Calorie help

gish676
gish676 Posts: 16
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I am new to MFP and am in need of help. I am 5'3 170 lbs. my goal is 140. I set my loss at 2 lbs a week which comes up 1200 calories. I checked 1 lb a week and that is 1300 a day. I exercise 5-6 times a week ( today I am off). . I am struggling with the 1200 calories. I think 1300 would work better for me especially on rest days. Do you toggle your calories at all? For example yesterday I burned 1000 calories ( I wear a hrm) I consumed half of those calories. Now today I have been pretty hungry and used 1300 so I am over my 1200 cal goal today.

I feel like 1200 cal is too low but don't want to eat too much. (1000 cal is not normal for me I did double yesterday because I knew I would not be able to go today.) I tend to burn 500-600 calories when I exercise.

I lost my weight this year on ww and switched to MFP i like it much better and it is free! I just want to make sure I do this right!

Thank you for your help!

Replies

  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    Eat the calories you burn
  • anna_love
    anna_love Posts: 177
    when i first did my account here i was also at the goal 1,200 calories at day and to loss 1 or 2 pounds per week and after a lil while i seen that i couldnt do it ... soo about 2 weeks ago i change to 1300 per day and i feel much better and iam lossing 1 pound a week :) do what u think is best for u
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Personally, I don't think 1200 is enough for anyone (with a very few exceptions, like medical issues or if you are a very small person). When you don't have a huge amount to lose, choosing "lose 2 pounds a week" is probably an unrealistic goal. Change your settings to lose 1 pound a week and enjoy your extra calories.

    Also it's important to understand that MFP takes ALL of your calorie deficit from your food, it doesn't factor in exercise, so if you burn a lot you need to eat more to give your body enough energy to support all that activity and to stay healthy while doing it.

    Don't stress over the numbers - just change your settings then eat the calories that MFP suggests each day (including those from exercise) and you will be well on the path to being healthier, fitter, stronger and staying that way for the long term.

    Alternatively you can could your calories to a bare minimum, not eat the extras from exercise and I'd put money on you coming back in a few months time and posting "help, why aren't I losing weight"!
  • gish676
    gish676 Posts: 16
    I got home from the gym at 10:30 pm. I was left with 400 calories can I carry them over to the next day?
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    I look at everything as a weekly balance. I try to stay at or barely under my caloric goal for the week. You can calculate it manually, by spreadsheet, or if you have the phone app, the "weekly" option tracks it for you.

    Unsolicited advice- increase your calories above 1200. People might start telling you all kinds of things about how they do it and eat celery, but I'm giving you my OPINION- I'd be hungry as hell. Been there, done that, wanted to eat small children, increased my calories, love my life again.
  • Justice96
    Justice96 Posts: 29
    To calculate your daily calorie cunsumption you get your goal weight and times it by 10,
    Example: goal- 140 x 10 = 1400 calories daily.
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    I got home from the gym at 10:30 pm. I was left with 400 calories can I carry them over to the next day?

    Your body doesn't follow our 24 hour clock (or our 7 day week for that matter). Look at this as an average and try to be more aware of what you eat over time.
  • gish676
    gish676 Posts: 16
    Thank you!
  • gish676
    gish676 Posts: 16
    I see what you mean by the weekly intake on the phone! That makes sense! Thanks!
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
    I got home from the gym at 10:30 pm. I was left with 400 calories can I carry them over to the next day?

    Your body doesn't follow our 24 hour clock (or our 7 day week for that matter). Look at this as an average and try to be more aware of what you eat over time.

    ^^^This
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