Calorie tracking in MFP

fionawilliamson

Hi, hoping someone can provide some insight. It’s about calorie tracking in MFP. Let’s say my body needs 2000 cal per day to function. My cal intake is set to 1500. If I eat all my cals would I not have a deficit of 500 cal? MFP doesn’t seem to track it this way. What am I missing? Thanks

malibu927

Your body needs 2000 calories to maintain. If you eat 1500 calories a day, that's a 500 calorie deficit. MFP has already subtracted those calories for you.

shadow2soul

MFP estimates the calories your body burns in a day by using the information you gave the app. This includes age, gender, weight, height, and the activity level you selected. It doesn't include exercise calories until you log them (so activity level should be without exercise).

It takes that number and subtracts your selected deficit. The result is your NET calorie goal which is what you want to aim for.

fionawilliamson

So here’s my actual numbers from today. I did some web searches and for my age, height and weight my body burns approx 2000 cal per day. Today - Cal from food 1770, exercise cal 962. Based on these numbers shouldn’t my deficit be approx 1190? MFP has it at 532???

try2again

fionawilliamson wrote: »

So here’s my actual numbers from today. I did some web searches and for my age, height and weight my body burns approx 2000 cal per day. Today - Cal from food 1770, exercise cal 962. Based on these numbers shouldn’t my deficit be approx 1190? MFP has it at 532???

Granted, it's late, but I'm really confused. How does MFP *have* your deficit at 532?

When you set up your MFP profile, you choose a weekly weight loss goal. If you choose 1 lb/week, MFP subtracts 500 calories from what it calculates to be your maintenance calories and this is what is shown as your calorie goal. When you work out and log your exercise, it then adds those burned calories into your calorie goal for the day (to maintain the calorie deficit you chose by virtue of your weekly weight loss goal). It's intended that you eat those calories back, although I wouldn't recommend eating more than half, as most calorie burn estimates tend to be highly inflated. But maybe I'm not understanding what you are asking.

try2again

I'm not posting this link because I have any reason to think that you are eating too little calories, but because it has a comprehensive explanation of how MFP sets your calorie goal and how exercise affects it:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

shadow2soul

fionawilliamson wrote: »

So here’s my actual numbers from today. I did some web searches and for my age, height and weight my body burns approx 2000 cal per day. Today - Cal from food 1770, exercise cal 962. Based on these numbers shouldn’t my deficit be approx 1190? MFP has it at 532???

Are you sure MFP isn't saying you have 500 left to eat?

Example:

Estimated burn without exercise: 2000
1 lb per week loss: -500
Goal to eat without exercise: 1500

Exercise and burn: 700
New Total daily burn: 2700
1 lb per week loss: -500
Goal to Eat with exercise: 2200 or NET 1500

(NET = Calories consumed - exercise burn)

MFP gives you a NET goal, because it starts by telling you what you should eat at for your selected rate of loss if you don't exercise.

My numbers for example:

I selected 1 lb per week loss as my rate

MFP gave me a NET goal of 1210.
1210(net goal)+500(deficit MFP took away for 1 lb per week loss) = 1710 (estimated maintenance without exercise)

I have 789 in exercise for yesterday.

So
1710 (MFP estimated maintenance) + 789 = 2499
2499 - 500 (deficit for 1 lb per week loss) = 1999

I ate 1866. So:
1866 - 789 = NET 1077
I had 133 calories left to eat and as such increased my deficit to 633.

fionawilliamson

try2again wrote: »

I'm not posting this link because I have any reason to think that you are eating too little calories, but because it has a comprehensive explanation of how MFP sets your calorie goal and how exercise affects it:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

Thank you, this is what I was looking for.