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How are daily calories determined?

Kimouellette2014
Kimouellette2014 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I’m a newbie here and it’s time for a healthier lifestyle. I am 44 years old, post menopausal and overweight. I have good intentions but need to work on accountability and tracking. I’m kinda surprised at my daily calorie count, it’s higher than I expected. How is it determined?

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,450 Member
    There's an article about it here (note that it includes links to other articles for additional info):

    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    Oversimplifying, they use a standard well-respected research-based formula to make an estimate.

    You might double check all your profile entries, make sure everything is entered correctly, if it seems very high.

    However, there is a lot of popular mythology that people (especially women) universally need to eat 1200 calories (or less!) in order to lose weight, which just isn't true. At age 59-60, I lost most of 50+ pounds eating 1400-1600 calories plus all my carefully-estimated exercise calories, so a gross calorie intake of 1600-2000+ calories most days.

    What I'd suggest is that you go with the MFP estimate for 4-6 weeks, then compare your weight change to your targeted weight loss rate. At that point, you can adjust your calorie goal based on your personal results to dial in a more exact, personalized estimate. The MFP estimate will be close for many people, but like any statistical estimate, it can vary for a few people. Your own results will tell the story.

    Best wishes!

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