Gotta say, MFP is disappointing more each day

millerll

This site doesn't tell you what to do. YOU tell IT what you want to do, and it computes numbers for you. It's just a simple calculator. I highly recommend you read the stickies at the top of the section - start with the ones that say "Newbies - Read Me". You should have done that on day one. Then set a more realistic goal.

zaan83

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but the problem isn't the tool it's the user.

You told this website that you wanted to lose TWO lbs per WEEK. That's a 7000 calorie deficit per week, or 1000 calorie deficit per day. Is it really a surprise that it gave you an absurdly low calorie target?

The reason you kept seeing 1200 calories a day recommended is because MFP will never recommend lower than that. That's the absolute minimum it will possibly recommend to anyone for any reason.

Set your weight loss to a more reasonable 0.5 lbs/week and you only need a 250 calorie deficit per day.

The danger wasn't putting your health in the hands of a free website, the danger was not knowing how the tool worked and using it anyways.

I cant agree more.

neanderthin

Pick a calorie number, record calories, check weight, make adjustments. Your welcome.:bigsmile:

BoxerBrawler

1. As other posters have correctly pointed out, the MFP suggested target of 1200 calories/day was due to your requirement to lose 2 lbs / week. If you had done some reading on weekly weight loss goals, you would know that probably wasn't your best choice of goal.

2. If netting 1200 calories / day for 3.5 weeks caused you to be so poorly nourished that you were fainting, you probably have health issues above and beyond being a few lbs over weight. People with TDEEs far in excess of yours survive on 1200 calories for periods far longer than a month without serious health ramifications. It's not necessarily recommended for long-term weight loss, but it shouldn't cause you to get seriously sick either.

I agree with this also. I have done (have been doing) between 1000 to 1200 calories a day for months and months and I have never had a problem with being sick, lacking energy, fainting or anything of the kind. In fact my body has adjusted itself nicely to this number and it seems to work for me. (For me). It doesn't work for everyone and most people will recommend a higher calorie target for good and valid reasons. To repeat what has been said here, this is not a long term solution. Also, when you only have a little bit of weight to lose it comes off very, very slowly! It will come off eventually. Also, folks may suggest that you not worry about losing the pounds and work more on building muscle.... that is good sound advice. You get to a point where the weight just won't come off anymore, for me personally I think my body is healthy where it is so it fights me on losing more. However, I can make it continue to build muscle which won't result in more weight loss but inches, yeah and you'll look fabulous! I haven't been on this site for too long but it took me a while to figure it all out and get it working for me. Trust me I have had my ups and downs here too. In fact, just yesterday I decided to bump up all of my numbers e.g., calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc. That didn't work out so well and resulted in me being sick to my stomach with a sugar headache lol. Again, that is my personal body type... Also, someone said it's not the site, it's the user. That's totally true.

A lot of good advice here.

Just keep plugging along and keep tweaking your numbers until you find what works for you. It is a process not a quick fix.

Hope this helped

arrseegee

This site doesn't tell you what to do. YOU tell IT what you want to do, and it computes numbers for you. It's just a simple calculator. I highly recommend you read the stickies at the top of the section - start with the ones that say "Newbies - Read Me". You should have done that on day one. Then set a more realistic goal.

I agree with this, but just going to mention that when I joined up I never clicked on the 'Community' tab, had no idea there were helpful posts, and for the most part I just used my iPhone app which doesn't link to the forums at all. I think there are probably a huge number of people who use the site to log foods but never venture into the forums - it took me over half a year before I realised it would be worth looking at!

emboslice94

Try this website and then use the custom settings on here to alter it. I've been getting really great results with what it's offered me. Granted, I'd like to point out that I eat very clean whole foods 90% of the time, because that works for me.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

Also eating back, I don't really agree with it. But I also have my calories to include my workouts, but if I have a gruelling work out and am hungry, I'll go over my calories because that's my body saying it needs more.
I think that this lifestyle is more important to adopt than the weight to come off. If 1200 calories is making you pass out, it's probably not working for you. But it is all about finding what does work for you, so just keep trying. I know it's difficult, but eventually you'll find something that works.

