Confused about calorie-intake for sedentary lifestyles
Eunice2905
Posts: 16 Member
I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
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Replies
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What are your stats? Weight, height, and age?0
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1200 seems about right given your stats and activity levels. Eat at 1200 (use a food scale to weigh your portions and double check entries on the mfp food database as there's a lot of incorrect ones on there!) and monitor your progress over the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust accordingly after 4-6 if necessary.3
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1200 seems about right given your stats and activity levels. Eat at 1200 (use a food scale to weigh your portions and double check entries on the mfp food database as there's a lot of incorrect ones on there!) and monitor your progress over the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust accordingly after 4-6 if necessary.
Thank you! I got a food scale and measuring cup 2 weeks ago so I've been measuring them since
Do you feel like the MFP 5-week projection is accurate pertaining to your weight goal? o: 0 -
I'd caution against the use of cups for accuracy reasons. I don't use the MFP projection as I used a TDEE calculator for my calorie goal. I'll let others who use that feature judge its reliability.Eunice2905 wrote: »1200 seems about right given your stats and activity levels. Eat at 1200 (use a food scale to weigh your portions and double check entries on the mfp food database as there's a lot of incorrect ones on there!) and monitor your progress over the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust accordingly after 4-6 if necessary.
Thank you! I got a food scale and measuring cup 2 weeks ago so I've been measuring them since Do you feel like the MFP 5-week projection is accurate pertaining to your weight goal? o:3 -
At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best! 6 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »1200 seems about right given your stats and activity levels. Eat at 1200 (use a food scale to weigh your portions and double check entries on the mfp food database as there's a lot of incorrect ones on there!) and monitor your progress over the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust accordingly after 4-6 if necessary.
Thank you! I got a food scale and measuring cup 2 weeks ago so I've been measuring them since Do you feel like the MFP 5-week projection is accurate pertaining to your weight goal? o:
You should ignore the 5 week projection. It does not take into account that we do not eat the exact same amount of calories each day or even burn the same amount of energy. It also does not take into account that in 5 weeks you may be experiencing a weight fluctuation that masks part of your losses.
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
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Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
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Eunice2905 wrote: »1200 seems about right given your stats and activity levels. Eat at 1200 (use a food scale to weigh your portions and double check entries on the mfp food database as there's a lot of incorrect ones on there!) and monitor your progress over the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust accordingly after 4-6 if necessary.
Thank you! I got a food scale and measuring cup 2 weeks ago so I've been measuring them since Do you feel like the MFP 5-week projection is accurate pertaining to your weight goal? o:
You should ignore the 5 week projection. It does not take into account that we do not eat the exact same amount of calories each day or even burn the same amount of energy. It also does not take into account that in 5 weeks you may be experiencing a weight fluctuation that masks part of your losses.
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
Thank you for linking the article - it was very insightful and has restored my faith in my progress (I kept seeing fluctuations) and was wondering if I was doing something wrong!0 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
This is why I cautioned against a 500-calorie deficit. According to this calculator: (https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=metric&g=female&age=22&kg=55&cm=160&act=1.2&f=1) your maintenance calories are about 1535 calories, and to lose 0.5 kilos per week, as you said, you would have to eat around 1035. Now, while you think your calorie intake has always been around 1000 calories, without a food scale you have no idea of verifying that (and most of us think we eat less than we do, it's just human nature, definitely not an insult towards you at all!), and if you were truly eating that little you would be losing weight fairly quickly. As a general rule, for us to meet our minimum nutrient requirements, we need at least 1200 calories. Eating at a big deficit when you're already as light as you are can lead to tiredness, mental fatigue, hair loss, and muscle wasting. Please do be safe and eat at least 1200-1250 calories per day, and remember that if you exercise you get to eat more. 0 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
You are already well within a healthy weight for your height (5'2, about 121pd). so you need to select a slower rate of loss than .5kg/week (within healthy weight it is recommended to stick to 0.5pds or .25kg per week rate of loss).
sedentary is nearly bedridden by MFP standard so you are likely at least lightly active is not more.
