Discrepancy between the MyFitnessPal and other calculators

eliben44
eliben44 Posts: 9 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello,

I'm 6'0", currently at 170lb, 33-y.o. male
My activity includes 2 hours a week of martial arts (krav maga / MMA) and ~1.5 hours a week of weight lifting. Otherwise I have an office job.

According to these, this puts me at least into the "moderate physical activity" range of BMR calculators. I've checked a bunch of calculators online, and almost all suggest 2600-2800 cals/day to maintain my weight. However, with these data, myfitnesspal suggests I eat 2200/day.

What am I missing here?
Thanks in advance

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Those "light/moderate/etc" tags are completely hit and miss - I wouldn't trust any of them. I track my own intake, my own exercise, and work out my own BMR/TDEE from my own results.

    Alternately, just pick one, stick with it for a few weeks, and see if the results match expectations. If not, adjust accordingly.
  • markink81
    markink81 Posts: 73 Member
    Those "light/moderate/etc" tags are completely hit and miss - I wouldn't trust any of them. I track my own intake, my own exercise, and work out my own BMR/TDEE from my own results.
    This
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Maybe the 2200 + the calories you burn doing MMA and weight lifting. That would probably be about 2800 a day.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Did you tell MFP you wanted to maintain weight? It defaults to 1 pound a week of weight loss, which would explain the 500 calorie difference between MFP's numbers and the other one.
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
    Your BMR is only the amount of calories you need to survive daily, with NO activity factored in.
    Office work would be sedentary, exercise on top of that.
    I use the following to calculate my BMR - and it's pretty consistent with most other calculators I've used:

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    See what that says, if you would please.

    Also, what are your goals - to bulk, maintain?
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I don't have it in front of me at the moment... but there is an equation in NROL that I find to be more accurate.

    Calculate it yourself... test it... and make adjustments as needed.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    MFP doesn't account for exercise calories in the figure it gives you, because it expects you to log your exercise in and eat them back.
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
    Becase MFP doesn't add in your calories -- you are expected to eat those back on top of the calories you are given as a base. The other equation takes your calorie burn for the week (according to the activity level you give it) and spreads them out on top of the calories it gives you over the course of the week. With the higher number you would not eat back the exercise calories you burn as they are already factored into the number.
  • Sueb1420
    Sueb1420 Posts: 19 Member
    I work at a desk job, do Krav 3 to 4.5 hours a week and other things mixed in. I used several calculators to get an average for my stats as a couch potato then eat back all to 75% of my workout calories. For me a Krav class can be intense crazy and burn lots of calories or it may be more technical slow it down with less calories burned. With variations in expenditures from week to week I find it easier to control by using the MFP eat back your calories method. I did bump my calories up a bit from MFP based on the averages between the different calculators and adjusted them once to get to a spot that I find works for me. My range was from 1330 to 1740 between the different sites and I started at 1470 then dropped to 1430 as my base but with exercise eat around 1500 to 2500 calories a day depending on what I am doing. I wanted very slow and steady weight drop and that is what I am getting.

    On a side note, when I started Krav I had a very young female student tell me bruises are badges of honor. I keep trying to tell myself that the very big bruise on my inside knee is a badge of honor. I also keep explaining to myself I am paying for those bruises so enjoy them. Some how the pain is overriding the pride in that brusie.
  • eliben44
    eliben44 Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks for all the replies, guys. I agree that tracking what actually works for me is the best way to go, and I'll do that. I was just looking at a reasonable starting point, and the difference between 2200 and 2800 is rather steep. I'll just pick something and track myself over time.
  • eliben44
    eliben44 Posts: 9 Member
    ... For me a Krav class can be intense crazy and burn lots of calories or it may be more technical slow it down with less calories burned. With variations in expenditures from week to week I find it easier to control by using the MFP eat back your calories method.
    ...

    This is precisely why I find Krav sessions hard to quantify for calorie expedenture. Some are technical and almost no sweating. In some
    we mix in MMA sparring and it's definitely on the level of running pretty fast for an hour, so tons of calories.
    On a side note, when I started Krav I had a very young female student tell me bruises are badges of honor. I keep trying to tell myself that the very big bruise on my inside knee is a badge of honor. I also keep explaining to myself I am paying for those bruises so enjoy them. Some how the pain is overriding the pride in that brusie.

