question!!!!!

ashley411avon
ashley411avon Posts: 6
edited October 1 in Introduce Yourself
the site put me at 1700 calorie intake... but i decreased it starting tomor to 1500. it is hard enough as it is to stay under 1700 but i want ot try.. is this a bad idea to try less calories? anyone have any good cheap and low calorie foods to eat...please i need suggestions. thanks again guys!!

Replies

  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Why did you chose to decrease it? You want to be able to gradually lose weight so that it stays off. MFP gave me 1200 and bumped it up to 1400 (because I exercise pretty intensely). You want to be able to maintain your weight loss and you don't want to burn out after a week or two.
  • ashley411avon
    ashley411avon Posts: 6
    very true.. it is bc i am not working out really.. i have such odd hours at my job so i am always so tired and try to sleep when i can bc i can never get a good sleep. i guess i will bring it back up since i just started and see what happens
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    Depends on what you put as your goal. If you chose 2lb per week and the site gave you 1700 and you eat 1500 you are in danger of having too high of a deficit and going into starvation mode (or if you don't believe in that, of reaching a plateau or losing extra muscle mass with the fat...yada yada).

    If you think it'll be hard to stay under 1700 then don't try to push yourself to stay under 1500! You are just setting yourself up to fail and we want you to succeed here.

    For good and cheap food- veggies...lots and lots of veggies. Dried beans esp. are inexpensive and a good source of fiber and protein. Try your local farmers market for fresh stuff-usually it's a lot cheaper.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Yeah, remember that a .5-1.5lb loss is healthy. Give it about two weeks to make sure that those levels are working for you. If you don't exercise, or exercise very little right now, make sure you have your activity level as sedentary or lightly active so that the calories are calculated correctly. If you already have that, the go with the numbers provided to you by MFP. Hang in there!
  • ashley411avon
    ashley411avon Posts: 6
    see my job i am active to a point but at times i sit in a chair for almost 8 hrs watching an elderly lady.. so i wonder if i should just change it to 1600 so i am in the middle of sitting and a little active.. you think that sounds better?
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    The most annoying thing about healthy weight loss isn't the weight, it's the WAIT. If you've been over-eating for a while, you don't have to worry about resetting your system as much as someone who has been under-eating but you still have to give your body time to adjust.

    If you are concerned, check out this link: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    It's a calculator to help you determine the calories you should eat for slow weight loss-the kind that stays off. It'll show you a calorie goal based on your BMR and the weight you want to be. You should hold the 'sedentary' calories as your goal to never eat below. Also-listen to the podcast. They do a great job of explaining how it all works.
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