How do I know what to set my calorie goal to when starting out & when to adjust it?

88Fozzie88

How do I know what to set my calorie intake to when first starting out?

durden

If you're completely new, we would recommend sticking with the default goals provided by the program as a starting point.

If you'd like to go back to the default settings on the program, you should be able to do this in two different areas. Simply go to www.MyFitnessPal.com, sign in with the same username and password as the app. Once online you can either go to the main "Settings" tab and then to "Edit Diet/Fitness Profile". Make sure all information is correct in that area. Whether you need to make changes or not to the page, if you then click the Update Profile link at the bottom of the page, it should instantly set you on the most current information for your profile.

Or if you like, you can go to the "Goals" tab, and then "Change Goals" then "Guided" and walk through the set up once more. If you are using an app, all updated changes should then transfer to the app the next time you log in with the same username and password, and there is a valid internet connection.

If you are following a different recommended plan from your doctor or nutritionist, you can adjust many of your goals within the app.

In our Android and iOS apps
Tap "Goals" in the Menu (or "More" page)
Tap "Calories, Carbs, Protein & Fat Goals"
Or tap "Additional Nutrient Goals, " to adjust additional micronutrient goals

MyFitnessPal distributes fat, carb and protein calories based on a percentage, in five percent increments. If you customize your macronutrient goals, all three goals will adjust to total 100%.

If you would like greater control over your goals, you may wish to consider upgrading to MyFitnessPal Premium. Premium users can set a very precise goal in gram increments for protein, carbs, or fat. Premium users can also set custom goals based on the day of the week. (See example image below)

Please note that your goals will update once you add exercise in the cardiovascular section for a given day: your exercise calories will be added to your goal for the day, distributed according to your chosen nutrient ratio. (Premium users may opt out of exercise calories being added to their daily total, or may choose to have them distributed in a custom ratio of nutrients)
By default, we set your nutritional target in Net Calories which we define as:
​
Calories Consumed (Food) - Calories Burned (Exercise) = Net Calories

This means that if you exercise, you will be able to eat more for that day. For example, if your Net Calorie goal is 2000 calories, one way to meet that goal is to eat 2,500 calories of food, but then burn 500 calories through exercise.

Think of your Net Calories like a daily budget of calories to spend. You spend them on eating, and you earn more calories to eat by exercising. We do not recommend that women consume fewer than 1200 calories, or men fewer than 1500 calories, on a given day.



You may also find this video helpful:
https://bcove.video/3rPI4JX