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521DIVA
521DIVA Posts: 11 Member
in Introduce Yourself
i'm new to this and I'm trying to figure this thing out. Before i tracked any food it said i should eat 1200 calories a day. I like to plan ahead so after tracking my entire meals for today and do my exercise it says I should eat 1700 and something calories. Do it stick to the 1200 or do i eat the 1700.

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  • rbl1225
    rbl1225 Posts: 235 Member
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    If I were you I would track a day of eating what you think is healthy and it shows you the carbs the fat and protein of what you eat. I did my first tracking day yesterday and that is how I did it. I tried weight watchers and this site actually shows you those type of things. After the first day start slowly adjusting. It won't put your body into a type of shock and then even after you're diet tha is what your body will be used to eating.
  • Acebodytransformation
    Acebodytransformation Posts: 6 Member
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    I would say start with between 1500-1700 first and then play around with it, also post all your food and at the end of the day then you will evenutally get the hang of it, now like I told you try calorie cycling for the first few days and try it out and since your active I say dont do 1200 or below, hope this has helped some what.
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
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    I plan ahead also so I understand!

    I would not do 1200 unless you feel you need to. I think MFP sets many people at 1200 and while you will lose weight more likely at a rapid pace you may be miserable and tired (i always was). So I would start with around 1400-1600 and not add in extra workout calories.. And you go up or down as needed when you find what your body needs. I don't live and die by macro numbers because they arent so important to me. I go over in carbs almost everyday and not because I don't eat properly and eat a lot of breads and pastas but because veggies have a ton of carbs also. So just choose what is best for you and listen to your body
  • Smokey19
    Smokey19 Posts: 796 Member
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    I agree that you should eat between 1500 and 1700 calories a day. Watch your numbers at the end of the day of fats, carbs, etc. Jillian Michaels recommends alternating your calories during the week. Like 1500 calories 3 days a wk. and 1700 calories 4 days a wk. Keep your body guessing. Feel free to add me.
  • sguer56
    sguer56 Posts: 13
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    maybe it added more because you logged your exercise as well... the more active you are the more calories it allows you...
  • MrsLong1980
    MrsLong1980 Posts: 181 Member
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    The number you're given is net so calories in minus exercise calories burnt. A lot of people are given 1200 calories because this is the minimum MFP will tell someone to eat - when you input your details it uses it to calculate deficits etc. and most people at 1200 calories, if they used the formula MFP uses, would have to eat less than 1200. What do you have your weight loss set at? I bet it's at the highest level. Drop it to the recommended 1lb and you'll notice your goal calories (again, this is NET) will go up.
  • robinoes66
    robinoes66 Posts: 4 Member
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    Mine says my goal is around 1700 calories. If I fall below 1200, it says I should eat a minimum of 1200 to reduce the chance of the body going into starvation mode.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Just follow the MFP recommendations.
    It's easy. That number in green - eat those calories.
    And if you exercise, that number goes up. Eat back those calories.
    Simple.
    And you can always read up on why we do this. Learn all you can.
    Have fun!:flowerforyou:
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    As you can see, you will get a hundred different answers when you ask a question here!

    I'll give mine. The way MFP is set up, you are given a calorie allowance based on how much you weigh and how fast you want to lose weight (among other things). That amount is before exercise. When you enter that you have done exercise, you get more calories based on your estimated calorie burn for that exercise. That's why it went up to 1700.

    Some people don't like to use these calories, some use some of them, some use all of them (I did and still lost weight at a good rate). MFP "wants" you to eat them though. These calories will not cause you to maintain or gain weight because you are already starting at a deficit (1200).

    Personally I think 1700 sounds like a great goal.

    Hope that helps.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    Jillian Michaels recommends alternating your calories during the week. Like 1500 calories 3 days a wk. and 1700 calories 4 days a wk. Keep your body guessing.

    How, exactly, does a body go about "guessing"?
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I notice I stay on track longer when I'm watching my net calories and eating back at least some of my exercise. If I don't I usually end up binging, because it's the same as starving yourself... you aren't leaving your body enough calories to run properly.

    I wonder about "1200" though, since that's the minimum setting. If you start at the lowest possible calorie setting, what will you do if/when you plateau?
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    you need to eat some exercise calories back. and 1200 is probably way to low anyways.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I notice I stay on track longer when I'm watching my net calories and eating back at least some of my exercise. If I don't I usually end up binging, because it's the same as starving yourself... you aren't leaving your body enough calories to run properly.

    I wonder about "1200" though, since that's the minimum setting. If you start at the lowest possible calorie setting, what will you do if/when you plateau?

    when you plateau you up your calories. I have done this several times over the past year and it works - I'm currently eating between 1800-2000 calories a day. I've lost 111lbs.
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    Welcome, and best wishes! I have an eat right for life method . . . which means I don't really think of this as a diet. I went into MFP, gave it my age and height, and asked it how many calories a day should I eat to MAINTAIN my GOAL weight of 130 pounds, even if I didn't have time to workout (I just find this less confusing, because I don't always get to exercise every day, or exercise the same). This depends on your age and height (because the older you are, the less you get to eat). For me, it's 1520 calories a day. If I go over, I exercise so that I earn more exercise points to cover the overage. Your current weight doesn't really matter in this method of calculation, you will simply lose weight more quickly in the beginning, and more slowly as you approach your goal. I'm losing about 3/4 of a pound a week under this method. I would not last on a 1200 calorie per day diet, and they are very hard to stick to.

    You need to know what your goal weight would be for your height, for me that's 130 for the middle of the range for a healthy weight at 5 feet 6 inches. If you can find a chart on the internet from the food pyramid people, you'll find that information. The weight you might think you look pretty good at, might actually be 20 pounds over your ideal weight, especially if you are used to being around overweight people! Maintaining an ideal weight with a nutritious diet will help you avoid most of the major illnesses.

    Ruth
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I notice I stay on track longer when I'm watching my net calories and eating back at least some of my exercise. If I don't I usually end up binging, because it's the same as starving yourself... you aren't leaving your body enough calories to run properly.

    I wonder about "1200" though, since that's the minimum setting. If you start at the lowest possible calorie setting, what will you do if/when you plateau?

    when you plateau you up your calories. I have done this several times over the past year and it works - I'm currently eating between 1800-2000 calories a day. I've lost 111lbs.

    I've heard that, but I've never tried it.

    I was thinking about it with the thought that you usually lower your calories as you lose weight (if you started out with a number based on your body's current needs) since you need less at lower weights.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    I notice I stay on track longer when I'm watching my net calories and eating back at least some of my exercise. If I don't I usually end up binging, because it's the same as starving yourself... you aren't leaving your body enough calories to run properly.

    I wonder about "1200" though, since that's the minimum setting. If you start at the lowest possible calorie setting, what will you do if/when you plateau?

    when you plateau you up your calories. I have done this several times over the past year and it works - I'm currently eating between 1800-2000 calories a day. I've lost 111lbs.

    I've heard that, but I've never tried it.

    I was thinking about it with the thought that you usually lower your calories as you lose weight (if you started out with a number based on your body's current needs) since you need less at lower weights.

    Theoretically that could happen but I think most people start out with a calorie intake below even that of their goal weight (like 1200) so you have nowhere to go but up!

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