weight is about 30, you may need to plug your numbers again, because in my opinion they are off.
  • AngeleyesJo
    AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
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    I'm 5 ft age 35 and bmr is 1451
  • AngeleyesJo
    AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
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    I'm looking to get to 140 pounds
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Set your MFP goal to 0.5 lb per week. You shouldn't be losing much faster than that.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited November 2017
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    MFP gives you a calorie target based on sex, age, height, weight, activity level (non-exercise), and desired rate of loss. The first four are easy, but picking the most accurate activity level is tricky, and which weight loss rate is best, isn't always obvious. It seems to me that you have selected the lowest weekly loss to get 1890 calories.

    This means that you should really be active, and have to be very accurate when you log your food, in order to lose weight at that intake. But you need to assess and adjust anyway, so it's a good a starting point as any.

    Just keep in mind that "the last X pounds" is not clearly defined; you pick your goal weight yourself (you don't have to explain why your goal weight is still "overweight" according to BMI, and why you picked the slowest weight loss rate, I'm sure you have good reasons).
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    MFP gives you a calorie target based on sex, age, height, weight, activity level (non-exercise), and desired rate of loss. The first four are easy, but picking the most accurate activity level is tricky, and which weight loss rate is best, isn't always obvious. It seems to me that you have selected the lowest weekly loss to get 1890 calories.

    This means that you should really be active, and have to be very accurate when you log your food, in order to lose weight at that intake. But you need to assess and adjust anyway, so it's a good a starting point as any.

    Just keep in mind that "the last X pounds" is not clearly defined; you pick your goal weight yourself (you don't have to explain why your goal weight is still "overweight" according to BMI, and why you picked the slowest weight loss rate, I'm sure you have good reasons).

    This is great advice and I’d add to enable negative calorie adjustments. That way, if you have a higher activity level setting in MFP, yet have a “slow” day, the negative calorie adjustment will subtract calories to keep you on track.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    I am about your height and weigh 100ish pounds. I am fairly active (at least 15000 steps a day) and maintain on 2000 calories. It is possible for you to lose on the calories allotted if you truly are active but the only way to find out is through trial and error.
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
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    I think you might be eating at maintenance, especially if you are less active than entered. The BMR calculator on this site says your BMR is 1320, which sounds more accurate.
  • AngeleyesJo
    AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
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    How do you enable negative calorie adjustments?
  • Kailuadude
    Kailuadude Posts: 7 Member
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    What does the MFP calorie calculator tell you for calories if you drop down to the next level of activity (a less active level)?
  • AngeleyesJo
    AngeleyesJo Posts: 191 Member
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    Active set with 1 pound a week gives 1640 calories
  • ahsnider22
    ahsnider22 Posts: 4 Member
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    AngeleyesJo wrote: »
    I'm trying to lose my last 15 pounds, mfp recommends I eat 1890 calories. I am in an active job with some physical work like lifting and carrying so have selected active. I am 5ft and weigh 155 pounds. Would I put on weight at 1890 calories or maintain rather than lose?

  • ahsnider22
    ahsnider22 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello! That is in your range of calories to maintain weight. I work in the nutrition field and a quick way to find a good range of daily calories is 25cal/kg-30cal/kg. So you’re 70.45kg which = 1761-2113 calories per day. Hope that helps!

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