Is MFP telling me the wrong calorie target?

davidjulian
davidjulian Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm a little confused between what MFP is telling me to eat and what my BMR and TDEE are.

Using multiple calculators online (none of which I'm 100% sure is accurate, but that's why I did multiple), my TDEE is somewhere between 2279 and 3463 calories.

Now, if one pound is 3500 calories, and my goal is to lose 0.5 pounds per week, then I need to be put in a deficit of 1750 calories per week, right? Or, on average, 250 calories per day.

So, if I am to believe the calculators online of my TDEE, then I need to eat somewhere between 2,029 and 3,213 calories per day to lost 0.5 pounds per week.

MFP tells me my goal calories is 1,960 calories/day. I know it's not that far off from the lower end of what the TDEE calculators are giving me, but it's over 1,000 calories off from the high end. Including logging my exercise (about 450/day), I usually tend to fall about 100 calories or so below my goal, so I'm just worried that that, on top of a miscalculation on the part of MFP means I'm not eating enough to lose weight. Evidence being I haven't really lost that much weight on MFP.

I have, I believe, lost fat and gained muscle (thank you P90X), but I'm just wondering how the numbers add up and what you all think. Should I be eating more? Should I be eating less? What should I believe?

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I can help!

    Whats your:

    age
    Height
    Weight
    body Fat%
    How often do you work out
  • sarahdee2007
    sarahdee2007 Posts: 257
    Unfortunately, most calculators you find online are not going to be very correct. I would get a heart rate monitor so you can get a better read of your calories burned everyday. If you feel like you are not getting enough nutrients I would increase calories for a week and see if you have better results. Don't give up! If something seems weird on here, I also have a spark people account that I like to use to double check some things.
  • jesska812
    jesska812 Posts: 102 Member
    My understanding was that your TDEE effectively included all of your activity calories where as with MFP any extra calories you burn you eat back (meaning it would be a lower number). Would that explain the difference between the numbers? Members like helloitsdan are fantastic at helping newer members work through all the numbers.
  • davidjulian
    davidjulian Posts: 24 Member
    Age: 25 (26 in May!)
    Height: 6 feed
    Weight: 165 lbs
    body Fat%: The scale at the gym is telling me 14%
    How often do you work out: Been working out 6 days/week, about an hour each time (P90X!)

    Thanks!

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