Calorie Amount different?

Jessb1985

Hi,

Just some advice, I've joined this site and it's told me to eat 1540 calories a day. I have a dietian I am seeing at the moment (for my heart) and she recommended a minimum of 1540 but ideally around 1900, based on my current weight.

Would you guys change the calorie figures manually or try to stick to the 1540?

Also, I'm in need of some motivating friends if anyone would like to join me!

Thanks
Jess

GypsyRose25

I'd listen to your dietician. Especially if there is something up with your heart.

Bellyroll

I would do what my dietion told me to do.

MrFebruary29th

I would say to stick to the dietitian's recommendation of 1900.

That'd be the safe route. Dietician > website =P

Pebble321

I'd stick with your dietician's recommendations.. but check with her if you should be eating more when you exercise or if that 1900 already accounts for exercise (I'd guess she has included exercise cals in that amount, so it probably works out pretty similar).

taso42_DELETED

I'd stick with your dietician's recommendations.. but check with her if you should be eating more when you exercise or if that 1900 already accounts for exercise (I'd guess she has included exercise cals in that amount, so it probably works out pretty similar).

I'll bet this is right....

Lyadeia

I'd stick with your dietician's recommendations.. but check with her if you should be eating more when you exercise or if that 1900 already accounts for exercise (I'd guess she has included exercise cals in that amount, so it probably works out pretty similar).

I agree, the dietician probably wants you to eat this amount no matter what exercise you do.

In fact, in all my experience of speaking with dieticians, doctors, personal trainers, etc. I had never heard of this concept of eating such low amounts of calories only to "eat exercise calories back" until I found this website.

Broken_

I would agree. Because the site doesn't take into account personal health issues or other statistics a live body (who is licensed) is a better judge of what is right for you.

robin52077

I agree with everyone else. She probably wants you to eat 1900 flat rate. If you exercise and log about 400 calorie burn it would bring it up to that anyhow, because MFPs goals do NOT include the exercise, and the 1900 probably does.

So, either leave it at 1540 and add your exercise in and eat it, and don't worry about going over 1540 on days you don't exercise as long as you don't go over 1900...
Or change it to 1900 and eat that daily without entering exercise calories and stick with that flat rate daily as your Dr suggests. Either way will work out very similar, it's all about which is easier to log.
I say change it to 1900 and don't log exercise, and make SURE you eat at LEAST 1540 every day trying to get close to 1900 without going over.

And don't beat yourself up if you do go over, you deserve a treat on special occasions, and the days you were under 1900 will make up for it. Think of it as a running total. If you do 1800, 1700, 2200 three days in a row you're still perfectly on track.

solpwr

I am going to say something a little contrary here. You stated what the dietitian gave you for calorie intake goals. Did he/she also lay out exercise goals that you helped develop?

MFP gives you a NET calorie calculation. The goal is based upon that. Those two numbers, in your case 1,540 and 1,900, are not the same number. One is NET, the other is intake. The only time those two number are the same, is if you never exercise. That is clearly an unhealthy lifestyle. That's why its called "My FITNESS Pal" and not "My DIET Pal".

In my case, I never eat below 1,700 calories per day. Usually my intake is around 2,200 per day. My NET calorie goal however is 1,300 NET calories.

But I exercise a lot. I burn on an average of 6,000 calories per week riding my bikes or playing ultimate frisbee. But follow the math in my case.

I recommend using a weekly perspective, that's a good way to put it all into context. In a week my NET calorie goal is 9,100 calories. I exercise 6,000 per week (sometimes 2,000 per day 3 x per week, or 1,000 per day 6 x per week). That allows me to eat 15,100 calories in a week's time. That works out to an average of 2,157 calories per day, and I meet my goal of 1,300 NET calories per day.

Using this logic in your case: The dietitian's goal is 13,300 intake calories per week. MFP has set a goal of 10,780 NET calories per week. So the math says that if you accomplish the amount of exercise needed to burn 2,520 calories per week, you will need to eat 1,900 per day, and you will meet the MFP goal of 1,540 NET calories per day.

The beauty of the MFP tool is that it dynamically accounts for the amount of exercise you accomplish.

What if you exercise 4,000 per week? It helps you see how you should adjust your intake to account for that, or if your intake remains the same, it gives you a basis to understand why you are losing more weight than was originally predicted.

Conversely, if you are only exercising 1,000 calories per week and still eating 1,900 calories per day, why you are not losing as expected? Then that dietitian would adjust your calorie intake downward. The MFP tool gives you that feedback immediately.

EDIT:
Robin's advice is sound, and what I'm saying is similar to what she is saying. We differ slightly regarding the MFP goal. She is recommending that you adjust it and not record your exercise. That would work fine, but you would be ignoring an important part of what the MFP tool is providing for you.

If simplicity is a priority for you and your weight-loss experience, just adjust it to 1,900 and do it that way. If you are trying to really educate yourself about your eating, fitness, and lifestyle choices, I would stick to the MFP methodology.