MFP REDUCING MY CALORIES TOO MUCH

Options
Vivian06703188
Vivian06703188 Posts: 310 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Everytime I lose 10lbs MFP cuts my calories. Under the eat in a deficit theory, if you eat under you calorie goal you will lose weight. I am eating at a deficit and I am losing weight. But now my calories have been reduced so much I am uncomfortable all the time with the amount of calories I am eating. I eat clean with whole foods. At my current calorie deficit I am hungry most of the time. I can't improve my diet to feel fuller I am maxed out.

I never eat exactly at my calorie goal for fear of going over and of having to eat again later. With my medications I can get pretty sick if I don't eat something when I take the pills, usually a cup of yogurt or fruit at these times.

I am disabled so I can't always exercise to increase my calories. I did that yesterday and now I won't be able to move for the next couple of days and my exercise was housework. Lately I have been waking up in the middle of the night starving. This is not a problem I have ever had before.

Don't tell me to drink more water because even though I have gotten lazy logging it this week I drink above the requirement.

It has gotten to the point that I am almost afraid to lose more weight in fear that my calories will be reduced again. Got any ideas. This is starting to become a major source of frustration.

Replies

  • RosyBest
    RosyBest Posts: 303 Member
    Options
    Manually set your calories. Take it off Custom and put in the amount you want to eat.
  • 2stepscloser
    2stepscloser Posts: 2,900 Member
    Options
    What about changing your goals on MfP? I had mine set to losing 1.5 lbs per week which put me at 1600 cals, but with my daily burn, I was netting less than 1200 and found myself hungry and uncomfortable. I changed my goal to losing 1 lb per week and MfP gave me an additional 200-250 cals per day. This is sustainable for me, especially on workout days.
  • HefferSprint
    HefferSprint Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    What's your calorie goal every day? MFP set mine at 1240. I lost weight for the first week and then stalled for the next 3 weeks. I have been doing cardio 3-4 times a week for an hour at a time (spinning, elliptical). I even gained 2 lbs. in the last week.

    I can't get over the huge amount of posters on this site and on the web in general, that talk about how eating 1200 cals a day is too low. So I figured out my TDEE - 20%, and it's 1740. It is a huge leap of faith to start eating more when I'm trying lose. I guess I understand the concept of finding the sweet spot calorie wise to lose weight, and avoiding the body lowering it's metabolic rate, but obvious what I was doing was not working.

    So I'm in no position to offer you advice, but I am wondering if you are eating too little.
  • skinnymalinkyscot
    skinnymalinkyscot Posts: 174 Member
    Options
    Personally until you sort out the settings or use a different online weight calculator or ask your doctor or nurse next time you see them I wouldnt eat under 1500 calories a day until you have it sorted out, its very unlikely you would gain or maintain on 1500 so you should surely lose something even if its a smaller or slower amount.

    MFP kept telling me to eat only 1200 based on my age weight and height yet when I checked with the scooby calculator it tells me I can eat between 1500 and 1800 depending on how sedentary or otherwise I am.

    Im much happier dieting on 1500 than 1200 as one day I will need to increase my calories when i finish doeting and i dont want to ruin my metabolism

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • Vivian06703188
    Vivian06703188 Posts: 310 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much. I think I will go and reset my calories. If they are set at 1550 I usually eat about 1350 so that is where I need to set it. It is very rare that I actually eat my goal so I think this will work for me. I am going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks again!
  • cdjs77
    cdjs77 Posts: 176 Member
    Options
    It sounds like MFP is reducing your calories every time you log your weight loss, which makes sense if it is set to automatically calculate your caloric needs. When you lose weight, your TDEE decreases, so you will need to eat less calories than before in order to have the same deficit. Foe example, if your TDEE was 2000 calories and you lost ten pounds, your new TDEE would probably be around 1950. If you had a 500 calorie deficit in order to lose a pound a week, your consumption would need to go from 1500 to 1450 after losing 10 lbs, in order to keep losing at the same rate. If you can't stick to the new calorie restriction MFP set for you, perhaps change your weekly weight loss goals to be less so you can eat more.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    Options
    I use Scooby's Calculator. Real easy - just punch in numbers. http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I don't know if it's because I'm short or what, but even if I put my goal to lose .5 pounds a week, MFP tries to stick me on 1,200. That's not doable for me. So Scooby's it is.
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    I agree, set your goals manually. MFP isn't the boss of you, you know your body and appetite and you know what works for you. Good luck :)
  • LearnFromTheRed
    LearnFromTheRed Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    Agreed - I ended up straight on 1200.

