Really confused at the basic premise of this site. Please help.

Popiner
Popiner Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I require:
2261 cals to maintain weight.
1809 for weight loss.

MFP has my goal at 1500 cals. I'm going out of my way to ensure that I have a surplus so lose weight.

Sorry if this is a really obvious question but is 1500 a sustainable (healthy) calorie intake goal?

Thanks for your time.

Replies

  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    Only you will know by trying at 1500 for a few weeks, I'm fine at 1500 but you may not be but I don't have loads left to lose and I'm a 5'7' lightly active woman(stats like age, height, starting weight, male/female all matter) . I'm assuming you put your goal as losing 2lb a week. This would mean that if you find yourself too hungry there is scope to increase your calorie intake. Also generally if you haven't got a lot to lose its isn't recommended to lose weight too agressively, slow and steady is easier to sustain so you can always try 1-0.5lb a week instead of 2.
  • imabeevampire
    imabeevampire Posts: 166 Member
    I'm on 1200, this works for me, when I exercise I eat more.
    Your weight/height has an inpact on the numbers.
    As poster above said, its better to lose slow and steady :)
  • Popiner
    Popiner Posts: 2 Member
    Let me know if there is a 101 guide but say I work out for 400 calories. That would make my intake 1900 cals. Its really important to then eat 1900 cals is it not? If I work out 4 times a week, my diet will need to factor for 1900 of those days. If I reach my MFP goal set out will I be losing weight or just maintaining it with any surplus being the weight loss?

    Sorry for all the questions (I think a good indicator that 1500 isn't enough is that I can't think)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Popiner wrote: »
    Let me know if there is a 101 guide but say I work out for 400 calories. That would make my intake 1900 cals. Its really important to then eat 1900 cals is it not? If I work out 4 times a week, my diet will need to factor for 1900 of those days. If I reach my MFP goal set out will I be losing weight or just maintaining it with any surplus being the weight loss?

    Sorry for all the questions (I think a good indicator that 1500 isn't enough is that I can't think)

    you keep saying a surplus to lose weight...? you need a deficit to lose weight....
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    try this OP:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    and this:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Slasher09
    Slasher09 Posts: 316 Member
    Popiner wrote: »
    Let me know if there is a 101 guide but say I work out for 400 calories. That would make my intake 1900 cals. Its really important to then eat 1900 cals is it not? If I work out 4 times a week, my diet will need to factor for 1900 of those days. If I reach my MFP goal set out will I be losing weight or just maintaining it with any surplus being the weight loss?

    Sorry for all the questions (I think a good indicator that 1500 isn't enough is that I can't think)

    If it's set at 1500 then if you do no intentional working out whatsoever then you should eat 1500. If you burn 400 cals working out then you are supposed to eat them back (in this case with a total of 1900).

  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    You can set your calories and macros to whatever you want in goals -> calories and macronutrients menu. Personally I set my macros/calories based on a different site (Avatar Nutrition) and just use MyFitnessPal for tracking.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    MistressSara wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

    You made this? Mildred is my new bestie.

    I did, I made it for one of the pinned posts as a lot of people have no idea how MFP arrives at the magical figure it gives you :smile:
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    @Popiner Another thing I see is that in your opening post you give a precise number for maintaining and a precise number for losing. This clues us in to thinking that you went to some other of the myriad sites which used some variety of TDEE calculator to get your eyeballs on their advertisements. Myfitnesspal has advertisements also, which you can mostly avoid by paying the $10/month premium fee which most of us don't pay.

    In a later post you indicated that you exercise 4 days per week.

    There is a problem, then, in your math. The TDEE universe operates on the assumption that every day is exactly the same both in food calories in and in exercise calories out. Yet, you are not an inhabitant of the TDEE universe. In the real world you have a life that you go about living and you occasionally exercise. In this real world, myfitnesspal is unique in using the NEAT method of asking you to tell the truth about your life and then separately letting you tell the best truth you can about your occasional exercise. At this stage of your effort to lose weight, you are mixing, mismatching, and confusing the imaginary TDEE world with the real NEAT world.

    I strongly suggest that you flush your memory of TDEE.

    Tell the truth to myfitnesspal. Tell the truth about your activity level without exercise. Do you have a job that requires you to sit at a desk 8 or more hours a day? That is sedentary. Do you have a job that requires you to stand and walk most of the day? That is lightly active. Do you have a job that requires you to pick up and move heavy things all day long? That is highly active. Do you then, in your non-work time, do deliberate exercise? That's wonderful, log it separately and do take care to eat enough calories fat and protein to stay healthy.

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