Is MyFitnessPal accurate?

Originalcool

Hello! I have reached my goal weight and switched to maintaining weight. But are the calories they put for maintaining accurate? Please respond with your experience with maintaining! Thanks for reading

Timorous_Beastie

It takes some trial and error to find what will work best for you. Just like anything else. If you found the numbers accurate while losing, they'll probably be pretty close while maintaining. Just be aware that it's normal for weight to fluctuate a bit and don't panic if the scale goes up a little.

bvifun

For the first few months of maintenance, MFP calories were right on. Then I got ill and lost a couple of pounds so have just gone up 100 calories to get back up to goal range. I expect I will then decrease again. I agree...it is different for everyone....and trial and error is important as you go into maintenance.

chivalryder

Timorous_Beastie wrote: »

It takes some trial and error to find what will work best for you. Just like anything else. If you found the numbers accurate while losing, they'll probably be pretty close while maintaining. Just be aware that it's normal for weight to fluctuate a bit and don't panic if the scale goes up a little.

^ This

Nothing will ever be 100% accurate. All you will ever get are ballpark estimates based on a lot of research and science.

What you need to do is start eating what is recommended. After a few weeks (give it at least 4), see what results you get.

If you're losing too quickly, start eating a bit more (say, 100 or 200/day).

Losing too slowly, cut your intake a bit. Again 100-200 will suffice.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Keep in mine, the less you weigh, the less your body needs to maintain its weight, the less you will need to eat.

scottacular

I think it's probably best to just gradually add 50 calories a day to what you're eating every week and seeing what it says on the scales/measuring tape/mirror.

nxd10

It depends. I always feel free to eat back my fitbit calories. I've done so for more than 2 years. It works fine for me. Your mileage may differ. You can adjust your step length on fitbit. You may have to adjust your calories here to maintain. Either the fitbit or MFP model may be off for your body. Also, walking fast burns a lot more calories than ambling.

nxd10

I'm sorry. I am VERY tired (I got 2 hours sleep last night). I read 'is fitbit accurate', not 'mfp'. My bad. But I would say the same thing about MFP. Their model was accurate for me when I was on a deficit and has been accurate for me in maintenance. I must be average. I did tweak it a little by changing my activity level when I was at a deficit. I stayed on a 250 calorie deficit for the first year of maintenance, but for the last two I've been at 0 calorie deficit and have maintained.

People differ.

SLLRunner

I've been maintaining for over a year now, and MFP is about right. It does take some trial and error to find your maintenance calories.

bwogilvie

It depends on how accurately you log and how your non-exercise activity level corresponds to MFP's categories.

I have found that MFP estimates I need 1900 calories a day, excluding exercise, to maintain. My own data indicate that 1800 calories a day is more on the mark. Hence I set that as my goal. (Since I exercise 450 calories a day on average, my actual consumption is well over that.)

If you have months or years of data, you no longer need MFP's estimates; just take your last few months of calorie logs and weight loss, and figure out what maintenance should be.