Body weight planner - how accurate is it for your loss?

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Replies

  • colorfulcoquette
    colorfulcoquette Posts: 94 Member
    It worked out to be pretty accurate for me as well :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    The maintenance figures it gave for me were a tad high but it probably would be a good guide for most people.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    The calories themselves were OK, but their activity tracker estimate was wrong. They had me at 1.7 with an accurate description of my activity, but my reality -- based on my RMR and actual weight/intake data -- puts me closer to a 1.55.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    That's a good point, my measured RMR based on more LBM than average would mean if they had used their multiplier with the higher RMR, would have been even higher than reality.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,970 Member
    Way too high for me. The loss to maintenance range is about right to maintain where I'm at right now. In order to lose at any appreciable rate, however, it is WAY too high - a good 300-600 calories a day too high.
  • kururunfa
    kururunfa Posts: 6 Member
    It's accurate for me based on saying that I'm sedentary at work and "very active" in leisure as an estimate - however, my "very active" is training competitive martial arts for 23.5 hours a week. I only log the really hard sparring parts in here, and I've been within a 10lb weight range for the last several years (up and down depending on whether I'm competing or not). It got my calories to within a couple of hundred, with the activity modifier of 1.9

    I suspect most people's idea of 'very active' leisure time is a bit different to the NIH's though.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
    Yeah it was over by 500+ calories/day for me on maintenance. I think the estimated activity portion was throwing off the goal.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    Based on the info I supplied, it was spot on. I had very active for both work and leisure time, 0 change in activity for losing, and it was right on line with what I'm actually doing.
  • monica182
    monica182 Posts: 60 Member
    It was pretty close for my loss. I’m not in maintenance yet but it had me around 1700 a day to lose what I have over the last 9 months and I usually eat around 1650 a day. Maintenance looks high to me at 2450 a day but probably because I’m not used to seeing that amount of food to eat. When I work back from what I have averaged in loss per week it actually looks spot on.
  • beachbody4l
    beachbody4l Posts: 208 Member
    Yikes it was really high for me. Over 300 calories any other TDEE calculator I have used. Glad I didn't find this one when I was first trying to lose. I can only imagine the confusion a newbie would have wondering why they were not losing weight.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited June 2018
    It's a tool to help you figure out calories to lose weight, but I thought it would be interesting to see how accurate it is by having those of us in maintenance plug in our starting weights, activity, increase in activity, goal and time frame. You have to set it as starting now and make the goal date as far in the future as it took you to lose the weight.

    https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html

    I played with the numbers and could not get it anywhere close to accurate. The maintenance numbers were way too high for me. How about you?

    nope its way off for me. no way in hades I could maintain current weight on 2481 calories a day.I would gain weight. Im maintaining my weight now on 1900 net or less(with exercise). I recalculated and put in moderate exercise and light work and it gave me 2335 to maintain now and 1579 to reach my goal in 180 days. Im eating less than that without exercise. no weight loss for some reason.but thats another post
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    Way too high for me! It has me eating 2116 calories and my maintenance calories are 1800 as I’ve maintained for 4 years. I’m hypothyroid so that affects my calorie allowance. My weight tends to balloon up very quickly and it’s disheartening knowing I’m just a few cookies away from undoing all my hard work, so I must remain vigilant :#
  • Themajez
    Themajez Posts: 61 Member
    Way too high for me, if I ate that amount every day I'd be heaviest weight ever.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.

    PAV,
    You are far higher than a 1.8 averaging 20000 steps a day. Closer to a 1.9 or more really!
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    Looked good for me based on my observed TDEE
  • walking2running
    walking2running Posts: 140 Member
    very inaccurate. i have a sedentary job but I work out 4 times per week and remain lightly active while picking up the kids, going to the park, light cleaning around the house, etc. I am 5'4" and at the moment 172 pounds. Accoridng to the calculator I need 2,363 calories to maintain my weight. My TDEE according to my observations is 1850. Huge difference. I would basically gain a pound a week if I were to eat at the recommended maintenance calories.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,547 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.

    PAV,
    You are far higher than a 1.8 averaging 20000 steps a day. Closer to a 1.9 or more really!

    I was using 1.8 as a common denominator because it is MFPs top setting.

    I am actually close to 1.96 and Fitbit/MFP predict me to be closer to 2x

    Basically:
    Supertracker + 50 to 150 = Actual + 50 to 150 = MFP/Fitbit
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    edited June 2018
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    psychod787 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    At an AF of 1.8 the model comes up about 300 Cal short of MFP for me, though on average I am about 50 to 150 Cal short (2 to 5%). So the model under-estimates my final Cal.

    @CarvedTones you may have to experiment with slightly higher intake amounts before you will know, for sure, your true upper bound.

    To find your true actual max maintenance you will have to transition from losing to not only NOT losing any more; but, to actually gaining at a slight rate for at least two or three weeks before you pull back to no longer gaining.

    It is the difference between pushing at the edge of the down boundary vs pushing at the edge of the up boundary.

    Whether the potential extra Cal are worth it to you... that's a story only you can answer.

    But based on your posts I believe that you may currently be in a good enough head space that with cautious determination you could increase calories to the point of showing a gain not exceeding ~ 100 to 150 Cal a day and then pull back that last 100 Cal to not gaining.

    PAV,
    You are far higher than a 1.8 averaging 20000 steps a day. Closer to a 1.9 or more really!

    I was using 1.8 as a common denominator because it is MFPs top setting.

    I am actually close to 1.96 and Fitbit/MFP predict me to be closer to 2x

    Basically:
    Supertracker + 50 to 150 = Actual + 50 to 150 = MFP/Fitbit

    Pav8888.... If you were a gal..... i love the analytic mind! Lol