Is MFP being to generous with my calories?
Rayanne203
Posts: 207 Member
Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
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Replies
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Try it for 6 weeks, see what the scales do.10
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On a day I just sit at home I burn around 1900 I'm 5ft 8 186lbs at your height and weight 1754 seems accurate it means mfp estimates your TDEE 2250 there or there abouts0
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What makes you think you're lightly active?
And this ...TavistockToad wrote: »Try it for 6 weeks, see what the scales do.
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Myfitnesspal operates by calculating your TDEE and then subtracting from that for a projected weight loss. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. So, to lose one pound of fat a week you would have to be eating 500 calories under your TDEE a day. 500 x 7 = 3,500. So if you ever want to check if your weight loss is being projected correctly, find out your TDEE (there are calculators online just google it) and then do the math from there.0
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I know how it feels - but if I want to lose all that extra weight, I finally have to trust someone - and for the last 306 days I have trusted MFP. So far so good, I am losing weight.3
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TavistockToad wrote: »Try it for 6 weeks, see what the scales do.
+1
If you don't have one I suggest getting a food scale and really nail down your logging by weighing all your solid food. I also suggest maintaining a healthy skepticism about the accuracy of the MFP food database. The more accurate your logging the more likely you will be able to adjust your calories with confidence as needed. Knowing for sure you are in a deficit can really help when the bathroom scale goes up or refuses to budge for weeks at a time.3 -
Myfitnesspal operates by calculating your TDEE and then subtracting from that for a projected weight loss. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. So, to lose one pound of fat a week you would have to be eating 500 calories under your TDEE a day. 500 x 7 = 3,500. So if you ever want to check if your weight loss is being projected correctly, find out your TDEE (there are calculators online just google it) and then do the math from there.
Actually, MFP does not calculate your TDEE. TDEE includes calories from intentional exercise. MFP's formula does not. It is intended that you log your exercise and eat those additional calories (or at least a portion of them, allowing for the possibility of inflated calorie burn estimates) on top of the calories that MFP allots you.6 -
Rayanne203 wrote: »Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
No, that sounds about right. I'm 5'3. My starting weight was 254lbs and to lose 1lb/week it gave me 1720 at sedentary. Note that as you shrink, your calorie needs will too. I'm currently around 147lbs and was on 1360, 2 weeks ago (I'm currently on a maintenance break until Sunday, so I'm on 1590 till then.)2 -
Have you tried it for a while? That's the only way you'll know. It sounds about right though. We all have to run that experiment - it's impossible for us to say whether you're lightly active or not.
As an example, I'm retired and live in a small place and I truly am sedentary outside of my purposeful exercise. I have to eat at the ACTIVE setting in order to maintain my weight. So this site underestimates by two activity levels. I actually eat on average 400-500 calories more than the sedentary setting (PLUS I eat extra exercise calories.) I learned this by logging food for a long time. That's the only way - to run your own experiment.
Here's MFP's explanation of how they set your calories:
From Help at the top of the page: How does MyFitnessPal calculate my initial goals?
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I'm 5'1" , sendentary, starting weight 149lbs and want to lose 1 lb a week and it's given me 1200 net calories. I find it hard to eat only that much. I feel like MFP is being mean with my cals allowance!
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Well, you can either set to lose 1/2lb per week or up your exercise.3
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Rayanne203 wrote: »Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
Doesn't sound like it. You ate quite a lot more than this to gain weight
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It sounds about right. I’m 5’7” and sedentary (work from home). I followed MFPs calorie suggestions and lost 61lbs. I miss the days when I could eat 1700 and lose 1lb a week. Enjoy every calorie while you can.1
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What makes you think you're lightly active?
And this ...TavistockToad wrote: »Try it for 6 weeks, see what the scales do.
Hey
I figure I'm lightly active (at minimum) because I work on my feet 12 hours 4 times a week and care for a rambunctious 5 year old. I also aim to go to the gym 4 times per week on my days off.
1700 calories sounds like a lot!1 -
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neugebauer52 wrote: »I know how it feels - but if I want to lose all that extra weight, I finally have to trust someone - and for the last 306 days I have trusted MFP. So far so good, I am losing weight.
Thank you, your reply is encouraging 0 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »Rayanne203 wrote: »Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
No, that sounds about right. I'm 5'3. My starting weight was 254lbs and to lose 1lb/week it gave me 1720 at sedentary. Note that as you shrink, your calorie needs will too. I'm currently around 147lbs and was on 1360, 2 weeks ago (I'm currently on a maintenance break until Sunday, so I'm on 1590 till then.)
Thank you so much! It helps hearing what other people are getting for their calories congrats on your weight loss! 0 -
cmriverside wrote: »Have you tried it for a while? That's the only way you'll know. It sounds about right though. We all have to run that experiment - it's impossible for us to say whether you're lightly active or not.
As an example, I'm retired and live in a small place and I truly am sedentary outside of my purposeful exercise. I have to eat at the ACTIVE setting in order to maintain my weight. So this site underestimates by two activity levels. I actually eat on average 400-500 calories more than the sedentary setting (PLUS I eat extra exercise calories.) I learned this by logging food for a long time. That's the only way - to run your own experiment.
Here's MFP's explanation of how they set your calories:
From Help at the top of the page: How does MyFitnessPal calculate my initial goals?
Thank you for your reply and offering this resource! I am definitely, at a minimum, lightly active. I am a student nurse full time and a mom to a young child. I move around lots lol.0 -
Rayanne203 wrote: »Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
Doesn't sound like it. You ate quite a lot more than this to gain weight
I certainly did! lol. logging my food really helped me see how much I was really putting into my body!0 -
Rayanne203 wrote: »Hi guys!
I am a 5'7 female that weighs 194lbs. MFP allows me 1,754 per day. Is that too generous? I would like to lose 1 lb per week and I am lightly active.
That would put your maintenance around 2200 calories which sounds about right for your stats. My wife is all of 5'3" on a good day and she loses about 1 Lb per week on 1700-1800 calories and has a desk job...granted, she runs pretty much daily and hits the weight room.
It seems to me that women have been taught that they need to eat like little birds to lose weight and in most cases, it's simply not true.5
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