DemoraFairy

To be fair to OP, I think MFP could do with a sentence when you set your goals that says what sort of goal you should be aiming for. When I started out I didn't know anything about how many calories I should be eating, so I set it to 2lbs a week, because why wouldn't you? Luckily I had enough weight to lose that that goal was ok, but I think MFP could help guide people a bit more.

Francl27

To be fair to OP, I think MFP could do with a sentence when you set your goals that says what sort of goal you should be aiming for. When I started out I didn't know anything about how many calories I should be eating, so I set it to 2lbs a week, because why wouldn't you? Luckily I had enough weight to lose that that goal was ok, but I think MFP could help guide people a bit more.

THIS.

MFP is way too vague. It doesn't tell you what the recommended weight loss rate is for your weight (it says 'lose 1 lb a week' is recommended though). Neither does it doesn't explain having to log exercise calories and eat them back. There's a lot of room for improvement overall.

Obviously it works well when used properly but when you read the forums you'll see that users who use it properly are few and far between.

megsmom2

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but the problem isn't the tool it's the user.

You told this website that you wanted to lose TWO lbs per WEEK. That's a 7000 calorie deficit per week, or 1000 calorie deficit per day. Is it really a surprise that it gave you an absurdly low calorie target?

The reason you kept seeing 1200 calories a day recommended is because MFP will never recommend lower than that. That's the absolute minimum it will possibly recommend to anyone for any reason.

Set your weight loss to a more reasonable 0.5 lbs/week and you only need a 250 calorie deficit per day.

The danger wasn't putting your health in the hands of a free website, the danger was not knowing how the tool worked and using it anyways.

Yup. Pretty much all of this.

PRMinx

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but the problem isn't the tool it's the user.

You told this website that you wanted to lose TWO lbs per WEEK. That's a 7000 calorie deficit per week, or 1000 calorie deficit per day. Is it really a surprise that it gave you an absurdly low calorie target?

The reason you kept seeing 1200 calories a day recommended is because MFP will never recommend lower than that. That's the absolute minimum it will possibly recommend to anyone for any reason.

Set your weight loss to a more reasonable 0.5 lbs/week and you only need a 250 calorie deficit per day.

The danger wasn't putting your health in the hands of a free website, the danger was not knowing how the tool worked and using it anyways.

I cant agree more.

Yep, this. It's that little thing called personal responsibility.

Eleonora91

I'm really frustrated with the 1200 calorie limit that MFP instituted when I didn't know any better. She asks in the blog post when you (women) first heard of the 1200 limit for weight loss. I can tell you! HERE! I'd NEVER heard this number before MFP. I'm frustrated that MFP set me on this course that I blindly trusted and thought would lead me to a healthy weight loss, and now I find that it's probably doing me way more harm than good and likely contributed to an ambulance bill. :-S

You didn't tell us your stats but I've seen in another topic that you posted them, and your TDEE should be around 1600-1650 (your stats are similar to mine). 1200 kcals is the lowest you can go with your calorie intake if you want to keep things healthy, but unless you're very active during the day and burn a lot of calories in your everyday activities, you can't expect to lose much weight by eating more than that. I mean, if you feel like you could faint on 1200 kcals it's alright, then eat more... 1300, 1400, it doesn't matter, the point is that I don't think you can get sick and faint by eating 400 kcals less than your TDEE.
If you're not eating your exercise calories back that's completely different, because you wouldn't be eating 1200 NET calories which means you're actually not eating enough.

My advice is to 1. calculate your TDEE carefully 2. keep on mind your activity level 3. eat your exercise calories back 4. set a reasonable amount of weight to lose per week (1 lb might be alright).

fortally

To be fair to OP, I think MFP could do with a sentence when you set your goals that says what sort of goal you should be aiming for. When I started out I didn't know anything about how many calories I should be eating, so I set it to 2lbs a week, because why wouldn't you? Luckily I had enough weight to lose that that goal was ok, but I think MFP could help guide people a bit more.

