Why don't people use MFP to set their calorie goals?
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stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?3 -
stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?
At the top of every page on this site is: "Help"
Everything is explained there or in the sticky threads.3 -
Well, I know for me, my initial MFP goal was something in the ballpark of 2600 calories baseline for my sedentary job, in order to lose 2lbs/week, when I first started. The calorie goal was not correct for me, however.
MFP uses an average calculation that is based on certain criteria and when your body type falls outside of average parameters... usually up to 100-150lbs overweight and within average heights for an adult... the numbers start to get skewed.
MFP overestimated my sedentary basal metabolic burn, but underestimated every single exercise burn (as does absolutely every calculator out there). I have had to manually readjust my numbers on MFP throughout the course of my using it based on my calorimeter measurements. I knew when I started on MFP that its estimations were incorrect, so I might have been guilty of asking similar questions... However, I chose instead to research for myself and buy tech that would give me the personalized information I needed.
For the record, however, I started at 535lbs and 6'1" which is exceptionally outside of averages for a woman. My counts were off by at least a meal or more per day, which can't often be said for others... I would presume that most people are asking because they are ultimately seeking support and the reassurance they need to feel confident that they are not about to blow their entire goal by following their MFP parameters.6 -
I know I got confused one day when I changed my goal to lose 0.5kg a week and my daily calorie allowance didn't change. Extra research showed that my calorie goal was the bottom of the allowed limit so I understood why it hadn't changed.
Maybe it's a case of people not understanding the information that's presented to them. Could be because it's unexpected or because they don't trust it. Maybe they trust the opinions of others more? Who knows.2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?
I don't think this should all be listed at sign up. People don't like to read, especially when signing up for something. Little hints and remarks may be okay, like the word (Recommended) and something very short at the end. An option for an interactive tutorial with concise explanations for numbers and functions may be more acceptable (especially the fact the exercise is meant to be eaten back), but getting into the gritty of how the calculations were made is not something of interest to the average app user.4 -
No calculator is accurate. I'm 6', 200 lbs...you could get 9 other guys the same age, height, weight and activity level as me and us all have different calorie requirements based on LBM, type of workouts and so on.2
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joemac1988 wrote: »No calculator is accurate. I'm 6', 200 lbs...you could get 9 other guys the same age, height, weight and activity level as me and us all have different calorie requirements based on LBM, type of workouts and so on.
MFP specifically accounts for differences in workouts by not including them when estimating the initial calorie goal. You log your workouts and get adjustments based on that.2 -
I know I got confused one day when I changed my goal to lose 0.5kg a week and my daily calorie allowance didn't change. Extra research showed that my calorie goal was the bottom of the allowed limit so I understood why it hadn't changed.
Maybe it's a case of people not understanding the information that's presented to them. Could be because it's unexpected or because they don't trust it. Maybe they trust the opinions of others more? Who knows.
When it calculates your goal calories, it does say how many lb/wk that corresponds to (in large bold red font)..Apparently about 0% of people actually read the screen when it spits out the floor number.
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janejellyroll wrote: »joemac1988 wrote: »No calculator is accurate. I'm 6', 200 lbs...you could get 9 other guys the same age, height, weight and activity level as me and us all have different calorie requirements based on LBM, type of workouts and so on.
MFP specifically accounts for differences in workouts by not including them when estimating the initial calorie goal. You log your workouts and get adjustments based on that.
Workouts aside, it's true that no calculator is going to be accurate for everyone. (I realized after doing this for a while that, controlling for exercise, I've got the estimated TDEE of a man a foot taller than me, which is hilarious - how did I get this fat in the first place!?!) MFP gives you a starting point, though, which is important. Since the thread is about MFP's set-up, I wonder if there might be a way to let people know that they need to adjust their expectations based on their lived experience? Or maybe that's just adding too many variables - too much information and people stop paying attention.3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »joemac1988 wrote: »No calculator is accurate. I'm 6', 200 lbs...you could get 9 other guys the same age, height, weight and activity level as me and us all have different calorie requirements based on LBM, type of workouts and so on.
MFP specifically accounts for differences in workouts by not including them when estimating the initial calorie goal. You log your workouts and get adjustments based on that.
Workouts aside, it's true that no calculator is going to be accurate for everyone. (I realized after doing this for a while that, controlling for exercise, I've got the estimated TDEE of a man a foot taller than me, which is hilarious - how did I get this fat in the first place!?!) MFP gives you a starting point, though, which is important. Since the thread is about MFP's set-up, I wonder if there might be a way to let people know that they need to adjust their expectations based on their lived experience? Or maybe that's just adding too many variables - too much information and people stop paying attention.
Yeah, that would probably be the one thing I would change in the set-up process -- letting people know that the goal was based on estimates and that people should track their progress and adjust based on their real life results.
Of course, when I started I didn't know hardly anything about calorie counting and I wouldn't have had any idea how to make those observations or adjustments. It was the forums that taught me. So maybe the current process (where lots of people are getting their education on the forums) is a good thing.
It does make me wonder how many people may be setting up accounts, never visiting the forums, and quitting after they don't see the results they want.3 -
stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?
