MFP says 1410 calories to maintain.

TammyVieu
TammyVieu Posts: 121 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I am 63 inches 111lbs and MFP says 1410 calories to maintain current weight. I thought it would be more????
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Replies

  • KahuNZ
    KahuNZ Posts: 401 Member
    No - a shame huh? I am similar height and weight tho older by the look of you. I found maintaining my goal weight hard and put on more weight. At this time trying to drop another kilo and have adjusted my goal weight up a little as it suits me better. Unfortunately unless you do loads of exercise daily, us small people can't eat much!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Depends on the activity level you entered. If you put sedentary, it's probably low. Not many people are truly sedentary. Those who have mobility challenges might be. Any able bodied person who works a job or does house work/parenting is not.
  • funkim55
    funkim55 Posts: 216 Member
    How did you arrive at the number 1410? Is it the same for everyone, no matter what their weight?
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    MFP could be wrong. MFP says I maintain at like 1800, but in actuality I maintain at 2000 or so.

    I'm 60 inches, 134 lbs. When I reach my goal weight of 120 lbs then I might actually maintain closer to 1800, but MFP will probably drop my calories to 1600 or so.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    remember.. if you move more ...you eat more.. do that.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Try this calculator.

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    I think it is more accurate. Make sure and switch it over to female because its default is for a man.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Wow, I don't know about that calculator. Given the numbers it told me vs the way I actually eat, I'd be losing about a pound a week now if it were right, instead of bouncing around within a pound or two of my maintenance weight. I think I was pretty conservative about the activity levels, too.
  • bulimiargh
    bulimiargh Posts: 15
    Yeah, my maintenance calories are right around there.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    MFP could be wrong. MFP says I maintain at like 1800, but in actuality I maintain at 2000 or so.

    I'm 60 inches, 134 lbs. When I reach my goal weight of 120 lbs then I might actually maintain closer to 1800, but MFP will probably drop my calories to 1600 or so.

    ^^^^ this

    MFP has me down to maintain at 1500 cals/day...... I lose slowly at 1850 cals/day, so MFP's maintenance calories for me are wrong.

    All these things can do is give you an estimate, if you find that your real world results don't match the estimate, go with your real world results. If you want to maintain, try with the MFP calories for maintenance, but if you find you're still losing, then increase your calories by 100-200 and see if you're weight is stable then, and if you're still losing, add another 100, etc etc until you hit the number you're actually maintaining at
  • nainai0585
    nainai0585 Posts: 199 Member
    Try this calculator.

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    I think it is more accurate. Make sure and switch it over to female because its default is for a man.

    Its very difficult to find a happy medium when it comes to following MFP's maintenance calories and the link aboves (as well as others, I just haven't tried them to see the numbers).
    At 170cm and 153 lbs, my maintenance for MFP is 1930 calories (a HUGE jump from what I am currently eating, which is 1300), whereas the link above has me calculated at 1512 calories.
    My only suggestions (not a professional opinion, just one I think will work as well as what I have read a few others have done), is to slowly increase your calorie intake over weeks by 50-100 calories, to watch the scale and see how you fluctuate, then go with what works for you. For me, I believe 1600-1700 calories may be a good maintenance number, though I won't know for sure until I follow the plan I have outlined.

    Remember that there is no rules stating that you have to follow any particular calorie intake amount (unless specified by your doctor). What works for your body and life style may not work for another, so don't allow anyone/internet website bully you into eating a certain number of calories just b/c that's what they think will work. You know yourself best, follow your gut and make an informed decision.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    As others said, you probably have it set to sedentary and that is BEFORE exercise calories. Different people have different maintenance levels, and activity influences it. Right now I am maintaining at 1900 calories, and I am 62 inches, 100 pounds, and I'm 35 (younger people have higher maintenance levels). Sometimes I maintain higher when I'm more active. If I ate 1410, I would need to just stay in bed, to conserve my energy.
  • 141by2016
    141by2016 Posts: 179
    Try this calculator.

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    I think it is more accurate. Make sure and switch it over to female because its default is for a man.

    Maybe I am wrong, but it would have me maintaining at 3,400 C...
  • Winston1717
    Winston1717 Posts: 184
    At the end of the day it boils down to what's right for your body, what you eat, frequency of and what you do for exercise. MFP can be a starting point but eventually you will make your own adjustments to best suit your maintenance.
  • HIITMe
    HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
    heybales worksheet estimates my maintenance goals at 1600.... im 67 inches, 155-ish pounds
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I would weigh under 100 lbs if I stayed at 1400 calories after hitting goal. I'm 5'9."

    That would NOT be a good look! lol

    I maintain at about 2000 to 2200 calories a day. If I eat any less than that, I lose weight.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Depends on the activity level you entered. If you put sedentary, it's probably low. Not many people are truly sedentary. Those who have mobility challenges might be. Any able bodied person who works a job or does house work/parenting is not.

    Depends on lots of things. I am active, but if I put anything higher than sedentary, I gain.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    The smaller you are and the more sedentary, the fewer calories it takes to maintain. I'm 130 pounds and I've been maintaining easily for 2.5 years at 1700 plus exercise calories. If I weighed less, I'd need fewer calories and if I weighed more, I'd need more calories. Try 1410 for a while and if you keep losing then you'll know that's too low. If you hold steady, then that's your maintenance.

