correct calorie intake

rafanadal
rafanadal Posts: 4
edited October 6 in Introduce Yourself
when i stick to my net calorie intake of 1200,i still put on a little weight,yet the app tells me i shud have lost 2 pounds.is it just a waste of time?

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    no
  • SophieJR
    SophieJR Posts: 13 Member
    i know what you mean ive put on a total of 10 pounds following the 1200 intake and dont eat back my calories burned due to work out ether.
  • then their calculators are wrong. any way of getting acurate results?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    then their calculators are wrong. any way of getting acurate results?

    There are several approaches. Unfortunately, when you input into MFP it's a dummy system. Lets say you come on here with only 10 lbs to lose and want to try to have a speedy weight loss and put in 2lbs per week. All it does it look at your activity level that you put in there and it estimates our metabolic rate to give you a number. What it doesn't recognize, is a person with 10 lbs to lose should only do .5 lb per week. The less fat you have to lose, the more your body holds on. This is why when people are closer to their goal, the more their body is required to eat.

    So how do we beat it, first you need to figure out yoru BMR (metabolic rate) which MFP has one under tools. Once you have that, tell us what you do for a living (desk job or active job) and what your exercise routine is, if you have one. Then If you can, current weight/height/age (over PM is fine as well) and we can start figuring.
  • bmr 1367
    male 37, 5ft 1, 128lbs
    desk job and exercise varies,some tennis,walking but no gym
  • SophieJR
    SophieJR Posts: 13 Member
    i still dont get what you mean lol the brm is a higher cal the the cal intake
  • runiechica
    runiechica Posts: 180 Member
    You could be eating too little if you're eating 1200 and not eating back exercise calories.
  • Shannon_W
    Shannon_W Posts: 3 Member
    Another thing to keep in mind is this: when our bodies are used to getting a certain intake a day and we drastically cut that down, we go into starvation mode. Say, when you weren't dieting you were ingesting about 2,500-3,000 calories (just an example.) Now, if you are cutting calories your body goes into starvation mode where it holds on to the fat you've built up.

    "6. Your body is working against you.
    Most people have noticed that it’s hard to lose weight, but easy to gain it. This is a relic of harder times, when food was not as abundant as it is today. Our genetic taste buds made energy-dense food desirable because it was necessary to pack away calories so we could make it through the thin times. We feasted when we could, in preparation for the famine.

    But now that we live in a time of abundance, that system predisposes many of us for weight gain and retention. And for obese dieters, this system is even harder to overcome; after weight loss, they become better at storing fat, making it harder to keep weight off. However, this isn’t to say that many haven’t lost weight and kept it off successfully. It just means you have to be diligent. "

    From http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1209
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    bmr 1367
    male 37, 5ft 1, 128lbs
    desk job and exercise varies,some tennis,walking but no gym

    So what is your goal? are you trying to lose more weight? Either way, i would suggest you increase your calories to 1600. Men really shouldn't eat less than 1500 to maintain muscle mass. Also, even at being lighlty active and 1 lb per week, you would need more than 1200 per day.
  • goal is to lose weight prior to knee op as exercise will be restricted for a while afterwards.
    1200 calories is net after exercise etc.
    generally consume between 1500 and 1800 and burn rest with exercise.
    even at this i dont lost weight yet app says i should have
  • Kamalka
    Kamalka Posts: 164 Member
    Hi,

    If you increase your exercise (compared to last year average lets say), this is completely normal: you are gaining weight (muscles) while losing fat. As long as your poucentage body fat is decreasing, your diet is ok. If your goal is to stay healthy, do not change anyhting then but if you have to decrease your weight to decrease pressure on your knee, you should decrease proteins in your diet. Tthe negative aspect is that you would gain weight as soon as you would get back to normal level of proteins
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