It really is a bad idea for a woman who is not bed ridden to eat under 1200 unless medically supervised. that is the minimum required to get enough nutrients for your body to function day to day.
do you have a step tracker? any idea on your average step count?
and yes use a food scale
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
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Eunice2905 wrote: »I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
You are already well within a healthy weight for your height (5'2, about 121pd). so you need to select a slower rate of loss than .5kg/week (within healthy weight it is recommended to stick to 0.5pds or .25kg per week rate of loss).
sedentary is nearly bedridden by MFP standard so you are likely at least lightly active is not more.
It really is a bad idea for a woman who is not bed ridden to eat under 1200 unless medically supervised. that is the minimum required to get enough nutrients for your body to function day to day.
do you have a step tracker? any idea on your average step count?
and yes use a food scale
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Yeah I'm aware that I'm in the healthy weight change but I'd like to lower it slightly before I go back home for summer (in my country, it's nearly impossible to eat healthy because healthier/fresher ingredients are ironically so much more expensive) than regular takeaways. I'll still be attempting to stick to my diet, but it may not be as consistent so I'm definitely expecting weight gain when I go back /:
But gotcha! I'll be changing my goal to 0.25kg/week I don't have a step tracker, so no, but I have been pretty sedentary this Easter because I'm either at my desk writing papers from morning till night, get down to make dinner and then back at my desk, before hitting the sack. Maybe I'm not completely sedentary, but I'm pretty much close. Haha. 0 -
try to get some steps in where you can. get off a bus stop earlier, go for a walk at lunch, go to washroom more often. every little bit helps.
note that to lose weight you don't need to eat "healthy". you just need to eat at a calorie deficit. sure for overall health and satiety it can have an impact but for weight loss it's strictly calories in VS calories out.3 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day 1 -
try to get some steps in where you can. get off a bus stop earlier, go for a walk at lunch, go to washroom more often. every little bit helps.
note that to lose weight you don't need to eat "healthy". you just need to eat at a calorie deficit. sure for overall health and satiety it can have an impact but for weight loss it's strictly calories in VS calories out.
Yep I get that! But more often than not, it's easier to count your calories when you make your own meals than takeaways.
From where I live, I can easily eat up to 600 calories (or more) per meal, not accounting for desserts... I'd easily exceed even the required calorie-intake for maintaining my weight.
I can't wait to start university because that means an hour of walking every day, at least ^^
Thank you for your response!! 0 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
You are already well within a healthy weight for your height (5'2, about 121pd). so you need to select a slower rate of loss than .5kg/week (within healthy weight it is recommended to stick to 0.5pds or .25kg per week rate of loss).
sedentary is nearly bedridden by MFP standard so you are likely at least lightly active is not more.
It really is a bad idea for a woman who is not bed ridden to eat under 1200 unless medically supervised. that is the minimum required to get enough nutrients for your body to function day to day.
do you have a step tracker? any idea on your average step count?
and yes use a food scale
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Yeah I'm aware that I'm in the healthy weight change but I'd like to lower it slightly before I go back home for summer (in my country, it's nearly impossible to eat healthy because healthier/fresher ingredients are ironically so much more expensive) than regular takeaways. I'll still be attempting to stick to my diet, but it may not be as consistent so I'm definitely expecting weight gain when I go back /:
But gotcha! I'll be changing my goal to 0.25kg/week I don't have a step tracker, so no, but I have been pretty sedentary this Easter because I'm either at my desk writing papers from morning till night, get down to make dinner and then back at my desk, before hitting the sack. Maybe I'm not completely sedentary, but I'm pretty much close. Haha.
