help - newbie confused

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buttah75
buttah75 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
I am a woman who wants to lose 2lbs per week (I have 40-ish to lose) and I put that in. But then when I click through, it tells me at 1200 calories, I am only going to lose 1.2 per week. How do I get to the right number of calories to lose 2 per week? Thanks.

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  • kryptonitekelly
    kryptonitekelly Posts: 335 Member
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    You must NOT go below 1200 cals a day!!

    Stick with the 1200 and lose the amount it says...dont aim for 2lbs ...
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    You need a min of 1200 cals per day...
  • ChefCupcake
    ChefCupcake Posts: 40
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    The more you weigh, the more you will lose. I also do no recommend trying to lose too much a week. It's not the best for your body, and your skin may sag more after you lose the weight. "Slow and steady wins the race!"
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    You're pretty close to your goal if you're getting 1200 calories... choose a less aggressive rate of weight loss.. 1lb per week will still get you just barely over 1200 calories if that's going to give you 1.2 lbs per week loss.

    2 lbs per week may be a "safe" setting for some, but certainly not appropriate for those close to their goal.

    MFPs calorie goal gives you a deficit to lose weight before exercise too, so you should look at eating your exercise calories to maintain your deficit at the level you want
  • glenbabe
    glenbabe Posts: 303 Member
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    agree with others 1200 is the lowest setting ......so your like me and need to have a little patience with it and you will get there it just takes a little longer thats all.....I have the same problem but lose 1 pound steadily each week
  • alyssaanagram
    alyssaanagram Posts: 73
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    Definitely do not go below 1200 calories - but you may lose up to 2lbs a week if you eat right and work out.

    MFP tells me that I'll only lose 1.4 pounds a week but I don't eat a lot of processed food (I stick to fresh fruit/veggies/high fiber carbs) and work out 4-5 times a week. Experiment with clean recipes and you'll see the weight drop off easily (at least in the beginning).

    Check out my food diary and if you need/want some more personal tips/recipes feel free to message me!
  • buttah75
    buttah75 Posts: 5
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    I don't consider 40 lbs. close to my goal!!!!! And I put the 1200 in - can't I just put in 1000 if it's going to give me calories back anyway? Sorry to be confused! I eat fresh food and I already have it set on exercising every day (brisk walking to start) for 45 mins!
  • kaylammurphy
    kaylammurphy Posts: 63
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    This can help you understand the number of calories you need to take in if you were never to exercise. I suggest putting in your current weight, writing the calories down, then plug in your goal weight and look at the difference in calories. Also, for a week just eat the second amount of calories, to get used to the idea. Then start including more as you exercise :)

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    MFP will never recommend less than 1200 calories per day. If you want a bigger calorie deficit you'll need to exercise to create that deficit.
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
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    Hi
    1200 is the minimum calories you should have. Make sure you use your 1200 healthily on nutritious food, drink lots of water, move a bit and you will get there. I started at 98 kgs now 91.1 since 1 January and I am so pleased. (13 pounds lost). In the past I have tried to lose weight by eating too little and my body just held on to what fat there was, thinking I was in a famine.

    Losing about 1 lb a week (0.5kg for us Aussies) is the optimum weight loss to maintain that weight loss.

    Give it a go at what MFP suggests - bet you willbe pleasantly surprised. :smile:
  • buttah75
    buttah75 Posts: 5
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    I guess I did something wrong, because I never saw the number of calories MFP suggested for me. I put the number 1200 in myself (unless I'm senile).
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    my home > settings > update diet/fitness profile.
  • scorpio8
    scorpio8 Posts: 2 Member
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    It did that to me as well. I think that is because it would not be healthy for you to eat less calories than what it takes to burn 1.5 calories per week. Actually, 1200 is not a lot so if that is what it tells you to eat each day, trust me, it does not allow you alot of food so you really don't want to be limited to fewer calories. You will still loose the weight if you are honest with yourself and are serious about this process and, exercise helps tremedously.
  • buttah75
    buttah75 Posts: 5
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    Okay, so it did suggest 1200 (which means 1.2 pounds per week). But I just checked to see what my BMR is, and it's 1400-something. Is it okay to have calories below your BMR?
  • alyssaanagram
    alyssaanagram Posts: 73
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    I don't consider 40 lbs. close to my goal!!!!! And I put the 1200 in - can't I just put in 1000 if it's going to give me calories back anyway? Sorry to be confused! I eat fresh food and I already have it set on exercising every day (brisk walking to start) for 45 mins!

    When you eat less than 1200 calories a day your body goes into starvation mode and actually stores fat. Also, give yourself at least one rest day - you should definitely be active every day so a brisk walk is good. But once you start working out harder with cardio an d weight training you need to give your body at least 1 day of rest a week - don't push yourself too hard!

    It's frustrating but try a few things out - see what works for you and slowly you'll start understanding what your body needs specifically.
  • kaylammurphy
    kaylammurphy Posts: 63
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    Okay, so it did suggest 1200 (which means 1.2 pounds per week). But I just checked to see what my BMR is, and it's 1400-something. Is it okay to have calories below your BMR?

    Yes, but it can also be good for you to start at the slightly higher caloric intake. Once you understand what that looks like in terms of food, you can start to whittle down the calories as you see fit. Just be careful of dropping too low in calories because they are energy and your body needs them. The biggest thing is to Not starve yourself :) Teach yourself to eat healthy, not to starve :)
  • buttah75
    buttah75 Posts: 5
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    OH believe me, I know what it "looks like in terms of food." I know everything I need to know - fresh foods, very low sugar/good carbs, lots of veggies and clean protein. I have outstanding food, and I measure when I'm not positive how many oz. Just need to eat the right amounts and don't understand MFP!

    THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP.

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