Calories

jcjhard wrote: »

My calories seem to be high I’m afraid it’s too many. But I assume mfp has then set appropriately? As well how important is it to eat all of them for weight loss? How much lower than the suggested amount should u go before u stop losing? Help!

Opinions are not usually that reliable when calculating calorie needs. It is better to use a standard calculation that should give you a good estimate of where to start. You should eat all of the calories it gives you and at least half of any exercise calories.

You cannot physically stop losing weight due to eating too little. That is a myth. You can physically make yourself ill eating too little and/or mentally reject the weight loss effort because you are miserable.

In about 6 weeks you can review how your weight loss has been progressing and then adjust your calories up or down as needed. Eating more usually starts with eating more of your exercise calories. Eating less usually starts with getting a food scale and getting your portions dialed in correctly. Or you could get a food scale now and not risk eating too much for 6 weeks <- better plan.

Also remember that MFP database entries were made by users. Many entries were made by users who were new, sloppy, or suffering from wishful thinking. Suffice it to say the database has many errors in it. You should personally verify that the entries you select to use against the label or the new USDA site.