Agree. Also, think about the barrage of commercials and advertising out there today that promises "quick weight loss." It seems like I can't turn on the TV without seeing Atkins, Jenny Craig, and all the others that promise dramatic results in a short amount of time. I am NOT saying they are right OR that the OP doesn't bear some responsibility here, but those messages are almost ingrained in our way of thinking. If you're starting from scratch and are new to dieting, how are you to know any different?

I also did what the OP did - clicked 2 lb. loss as my goal and got 1200 calories. I also didn't have a tremendous amount to lose (~15 pounds or so). I didn't worry too much about the calories because my focus was really fitness, so I knew I'd earn enough calories to put me back at a reasonable amount each day. But if I was looking at it the other way - with calories and diet as my mail focus - then I can understand how 1200 could be a shock (especially if someone has never restricted calories before).

I know there is a lot of fantastic information in the forums, and I for one have learned a great deal from the community. However - to be fair, the forums are a tricky place. There's a lot of misinformation and conflicting opinions floating around. I've also seen arguments, a bit of snark, and a few hurt feelings. I'm not criticizing the forum AT ALL - I'm just saying that it does take some skill and bravery to go wading in. That's if you even know it's there to begin with.

Leskent

So, I want to reply and say thank you so much to MarKayDee, outofworkpedi, hortensehilde, BinaryPulsar and others along those lines that actually read what I posted, (not skimmed) and offered helpful balanced responses that encouraged and made me feel like I wasn't the one person in the universe who used the site exactly as it was laid out and explained to an average new user, and still ended up with issues. So in otherwords, responses like dopeitup are the reason I usually stay far away from forums and after this post, will likely stay far away from this one as well. Just a whole bunch of people sittin' on their high horse, trashin' ya.

The fact that there was a good 1/2 dozen at least posters who had my exact same issue--filling in fields at the start of the journey to the best of their ability and set on a path of really stupid weight loss just proves my point--the site has downfalls. I had come here on the advice of a friend who is about the same size and age as me, with similar health goals and she raved about how easy and great it had been. That was my only knowledge of the site before joining. I'm glad to find so many other people who are seeing the downfalls, because this verifies my feelings and experience. I came here because I thought it was a site that gave you guidance (so to posters that chastised that I should have done all this copious research--THIS was the place I thought would guide me through it). I mean really, anyone who got through 8th grade health class would feel that they know how weight loss is done--you eat less, exercise more, persevere for a long time and there you go. Starvation mode? Macros? Various other acronyms? Obviously, the world of weight loss IS far more complex, but as a few posters here also acknowledged, you can't expect a newbie just to know that or even realize--and offer a site that just glibly walks you through what apparently is a more complex matter than many realize.

So again, thanks to those who saw my point there.

Before I sign off, I just want to clarify for all the skimmers who jumped all over me: I didn't once say that I thought MFP and the unrealistic weight loss rate IT set me at was the cause of fainting or going to the hospital. I think I was VERY clear that I was SUSPICIOUS---[I'm not accusing MFP in any way shape or form], that the caloric intake that the site set me at, may have contributed to fainting--ON TOP of having NORWALK virus. I'm quite confident that I would not have been fainting JUST after using MFP for 3-4 weeks. So please people READ before you post your criminations.

And although I realize in re-reading my post that I didn't make it clear, YES, I did also come to the realization later that 2lbs a week was much too high a weight loss rate, I read a few posts here on the forums that helped me with that, and I changed up my rate to 1 lb a week, which bumped my daily caloric intake up to 1270. I no longer need anyone to point that out, thanks much, and to clarify, my point in the post was, as many but not all, people realized was to shed light on the downfalls of the site. Hopefully the MFP people have also seen this and perhaps might take some steps to rectify that for future newbies.

I think I'll be turning to my local gym, and a real live person to help me with my continued quest to be a healthy strong 40 year old mom to four kids. I don't feel I can trust this program to give me the guidance I thought it would, so to continue using it would be pretty stupid.

All the best to the rest of you.

DemoraFairy

So in otherwords, responses like dopeitup are the reason I usually stay far away from forums and after this post, will likely stay far away from this one as well. Just a whole bunch of people sittin' on their high horse, trashin' ya.

