Worringly low maintenance calories

klausbrando

I have just started with MFP only 2.5 weeks ago, but I am puzzled (and a bit worried) about the "Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity" that MFP has calculated for me: 1,480!

I am 1,58 short (alas!), 35 yrs old, weighting 54 Kg, and wanting to lose only 4 kilos, 250 grams per week.

I have weighted 54 kg for a few years now, and I am pretty sure that I have almost constantly been eating at least 1700 calories per day. I have also kept track of my normal daily intake for a few weeks before starting with MFP, and I was indeed eating between 1600 and 1800 Kcal per day. Moreover, if i calculate my maintenance calories on other websites, most of them says between 1600 and 1700 (at the same, sedentary level). None of them has given me 1480 Kcal per day for maintenance!

Now, MFP is telling me that to lose 250 g per week (1/2 pound) I need to eat 1230 Kcal a day (a deficit of 250 Kcal from the supposedly daily maintenance of 1480). I am now quite concerned that I am actually consuming (= eating) much less calories than it would be recommended for a healthy weight loss, and I want to avoid this. So far, I have lost around 1 kg in 2.5 weeks, instead of 600 g ca.

Can anyone explain to me why MFP is giving me such a low number as maintenance calories? Again, it is just a matter of wanting to lose calories in a healthy way that is not "traumatising" for my body and metabolism.

naomi8888

I don't know - sorry! But all I can suggest is to eat a little higher and just see if you can still lose weight. Also remember that's net calories that you're talking about so any extras you earn from exercise you can eat

thatlook

personally, and this is only MY opinion, if you feel your losing too quickly and you make your 'daily usage cal' more by using other methods/websites then i would would manually up my cals to around 1350 (more or less depending on how you feel about it!) try it for a week & see what happens on the scale then adjust accordingly, unfortunatly i have discovered on here from reading many posts that MFP is obviously not absolutely accurate and for that reason we are able to amend it to suit ourselves!! My profile has set me a daily of 1640 with my daily usage cal @ 2140 (im going for the 2lb p/w!) but i have changed it too 1500 as i tend to eat what i dont need to if i see i have cals going spare!! hope this helps you, GOOD LUCK!! :flowerforyou:

cmayfield3

Even though I have a desk job, MFP underestimates my calorie requirements if I set it at "sedentary." I need to set it to "lightly active" or even "active" to get a more accurate allotment. If you are losing faster than it says you should be, definitely change your activity level settings.

klausbrando

Thank you everybody!! I have adjusted my level of activity to "lightly active", and indeed it now says that my maintenance requirement is 1600 Kcal, and suggests me to eat 1350 Kcal a day to lose 0.5 pounds a week. I'll see if this works as it should
And, of course, I am doing much more exercise since I started with MFP: It helps getting in better shape and allows me to eat the calories burned

LorinaLynn

Even though I have a desk job, MFP underestimates my calorie requirements if I set it at "sedentary." I need to set it to "lightly active" or even "active" to get a more accurate allotment. If you are losing faster than it says you should be, definitely change your activity level settings.

Same here, too. I just bumped my activity level up to active since I was still losing while on maintenance at lightly active. And then lost another pound that week while netting over 1800!