    Haha, badges of honor. What I can tell you for sure, though, is that it gets better with time. It's amazing but after some time the same
    hits just won't bruise you, or the bruises go away quickly. The body adapt. For women it may take longer (skin more sensitive, I guess), but
    that happens too.

    Thanks for your advice.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I think you should set yourself on sedentary and log your exercise. It's more accurate and you can log when you do it and not when you don't.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'd start gradually increasing calories. Stop when you stop losing/start gaining.

    I suspect though that the discrepancy is that MFP is still expecting you to eat back your exercise calories.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    All the other calculators include exercise in their calorie estimates. MFP does not. It expects you to "eat back" those calories, to keep your NET at 2200. Once you log all your exercise, it will probably be very close to (if not over) the 2600 estimate of the others.
  • Sueb1420
    Sueb1420 Posts: 19 Member
    ... For me a Krav class can be intense crazy and burn lots of calories or it may be more technical slow it down with less calories burned. With variations in expenditures from week to week I find it easier to control by using the MFP eat back your calories method.
    ...

    This is precisely why I find Krav sessions hard to quantify for calorie expedenture. Some are technical and almost no sweating. In some
    we mix in MMA sparring and it's definitely on the level of running pretty fast for an hour, so tons of calories.
    On a side note, when I started Krav I had a very young female student tell me bruises are badges of honor. I keep trying to tell myself that the very big bruise on my inside knee is a badge of honor. I also keep explaining to myself I am paying for those bruises so enjoy them. Some how the pain is overriding the pride in that brusie.

    Haha, badges of honor. What I can tell you for sure, though, is that it gets better with time. It's amazing but after some time the same
    hits just won't bruise you, or the bruises go away quickly. The body adapt. For women it may take longer (skin more sensitive, I guess), but
    that happens too.

    Thanks for your advice.



    I count the calories after class as marital arts, aerobics, and slow walking depending on the effort. I sometimes count all three as part of a class. Of course I drop minutes off for the instructor talking.

    The bruises do get better. It was just a new location and my partner was 6ft4 250lbs, taking the kicks when I did not get my knee up high enough was what caused the issue. I am 5ft2 and 150lbs so he had a lot on me. Some poeple think I am crazy and just do not get that I have fun doing this.
  • MattLBennett
    MattLBennett Posts: 24 Member
    Becase MFP doesn't add in your calories -- you are expected to eat those back on top of the calories you are given as a base. The other equation takes your calorie burn for the week (according to the activity level you give it) and spreads them out on top of the calories it gives you over the course of the week. With the higher number you would not eat back the exercise calories you burn as they are already factored into the number.

    Agree with the above, it's probably this. MFP doesn't change your calories when you change your activity level, but the online ones do. You need to add it as an exercise to the day.
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Also stationary here. MFP had me at 1460 to lose a lb a week. When I went to Maintanance, it went up to 1960. I gave it time, but lost another 5 lbs. I upped it to 2160 as base calories, and I am holding pretty steady now. Eating it all isn't the easiest thing without going over on sodium, so it might be water retention. One fluid pill, and 3 hours of going to the bathroom every 10 minutes, and I could be down another 5 lbs, lol.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    The 2,200 cal MFP estimate is net cals. You have to add your exercise to that. The 2,600-2,800 cal estimates are TDEE calcs which already have 'moderate' exercise factored in. Both should be pretty accurate. I'm pretty close to you in height and weight and I lose on 2,200 cal and gain on 3,000 cals so my maintenance is around 2,500-2,600. Your exercise factor is a bit higher than mine with the martial arts though.
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
    If you place your activity level in MFP, yes - it does change your calorie goal.
    If you log your exersice, yes - it is tracked by subtracting those calories that you've burned, from your food intake. But, you have to add your exercise in.

    Also, the activity level that MFP suggests, it does NOT include your exercise - only the estimated activity you get daily before factoring in exercise.

    I set my level at lightly active, although some days I'm more "active" than others. I always log in my exercise, since it usually makes my hungrier - especially if I'm weight lifting.

    Becase MFP doesn't add in your calories -- you are expected to eat those back on top of the calories you are given as a base. The other equation takes your calorie burn for the week (according to the activity level you give it) and spreads them out on top of the calories it gives you over the course of the week. With the higher number you would not eat back the exercise calories you burn as they are already factored into the number.

    Agree with the above, it's probably this. MFP doesn't change your calories when you change your activity level, but the online ones do. You need to add it as an exercise to the day.

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