Calorie Target Seems Low...Seriously?

So I lost my first 5 pounds last week (yay), and I just checked to see whether my calorie target changed. It did. According to CC, my new target is 1290. The thing is that I'm 130, and my target weight is still 25 pounds away at 105. That just seems a little low...

I do 40 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. On the remaining two days I do longer cardio sessions--60-70 minutes on one day, and 50 minutes on the other. I do some light weight training 6 days a week. I'm 5'2", and my calorie target up until now has been around 1320-1380 calories, and up to just under 1600 calories once a week. 

Since I do under an hour of cardio 6 out of 7 days, I put myself down as "lightly active". 

But considering the fact that 1200 calories is the BARE MINIMUM, and recommended for those who are basically not active at all, just 90 calories extra seems a little too low for someone who's working up quite a sweat every day. 1290 isn't really a huge change, and I thought I'd try out this new target for a week or two and see what happens (I don't want to be eating too few calories, and not lose any weight...I also don't want to be eating too few calories, and end up tempted to binge...I will be binge-free for 6 weeks on Sunday).

Would anyone happen to know right off the bat whether 1290 at my current weight of 130 is an accurate calorie target?   

The problem is that you exercise 7 days a week and you're inputting low active. With 4-5 days a week for 30 mins you'd be moderate...so if your job/life isn't sedentary you're between moderate and highly active. You shouldn't be losing more than 1.5 pounds pers week...2 pounds is the max but that's usually for larger individuals. 1 percent is the general rule for sustainable and healthy loss. So in short, yes 1290 is low and you should be at lease moderately active.

And if your userid 'sizzleteen' is an indication that you're under 21 you need to add 200-300 cals to CC's recommendation as well as increasing your stated activity level.  It's not calibrated for very young people.

I would suggest you rethink your goal weight - 105lbs at 5'2" isn't healthy or sustainable for most people.

Noooo, I'm actually 22. "sizzleteen" is from a song that holds a special place in my heart. :)

Good to know that I can up my calorie intake! I was told awhile back that even if I exercise every day, if my sessions are under an hour, I'd be a "low activity" person. 

Thanks muchly!

A great site that breaks it all down is phord.com/cc and it has a desription of the different activity levels. I find it very accurate since it estimated my rmr right at where it was tested. Hope that helps!

105 lbs at 5'2" is okay, actually.  BMI 19.  My sister is 5'3" and about 110; she looks great and has plenty of energy.  Anything BMI 18 or below is considered unhealthy.

However, it's pretty usual to consume about 1200 kcal daily if you're trying to lose weight at the rate of 2 lbs per week (which you should not exceed!).  Personally, I find myself overfull if I eat more than that, but that may be because I consume a lot of fiber in my produce-rich diet.  It makes me feel fuller than if I was consuming a lot of white carbs and meat.

I agree that you're "moderately active".   Consider other actions that you do; you're probably exercising more than you think (sometimes I forget that biking into work every day counts as "exercise").

Good luck!

Original Post by farstarz37:

105 lbs at 5'2" is okay, actually.  BMI 19.  My sister is 5'3" and about 110; she looks great and has plenty of energy.  Anything BMI 18 or below is considered unhealthy.

However, it's pretty usual to consume about 1200 kcal daily if you're trying to lose weight at the rate of 2 lbs per week (which you should not exceed!).  Personally, I find myself overfull if I eat more than that, but that may be because I consume a lot of fiber in my produce-rich diet.  It makes me feel fuller than if I was consuming a lot of white carbs and meat.

I agree that you're "moderately active".   Consider other actions that you do; you're probably exercising more than you think (sometimes I forget that biking into work every day counts as "exercise").

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

BMI CHART and heights

http://neo-paleolithic-diet.com/paleo/wp-cont ent/uploads/2009/06/bmi-chart.jpg  

Thanks for the link there, risza!

I might up my goal weight a few pounds to 108-110ish. The weight I lost when I was 17-18 was not lost in a healthy way (borderline anorexia, so I was just lost a lot of muscle). I'm looking to fit into a pair of jeans I fit into when I was 105 THEN. I don't really know how to anticipate how clothing's going to fit now that I'm going about this in a healthier way. I'm down an extra pound (129) since yesterday, and even with just 6 pounds lost, I feel a HUGE difference in how my clothing fits. I tried on my "goal" jeans, and they actually have not fit as well as they do now in several years. They're still pretty snug, but it's crazy that they almost fit me at 129 NOW, whereas at 18, they fit me when I was about 105. But I guess that the body's chemistry really changes in adulthood. Also, I'm working on building lean muscle, not just whittling myself down to the bone.

I'm very reluctant to hit 1200 calories exactly. With my past of bingeing, I'm worried that it'll elicit a binge. But because I wasn't REALLY heavy when I began a month and a half ago, I figure that I'll probably be losing about a pound a week. I was about the same weight when I began losing it in highschool, and even with my under-900 calorie/day diet (yikes) then, I believe I was still losing a pound a week. 

Thanks for the positive encouragement and tips, all! I really appreciate it. :)