Is 1,230 cal too low for 5’3” female

Noelishere
Noelishere Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was showing someone my app and they told me they think my calories are way too low.

I don’t want to be unhealthy, I typically don’t feel hungry and eat a breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner -I have been at it since mid October and have lost 15 lbs so far. I work from home and I’m not active.

Starting weight is 164 current weight is 149 goal weight is 135 -app set to a pound a week

Replies

  • NextRightThing714
    NextRightThing714 Posts: 355 Member
    I think it's fine considering you're not all that active. If you start to exercise, eat back half of your exercise calories.

    If you start to feel sluggish, consider changing the rate of lose to 0.5/week as you don't have much weight left to lose. Nice work on your lose so far!
  • sguillorymcclure
    sguillorymcclure Posts: 2 Member
    I'm interested in this information as well. Thanks for asking the question.
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
    I have the same stats and I eat 1500 to lose a pound a week but mine is set at lightly active as I have kids I chase around. It's been working for me so far. If you satiated then it's ok.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    It's fine. I'm 5'3" 148lbs also trying to get to around 130. I set my calories to 0.5lbs a week (1500cals a day) just so I know I can eat up to that and still lose at least 0.5lbs but I usually eat 1200-1300 calories. I'm completely sedentary.
  • threec
    threec Posts: 97 Member
    I’m 5’3 started at 141 down to 130 now to lose a pound a week and that’s what mine is pretty much. I’ve got activity set to sedentary, and let my Fitbit adjust. Mfp sets me to 1200. Lazy days it’s perfect busy days I get up to 1500-1800 for calories.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    August2444 wrote: »
    I'm 5'2 and on 1250 cal to lose 0.5lb per week as well.

    Edit: I'm finding 1250 cals to be plenty of food when making healthy food choices and consciously eating 3 main meals a day.

    I'm similar. And given the type of food I eat, that is loads of veggies etc so I'm always full.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited January 2018
    When we're smaller we don't need as many calories so someone saying you're eating too little isn't right. And if you are sedentary then that is more likely the calories you need to eat to lose. But if you exercise then you get to eat some of those calories burned back, its healthy to do that.
    Personally at 5ft 2 I would lose 0.5lb/week eating 1700-1800 calories, I'm lightly active but others at same height would have to eat less.
    If you are losing 0.5lb a week consistently you know that what you are doing is working.
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
    I’m very similar. Started at 156lb on 1200, 5ft4 and goal of 135lb. It works for me. When I exercise I eat back at least half. There’s not much wiggle room for treats at 1200, however a good balanced diet of veg, grains, lean meat, fish, fruit, oats etc is really filling & healthy. If it works for you, no reason to change. Good luck!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    There are a couple of common rules of thumb about maximum sensible weight loss rates for someone who's not under close medical supervision. One is "no more than 1% of body weight per week". Another suggests throttling back from that as goal weight approaches. Different people have different ideas about the thresholds, but it's usually something like cutting back to a pound a week at 25 pounds or so from goal, and 0.5 pounds weekly at around 10 pounds.

    Slower is always fine, too, especially if it makes the process more sustainable.
    This is great, I just want to clarify that "no more than" and "maximum" has the implication that actual weight loss rate will be slower unless a range of "ideal" criteria are met - amount of excess body fat, optimal calorie target setting, accuracy in tracking, adherance - any of these factors will exponentially contribute to a 1% weekly (fat) loss not being possible. A percentage is easier to adjust to as needed. Two pounds per week is "slow" for a morbidly obese person. And my last comment - no amount of medical supervision makes undereating safe.
  • lingreg2198
    lingreg2198 Posts: 13 Member
    I’m 5’5 and MFP set my daily calorie goal at 1,230 (but I usually eat about 1,300). I’m currently about 118 and trying to get down to and *maintain* 114 without effort. This is somewhat difficult but I’m completely sedentary so I’m thinking that moving a little might get me there.
  • Aw0627
    Aw0627 Posts: 82 Member
    I'm 5'6 and I eat about that much sometimes more sometimes less but I usually stick float around 1200
  • jilleebee77
    jilleebee77 Posts: 329 Member
    Im 5'2" and am getting back on my horse, but last year I began and had fluctuated between 1250 and 1700 and still lost close to 50lb with exercise from Feb-Sept. I gained some back with stress of life/holidays and realized I was allowing myself to creep back into old habits. Right now I am at 1450 and will eat back some but not all of my exercise calories on most days.
  • captivatedheroine
    captivatedheroine Posts: 3 Member
    We almost have the same stats, I started at around 1400-1600 for my 5'3 height, and 162 lbs weight, depending on my activity for the day. When I got down to that number, I tried to cut down to 1300-1500 calories per day, and I am still losing weight. On my lowest, I was at 128-130 lbs and I usually eat 1200-1400 but I gained some weight during this holiday season so I am now between 130-135 lbs.

