Do you let MFP calculate calories?
SillyCat1975
Posts: 328 Member
When you have a weight loss do you let MFP calculate the calorie intake that was set for you originally? Or do you keep it what you've gotten and just work harder?
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You should get MFP to recalculate your calorie goal periodically (maybe every 10lbs or so?), otherwise your weight loss may stall. A smaller body requires fewer calories.0
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I adjusted mine down every time I hit a new low weight.0
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Recalculate0
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Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?0
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No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
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I don't use the MFP recommendations anyway. I go by TDEE.0
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@DeguelloTex
Thanks for responding!
Good to know!
And I have been, and plan to continue, exercising more.
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I did at first...and ate back all my exercise calories.
Moved to TDEE when I started lifting and stayed with TDEE with maintenance.
Bought an activity tracker...still used TDEE.
On another cut (lose vacation weight+5lbs) used TDEE but it was recommended to use activity tracker...
So I let MFP set my calories (1460 but made it an even 1500 and adjusted my macros) set my activity level to sedentary and let the Jawbone do it's thing...
Working great.0 -
Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
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Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@SezxyStef I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean?
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When I let it recalculate mine it takes me down a 100 calories less per day, of course I exercise daily as well, so I'm certain I can earn those back, I am stalled and I have been stalled for like 3 weeks and it's quite frustrating. I'm measuring everything correctly, I bought a scale over a month ago that weighs in grams as opposed to ounces. So frustrating. I won't quit, I've come too far.0
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@SezxyStef I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean?
If you have your weekly weight loss goal set at 1lb or higher and you change it to a lower amount you get more calories to eat.
1200 is typically given if the weekly weight loss goal is aggressive or you are a tiny woman....for example I am set to 1/2lb a week...250 a day deficit...so I get 1500...if I switched it to 1lb a week (500 a day deficit) I would hit 1250...if I set my weekly goal at 1.5lbs lost it would only go to 1200...not 1050...even tho that's where it would if MFP didn't have that limit set in.0 -
I was annoyed when mine suddenly dropped by a lot. I realized that MFP waits for several lbs (maybe 10?) before recalculating. I want to know immediately, so I change my weight in the "goal" section every time a I lose a lb. That means this week I get a whopping 1210 calories instead of 1220 I had last week for a .5 lb loss. I think when I get a little closer to goal I'm going to have to accept less than a .5 lb loss each week unless I'm prepared to exercise a lot more (since my maintenance will eventually be less than 1450, so I won't be able to have a 250 deficit without dipping below 1200 unless I earn more from exercise).0
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If you're set to lose, say, two pounds a week, changing that to 1.5 pounds per week would give you more calories to eat. Typically, 250 more, but since you're at 1200, it might be less since your "real" goal could be, say, 1100 and MFP just won't go that low. In that case, I think it would bump you up to 1350, not 1450 like you might expect.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@SezxyStef I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean?
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Oh, I understand what you mean @SezxyStef and @DeguelloTex ... but mine is set at the lowest I can put as far as weight loss goes = 0.5lbs/week.0
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
If you're set to lose, say, two pounds a week, changing that to 1.5 pounds per week would give you more calories to eat. Typically, 250 more, but since you're at 1200, it might be less since your "real" goal could be, say, 1100 and MFP just won't go that low. In that case, I think it would bump you up to 1350, not 1450 like you might expect.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@SezxyStef I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean?
I just noticed what mine did, I set it to 1.5 pounds per week and it jumped up to 1610 and then I increased it up to 2 pounds per week and it went down to 1360.0 -
SillyCat1975 wrote: »When you have a weight loss do you let MFP calculate the calorie intake that was set for you originally? Or do you keep it what you've gotten and just work harder?
I set my own goals.
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Yeah, half a pound a week is about 250 calories a day, so that makes sense.0
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I have had more luck using scooby's calculator than using the MFP settings myself.0
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SillyCat1975 wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
If you're set to lose, say, two pounds a week, changing that to 1.5 pounds per week would give you more calories to eat. Typically, 250 more, but since you're at 1200, it might be less since your "real" goal could be, say, 1100 and MFP just won't go that low. In that case, I think it would bump you up to 1350, not 1450 like you might expect.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
Yup this but keep in mind so could your weekly weight loss goal...which raises your limit.DeguelloTex wrote: »
No. As you lose your deficit will just get smaller unless you exercise more.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Since I'm at 1200/a day and I can't go any lower there would be no need for me to recalculate as I lose, correct?
@SezxyStef I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean?
I just noticed what mine did, I set it to 1.5 pounds per week and it jumped up to 1610 and then I increased it up to 2 pounds per week and it went down to 1360.
Here is the guide I always followed
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
not saying it's written in stone...but if you want more food...and not a tonne more exercise this helps.0 -
I just don't get it, I burn about 400 calories per day, and still I'm stalled, I didn't know if I needed to adjust my calories up and see if that made a difference or not.0
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I let MFP do all the work and it's pretty much spot on (as long as I'm logging accurately)0
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SillyCat1975 wrote: »I just don't get it, I burn about 400 calories per day, and still I'm stalled, I didn't know if I needed to adjust my calories up and see if that made a difference or not.
Maybe we're misunderstanding your question. You shouldn't be adjusting your calories UP. You would adjust them down as you lose weight.
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SillyCat1975 wrote: »I just don't get it, I burn about 400 calories per day, and still I'm stalled, I didn't know if I needed to adjust my calories up and see if that made a difference or not.
HOw long a stall? over 4 weeks look at your logging.
Do you use a food scale for solids? cups/spoons for liquids?
Do you eat back exercise calories? If so how many?
Often times if you have stalled for longer than a month you are eating more than you think...0 -
Word to the wise for anyone adjusting on your phone: when I change my goal section and weight, and check the calories, it takes 2 tries before I actually see daily calorie goal go down!0
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SillyCat1975 wrote: »I just don't get it, I burn about 400 calories per day, and still I'm stalled, I didn't know if I needed to adjust my calories up and see if that made a difference or not.
Open your diary.0 -
I think I let it recalculate after about 40 pounds lost, and again after another ?25? pounds lost. At 65 pounds down my progress stalled and while I didn't think 100 calories a day would make that big a difference, evidently it has, because I've lost 10 pounds since then.
If you're frustrated with a stall after you have made quite a bit of progress, it's an option to consider. MFP suggests recalculating every 10 pounds, but I wouldn't say you "should" do it that often.0 -
I use a HRM, the Polar FT7. I have found MFP numbers to be fairly comparable but I use the HRM for the most accuracy possible. I readjust my HRM user settings when I lose a few pounds.0
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SillyCat1975 wrote: »I just don't get it, I burn about 400 calories per day, and still I'm stalled, I didn't know if I needed to adjust my calories up and see if that made a difference or not.
Maybe we're misunderstanding your question. You shouldn't be adjusting your calories UP. You would adjust them down as you lose weight.
I know since I'm stalled some people will say "oh you need to eat more" I do have a food scale that I weigh in grams, I try not to eat my calories back and I almost stay under my 1460 calories per day. I do use measuring cups for liquids, I don't know, maybe it's because my son was in the hospital for a week and I couldn't exercise or properly log. I've been at it a week again and I guess I am expecting too much of a difference already. I did try to log right while he was in the hospital, but again, it was hard to try to do it.
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I have lost 28 pounds though, I don't run as much as I did, but I do walk, I would think that it would make some kind of a difference.0
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