Apart from all the people you just thanked :P I agree a lot of people on here, just like any other forum on the Internet, can be... discouraging, to put it nicely. But as you've seen there are nice people, and even the ones who are a bit mean about it are ultimately giving you good advice. I don't think you should give up on the forums since, as you've seen, you do get good advice, and there are people here that want to help you.

Equally I don't think you should give up using MFP. It's a great calorie counting tool, and if you know how many calories you need to eat, it will help you stick to that. Like everyone's said here, it's a great tool if you know how to use it, and hopefully you know how to use it now!

I hope that this doesn't put you off using MFP, I think it's a great tool to use, even if you do decide to stay away from the forums. And if you decide not to use MFP, then good luck with whatever you do use!

rileysowner

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but the problem isn't the tool it's the user.

You told this website that you wanted to lose TWO lbs per WEEK. That's a 7000 calorie deficit per week, or 1000 calorie deficit per day. Is it really a surprise that it gave you an absurdly low calorie target?

The reason you kept seeing 1200 calories a day recommended is because MFP will never recommend lower than that. That's the absolute minimum it will possibly recommend to anyone for any reason.

Set your weight loss to a more reasonable 0.5 lbs/week and you only need a 250 calorie deficit per day.

The danger wasn't putting your health in the hands of a free website, the danger was not knowing how the tool worked and using it anyways.

^^ Amen!

Agreed. Although I see the recommendation for 1 pound per week has been removed.

MelRC117

So, I want to reply and say thank you so much to MarKayDee, outofworkpedi, hortensehilde, BinaryPulsar and others along those lines that actually read what I posted, (not skimmed) and offered helpful balanced responses that encouraged and made me feel like I wasn't the one person in the universe who used the site exactly as it was laid out and explained to an average new user, and still ended up with issues. So in otherwords, responses like dopeitup are the reason I usually stay far away from forums and after this post, will likely stay far away from this one as well. Just a whole bunch of people sittin' on their high horse, trashin' ya.

The fact that there was a good 1/2 dozen at least posters who had my exact same issue--filling in fields at the start of the journey to the best of their ability and set on a path of really stupid weight loss just proves my point--the site has downfalls. I had come here on the advice of a friend who is about the same size and age as me, with similar health goals and she raved about how easy and great it had been. That was my only knowledge of the site before joining. I'm glad to find so many other people who are seeing the downfalls, because this verifies my feelings and experience. I came here because I thought it was a site that gave you guidance (so to posters that chastised that I should have done all this copious research--THIS was the place I thought would guide me through it). I mean really, anyone who got through 8th grade health class would feel that they know how weight loss is done--you eat less, exercise more, persevere for a long time and there you go. Starvation mode? Macros? Various other acronyms? Obviously, the world of weight loss IS far more complex, but as a few posters here also acknowledged, you can't expect a newbie just to know that or even realize--and offer a site that just glibly walks you through what apparently is a more complex matter than many realize.

So again, thanks to those who saw my point there.

Before I sign off, I just want to clarify for all the skimmers who jumped all over me: I didn't once say that I thought MFP and the unrealistic weight loss rate IT set me at was the cause of fainting or going to the hospital. I think I was VERY clear that I was SUSPICIOUS---[I'm not accusing MFP in any way shape or form], that the caloric intake that the site set me at, may have contributed to fainting--ON TOP of having NORWALK virus. I'm quite confident that I would not have been fainting JUST after using MFP for 3-4 weeks. So please people READ before you post your criminations.

And although I realize in re-reading my post that I didn't make it clear, YES, I did also come to the realization later that 2lbs a week was much too high a weight loss rate, I read a few posts here on the forums that helped me with that, and I changed up my rate to 1 lb a week, which bumped my daily caloric intake up to 1270. I no longer need anyone to point that out, thanks much, and to clarify, my point in the post was, as many but not all, people realized was to shed light on the downfalls of the site. Hopefully the MFP people have also seen this and perhaps might take some steps to rectify that for future newbies.

I think I'll be turning to my local gym, and a real live person to help me with my continued quest to be a healthy strong 40 year old mom to four kids. I don't feel I can trust this program to give me the guidance I thought it would, so to continue using it would be pretty stupid.

