Why different calorie goals, depending on which calculator?

mrsmcmo

I just tried the Ultimate Weight Loss calculator. It tells me that at my height (5'2), weight (116lbs) and activity level (lightly active), I should aim to eat 1296 cals per day to lose 1lb a week. MFP's calculator tells me that I should be eating 1200 per day to lose 1lb a week. So why the difference, and which one do I believe? Since I have begun losing weight, I have been following the MFP calculator like it's my new religion, and while it has been going very well, if I could be eating 100 extra calories a day, I would like to do so.
Opinions?

Solar_Cat

A better word for all these calculators would be estimators. They're based on various formulas that attempt to generalize specific sets of observations about specific people. We should be skeptical about all of them. The only factor that counts is how each individual responds to food intake and exercise. The only way to find that out is to experiment on yourself. Track your intake and exercise for two or three months, and you should have a good idea. Any shorter and there's much too much variability.

Eat the extra 100 calories a day and see what happens! It's not enough of a difference to stall your weight loss.

Liftng4Lis

I would eat the extra 100 calories a day. Losing a pound a week while only 4 to go is very aggressive for someone your size.

mrsmcmo

Thanks guys! I will try eating 1300 for a week or so and see where it gets me.