    ETA: That calculator that was mentioned in previous posts says I shoud be taking in 1,699 calories a day as a totally sedentary person - which is ok, since I add exercise cals to that anyway and I'm only sitting or sleeping when I'm not exercising. That's hilarious! It's only one calorie off from what I've got here on MFP! :laugh: Make sure you set it for the correct gender, though. I had it set on male first and it wasn't right. http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Depends on the activity level you entered. If you put sedentary, it's probably low. Not many people are truly sedentary. Those who have mobility challenges might be. Any able bodied person who works a job or does house work/parenting is not.

    Agree.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    At the end of the day it boils down to what's right for your body, what you eat, frequency of and what you do for exercise. MFP can be a starting point but eventually you will make your own adjustments to best suit your maintenance.

    Amen and thank you Winston1717.

    MFP has my sedentary calories set to 1540. I see it as my MINIMUM on maintenance. I adjust up from there based on my activity and how much I eat out ( I just assume that the calories on restaurant menus can be off as much as 25% but I record based on what their charts say they are) vs if I had a "weigh and measure" everything at home type of day.
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    I am 62 inches and weight 100-105, small frame and 53 yrs old. I exercise an hour a day just to eat more. Maintenance cals plus exercise is about 1500. This goes fast. I find I can gain weight fast if I eat too much so... I weigh myself everyday and monitor trends so it does not go up. I did put on some weight by NOT doing this and now need to take off some lbs. Losing was easier than maintaining because now you take a little of this or that. Cannot do that w/out gaining.
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    Use the online calculators to check. Remember older people need to eat less than younger people. thinner people need to eat less than bigger people. People with more muscle need to eat more, hence my addiction to weights at the gym :-)
    Active people eat more than sedentary. If you work out, walk, run, anything like that, work out calories burned and add them in.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    I am 63 inches 111lbs and MFP says 1410 calories to maintain current weight. I thought it would be more????

    Remember, if you are following MFP as the way it is set up then it expects you to eat back your exercise calories.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    heybales worksheet estimates my maintenance goals at 1600.... im 67 inches, 155-ish pounds

    My maintenance is around 1600 as well, based on my actual history. But I am 66 inches, 50 yrs old, and 183 right now. Mine includes some light to moderate exercise.

    At only 63 inches and 111 lbs, OP would have a fairly low maintenance level, but like others have said, exercising will increase that.
    Even at the same height, weight, and age, 2 people could have drastically different maintenance levels, just based on genetics alone. So just find a good number that works for you, and get in as much activity as you can.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    Try this calculator.

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    I think it is more accurate. Make sure and switch it over to female because its default is for a man.

    This calculator does not take into account your body composition. Someone with more muscle mass will have a very different BMR than someone with very little.

    I calculated it with me being 50, female, 5'6", 183, sleeping 8 hrs and sitting the rest of the day, and it gave me a BMR of over 1550, and my TDEE at over 2100 My TDEE by history is only around 1600, and I am not completely sedentary.
    So all of the online calculators are strictly estimates. You have to figure out your actual numbers by your own experience.

    For me, the Katch-McCardle BMR calculators that take your BF% into account, are way more accurate.

    ETA, when I put in one hour of standing/walking (shopping, etc), and one hour of Light activity- (housework, etc), it gave me a TDEE of almost 2500 a day. That is just crazy.
  • jillianbeeee
    jillianbeeee Posts: 345 Member
    I am 5 foot 2 and no matter what my activity level is 1200 a day is always what it comes back to. I think, its a curse for short women! I figure I will always be around 1200 a day even after I start maintaining. So i exercise hard and yes, i do eat some of those calories back because its a treat and I worked hard for them and its the only way i can eat over 1200 a day! Good luck and its so worth it!
  • TammyVieu
    TammyVieu Posts: 121 Member
    I set everything to sedentary because I use a fitbit and this auromatically posts activity calorues. I eat about half of those which on most days means around 1590. I also find if I go above that I gain
  • wesleycneill
    wesleycneill Posts: 64 Member
    I use several different calculators. There are several different formulas with different scientists names attached to them. Each will give you different results.

    On top of this, metabolisms vary from person to person at an average of about 10% overall. That can account for a couple hundred calories in men and close to that in women.

    If you want to maintain, you will have to experiment to find your sweet spot. Pick a calculator, then adjust week to week until you find the right number.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    MFP tends to estimate really low for most people. I have to set it to "very active" to get it even close to what I actually need.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    MFP tends to estimate really low for most people. I have to set it to "very active" to get it even close to what I actually need.

    When I was 33 I would have said that too. I could eat ANYTHING at that point in my life. In fact, when I was nursing, I couldn't keep weight on and had to push myself not to loose too much.

    Now I'm 54. The reason I gained the weight I had to lose is that my metabolism changed (first at 40, then again at 50). My eating didn't change (it may have gotten healthier), my activity levels went up, and I gained weight.

    MFP now overestimates my calories, which is why I'm set to sedentary and why people on this forum make snide remarks about me 'depriving' myself at 1200 net calories when I was slowly losing. People's bodies differ. MFP uses a model. You need to find the model that fits your body and find healthy, filling, enjoyable, delicious food that fits your own body's needs.
  • bethanyfranco1
    bethanyfranco1 Posts: 41
    Oh, poo. That's exactly my height and goal weight. I was hoping for more too, lol.

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