MFP Calorie Question

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grantca05
grantca05 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So according to MFP I should be consuming like 1600 calories, WOWZER! I am 5'5 and 220. I have been working out for over three years and watchng what I eat. I have done the Weight watcher thing and after one year lost 7 lbs. I did the HCG shots and 950 calorie diet and I gained 8 lbs. I have tried the body by vi and everything else under the sun. I feel like I eat all of the time but I keep hitting under my calorie count. I have always been told , by my doctors which I dont even want to get started on, that I need to bump up my cardio ( I am already doing 45 mins 4 times a week) and take my calories down to 1000 calories. That cannot be healthy right? Oh, one more thing... I hate fried food and I do not do fast food... so, am I a medical mystery? I think my body is just royaly screwed up and does not know if it is coming or going. Anyone been there? So my question to this crazy story is should I change my calorie intake goal on MFP to a manual number and drop it to......Any suggestions?

Replies

  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    Do you have a heart rate monitor? Even though you are doing cardio 4 times a week maybe you are not burning as many calories as you think?
  • pdxddd
    pdxddd Posts: 12 Member
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    So Im not a doctor but here is what I would suggest.....as someone who has tried every kind of diet on the planet....Just give this a try you may have screwed up your metabolism with the super low calorie diets. MFP has me set at 1470 and if I actually stick with what it says I do drop weight and I have been eating back my workout calories....now that being said you have to be super honest with yourself(not saying that your not) and log every glass of wine and handful of nuts etc. Give this a try you have nothing to lose..lol ..good luck!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    That is actually a good number to work with. Even though MFP isn't perfect, it gives you a good starting point. While using MFP, it expects you to eat your exercise calories as well. You need to eat to lose weight the healthy way by giving the body the fuel it needs to work through those kick @ss workouts while still having a deficit so you burn off the fat. If you're having trouble hitting your calories, include healthy fats such as nuts and avocados or a protein shake.

    You need to do what ever plan you're going to do for about 4 weeks before you can tell the differences and reassess your calorie needs.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,272 Member
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    Considering I am 5'7" and 205 and eat 1650 calories PLUS my exercise calories to lose 1-2 lbs a week.... yeah, it's not that odd that you have to EAT more to LOSE more.
  • grantca05
    grantca05 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks so much for all of the advice. I truly think it is a mental thing. The more I eat the more I think I am putting the weight I am trying to lose back on. Years of growing up being obsessed with portion control and the do's and dont's stay bedded in the brain and then you do not know if you are coming or going.

    ~PDXDDD~ I think you are right, I have just screwed my metabolism so much that I need to clean the slate and start again.

    ~Rachel0440~ I have been adding more protein to my diet with shakes. I have also tried to incorporate more lean turkey and chicken (2-3 oz) as snacks instead of the empty carbs. I do not have bread, except for a slice of whole wheat bread and that is one slice on Saturday morning with a piece of turkey bacon and two egg whites.

    ~tryinghard71~ Thanks for the advice on the heart monitor, no I do not have one. I do have a trainer at my gym that has been monitoring my workouts to make sure that I am getting the right calorie burn. I have even been told that I am doing too much working out and not enough eating, go figure!

    So, with all of this advice I suppose I should change my calories back to what MFP suggested instead of manually dropping my calorie count to 1400? Anyone have any suggestions for great snacks to have throughout the day outside of what I am doing all ready? Typical snacks for me.......

    Greek yogurt with fresh fruit (1 cup total)
    Fat Free Cheese Sticks
    Apples, Watermelon, Grapefruit'
    Turkey Bacon
    FF Cottage Cheese
    Lean Turkey or Lean Chicken (2-3 oz)
  • Dagoth
    Dagoth Posts: 172
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    Eat less, move more. If desired weight loss doesn't occur, then it's 90% of the time a user error.

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