My Fitness Pal is really pissing me off

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LemonCitron
LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay so when I first signed up here it tells me that to lose 1 lb per week I need to eat 1200 calories a day. I change that to .5 a week and it still tells me 1200 a day. Personally I think that is ridiculous and when I tried to do 1200 a day I was always so hungry.

Then my Mom asks me to see how many calories she should be eating. So I look that up for her. And at 1.6 lbs projected loss a week it STILL says 1200 a week.

Me = 5'3" Starting weight 140lbs Goal Weight 120lbs
Mom = 5'6" Starting weight 211lbs Goal Weight 160lbs

Something is not right here people. WHY is it putting everyone at 1200??? This is not normal.

So out of curiosity I went over to SparkPeople and put in my stats. To get to my goal weight of 120lbs by July 8th it's telling me to eat 1500-1800 a day.

What is UP with that???

Does anyone else have experience with both sites? WTH is going on here??
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Replies

  • JanerZzz
    JanerZzz Posts: 276
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    no clue, but I want to know.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    Mine isn't 1200.
    It was when I wanted to lose more than the recommended but now it's 1430 to lose a pound a week.
    I'm 5 ft 7 and 152lb.
    Maybe check settings and lifestyle.
    I don't think this site is generally at fault.
  • emchamberlain
    emchamberlain Posts: 133 Member
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    That's really odd. I'm 5'6" and currently weigh 167, and it gives me 1480 calories/day to lose 1lb/week.
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    Different sites use different formulas I would imagine. My guess would be that mfp does not want to let you go under 1200/day, as a general rule this is not a bad thing. On a diet that is not rich in fruit. veggies and lean meats that is a hard goal to meet. Maybe the difference is the activity level?
  • LoriLou67
    LoriLou67 Posts: 173 Member
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    I am curious too, but I think the difference between sites might be the deficit MFP figures in, hence all the hype about eating back the exercise calories. Someone else who is way more articulate and way more knowledgeable will probably explain this better.
  • butterfly_lvr
    butterfly_lvr Posts: 88
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    another site just told me I should be eating 1666 and that is after the deficit
  • smcgrath29
    smcgrath29 Posts: 14
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    Hmm.. I know mine changes when I adjust how much I set it for exercising, maybe that is where the difference is...??
  • jennlloyd
    jennlloyd Posts: 33 Member
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    That is odd. Maybe it is a malfunction. I am 5 foot 3in and I weigh 156 lbs and it has me at over 1400 calories.
  • perrytyra
    perrytyra Posts: 357 Member
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    I started at one pound a week and I was 190 pounds. It told me I could eat 1470. When my weight went down to 180 it told me 1410. I changed it to 2 pounds a week and and it says 1200.
  • cher128
    cher128 Posts: 2
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    same experience......I want to know that too....
    really like the site otherwise....
  • RajwaJ
    RajwaJ Posts: 191 Member
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    Probably to do with activity levels as well. I am very active and to lose 2lb it says 1360 calories or about 1750 for 1lb a week. So not everyone is 1200. That is for people who have a sedate lifestyle. Hope you manage to sort it out.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I'm at 1260 to lose a pound per week. You're not comparing apples to apples. You and your Mom are different height and weight. You're also different ages. You *both* burn different amts of calories just sitting on the couch. MFP can also tell you how much 'fuel' you need each day if you did 0 exercise.
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 814 Member
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    MFP will never have you go under 1200 calories. You con't lose weight when you go under that as your system will think you are starving.
  • T0RIEELIZABETH
    T0RIEELIZABETH Posts: 376
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    I'm 5'2 current weight 160, goal 140. 1lb a week and I'm eating 1510 a day...
  • jordanlell
    jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
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    I don't have that problem at all! Maybe you can contact an administrator or something. I'm 5'10" and currently 164 trying to lose 1lb a week, and it gives me 1650.
  • lynnmrut
    lynnmrut Posts: 1
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    My opinion is the calories will not go below 1200 regardless of the data entered. From the data I've read, anything under 1200 slows your metabolism and it counter productive.
  • Shawna0101
    Shawna0101 Posts: 76 Member
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    Not sure, I filled it out for me at 5'6 starting weight 146 going (hopefully lol) to 130 and I put it at 2lbs a week and it gave me 1200 then after a few weeks I felt I was too hungry so I changed it to .5-1lb a week and it changed to 1320, so not sure why yours is staying at 1200.
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
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    sorry for your issues. I don't have any help.


    But MFP rocks for me! I am so glad I found it.
  • annabanana05
    annabanana05 Posts: 69
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    check your lifestyle and exercise. that could be why it isn't allowing more. when i first started i had 1200 now since i have lost some i changed some of my goals and i can eat 1280.

    also keep in mind what calories are burned during workouts can help you to eat more so your not staying hungry.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    It's doing the same thing for me too. I know what my calorie level should be so I did a manual adjustment.

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