Who is not doing the 1200 calorie a day recommended by MFP?

TeaBea

This is confusing because MFP never recommended that I eat only 1200 cals/day. I have never gone below 1600 or so except by mistake.

If you set your weekly goal HIGH enough....MFP will recommend 1200


No - I don't use 1200. I would rather lose weight at a slower pace if it allows me to keep existing muscle mass. I'm over 50 and my BMR is low enough already ....1200? ...no thanks.

delicious_cocktail

AND how did you figure out your calorie goals?

I am beginning to realize more and more that a lot of people on MFP are not using the recommended 1200 calorie a day that MFP suggests. I've seen people mention they are using the TDEE formulas and other things. I DO feel like 1200 calories a day is low for me but have been trying to stick to it and then eating my exercise calories back over the past year I have been on MFP. I also feel like I have been white knuckling it most of the time. The days I didnt exercise, 1200 was hard to stick to.
When I was on the SparkPeople plan in 2011, they gave me a range of calories and whether I did exercise or not, I could eat up to 1550 a day and lose the recommended 2lbs a week.
I want to change but I am scared to a little because I have been losing on MFP. However, I think if I do go up a little, I won't feel as stressed about not going over calories. Will I be screwing myself over (for lack of better words) if I go up in calories? Can some one offer advice please? It would be greatly appreciated! :flowerforyou:

More links!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/963088-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

dgraboski

When I started MFP over a year ago for a 1.5 lb per week loss MFP gave me 1230 calories. As I lost more weight it lowered it down to the 1200. I was at that point for quite sometime then fell into a rut of not really tracking/exercising and gained 20 back. MFP still has me at 1200 a day. It's hard to stay within that range. I tend to not eat my workout calories back.

PennStateChick

Just to share, the OP isn't totally off the wall with the 1200 calorie a day recommendation from MFP. Even if I put in that I only want to lose 0.5 pounds per week, I still only get 1210 calories per MFPs recommendations.

I, however, eat 1500, which is maintenance for my goal weight.. and figure I will get there when I get there.

lsorci919

This is exactly why I love that I got a bodymedia armband. It gives me a pretty accurate TDEE for me. Even on days I don't workout I get about 200 or more "exercise" calories because I'm more active then MFP assumed. Some days I can stick to 1200 but other days I'm just too dang hungry to only eat 1200. If you ate 1550 on sparkpeople and it worked for you, I don't see why you shouldn't do that again.

countrygirl7mels

I think the calorie level depends on your goals and how active you are. Personally,I don't really have any weight to lose, and I am also weight training, so I should gain some weight (hopefully), but I do use MFP to keep myself in check. By logging my food I am more aware of what I am eating, and I love how it breaks down how much protein I am eating, because I tend to be too low on protein since I am a pescatarian. At 1200, you would definitely have to eat back any calories burned off through exercise! If you are fatigued and hungry while eating 1200 calories from HEALTHY food, you should eat more healthy food (veggies, fruits, lean protein). Eating more of these things will help you, especially if it gives you more energy to exercise, so it is completely OK to eat more than MFP recommends as long as you use some sense about it (don't eat a ton more and eat clean).

Shoechick5

If I put two pounds a week in as a goal I would get 1,200 but that's too quick for the little I have left to use. I have mine set to 1,500 and I'm usually a bit under. Never hungry, losing nicely, lots of energy, sleeping well. I'm sticking with 1,500.

girlie100

1200 calories, oh you mean breakfast :laugh:

1princesswarrior

It also depends on what your activity level is set at. Very few people are actually sedentary. MFP has never given me 1200 calories either and when I adjusted my activity level accordingly and my weight loss goals it comes out pretty close to my TDEE if I ate my exercise calories back. I use my TDEE because it's easier and I exercise in the evening or late afternoon.

ifaber

Unless all you do is wake up, wash up, get dressed, go to work and ONLY SIT for 8 hours, go home and sit on your butt until its time to wash up and go to bed, you SHOULD NOT have your activity level at sedentary. I think that's the big misconception on here is that because you have a desk job you must be sedentary. WRONG! I have a desk job but I get up to walk to the bathroom, cafe, around the building sometimes if I get a drowsy spell, and when I get home I am roaming around the kitchen gathering things to cook and them I'm standing cooking, going up and down the stairs, etc. You have to take in ALL NON EXERCISE ACTIVITY and I don't think MFP does a really good job at explaining it.

