should I up my calories

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marcenepea
marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I first input the information on here it told me to eat 1200 calories a day. Thats to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I have been reading alot on here and seen that alot of people feel 1200 calories is pretty low. I have been thinking about going to 1300 or 1400 a day to see how that works for me.
I am 194 lbs., 5ft 7 in. Anyone else around this size have any input or thoughts.

Replies

  • thinnerisstronger
    thinnerisstronger Posts: 124 Member
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    Bump it up. MFP sets calorie goals WAY too low. I'd recommend finding out your BMR and going from there.
    Good luck :)
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
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    Yes, you should definitely up them. Many people find that they start with 1200, feel miserable and starving and don't experience the weight loss they expected, and then suddenly start losing successfully once they eat closer to 1500-1600 (especially for someone weighing 194lbs). So yes, I would recommend upping them to 1lb loss per week or less. Good luck!
  • twiztedgrl69
    twiztedgrl69 Posts: 191 Member
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    mine is around 1600 and that's for .5/week...good luck!
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and 193 lbs. My BMR, if I didn't move a muscle for 24 hours, is approx 1600 calories. However, I'm a lightly active person, being a mom of two and all that, so add another 600 calories according to my TDEE. That's 2200 calories on average just being a mom and breathing. Minus 20% which is what is recommended, I should be eating 1760 per day for healthy and sustainable weight loss.

    I reset MFP to lose 1 1/2 pounds a week after I plateaued early. I upped my cals 200 a day, plus an additional 300 for breastfeeding my baby. That's 1700 a day. I lost 2 lbs that next week.

    Here's where you can figure out your BMR and TDEE if you want to check it out yourself. Your TDEE might be much different than mine.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

    You can also manipulate everything MFP sets up for you thru the tabs above. It's just a computer program. Do what's best for you. :)
  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
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    When I first input the information on here it told me to eat 1200 calories a day. Thats to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I have been reading alot on here and seen that alot of people feel 1200 calories is pretty low. I have been thinking about going to 1300 or 1400 a day to see how that works for me.
    I am 194 lbs., 5ft 7 in. Anyone else around this size have any input or thoughts.

    I am 5'7" 190lbs and i lose weight at 2000 calories per day
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
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    Also, you gotta remember that MFP is a computer doing math! LOL So it will tell you 1200 cals since it's apparently the least amount of calories any human should consume to get at least the minimum amount of nutrition required to exist on planet earth. Other people debate that 1200 should be reserved for extremely obese people requiring to lose weight as fast as possible. If you are like me, you might not need to lose so much so fast.

    Do what's best for you. You might want to see your doctor for some advice re: how many calories to eat if you are confused.
  • marcenepea
    marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
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    Thank you for your input. I changed it to losing 1 lb a week, which I noticed this site recommends. Must have missed that at first in my hurry to lose weight lol. It upped my calories to 1460 a day without excersize. I will give this a try for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

    Friend me if you want, I always like the input and motivation. Plus then you can see how this works for me and give me any ideas you might have on my diet and stuff.
  • marcenepea
    marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
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    When I first input the information on here it told me to eat 1200 calories a day. Thats to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I have been reading alot on here and seen that alot of people feel 1200 calories is pretty low. I have been thinking about going to 1300 or 1400 a day to see how that works for me.
    I am 194 lbs., 5ft 7 in. Anyone else around this size have any input or thoughts.

    I am 5'7" 190lbs and i lose weight at 2000 calories per day


    Wow thats amazing... But if thats your arm you have alot more muscle then me. LOL I know I couldn't go anywhere near that amount. But It does show how weight and height shouldn't be all we use to decide.
  • kp1439
    kp1439 Posts: 343 Member
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    If you work out it gives you some calories also i will keep it on 1200 and do more workout or at least try it out.. hope that will help .. i have 1200 to eat also but i work out a lot more and have extra calories .... good luck ..
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
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    I am also 5'7 and I try to net around 1900 calories a day and attempt to eat my exercise calories. I am at 176 lb and have steadily lost around 1lb per week eating this much.
  • Jgen62
    Jgen62 Posts: 66
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    I am new as well 5'9" 193 I started at 1400 calories and with walking everyday it was to hard to eat that many calories so I lowered it to 1200. I eat breakfast within an hour of waking then a snack 3 hours later. 3 hours later lunch and 3 hours later a snack. Then dinner 3 hours later. If I still have calories left I have a snack. I have lost 5 pounds so far.
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    I'm 5'4 170lb 32% and lose on 22-2400 a day (net)
  • Stefanie7125
    Stefanie7125 Posts: 462 Member
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    those are almost identical to my stats. My calorie consumption is set at 1310, but with exercise I get to eat more! I don't think it will hurt for you to up them a bit. It may even help!
  • determinedhealthy
    determinedhealthy Posts: 199 Member
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    I am 5'6" and eat between 1200-1300. I also exercise 400-600 calories off daily, but I don't eat my exercise calories back b/c I don't lose anything when I have done so in the past. I have lost 1.8 lbs. / week since September. As a person loses a lot of weight and hits a plateau, I heard increasing calories about 100 / day will throw your body into burning more, speeding up your metabolism. It's worth a try, everyone's body is different so what works for some may not work for others.

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