HAD WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS? DO YOU USE MFP'S CALORIE AND MACRO SUGGESTIONS?

sranney2
sranney2 Posts: 26 Member
edited 4:09AM in Getting Started
HI, IF YOU HAVE HAD SUCCESS USING MFP, DID YOU USE THEIR GOALS OR CREATE YOUR OWN? I ASK BECAUSE I AM SHORT AND OLD ;-) SO I ONLY GET 1350 CALORIES A DAY. IF I START AT THAT LOW CALORIE GOAL, WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Replies

  • janelleginnetto
    janelleginnetto Posts: 91 Member
    I'm also very short, but have a lot of weight to lose. I was successful in the past but gave up, now I'm back down 17 lbs and keep going. If you feel that 1350 is too low for you than you might want to change your weight loss goals. If you're at 2 lbs go down to 1.5 or 1 pound per week. Slow and steady will win the race. The lowest MFP will let you go is 1200 calories.
  • Falklang
    Falklang Posts: 220 Member
    Myself personally use a online calculator called TDEE calculator, its like the first link on Google. I've found that to be a bit more realistic and both the Mrs and I are losing fat with it. :)
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    How much did you tell MFP you wanted to lose per week? I'm 5'3". Dropped 100 lbs in just under 16 months using MFPs defaults, but I didn't pursue the most aggressive weight-loss target that was safe for me. Basically, even at my heaviest, when I could have set up to lose 2lbs/week, I decided to go with 1lb and feel less hungry. I also eat back half my exercise calories and, most weeks, found myself losing a bit more than 1lb/week. Still not 2lbs. 1.2, 1.6... and some week, especially as the weight dropped, I'd lose less than a lb. So in a month, let's say I was averaging 1 to 1.6.

    Now that I've got less than 25lbs to goal, I'm set for 1/2lb per week at 1400 calories before exercise.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I'm short too and when I started at MFP I needed to lose 20lbs so set myself to lose 0.5lb a week. I got something like 1240 cals. It was low but I earned calories from exercise so that got me moving.
    I averaged 1700-1750 calories a day gross to lose 0.5lb which was a much nicer amount of calories to eat at imo.

    Perhaps you should rethink the amount of loss per week you are aiming for so you get more calories. I have to say it was a more sustainable method for me personally and here I am now approaching year 5 of maintenance :smile:

    I just went by the preset macros.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Calorie goal? Yes.
    Macro goal? No.

    To your question - you get 1350 cals per day to do what? Maintain? Lose? Gain? Assuming it's to lose, then once you are no longer trying to lose weight you will increase that 1350 to whatever your maintenance number is... but it should be meaningfully higher than 1350.
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