Is the calorie goal accurate?

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overeater1
overeater1 Posts: 38 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi fellow motivated people! I used this app a few years ago and then fell off the wagon. Now I’m back again to get back in shape. I inputted my data: height 5ft8, weight 151lbs, age 36 and my goal is to lose 1.5lbs a week. I’m told I’m to eat 1270 calories per day to achieve this. I’m not an expert in any way, but that seems a little low. I’m not hungry or anything but I want to do this safely and in a way that’s sustainable. What do you think?

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  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    i would recommend putting a rate of loss closer to .5 or 1lb/a week given you stats. you don't have much too lose so slow is safer. you also likely selected sedentary?

    remember to eat back your exercise calories.

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    overeater1 wrote: »
    Hi fellow motivated people! I used this app a few years ago and then fell off the wagon. Now I’m back again to get back in shape. I inputted my data: height 5ft8, weight 151lbs, age 36 and my goal is to lose 1.5lbs a week. I’m told I’m to eat 1270 calories per day to achieve this. I’m not an expert in any way, but that seems a little low. I’m not hungry or anything but I want to do this safely and in a way that’s sustainable. What do you think?

    As you're already within a healthy weight range, your rate of loss should be smaller... 1/2 to one pound per week at most. Plus, you add in and eat your exercise calories. 1270 is low because of the rate of loss you chose and depending on your daily activity level.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    overeater1 wrote: »
    Hi fellow motivated people! I used this app a few years ago and then fell off the wagon. Now I’m back again to get back in shape. I inputted my data: height 5ft8, weight 151lbs, age 36 and my goal is to lose 1.5lbs a week. I’m told I’m to eat 1270 calories per day to achieve this. I’m not an expert in any way, but that seems a little low. I’m not hungry or anything but I want to do this safely and in a way that’s sustainable. What do you think?

    You don't have enough weight to lose to warrant losing as quickly as 1.5lbs per week, that's why the goal is so low. I would think the highest you should do is 1 lb per week, and honestly since you are already at a healthy weight, 0.5lbs might be the best goal (though not everyone is patient enough for that.

    Also keep in mind that the MFP goal does not include exercise - you would need to log that and eat back at least some of those calories as well.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Your goal is actually 1270 + exercise calories, it's only 1270 on a day you don't exercise.

    The rate of weight loss you selected when you did your setup has a huge impact on your daily calorie goal, if you don't think 1270 + is sustainable then suggest you reassess the 1.5lbs a week you selected.
    Can't think you intend losing a lot of weight so why not go slower?
  • overeater1
    overeater1 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thank you very much for that. I assumed that 1.5 lbs was small enough given I should really be about 136-138lbs for my frame. I haven’t been eating back my walking calories either (10000 steps-160 calories). I thought they could be banked for a few drinks at the weekend 😂.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited January 2019
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    overeater1 wrote: »
    Thank you very much for that. I assumed that 1.5 lbs was small enough given I should really be about 136-138lbs for my frame. I haven’t been eating back my walking calories either (10000 steps-160 calories). I thought they could be banked for a few drinks at the weekend 😂.

    They can be banked. You can look at a weekly goal instead of a daily one.

    Nonetheless, still need to account for them and bump the rate of loss down. It'll be much more sustainable.

    ETA: are those steps part of your daily activities or specific to exercise?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    That sounds more like a daily adjustment from a tracker rather than an estimate just for your walking.
    Are you using a tracker to set your activity setting rather than using this site to give an estimated activity level?

    Banking calories for the weekend as part of viewing your calorie allowance as a weekly rather than daily allowance is fine.
  • overeater1
    overeater1 Posts: 38 Member
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    It’s complicated enough: my boyfriend’s advice of eat less, move more seems a bit simplistic now😂
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    overeater1 wrote: »
    It’s complicated enough: my boyfriend’s advice of eat less, move more seems a bit simplistic now😂

    He's right, but it's about finding an appropriate and healthy amount to make your loss sustainable.
  • overeater1
    overeater1 Posts: 38 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    That sounds more like a daily adjustment from a tracker rather than an estimate just for your walking.
    Are you using a tracker to set your activity setting rather than using this site to give an estimated activity level?

    Banking calories for the weekend as part of viewing your calorie allowance as a weekly rather than daily allowance is fine.
    sijomial wrote: »
    That sounds more like a daily adjustment from a tracker rather than an estimate just for your walking.
    Are you using a tracker to set your activity setting rather than using this site to give an estimated activity level?

    Banking calories for the weekend as part of viewing your calorie allowance as a weekly rather than daily allowance is fine.

    I’m using the heart icon on my iPhone: it counts the steps per day and somehow MFP gets the data and converts it to calories. I don’t know how I did that, it seemed to do it itself, but I could have pressed something to agree to it. I’m not great with things like that.

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