    SW gives me around 1500 mark instead, which seems more achievable. However, what I've ended up doing is manually putting maintenance into MFP and just consistently eating under it by some amount.. I've found that far easier psychologically.
  • carolose46
    carolose46 Posts: 199 Member
    Options
    Manually set your calories. Take it off Custom and put in the amount you want to eat.

    agree!

    take control! ;)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much. I think I will go and reset my calories. If they are set at 1550 I usually eat about 1350 so that is where I need to set it. It is very rare that I actually eat my goal so I think this will work for me. I am going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks again!

    Wait, why would you eat so far under your calorie goal? You aren't hungry because MFP is cutting your calories, you're hungry because you are intentionally undereating.
  • dianesheart88
    dianesheart88 Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    I can tell you that when I was netting around 1200 calories I stalled for nearly 5 weeks and didn't lose any weight. As soon as I started eating more near 1700-1800 I began losing weight. It was amazing that eating more was the key and has been since I started. You know your body best... if you are feeling hungry then something is wrong. Also it doesn't hurt to compare numbers... try this website and see what it says your TDEE is.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Good Luck!
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much. I think I will go and reset my calories. If they are set at 1550 I usually eat about 1350 so that is where I need to set it. It is very rare that I actually eat my goal so I think this will work for me. I am going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks again!

    Wait, why would you eat so far under your calorie goal? You aren't hungry because MFP is cutting your calories, you're hungry because you are intentionally undereating.

    ^ This. If you have a mental hang up (you certainly wouldn't be alone there) with getting too close to your goal then don't be afraid to up your goal until you're actually eating the right amount of calories. Just be sure that you're being honest with yourself about how much you are actually eating, both to get enough and by weighing and measuring so you're not getting too much.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    As a couple of other posters have mentioned, you seem to be eating under your calorie goal. Your goal is literally a goal to try to hit, you don't benefit by eating under it. MFP sets your goal at a deficit already so you are supposed to eat that amount.

    Even if you eat slightly over your goal, you are still at a deficit and will still lose weight.

    Also, MFP sets your goal based on how fast you tell it you want to lose. So if you say you want to lose 2 lbs per week, it will give you fewer calories than if you set it to 1 lb per week. Not everyone can lose 2 lbs per week (although everyone wants to) in a healthy, sustainable way. Reset your rate of loss if you want MFP to increase your "allowance". That takes the guesswork out of adjusting your cals yourself.
  • thegilly6
    thegilly6 Posts: 137 Member
    Options
    Everytime I lose 10lbs MFP cuts my calories. Under the eat in a deficit theory, if you eat under you calorie goal you will lose weight. I am eating at a deficit and I am losing weight.

    MFP already bakes in the deficit. You don't necessarily need to be below that.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    Some suggestions:

    1) Reduce your deficit - unless there is an urgent medical need to lose weight being in a deficit more days than being in surplus should be enough to stop you from gaining any more weight, and if you aren't able to be active that often a smaller deficit could mean better nutrition and energy.
    2) Realise that if you eat over your calorie goal you will also likely lose weight. Zero calories remaining each day equals goal weight loss. A goal of 0.5 pounds per week and a -250 calories remaining (red number) equals maintenance.
    3) Get MFP to recalculate your calorie goal every weigh-in so that the drop in calories is minimal. I do this and it usually means a drop of 10-30 calories per day each week. I lost 1 lb this week (was expecting a gain due to several changes, including setting my deficit to 1 lb/week for 4 weeks), just got MFP to recalculate my goals and they stayed the same - not even a 10 calorie drop this week; smaller deficit combined with recalculating goals each weigh-in should result in regular tiny drops in calorie goals over a couple of months compared to a higher deficit and recalculating after losing 10 pounds.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much. I think I will go and reset my calories. If they are set at 1550 I usually eat about 1350 so that is where I need to set it. It is very rare that I actually eat my goal so I think this will work for me. I am going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks again!

    Wait, why would you eat so far under your calorie goal? You aren't hungry because MFP is cutting your calories, you're hungry because you are intentionally undereating.

    This ^^^^

    If you are allotted 1550 calories why wouldn't you eat those calories rather than NOT eat them and then complain you are hungry? 200 calories can be a substantial amount of food.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much. I think I will go and reset my calories. If they are set at 1550 I usually eat about 1350 so that is where I need to set it. It is very rare that I actually eat my goal so I think this will work for me. I am going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks again!

    Wait, why would you eat so far under your calorie goal? You aren't hungry because MFP is cutting your calories, you're hungry because you are intentionally undereating.

    This ^^^^

    If you are allotted 1550 calories why wouldn't you eat those calories rather than NOT eat them and then complain you are hungry? 200 calories can be a substantial amount of food.

    From the OP: "Everytime I lose 10lbs MFP cuts my calories. Under the eat in a deficit theory, if you eat under you calorie goal you will lose weight."

    Some people think that the goal is maintenance. OP, the goal is already a deficit, you don't need to eat under it to lose.

Categories