When it comes to weight management the only thing that matters is calories not the degree of "health" in the food. Almost all food has nutrients we need. Classifying some foods as acceptable for weight loss and others as not makes everything more difficult. There are foods that I eat in moderation because they are calorie dense and less filling for me.3 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯0 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.4 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
You are already well within a healthy weight for your height (5'2, about 121pd). so you need to select a slower rate of loss than .5kg/week (within healthy weight it is recommended to stick to 0.5pds or .25kg per week rate of loss).
sedentary is nearly bedridden by MFP standard so you are likely at least lightly active is not more.
It really is a bad idea for a woman who is not bed ridden to eat under 1200 unless medically supervised. that is the minimum required to get enough nutrients for your body to function day to day.
do you have a step tracker? any idea on your average step count?
and yes use a food scale
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Yeah I'm aware that I'm in the healthy weight change but I'd like to lower it slightly before I go back home for summer (in my country, it's nearly impossible to eat healthy because healthier/fresher ingredients are ironically so much more expensive) than regular takeaways. I'll still be attempting to stick to my diet, but it may not be as consistent so I'm definitely expecting weight gain when I go back /:
But gotcha! I'll be changing my goal to 0.25kg/week I don't have a step tracker, so no, but I have been pretty sedentary this Easter because I'm either at my desk writing papers from morning till night, get down to make dinner and then back at my desk, before hitting the sack. Maybe I'm not completely sedentary, but I'm pretty much close. Haha.
When it comes to weight management the only thing that matters is calories not the degree of "health" in the food. Almost all food has nutrients we need. Classifying some foods as acceptable for weight loss and others as not makes everything more difficult. There are foods that I eat in moderation because they are calorie dense and less filling for me.
It does! I would definitely start cutting down on how often I eat burgers and their meals from fast food joints which is going to be a struggle because I used to eat them nearly every day. It will be difficult not to head in and get chips or something
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Eunice2905 wrote: »But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
x100.Eunice2905 wrote: »try to get some steps in where you can. get off a bus stop earlier, go for a walk at lunch, go to washroom more often. every little bit helps.
note that to lose weight you don't need to eat "healthy". you just need to eat at a calorie deficit. sure for overall health and satiety it can have an impact but for weight loss it's strictly calories in VS calories out.
Yep I get that! But more often than not, it's easier to count your calories when you make your own meals than takeaways.
From where I live, I can easily eat up to 600 calories (or more) per meal, not accounting for desserts... I'd easily exceed even the required calorie-intake for maintaining my weight.
I can't wait to start university because that means an hour of walking every day, at least ^^
Thank you for your response!!
I mean we can all eat up to 600 a meal or more. losing the weight is great but you'll also need to consider a plan to maintain your weight once you get there and are back in that lifestyle. eat less, move more. make "smarter choices" even when eating out. or eat the 600 then NOT have the dessert.3 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
Both of you are right. Because 1 kg is 2.2 pounds (so half a kilo is 1.1 pound), a 500 calorie deficit comes very close to 0.5 kg per week, and is the general "rule of thumb" those of us who measure in kg tend to use. A 250 calorie deficit is roughly 0.25 kg, or 250 grams, per week. 3 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
x100.Eunice2905 wrote: »try to get some steps in where you can. get off a bus stop earlier, go for a walk at lunch, go to washroom more often. every little bit helps.
note that to lose weight you don't need to eat "healthy". you just need to eat at a calorie deficit. sure for overall health and satiety it can have an impact but for weight loss it's strictly calories in VS calories out.
Yep I get that! But more often than not, it's easier to count your calories when you make your own meals than takeaways.
From where I live, I can easily eat up to 600 calories (or more) per meal, not accounting for desserts... I'd easily exceed even the required calorie-intake for maintaining my weight.
I can't wait to start university because that means an hour of walking every day, at least ^^
Thank you for your response!!
I mean we can all eat up to 600 a meal or more. losing the weight is great but you'll also need to consider a plan to maintain your weight once you get there and are back in that lifestyle. eat less, move more. make "smarter choices" even when eating out. or eat the 600 then NOT have the dessert.
