where can I set my goal weight

and will that change my calorie intake per day. thanks in advance

Answers

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,470 Member
    edited May 1

    Where to set goal weight depends on whether you're using web browser MFP or the phone/tablet app. Generically, it's under Goals. If you need more details, reply to say which you're using and I'll post a screen grab.

    And no, it doesn't affect daily calorie goal at all.

    What affects calorie goal is your personal demographic data (age, current weight, sex, activity level, etc.) and what you input as your requested weight loss rate (X pounds or kilos per week).

  • christinerobrien104
    christinerobrien104 Posts: 4 Member

    I phone and Apple Watch

  • christinerobrien104
    christinerobrien104 Posts: 4 Member

    okay so if I am at 172 and want to weigh 145 what needs to be my calorie intake

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,470 Member

    You goal weight doesn't matter. All your goal weight does is tell you when to stop the calorie deficit and switch to maintenance calories. Faster loss is more achievable and less risky for someone with lots of weight to lose, but other than that, goal weight only tells you when to stop losing. You can lose faster or slower and reach the same goal weight in the long run, right?

    Slower loss theoretically takes longer but is less risky, faster loss theoretically takes less calendar time but brings more health risk and is harder to stick with long enough to actually reach goal weight. (I'm saying "theoretically" because a slower loss rate a person can stick with consistently will actually get them to goal in less calendar time than some higher loss rate that causes bouts of deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or giving up totally because the process is just too hard.)

    What MFP intends you to do is to tell it how rapidly you want to lose weight, X pounds or kilos per week. Then it gives you an estimated calorie goal to lose weight at that pace. With only 27 pounds to lose, I'd suggest using a moderate loss rate for minimum health risk and higher odds of eventual success. (You enter that in the Goals area.)

    A common rule of thumb around here is to lose no more than 0.5-1% of current body weight per week, with a preference closer to 0.5% unless severely obese (which you aren't) AND under close medical supervision for deficiencies or health complications. At 172 pounds, that would imply a range of 0.85 to 1.7 pounds a week, preferably closer to the 0.85.

    If I were you - and I'm not - I'd probably set weight loss rate to a pound a week to start. That's a little above the low end of the range. If that calorie level seems sustainable once you've stuck to it for a couple of weeks, continue that way until maybe 155 pounds-ish, then eat a bit more to slow down the loss rate and glide into goal weight a little more slowly at the end . . . maybe half a pound a week for the last 10-ish pounds. Your call, though.

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