How accurate is everybody finding ?

trentnivins

The calorie counts for foods here on my fitness pal I am sitting about 1200 or 1300 calories per day (net) and exercise every day you may check my dairy, but I am not losing weight.

I also wondering about if the exercise counts of burnt calls is accurate, but on second thought I have checked that with a heart rate monitor, and it is within 2 or 3 percent accurate so my exercise count seems to be good but I am wondering about the food counts.

I use the bar code scanner for any processed food I do eat and I have weighed foods to get a good base line or portion sizes

wellbert

Some info in the database is typod or wrong. You should take a quick look over the label in the DB before adding.

Spanaval

Your diary is not public. Unless you're an older, small person like me, chances are extremely good that you're undereating, which could potentially stall or slow down weight loss. Also, I found that for me, eating back all my exercise calories does not work, so at a minimum, I subtract the BMR for the amount of time I exercised. Say for instance, I workout for an hour, burning 300 calories And my BMR is 1200, which means that on an hourly basis, it would be 60. I subtract 60 from 300, and would only attempt to eat back the remaining 240.

Reignofmongo

I've noticed the cals burned through the formulas they use seem high... I'd be interested to hear if anyone can add to this/

jiggalude

I would recommend using a HRM for all your exercise...depending on how you're feeling or other factors, the same workout can vary a lot as far as how many calories you burn. Also, I bought a digital food scale and now weigh everything. Since I started using the scale and HRM, the weight has been coming off consistently and faster than when I first started without it.

3ofmine

I have a gazelle I use sometimes and when I enter my #'s and time on MFP it is usually a little higher but not by much. I check the calories on my food and when I enter it I make sure it's within a couple of calories or I'll do a quick add thing to get the right amount. I don't eat back all of my exercise points but have found that I lose weight when I have about 500-800 calories left over for the day. If I leave more I kind of stall and don't lose.

bikinibeliever

Some info in the database is typod or wrong. You should take a quick look over the label in the DB before adding.

I agree, check your label to be sure the database is correct. Sometimes it's only 20 or 30 calories off, but hey I want my 20 or 30! :laugh:

bikinibeliever

I've noticed the cals burned through the formulas they use seem high... I'd be interested to hear if anyone can add to this/

I have found some too high and some too low. I wear a bodymedia, so I go by that.

nxd10

In addition, if you have yoyo'ed a lot in your weight in the past, you will use fewer calories than someone who has had a slow steady weight gain. For instance, my husband's weight has fluctuated up and down 40 lbs. Because of that, it has been much harder each time to lose weight. That's not just anecdotal with him, that's what researchers have found too.

Just looking at your picture, you are about my husband's size. He has had a harder time losing weight than I have, although he eats less and exercises more. He is also very physically fit, despite his size. He's a tai chi instructor and has a lot of muscle, although also a lot of visceral fat that is hard to lose. I'm guessing you put on weight the same way he does (it's a typical male fat storage strategy).

I just read a bunch of research saying that losing visceral, gut fat requires not just calories, but very specifically aerobic activities. This is from wikipedia, but the research is accurately cited: "High-intensity exercise is one way to effectively reduce total abdominal fat.[17][18] One study suggests at least 10 MET-hours per week of aerobic exercise is required for visceral fat reduction.[19]" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adipose_tissue)

nxd10

In response to your initial question: the calories listed are often exactly what I get off a box or through other sources. I sometimes find the portion sizes are wrong. For example, I just ate and recorded a chinese dumpling. There were two different portion sizes with identical listed calories - one for a single dumpling the other for four. The calories were correct (147), but it was a four dumpling portion according to the box.

I've hit my counts, sometimes eaten back my exercise calories (yes, when hungry, no when not), and have lost the pound a week it's supposed to do.

I did list myself as sedentary, which I'm not really. However, I've done other, more thorough calorie assessments through other models, and they come within a 20 calorie/day margin to what is listed here.

trentnivins

Opps old photo of me I am approx 60 lbs heavier there, but I am stalled out right now and getting a bit frustrated.

I will change my dairy to public

tcohen9999

I started mufti pal 2 weeks ago. I have lost 3 pounds. The secret is to do exercise each day and eat back a little or none of the exercise credit.

guppy62

I didn't lose for 6 weeks in a row. I maintained. Then I lost almost 7 pounds the next week. The key is to continue your new eating habits and keep tracking, honestly. I just remember that it took me years to gain this weight it will take more than a couple of months to get it off. Stick to your plan. If you are older it takes longer. If you are a woman and perimenopausal it may take even longer. (I'm in this boat)

Tamira12

I feel you I keep losing then gaining right back

chantey16

you are probably not losing because you arent eating enough. 1200 calories is the lowest amount of calories that should be eaten, and that is for a very short, very small, sedentary woman. you most likely need to eat more. find your bmi and do not eat less than that

ldrosophila

Most are, but a good majority arent accurate. I'm too lazy to go digging through hundreds of items when i make a meal so I go with the highest item and increase the amount. Puts me over, but for now, by portioning out my food this is working.