Haha that will certainly be a challenge when it's everywhere! But I will make it 0 -
Susieq_1994 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
Both of you are right. Because 1 kg is 2.2 pounds (so half a kilo is 1.1 pound), a 500 calorie deficit comes very close to 0.5 kg per week, and is the general "rule of thumb" those of us who measure in kg tend to use. A 250 calorie deficit is roughly 0.25 kg, or 250 grams, per week.
I just missed the kg in her post. I use both pounds and kg.2 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
She is correct as half a kg, is close to 1 lb (1.1lbs), that said, OP you should be aiming to lose 0.25kg/seek, so 1035+250 = 1285/day2 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
She is correct as half a kg, is close to 1 lb (1.1lbs), that said, OP you should be aiming to lose 0.25kg/seek, so 1035+250 = 1285/day
Yeah, as I said above, I missed the kg.
That's what I get for posting while doing other things.1 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
She is correct as half a kg, is close to 1 lb (1.1lbs), that said, OP you should be aiming to lose 0.25kg/seek, so 1035+250 = 1285/day
Yeah, as I said above, I missed the kg.
That's what I get for posting while doing other things.
Ops, missed the other posted and your reply0 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Susieq_1994 wrote: »At your current height and weight, you have very little weight to lose (we're talking vanity kilos here, 2-5 maybe?). 0.5 kg per week is too much of a deficit to aim for at that stage of weight loss, because you're already fairly lean. I would advise that you change the weekly aim to 0.25 kilos per week (although I don't think your calorie goal will increase very much, 1200 is the bare minimum that MFP will suggest for anyone, and it's probably not a 500 calorie deficit for you).
As others have said, a food scale and accurate logging are extremely important. All the best!
Yep! I'm actually aiming to lose about 4 kilos from where I am right now, it's very difficult to eat healthy back home (I'm studying abroad rn so I have more freedom in managing my food) and if I continue the way I eat... I'll probably be overweight fairly soon. So after losing 4 kilos, I'll stop and maintain my weight
Yeah! According to the TDEE calculator that shaf238 mentioned, 1035 is the exact calorie-intake for me and thankfully, my daily intake has always been between 1000 to 1020 calories.
Thank you so much for your response! I just wanted to get some answers before I proceed any further and lose motivation from being on the "wrong track" of things
Count me as another vote for slowing your rate of loss. For what it is worth, MFP puts your maintenance calories at about 65 higher than other counters (due to how it calculates the sedentary activity rate, which I think is more accurate), so it is saying to maintain, you should have 1600 calories. I would say then a good calorie goal for you is 1300. But if you are going to take it to 1200, you would probably be okay, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. MFP puts that limit for a reason. Especially for someone who is your height and age, it's not good to under eat, both from a nutritional and body energy perspective. So no doing 1000 a day
But TDEE says that if I intend on losing weight, it should be at 1035 calories (thus creating a 500-calorie deficit)? I'm guessing this 500-calorie deficit results in 0.5kg per week?
Sorry for the silly questions! I'm still relatively new to weight and nutrition 🤯
No, a 500 calorie deficit equals one pound per week. 250 would be a half pound.
She is correct as half a kg, is close to 1 lb (1.1lbs), that said, OP you should be aiming to lose 0.25kg/seek, so 1035+250 = 1285/day
Yeah, as I said above, I missed the kg.
That's what I get for posting while doing other things.
Ops, missed the other posted and your reply
It's all good. Folks can never get enough imperial to metric conversion lessons, IMO.2 -
Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »Eunice2905 wrote: »I'm pretty new to weight loss and nutrition... been eating junk food my entire life, but figured enough was enough this Easter break. Downloaded MFP to start counting my calories but I'm still confused about certain aspects and would really appreciate if someone could give some pointers or clear the air for me!
Basically, MFP has set me at 1200 calories per day to lose 0.5kg per week, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient? I've gone online, double-checked to see the calorie-intake for maintaining or losing weight, and they seem to point to roughly the same statistics too - 1200ish (losing weight).
