Mfp maintenance goals??

curlyblue21
curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Do people think mfp sets the right maintenance goals...mfp set mine at 1880, I'm trying to eat closer to this goal as I only have 14lbs to loose but eating between 1400-1600 has stopped me loosing weight...I'm 37, weigh 11 stone and I'm 5'3...any ideas?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Generally the biggest issue is food and exercise logging inaccuracy rather than the very standard formula in use.
    There will be outliers of course but a huge proportion of people saying it's not working aren't logging very well or have unrealistic expectations about rate and consistency of losing weight.

    I took a different path in that I decided how much effort was going to be sustainable in terms of food logging and then simply adjusted my calorie goal based on long term trends. A consistent approach rather than an accurate approach.

    I did put more effort into exercise logging accuracy simply because I found the subject interesting.

    Despite arriving at my maintenance amount of 2000 + lots of exercise calories by my slightly odd approach the MFP goal is almost identical at 1980 + exercise so it would appear my lazy logging approach isn't too bad.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    How long have you been eating at 1400-1600? Sometimes you stop loosing for a short while (and may even gain) after you increase your calories. However, if you give it a few weeks, your body will adjust and start loosing again.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    For me it didn't so I adjusted it to suit, I didn't like seeing lower maintenance cals when I knew I could eat more (I go by Fitbit numbers as it's been accurate for my TDEE) - it was a mental mind game really for me.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    I have also had better luck with TDEE calculators. Some of it may have been due to exercise logging inaccuracies (I always ate back ALL of my exercise calories when losing). I also started lifting weights and found it very difficult to figure out how many calories that burned.

    How long of a stall are you talking about? When you were losing did you find that you normally have a week or three where you didn't lose anything and then poof you dropped some weight? Give this article a read - does it sound familiar? http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    For me it didn't so I adjusted it to suit, I didn't like seeing lower maintenance cals when I knew I could eat more (I go by Fitbit numbers as it's been accurate for my TDEE) - it was a mental mind game really for me.

    @RunRutheeRun are you saying you disconnected your Fitbit and just set MFP for your TDEE based on what your Fitbit says?

    I used to use TDEE before I got my apple watch but now I have it set at sedentary and the Apple Watch adds calories. I was thinking of doing the same thing. Seeing the low numbers at the start of the day makes me sad. Lol do you like doing that better than Fitbit adjusting MFP along the way?

    Sorry for derailing the thread! :-(
  • curlyblue21
    curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
    It's been about three months since I have lost weight I have been loosing a pound gaining a pound...between 2/3 pounds-so basically maintaining since then, and since I got my Fitbit! I think the Fitbit is being more generous with steps than mfp?? And also my Fitbit sometimes doubles my calorie intake which obviously shows that I'm way over! I did actually loose two pounds when I first uped my cals but then that went back on. I only upped my calories because I have not been able to loose in 1200 cals, I do eat back exercise cals but only half and sometimes not at all, I'm basically never eating anywhere near my mfp maintenance cals so I should be loosing
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    @RosieRose7673 No I didn't disconnect them, I set MFP to active and to maintain my weight which gave me near enough the calories that Fitbit does, if I go over 15000 steps (which I mostly do) I get another 200 calories.
    I did alter it to 2100 but then Fitbit added even more calories on which messed things up.
    I know my own TDEE so I know how many I can eat each day and maintain my weight. I'm probably not explaining this very well.
  • curlyblue21
    curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
    How can I work out my TDEE, I find this very confusing
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    @RosieRose7673 No I didn't disconnect them, I set MFP to active and to maintain my weight which gave me near enough the calories that Fitbit does, if I go over 15000 steps (which I mostly do) I get another 200 calories.
    I did alter it to 2100 but then Fitbit added even more calories on which messed things up.
    I know my own TDEE so I know how many I can eat each day and maintain my weight. I'm probably not explaining this very well.

    @RunRutheeRun you explained it just fine! I think I may try that! I'm going to up my calories on MFP and try it that way. I think I'll disconnect my Apple Watch for the time being. Of course I'll still use my Apple Watch for data and what not though. Some days I just burn a lot of calories that I know it would add above active calories but some days lower. But it all equals out! Thanks for the help!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Well @curlyblue21 you'll be able to figure out your own TDEE with a few weeks of data, have you been losing up til now? and if so how much per week and what was your calorie allowance to lose.
    If you were losing 1lb steadily then you can add 500 cals or if it was 1/2lb loss per week add 250 cals e.g that'll give you a good idea over the next few weeks of your true maintenance.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited May 2016
    @curlyblue21
    I'm just noticing your earlier reply now!! so you've basically been maintaining - I would say if you think you're gaining and losing the same 1lb you are eating more than 1200 cals. How accurate are you with your logging? do you measure/weigh your food? use food scales etc? and do you eat back exercise calories?
  • curlyblue21
    curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
    I have lost nearly 5 stone eating 1200 cals and eating back cals according to mfp, sometimes I didn't but mfp has helped me to loose all this weight, it started to slow down so I got a Fitbit which hasn't really helped...so in the end I thought that I would try and up cals to see if this would make a difference and I thought my body just needed a change, and as I said I lost 2 pound that first week which was fab and then the next week I had put it on! I have gone back to 1200 but still not loosing...just done my TDEE its 1900 and 1400 to loose! Sound right?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    You shouldn't have panicked @curlyblue21 when you saw that gain, it was only water weight from the additional calories and your body trying to adapt to them, if you had kept the calories up at 1400 for a few more weeks that water weight would have gone....
    You have to get your body used to eating more.

    And yes if your TDEE is 1900 then eating at 1400 will mean a loss :smile:
  • curlyblue21
    curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
    Yeah I suppose your right, what about exercise cals should I NOT use them at first and maybe when my body is use to it then eat half back?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    curlyblue21 wrote: »
    Yeah I suppose your right, what about exercise cals should I NOT use them at first and maybe when my body is use to it then eat half back?

    Your body doesn't get used to things any more than your car gets used to fuel being put in the tank or being driven down the road.
    Decide on your method and be consistent. Flitting about will just lead to confusion and invalidate your data.

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