At minimum you are probably lightly active. When I got my fitbit I saw my daily burn of 2380 WITHOUGHT exercise I was excited, but thought it was off. Well it consistently spit out numbers around that or higher when I worked out for over a week. I say if you are going to do the MFP way, set your activity level up a notch or two, I have mine at Active, eat back your cardio exercise calories, and see what happens after a couple of weeks. You'll get more food, feel better, and feel stronger. Unless you are really short, I'm sure such a low calorie amount leaves you with less than optimal energy levels.

lilawolf

Take a look at the links below for some great info on the TDEE method:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

These links are best. Take a couple hours to read them thoroughly and you will be miles ahead of the majority of 'dieters'. You will save yourself so much time and heartache. Good luck and good thread.

jctk0419

Thanks for the looks at different sites recommending how many calories we should eat.

Is there a way to manually change my daily calorie goal here on MFP based on what I calculated on Scooby?

1ZenGirl

Use these..

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

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

These are awesome. I take an average to come up with my (very yummy) 2300 cals/day goal. (And an added bonus is that this is the only number I have to worry about, since it includes my exercise burns. Easier on the head.)

I've used these as well. I'm at 1900 calories and it works for me.

Eleonora91

I've been on 1200 kcals most of my weightloss journey - rarely on more than 1300-1500, if I exercise I can eat a couple of hundreds of calories more, but if I don't exercise I agree 1200 is not much. Anyway I didn't lose weight in a noticeable way by eating 1500 kcals, and even when I was eating 1200 I wasn't losing 1 kg per week (except the first month maybe) that's why I'm sticking to it. If you find you can eat more and still lose you'd better do it. Especially if you're doing substantial workouts.

AbbyRoad_

I normally eat between 600-1000 a day but I never go over 1400
Even 1200 is quite high for me

My_Own_Worst_Enemy

Use these..

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

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I use those also.

Personally when I was using MFP for calculating anything to do with goals I was going nowhere fast. Once I used the numbers from other sources I started seeing progress. Too bad MFP is what it is, but could be so much more, but instead I need to use 4 different resources to do what MFP all could and should do. But right now the only thing MFP is good for is:

1) Keeping track of food. The food diary and database is pretty massive. (If you can get through all the bogus entries that people put in there. There are wayyyy too many wrong entries for things. Anyway, once other sites develop as vast of a database of food items, MFP wont have anything else that sets it apart (except for #2)
2) The forums (only with snark and mayhem). Once the snark and mayhem are gone, there really wouldnt be anything that sets it apart from any of the other boring "fitness communities" out there.

What its not good for is:

1) Setting up different workout programs and adding them to a calendar for tracking
2) Providing better calorie calculators so that people can get a better idea of what they might be burning or need to burn to achieve their goals.
3) Sticky Topics In The Forums or other documentation (possibly FAQs) that NEW USERS have time and time and time again.

RandaRae16

I had to increase to 2100 cal/day for a while to account for nursing twins for 6 months but now that I'm not nursing I'm back on 1200 cals/day. Well, except this week & next when I am doing 5 days of juicing (M-Fri plan).

SwedishMel

I'm not counting calories, I'm counting carbs. I'm on the induction phase of the Atkins diet. Been doing it for about nine days now and am ten pounds down. I'm not really tracking food or workouts on here. I find it too tedious. I come on here for the community & encouragement of others. That, and I like seeing that little tracker bar move farther to the right!

AllonsYtotheTardis

MFP never once recommended 1200 calories to me. What are your settings like?

Eleonora91

I normally eat between 600-1000 a day but I never go over 1400
Even 1200 is quite high for me

You're eating under 1200 kcals, your goal weights are under a healthy BMI and you're 14... come on...