All the best to the rest of you.

Why are you calling it a program again? Its a calculator. It tracks how much you eat, how much you exercise, and tells you a goal calorie count all based on what YOU put it. I get you didn't realize that 2 lbs wasn't realistic and you adjusted it, but how can using something to count calories be stupid? Whether you use MFP or a food journal it's basically the same thing. MFP is a TOOL, a RESOURCE, not a "program". I think you had the wrong idea of what MFP is.

beachgod

op ragequit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNOrp_83RU

PRMinx

So, I want to reply and say thank you so much to MarKayDee, outofworkpedi, hortensehilde, BinaryPulsar and others along those lines that actually read what I posted, (not skimmed) and offered helpful balanced responses that encouraged and made me feel like I wasn't the one person in the universe who used the site exactly as it was laid out and explained to an average new user, and still ended up with issues. So in otherwords, responses like dopeitup are the reason I usually stay far away from forums and after this post, will likely stay far away from this one as well. Just a whole bunch of people sittin' on their high horse, trashin' ya.

The fact that there was a good 1/2 dozen at least posters who had my exact same issue--filling in fields at the start of the journey to the best of their ability and set on a path of really stupid weight loss just proves my point--the site has downfalls. I had come here on the advice of a friend who is about the same size and age as me, with similar health goals and she raved about how easy and great it had been. That was my only knowledge of the site before joining. I'm glad to find so many other people who are seeing the downfalls, because this verifies my feelings and experience. I came here because I thought it was a site that gave you guidance (so to posters that chastised that I should have done all this copious research--THIS was the place I thought would guide me through it). I mean really, anyone who got through 8th grade health class would feel that they know how weight loss is done--you eat less, exercise more, persevere for a long time and there you go. Starvation mode? Macros? Various other acronyms? Obviously, the world of weight loss IS far more complex, but as a few posters here also acknowledged, you can't expect a newbie just to know that or even realize--and offer a site that just glibly walks you through what apparently is a more complex matter than many realize.

So again, thanks to those who saw my point there.

Before I sign off, I just want to clarify for all the skimmers who jumped all over me: I didn't once say that I thought MFP and the unrealistic weight loss rate IT set me at was the cause of fainting or going to the hospital. I think I was VERY clear that I was SUSPICIOUS---[I'm not accusing MFP in any way shape or form], that the caloric intake that the site set me at, may have contributed to fainting--ON TOP of having NORWALK virus. I'm quite confident that I would not have been fainting JUST after using MFP for 3-4 weeks. So please people READ before you post your criminations.

And although I realize in re-reading my post that I didn't make it clear, YES, I did also come to the realization later that 2lbs a week was much too high a weight loss rate, I read a few posts here on the forums that helped me with that, and I changed up my rate to 1 lb a week, which bumped my daily caloric intake up to 1270. I no longer need anyone to point that out, thanks much, and to clarify, my point in the post was, as many but not all, people realized was to shed light on the downfalls of the site. Hopefully the MFP people have also seen this and perhaps might take some steps to rectify that for future newbies.

I think I'll be turning to my local gym, and a real live person to help me with my continued quest to be a healthy strong 40 year old mom to four kids. I don't feel I can trust this program to give me the guidance I thought it would, so to continue using it would be pretty stupid.

All the best to the rest of you.

Why are you calling it a program again? Its a calculator. It tracks how much you eat, how much you exercise, and tells you a goal calorie count all based on what YOU put it. I get you didn't realize that 2 lbs wasn't realistic and you adjusted it, but how can not using something to count calories be stupid? Whether you use MFP or a food journal it's basically the same thing. MFP is a TOOL, a RESOURCE, not a "program". I think you had the wrong idea of what MFP is.

^This.

No one is trying to be mean to you or not supportive. The point we are trying to make is that it's up to you to take responsibility for your health. This is a free website with a very helpful tracking tool. I would encourage you to speak with your trainer or doctor about what a healthy weight loss goal is - and THEN use the tool to keep track of your calories and progress. MFP is not, and in no way claims to be, a substitute for professional advice and care.

krist3ng

Why are you calling it a program again? Its a calculator. It tracks how much you eat, how much you exercise, and tells you a goal calorie count all based on what YOU put it. I get you didn't realize that 2 lbs wasn't realistic and you adjusted it, but how can not using something to count calories be stupid? Whether you use MFP or a food journal it's basically the same thing. MFP is a TOOL, a RESOURCE, not a "program". I think you had the wrong idea of what MFP is.