Everything is pretty well explained in the stickies...but people are lazy...
When I started years ago, I also took all of about 5-10 minutes fiddling around with various goals, including maintenance and within that 5-10 minutes the math was pretty clear.5 -
krystenmlee1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »In five years here, I'd have to say that a whole lot of people are just generally clueless as to how this tool works and is designed to work...which I really don't understand because it seemed pretty straight forward to me.
Do You follow the macros or calories?
I haven't logged in years, but when I did I looked at both. I concerned myself first and foremost with calories as that is what is the most important for losing weight. I looked at my macros as something to be generally aware of in terms of nutrition and whatnot, but I never did a whole lot of hand wringing over them or tried to be perfect or anything.0 -
Of the 10 or so people o know in real life that use MFP, I'm the only one who goes to the forums.
I really don't think you should HAVE to read the forums to be setup for success. Luckily, I do.
I've actually got a project I'm working on for how I'd personally do the "getting started" that would lead people to smart achievable goals and would help them on how to use the tool.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?
And if 5 people a day are asking that questions, there are a whole bunch more people who have that same question, but haven't found the forums to ask it.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »i think a bit of suspicion is a good thing when it comes to mfp recommendations. When I first started I was 250 and 5'6 and because i wanted to lose at a rate of 2 pounds a week it set me at 1200, which was really way to low for me. After reading forums and such in about 3 weeks I upped to 1400 and continued to lose at 2 pounds a week. The default for 1200 for 2 pounds regardless of size seems reckless.
It's not a default of 1,200 for 2 pounds regardless of size though. I'm not sure what happened in your case (sometimes there are bugs or whatever), but people do sometimes enter a goal of 2 pounds a week and get a calorie goal that is higher than 1,200.
yes 1200 for 250 and 5'6" seems weird because when I started I was 230lbs and I'm 5'3" and I got at least 1400 at sedentary1 -
Age is a factor. A woman at 250 and 5'6", born before 1964, will get 1200.eliciaobrien1 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »i think a bit of suspicion is a good thing when it comes to mfp recommendations. When I first started I was 250 and 5'6 and because i wanted to lose at a rate of 2 pounds a week it set me at 1200, which was really way to low for me. After reading forums and such in about 3 weeks I upped to 1400 and continued to lose at 2 pounds a week. The default for 1200 for 2 pounds regardless of size seems reckless.
It's not a default of 1,200 for 2 pounds regardless of size though. I'm not sure what happened in your case (sometimes there are bugs or whatever), but people do sometimes enter a goal of 2 pounds a week and get a calorie goal that is higher than 1,200.
yes 1200 for 250 and 5'6" seems weird because when I started I was 230lbs and I'm 5'3" and I got at least 1400 at sedentary3 -
Not trying to be snarky - but everyday I see multiple posts about "how do I ....
Oh, you get that everywhere these days. My favourites are the ones where someone posts on Facebook "can anyone tell me when (such a shop) is open", or asks for a phone number. You're using the internet right now to ask this question! Google it you idiot!!
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Mfp can only guesstimate. They have different versions of the calculator that uses different numbers.. some give you lower BMR, some higher... There is the Milfon st Joel, the Harris Benedict, the Cunningham..and others.. and each calculator can give you differing results. One of them put me at 1900c.. most put me at around 2300 to 2400 (what mfp says) and another.. omg.. put me at 3200!!! I deleted that one. Apparently it was WAY OFF. And one put me at 1600 which is WAY OFF. Two extremes. To individualize each person there would have to be hundreds of variables considered. So they keep it simple.
I like the sail rabbit calculator.. it has options for below sedentary for those who aren't even THAT active. Sedentary assumes you walk at the very least a couple thousand steps. And the majority of us do. But our burns may be high or low depending on individual metabolic rates.
Here is the sail rabbit one. It puts me at 150 less than what mfp calculates for me, which I have found to be more accurate.
http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »shaunshaikh wrote: »I don't think MyFitnessPal does a good enough job explaining the tool or how to set goals and what the goals mean. It's had this problem since 2011 when I joined.
It's a weight loss site, what part of goal setting and weight loss specifically confuses you?
Look around at the forums. Every day there's 5 threads of new people asking how MFP arrived at their calorie goal. You put in your stats and MFP commands you only eat X amount, but doesn't explain why that is, what went into calculating that number, the fact that that number might not be right for everyone, why the number might change as you lose weight, how that number is linked to your activity level, how you should handle exercise with that... need I go on?
So poor reading comprehension skills. Got it.5 -
I think dieting is a social thing for many people - the constant demand for support, accountability, inspiration and motivation can point to that. This can also explain why fad diets get so much traction; taking part in something difficult builds social identity. And many people want to lose weight to look better - to others. Maybe it just feels natural, or even necessary, to discuss weightloss/nutrition goals with someone?I know I got confused one day when I changed my goal to lose 0.5kg a week and my daily calorie allowance didn't change. Extra research showed that my calorie goal was the bottom of the allowed limit so I understood why it hadn't changed.
Maybe it's a case of people not understanding the information that's presented to them. Could be because it's unexpected or because they don't trust it. Maybe they trust the opinions of others more? Who knows.7
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