Calories 1200

Louisa10050 · November 2023

Hello,

Quick question, having reset my profile. My calorie goal has been calculated as 1200 a day. This seems to low? In my work, I am on my feet all day, walking around 9k on average and I run 5km 3 x a week. Seems to low. Keen to hear what others think?

yirara · November 2023

It’s based on what you entered. What’s your activity level and your weekly goal? For work you seem very active, and you’ve likely chosen a too agressive weightloss goal. You’re also supposed to log your exercise and eat back those calories.

Can you share your stats? Then we can help you finetune this.

Louisa10050 · November 2023

Thank you. Height is 5ft 1in, weight 66kg. Active. I opted to lose 1kg a week which I thought would be the most realistic?

yirara · November 2023

1kg per week is the highest weightloss goal MFP is giving anyone, and is really meant for really obese people. That you've been given 1200 calories means that your goal is unrealistic as MFP always defaults to 1200 for women as it's the lowest kind of healthy calorie amount. That means you won't lose 1kg per week but slow.

Why not play a bit with the weightloss goal settings to see what happens. I bet 0.5kg week will give you more calories. Also don't forget to eat back at least a part of your exercise if you have such an active job. You don't want to crash eating too little.

AnnPT77 · November 2023

Louisa10050 wrote: »

Thank you. Height is 5ft 1in, weight 66kg. Active. I opted to lose 1kg a week which I thought would be the most realistic?

MFP doesn't "calculate calorie goal", it estimates it, base on the input you provide.

You put in an aggressive loss rate.

For other USA-ians like me, 66kg is 145.2 pounds. It's BMI 27.4, so roughly middle of the overweight definition, not obese. (BMI is imprecise, but it gives us an approximation.)

Most anyone (IMO) should stick with weight loss in the range of 0.5%-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that unless so obese that weight itself is a health risk, in which case the person should be under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications.

Unless you've not told us something relevant, you're not severely overweight. The range above would be 0.33 to 0.66 kg per week. Half a kilogram a week would IMO be a good goal, for a while. You've set yourself for half again the top end of that. Even 0.25 kg would be fine. (But that can take time to show up on the bodyweight scale amongst normal daily water weight fluctuations of a kg or more.)

I get that we all want to lose weight fast. But doing that raises health risks, and can compromise energy level and athletic performance. On top of that, too-fast loss can be unsustainable. Sometimes slow loss can get us to goal in less calendar time than an aggressive rate that triggers deprivation-related overeating, breaks in the action, or giving up altogether.

Also, MFP intends for you to base your activity level setting on your life without intentional exercise, stuff like your job and home chores. Then, we're expected to log exercise when we do it, and eat those calories, too (or better yet, sync a good fitness tracker).

Follow the estimate for 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycle if that applies), then adjust based on your own real-world experience if necessary. If you seem to be losing too slowly, stick with it. If you seem to be losing very fast and begin feeling weak or fatigued for no obvious other reason, eat more.

If you use the same goals/methods for the 4-6 weeks, you'll have a good idea whether MFP's statistical estimate is accurate for you or not. For most people, it's close. For a few people, it's not. That's the nature of statistical estimates based on population averages.

Best wishes for success!

loulee997 · November 2023

yirara wrote: »

It’s based on what you entered. What’s your activity level and your weekly goal? For work you seem very active, and you’ve likely chosen a too agressive weightloss goal. You’re also supposed to log your exercise and eat back those calories.

Can you share your stats? Then we can help you finetune this.

Hi,

I guessed on age of 35 and that you wanted to get to 125 pounds, down from 145. See the calorie deficit range below. I put you in as moderately active at work and home.

LINK TO THE CALCULATOR
Try this one to recheck the calorie deficit.

bubbeE787 · November 2023

I set my calorie allowance to 1500 per day; I like having the extra calories available if I need them though I try to come in slightly lower each day. There’s no guarantee that even if you eat 1200 that you will lose a certain amount per week- it’s an estimate- sometimes you lose more, sometimes less.
Just find a calorie allowance that is realistic for you to be consistent for a long period of time. It’s all about consistency.

Calories 1200

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