Are your MFP calculations actually correct?

I'd be intererest on people's input on this also....Bumpity-Bump

I just can't seem to lose these last few pounds of jiggly padding. I don't know if it's me or if my thyroid meds needs tweaking. The doc lowered my thyroid by the smallest increment because my heart rate was too high and my blood test showed too much thyroid -- but I was losing weight! Ever since he lowered it, I have been slowly gaining the weight back.

It is hard to watch every calorie and every minute of exercise show on paper that I should be losing weight; but in reality, it's not coming off.

I'd hate to blame it on meds. I want to know if I'm just not exercising enough or hard enough or if maybe I actually need fewer than 1200 cal per day...sigh.

Does anyone have a tried and true way of determining your actual daily calorie & exercise needs? Are your MFP calculations actually correct? I just need a little reassurance.

A better question is did you set up an appropriate weekly weight loss goal given your stats and ultimate goal. Most likely you are not eating enough.

Here is a good reference, if you have over 100 lbs to lose you can lose more than 2 lbs/week safely, that being said it is best to set a realistic safe weekly loss goal and:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -20 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

The reasons: the less you have to lose the less fat stores you have to pull from. The less fat you have to pull from the less your body wants to take any. So if your deficit is too large given your stats you will burn a large % of lean muscle. Doing the above also helps set you up for maintenance without a large increase in caloric intake all at once.

*with the above goals in mind you should still eat your exercise calories as your deficit would be factored in by your weekly goal and not eating the cals will increase that deficit beyond what your goal dictate it should be.

You might actually need more than 1200 calories. Myself and a few others I know did not lose a thing eating at that calorie limit. Since I have bumped up my calories I am losing again. Are you eating back your exercise calories? Shape Magazine has recommended that the average women needs 1500-1800 calories a day in order to lose weight.

2nd this!

What they said. Also, have you given it enough time? We all hit plateaus for different reasons at different points in our weight loss. Look at what you've been doing overall and see where you need tweaking. Maybe it is more calories... or an extra workout. I would try different variations of increasing calories and/or exercise.

** oh, and never go below 1200 calories. Some people do, but it's really not a healthy way to loose the weight and it always comes back once you begin eating "normally" (healthy) again.

And, ALWAYS eat back your exercise calories! :-)

Agree with the 1500-1800 rule. This is what I'm doing now, and it's working. the weight is coming off very VERY slowly since I'm close to my goal weight, but it is coming off. I track my 10-day average weight in an excel spreadsheet, and I told myself that if the trend line ever flattened out, I would take off 100 calories a day, but I haven't had to yet! The few times (this was a while ago, now) I tried to "speed things up" by going below 1200, I'd gain weight back very, very quickly the minute I stopped eating such low daily calories. With higher calories I don't feel horrible, I can work out harder, and the gradual weight loss means that your body is adapting to that weight as a natural "balance" point. That's the goal, right? I don't know about you, but I don't plan to eat 1200 calories or less for life!!!

Instead of going by caloric intake alone, I would rather focus on the deficit. Soemtimes I burn 3000 calories a day, and if I were to only eat 1500-1800 I would not have enough energy. But if I don't work out and only burn 2000, then 1500-1800 would be good. So instead I focus on having a 300-500 calorie deficit, but the deficity of course depends on your weight loss goals. If I have more than 500 I am usually too hungry.

Here is a good reference, if you have over 100 lbs to lose you can lose more than 2 lbs/week safely, that being said it is best to set a realistic safe weekly loss goal and:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -20 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Looks like you might have thought this through..