I'm aware that MFP doesn't account for exercise so 1200 calories is my allowance without exercise - but as a very sedentary person (sitting at my desk almost all day writing papers), I was wondering if I can really lose weight if I eat below 1200 calories per day? Do I need to pay attention to macros and such?
You are already well within a healthy weight for your height (5'2, about 121pd). so you need to select a slower rate of loss than .5kg/week (within healthy weight it is recommended to stick to 0.5pds or .25kg per week rate of loss).
sedentary is nearly bedridden by MFP standard so you are likely at least lightly active is not more.
It really is a bad idea for a woman who is not bed ridden to eat under 1200 unless medically supervised. that is the minimum required to get enough nutrients for your body to function day to day.
do you have a step tracker? any idea on your average step count?
and yes use a food scale
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Yeah I'm aware that I'm in the healthy weight change but I'd like to lower it slightly before I go back home for summer (in my country, it's nearly impossible to eat healthy because healthier/fresher ingredients are ironically so much more expensive) than regular takeaways. I'll still be attempting to stick to my diet, but it may not be as consistent so I'm definitely expecting weight gain when I go back /:
But gotcha! I'll be changing my goal to 0.25kg/week I don't have a step tracker, so no, but I have been pretty sedentary this Easter because I'm either at my desk writing papers from morning till night, get down to make dinner and then back at my desk, before hitting the sack. Maybe I'm not completely sedentary, but I'm pretty much close. Haha.
When it comes to weight management the only thing that matters is calories not the degree of "health" in the food. Almost all food has nutrients we need. Classifying some foods as acceptable for weight loss and others as not makes everything more difficult. There are foods that I eat in moderation because they are calorie dense and less filling for me.
It does! I would definitely start cutting down on how often I eat burgers and their meals from fast food joints which is going to be a struggle because I used to eat them nearly every day. It will be difficult not to head in and get chips or something
I make chips fit in my diet. I have them 3 or 4 times a week. I just have small servings of them.
I do not advocate large changes in behavior. I think it is better to make small changes over time. I think the question for you starts with what can you also eat that increases your variety and takes a few calories from the burgers and chips? Usually frozen fruits and vegetables are cheaper. Is that an option when you return home?1 -
That's awesome! I've completely avoided chips so far since I've been here, it's been a year and a half but I still miss it - my fear is that chips don't fill me up I guess, and they take up unnecessary calories for food that's more filling.
I'm honestly not sure We have hawker centres within walking distance everywhere so that's everyone's go-to for meals, including breakfast - this means that we could have a plate of fried noodles with oily fish cakes, even the vegetables are oily :v We have "healthy" burritos but they cost a bomb ($~10) and the meal with denser calories maybe costs about $2 - if both don't fill me up either way, I'd rather go for the cheaper alternative.
My friends back home similarly struggle to eat better (lesser calories) but it's just impossible because of the cost in the long run. I apologise for ranting but it's a bit frustrating because I don't know how I'm going to work around this issue when I return home.
But frozen fruits and vegetables are definitely workable! I've been working these even into my current diet since I never eat greens, but fruits especially are quite filling!!0 -
You can have fish and chips without it being a daily thing. maybe the day you eat that don't have dessert. Ideally you brain storm and find options to try to maintain a weight you are comfortable with when you get back home.
What are your other options when you are home? Are you able to go to a grocery store? do you have access to a stovetop, fridge, freezer, microwave, utensils? Maybe you can eat out most days at lunch but bring some "filling low cal items" like vegetables to snack on then eat breakfast/dinner at home to achieve some balance.
Maybe bring a prepared lunch 1-2x a week? pick smaller portions of the oily foods and see if they have like side salads with dressing on the side to help fill up.
again i'm not suggesting all or nothing, just balance that allows your to achieve your goals and still enjoy life.0
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