    I think your calorie intake is not too low. Make sure to get enough sleep and enough protein though. Good luck!
  • mfz73
    mfz73 Posts: 5 Member
    5'3" here at 172 lbs (last I checked). I pretty much eat my BMR (1400 cal) and don't eat under that. So far that's working for me and I plan to continue eating my BMR and recalculate my numbers for every 5 lbs lost. I know the numbers will go down as I go down in weight. Little people don't need as much food. The shorter you are, the less you weigh, the less you need. Unless if you are physically active with exercise, which I am currently not, you don't need an excessive amount of calories. If you consistently eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you consistently eat less than you burn, you'll lose weight. This is just how I understand it. I have tried eating 1200 cal and I always ended up heading to the fridge late at night because it just wasn't enough for me, at least not at my current weight. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with eating 1200 cal if you can and should do it.
  • claire52975
    claire52975 Posts: 21 Member
    5ft 3 and 137lbs, trying to lose 18lbs! I've been set 1,200 goal... struggling and think it's not enough for me personally as I feel more satisfied if I eat 1,300-1,400, I'm weighing myself Saturday morning and if I've lost more than 1lb then I'm going to slowly increase how much I eat so I don't lose more than that. Thoughts? Add me as well!
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    clairelesleywilson931 wrote: »
    5ft 3 and 137lbs, trying to lose 18lbs! I've been set 1,200 goal... struggling and think it's not enough for me personally as I feel more satisfied if I eat 1,300-1,400, I'm weighing myself Saturday morning and if I've lost more than 1lb then I'm going to slowly increase how much I eat so I don't lose more than that. Thoughts? Add me as well!

    With less than 20 pounds to lose, set your goal for .5 lb/week loss, setting anything higher is overly aggressive and you will find it difficult. :)
  • ilvme
    ilvme Posts: 12 Member
    I'm 5ft 2in and I set mine to 1200 calories. I don't feel hungry though. I meal prep and weigh my food plus I eat small meals every 3 hours. So far so good. I also workout :#
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited January 2018
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Your personal actual loss rate is a better guide than anything else, once you have enough data to evaluate, which you do. I'm estimating it's about 11 weeks since mid-October, so that would be about 1.4 pounds/week.

    There are a couple of common rules of thumb about maximum sensible weight loss rates for someone who's not under close medical supervision. One is "no more than 1% of body weight per week". Another suggests throttling back from that as goal weight approaches. Different people have different ideas about the thresholds, but it's usually something like cutting back to a pound a week at 25 pounds or so from goal, and 0.5 pounds weekly at around 10 pounds.

    Slower is always fine, too, especially if it makes the process more sustainable. And slower is essential for people who do poorly (fatigue, weakness, etc.) at a higher loss rate

    Looking at your own actual loss rate, instead of at the raw calorie number, kind of tailors the answer to you personally. Different people have different logging practices, can differ in activity or RMR, etc., so calorie
    needs and estimates differ. Actual loss rate is part of your body's direct feedback to you, about you.

    The best source is always going to be your own data. I'm 5'2" and 168 pounds, and am losing a pound a week at 1770 net*. I think it's important not to get hung up by the numbers because this is really all a big game of estimating and adjusting. A lot of people (I actually suspect most people) who think they are eating 1200 calories are eating more due to logging errors - sometimes much more - and still losing weight because even that higher number is a deficit. Maybe I'm making logging errors in the other direction, who knows. Plus there's NEAT to take into account, basically all your movements outside of exercise - which can be pretty hard to get a handle on even if you use a step counter. Long story short, stay healthy, trust your own numbers, and be patient.

    *ETA because I misread your current weight as 169 rather than 149 - based on my numbers, I'd expect to lose roughly just under a pound a week of 1700 net once I get down to 149. My goal is also 135 but I don't intend on going under 1700 at any point - my plan is to just let the last few pounds trickle off. We'll see how it goes. :smiley:
  • NTCB17
    NTCB17 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi guys i have a question about this i just got a fitbit was on a polar watch thought i was missing out of calories and i wanted to make sure i was doing it right and since i got my fitbit i dont know how much i lost and i looked tonight as the excersise bit is at 0 this is what it says Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
    You're using Fitbit to measure your actual activity level throughout the day.

    To accurately reflect any extra calories you're burning, we use this data to adjust your daily MyFitnessPal calorie goal.

    This is how we calculate your calorie adjustment:

    Fitbit Calories Burned
    Full Day Projection
    (Based on 560 calories burned as of 9:28 pm) 730
    MyFitnessPal Calories Burned
    1611
    Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
    Your adjustment has been reduced to keep your goal above our 1200 calorie minimum

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    im 5'1 and lose 1-2 pounds per week on 1200.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    What are the qualifications of the person who is giving you advice about your calorie needs? In general, most people have a very poor sense of a) how many calories is “enough” and b) how many calories are in various foods, unless you’re talking to a registered dietician or other person who has a clear reason to be knowledgeable about such things.

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