Pardon the repetition...

jbrookeh
jbrookeh Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really want to make sure I'm doing this right. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm 5'5" and 30 yrs old. CW is 168 GW#1 140
MFP has my cals at 1200/day. I want to make sure that I am eating the right amount so that I can lose properly. What do I do to figure all of this out? I need a step by step here as I'm so confused. HELP. ;)

Replies

  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map?

    Good Luck. :)
  • jbrookeh
    jbrookeh Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you for the link.

    So then if my BMR is 1546 and if I eat only 1200/day, I'm not eating enough to lose?
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Depends on how much you exercise.
  • jbrookeh
    jbrookeh Posts: 38 Member
    Depends on how much you exercise.

    I am exercising 45 min /day (walking/running @ 4.0) 5-6 days a week.
  • nmj1988
    nmj1988 Posts: 65 Member
    With my experience losing weight, 1200 worked for about a month, I hit a plateau so I increased my calories to 1400, and I kind of fell off exercising, the pounds were still coming off though. Basically you should try it for a bit and see if it works for you.
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    I think this calculator is very helpful: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/calorie-calculator.html
    subtract about 20% from the total calories and that should be your goal, I've seen good results doing this.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You probably said "I want to lose 2 pounds a week" on your MFP goal and so it set you below your BMR. Try setting it to 1 pound a week and see if it brings your calories more in line with your BMR.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Look on your home page. MyFitnessPal (MFP) will say how many calories it suggests based on your current weight and target (and maybe some of the other information you entered). Then it allows more calories as you exercise.

    You'll see people interpreting this or using it in different ways. And there are multiple posts about not eating too little and putting your body in "starvation mode".

    I'm relatively new here (almost 3 weeks). I've been staying above 1,200 every day (except one when I had a cold and really didn't want anything except soup and stuff like that). MFP gives me 1,450 each day without exercise. But I add at least 100 calories each day with exercise. I think I've stayed under the amount it gives me with the exercise every day but one or two -- and only missed those days by a small amount.

    You'll hear about "eating back" the calories you exercise. That is, many people here think that if you "earn" 300 calories by exercising, you should eat that much more. I exercise and raise my amount, so I have a bit more flexibility in what I can eat, but I guess I only eat that amount about 2/3 the time. Also, sometimes at the end of the day when I record things I wasn't able to add at the time, I find that I've gone just a bit over... so I exercise just a bit more to get those calories.

    That's worked well for me. In fact I'm losing faster than MFP predicts, and I think I can keep it up.

    Read some of the other opinions... but I tend to agree with the people that say if you do the more extreme techniques you're setting yourself up for long-term failure. You need to develop a lifestyle that you can do long term unless you want to do unhealthy "yo-yo" dieting. At the beginning when you're more motivated and want to kick-start, it might make sense to be a bit stricter or "eat back" fewer calories. You have to do what works with your life and body, but I'd recommend not planning to stay under 1,200/day as a lifestyle.

    Good luck!
  • jbrookeh
    jbrookeh Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks guys! I do not eat less than 1200 ( I find it hard to only eat that amt and not be hungry especially with working out) but I do try and stay as close to it as possible and not exceed the exercise extras that are added. I'm losing, averaging about 1-2/week but started to get bogged down with thinking that I'm doing it all wrong and panicked. I will play around with it a little but I do not feel bad each day, I am energetic (I have 3 kids to chase after) and I give myself cheats a couple times a week in the form of healthy desserts and such. I'm 37 days into MFP and I've lost almost 7 pounds. I started off with only having it set to 1lbs/week loss and the calories were set to 1340 which is still quite a bit under my BMR. For the sake of confusing myself to the point of giving up, I will just try and keep doing what I'm doing but listen to my body. I'm not in any hurry to lose this weight and I don't have a unrealistic perception of a quick fix. I have also worked my way to running a few days a week thanks to C25K. Thanks again for all of the tips. I'll just keep at it. :)

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