Using Harris-Benedict Equation to calculate calories

ZBuffBod
ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone,
Anyone here familiar with using the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate how many calories one should eat to lose weight? MFP says I should eat 1200 calories per day (I'm assuming that is net calories). I started using MFP June 2, 2014 and have been losing an average of 1 lb per week and am ok with this rate of weight loss. Using the Harris-Benedict equation, I would need to eat much more than 1200 calories per day...if I'm interpreting it correctly.

Can you share your experience? Thanks.

Replies

  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Harris Benedict estimates your BMR which is not really the same as 'how many calories you need to eat a day to lose weight'. MFP calcs that latter based on BMR and activity levels and desired weight loss rate, with a floor of 1200.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.

    The website used makes no difference, it's an equation, it doesn't change
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.

    The website used makes no difference, it's an equation, it doesn't change

    I found some websites then magically got different answers so there is a variance somehow.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.

    The website used makes no difference, it's an equation, it doesn't change
    Some sites use different equations. Fitbit uses Mifflin-St Jeor. I don't know what Scooby uses.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.

    The website used makes no difference, it's an equation, it doesn't change

    I found some websites then magically got different answers so there is a variance somehow.

    That's why it's just best to calculate yourself using the actual equations. It's not difficult and there's no variance.

    Mifflin-St Jeor:

    MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
    WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161

    Katch-McArdle:

    BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
    Harris Benedict estimates your BMR which is not really the same as 'how many calories you need to eat a day to lose weight'. MFP calcs that latter based on BMR and activity levels and desired weight loss rate, with a floor of 1200.

    Actually, it calculates BMR and uses an additional rate with the calculated BMR (for me it was 1.5) to calculate what you should be eating.

    I agree that the calories used by HB seemed very high. I can barely make my calories now, no way I could eat what it suggested without feeling like an overstuffed pig. :laugh:

    Thanks everyone for your input.
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
    What site are you using for this equation?

    I went to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Put in my information:
    154.0
    66.5"
    1-3 hours a week

    It gave me a TDEE of 2242
    MFP gives me a TDEE of 2030
    H-B gives me TDEE of 1957 if I put sedentary.

    I will say that for me the H-B formula seems very high. If I go with Katch which used body fat % to figure it out, that formula puts me around 2036 with 1-3 activity.

    I used information from this site:
    http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/ask-diet-doctor-how-many-calories-should-i-eat-lose-weight
  • ThatMouse
    ThatMouse Posts: 229 Member
    The Harris-Benedict Equation is not accurate. It was derived from studies on lean, young, active males in 1919 and is known for radically over-estimating the calorie counts.

    I use a weighted average of Mifflin-St. Jeor (25%) and Katch-McArdle (75%) to come to my stats. So far after a month of more or less the caloric deficit to TDEE that the average came out to, I'm on track with 0.5lbs dropped every week like clockwork (at the end of the week - it's havoc during it).

    Katch-McArdle equation is most accurate but requires an accurate BF% to work.

    Personally I hate how MFP is designed to do the whole "exercise calories" etc thing. It confuses the hell out of me and doesn't make sense compared to BMR vs TDEE and the -15% to -20% TDEE deficit way of doing things. I don't log my exercise on MFP for that reason and just use it to track my calories during the day to hit my deficit target.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Harris Benedict estimates your BMR which is not really the same as 'how many calories you need to eat a day to lose weight'. MFP calcs that latter based on BMR and activity levels and desired weight loss rate, with a floor of 1200.

    Actually, it calculates BMR and uses an additional rate with the calculated BMR (for me it was 1.5) to calculate what you should be eating.
    Right. That multiplier is the 'activity levels' I was referring to. :smile:

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