Weight loss calories and maintenance calories - help!

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hem8787
hem8787 Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm confused. MFP tells me I need to eat no more than 1200 calories to lose a pound a week. Well, I'm not into starving myself so I eat around 1300-1400 per day. I do cardio exercise and weightlifting at the gym at least 3 times per week. According to multiple calculators, at the height and weight that I am, with a light activity level, I should be able to eat about 1800 calories per day to MAINTAIN my weight. Well, I've been eating about 1400 and haven't lost a pound in about a month. I've stayed at the exact same weight. So apparently my maintenance calories are 1400? That seems ridiculously low! Especially considering that I am working out for about an hour at least 3 times per week! What am I missing here? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • MizSaz
    MizSaz Posts: 445 Member
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    Not to sound like a jerk, but did you TRY 1200 calories for more than a couple days? I'm set for 1200 too. You have to get used to any drastic change in eating, whether it's eating less, eating healthier, or both. If you had been eating 2500 cals/day, which many people do without realizing, then yeah, dropping to 1200 is going to feel drastic.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    1400 could be maintenance, though it is a bit unlikely. How many calories exercise do you do, what weight / height are you. Is the loss on your ticker recent ?
  • hem8787
    hem8787 Posts: 50 Member
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    Yawell: I'm 5'6". Started at 143lbs and am now down to 133lbs. I have been at 133 for over a month and haven't lost anything. I have to estimate the calories burned because I don't have a hrm. Around 200-300 calories burned three times per week.

    MizSaz: Yes I tried 1200 for the first 2 months. It's too low for me. I am not overweight as it is and I don't want to slow my metabolism any more. I was never consuming 2500 calories per day. My starting weight was only 143lbs.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I have to estimate the calories burned because I don't have a hrm.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    I plugged your numbers into http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html (yes, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday night) and got 1950 for light exercise and 2200 for moderate. I know my maintenance is around 2000 and i am 115lbs and not even all that active. The only thing I can think is your TDEE is actually higher than you think and your deficit is too large for the amount you have to lose. I would bump it up a couple hundred calories if it were me. If your metabolism really is super slow at 1400, eating higher might still be a good idea as a "metabolism reset" to get you closer to where you should be.

    I can see why you would be frustrated. Good luck!
  • hem8787
    hem8787 Posts: 50 Member
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    jsl_mfp- Thank you very much! Your response was very helpful!

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