Can anyone throw me some common sense.....I think I am losing my mind!

[Wallywithabrolly]

I wonder if anyone may be able to pass on some words of wisdom or common sense. I have been on a VLCD for a few months and dropped 5stone which I am chuffed with, but I have decided that I need something more sustainable so I have chosen Calorie counting with MFP and the added help of a fitbit.

However I am confused- MFP has set my calories to 1200 (which is fairly sustainable for now but I dont know about long term) and because I exercise a lot my fitbit is adjusting my calories to anywhere upward of 2600-2800 per day (I do exercise for about 1.5 hours - rowing, running and maybe an exercise class in the evenings).

So do I eat the extra calories that it is giving me or do I not - people on MFP seem to take a combination of approaches but having it all in black and white is scaring me a bit because I dont want to eat too little to stop my body functioning properly but I would still like to lose weight!

BTW I have been off the VLCD for about a week and the scales haven't changed - I am not worried about that and have given myself 3-4 weeks to start losing weight again.

Can anyone throw me a lifeline and stop my head from revolving

 

[Mrs CC]

I wonder if anyone may be able to pass on some words of wisdom or common sense. I have been on a VLCD for a few months and dropped 5stone which I am chuffed with, but I have decided that I need something more sustainable so I have chosen Calorie counting with MFP and the added help of a fitbit.

However I am confused- MFP has set my calories to 1200 (which is fairly sustainable for now but I dont know about long term) and because I exercise a lot my fitbit is adjusting my calories to anywhere upward of 2600-2800 per day (I do exercise for about 1.5 hours - rowing, running and maybe an exercise class in the evenings).

So do I eat the extra calories that it is giving me or do I not - people on MFP seem to take a combination of approaches but having it all in black and white is scaring me a bit because I dont want to eat too little to stop my body functioning properly but I would still like to lose weight!

BTW I have been off the VLCD for about a week and the scales haven't changed - I am not worried about that and have given myself 3-4 weeks to start losing weight again.

Can anyone throw me a lifeline and stop my head from revolving

Mmmmm. I don't blame you for being confused! Personally I would ignore MFP. I hate it and have never gotten on with it. It seems to put everyone on a flat 1200 cals to lose weight which confuses me. And then you have to add your exercise calories on and eat them back. Personally I tried a short while on 1200 cals before feeling like I was going to die!

There is a really good sticky on here about working out your calorie allowance which actually takes into account how much you move/exercise in a day. According to it I should be on about 1600-1700, can't remember exactly. I use an app on my phone called fat secret which has my calorie limit set to 1700 to lose weight. It probably does the same things as MFP but I find it so much more user friendly. Personally I don't get massively hung up on an exact limit - I'm aiming for 1500-1700 right now.

If you have just come off the VLCD it might be an idea to start low and gradually build up to the higher amount to sustain your weight loss.

 

[Kay_kayleigh]

My fitness pal is totally adjustable to how many calories you want to eat. I change mine gradually to go down about 50kcal every couple of weeks.

i wouldn't rely on eating your calories as its never going to be an exact science as to how much you are burning, some days you will put in more effort than others. Maybe try starting out on 1500-1700 and see how you get on. I imagine you'll be eating a lot of protein anyway for all that exercise? If you go to the gym you might be best off asking someone at the gym.

Personally I think 1200 is FAR too low. I am currently on 1900. The days I exercise I do not eat the calories and just think of them as an extra bonus to speed up my weight loss.

hope this rambling post helps..?