This is definitely a good point. There are paleos, vegans, carnivores, and people who eat fast food every day on MFP. The app/site is merely a way of keeping track of what you've eaten. You can manually adjust your calorie requirements, you can keep track of what nutrients and vitamins you're getting... honestly, the fact that MFP is free is kind of mindblowing to me, just because of its sheer usefulness and good intentions.

I think we've all gotten the "1200 calories a day" recommendation from MFP, because who DOESN'T want to lose two pounds a week? But it's not dangerous to eat that little-- unless you're just eating a cinnabon and calling it a day. It's pretty easy to make 1200 cals go a long way, especially if you don't mind eating some salad or raw vegetables.

I honestly can't understand how one could not understand "eating back your exercise calories". It's kinda in the name

Nice2BFitAgain

So, I want to reply and say thank you so much to MarKayDee, outofworkpedi, hortensehilde, BinaryPulsar and others along those lines that actually read what I posted, (not skimmed) and offered helpful balanced responses that encouraged and made me feel like I wasn't the one person in the universe who used the site exactly as it was laid out and explained to an average new user, and still ended up with issues. So in otherwords, responses like dopeitup are the reason I usually stay far away from forums and after this post, will likely stay far away from this one as well. Just a whole bunch of people sittin' on their high horse, trashin' ya.

The fact that there was a good 1/2 dozen at least posters who had my exact same issue--filling in fields at the start of the journey to the best of their ability and set on a path of really stupid weight loss just proves my point--the site has downfalls. I had come here on the advice of a friend who is about the same size and age as me, with similar health goals and she raved about how easy and great it had been. That was my only knowledge of the site before joining. I'm glad to find so many other people who are seeing the downfalls, because this verifies my feelings and experience. I came here because I thought it was a site that gave you guidance (so to posters that chastised that I should have done all this copious research--THIS was the place I thought would guide me through it). I mean really, anyone who got through 8th grade health class would feel that they know how weight loss is done--you eat less, exercise more, persevere for a long time and there you go. Starvation mode? Macros? Various other acronyms? Obviously, the world of weight loss IS far more complex, but as a few posters here also acknowledged, you can't expect a newbie just to know that or even realize--and offer a site that just glibly walks you through what apparently is a more complex matter than many realize.

So again, thanks to those who saw my point there.

Before I sign off, I just want to clarify for all the skimmers who jumped all over me: I didn't once say that I thought MFP and the unrealistic weight loss rate IT set me at was the cause of fainting or going to the hospital. I think I was VERY clear that I was SUSPICIOUS---[I'm not accusing MFP in any way shape or form], that the caloric intake that the site set me at, may have contributed to fainting--ON TOP of having NORWALK virus. I'm quite confident that I would not have been fainting JUST after using MFP for 3-4 weeks. So please people READ before you post your criminations.

And although I realize in re-reading my post that I didn't make it clear, YES, I did also come to the realization later that 2lbs a week was much too high a weight loss rate, I read a few posts here on the forums that helped me with that, and I changed up my rate to 1 lb a week, which bumped my daily caloric intake up to 1270. I no longer need anyone to point that out, thanks much, and to clarify, my point in the post was, as many but not all, people realized was to shed light on the downfalls of the site. Hopefully the MFP people have also seen this and perhaps might take some steps to rectify that for future newbies.

I think I'll be turning to my local gym, and a real live person to help me with my continued quest to be a healthy strong 40 year old mom to four kids. I don't feel I can trust this program to give me the guidance I thought it would, so to continue using it would be pretty stupid.

All the best to the rest of you.

I think that a person just starting out not knowing where to start would benefit more from a site like www. spark people. com (without the spaces of course) - it is also free and very user friendly with a lot of great tips and articles as well as support group forums. Good luck achieving your fitness goals!