calories too low on mfp

wingednotes

My BMR according to the Katch mcardle calculator is 1352.
So why is MFP calculating my daily calories at 1200?

I would like it to say 1352, and then if I exercise, I would not eat back the exercise calories unless I was at a deficit for the day.
(in which case I would never go below 1352.)

Currently, if I don't exercise, I'm stuck at 1200, and that is too low for me.
It is too low, right?

(female, 5'2'', 164 lbs, 35 yrs old)

Thanks.

SPNLuver83

if your BMR is 1352 and you set your calories to that you should still eat back your calories, otherwise you will be worse off than you were netting 1200.

junipuni

They base it on your choices. Most people choose the lose two pounds options and since the lowest it will go is 1200 that's where it puts you. You can manually change/set your goals.

junipuni

if your BMR is 1352 and you set your calories to that you should still eat back your calories, otherwise you will be worse off than you were netting 1200.

agreed.

DB_1106

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Check this out. This may help you.

Good luck!

2BeHealthy4Life

MFP pal Anewlucia started the group EAT MORE TO WEIGH LESS ....I copied and pasted this information below from one of her threads that may helpful.

You can get your bmr and tdee number from here :http://www.scoobyworkshop.com/calculators

What is BMR? Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed all day!

What is TDEE? TDEE is the common abbreviation for Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is a metric to calculate the amount of calories your body needs to function in a day. This is quite similar to BMR; in fact, you need your BMR to calculate your TDEE; but your TDEE accounts for your average daily activity as well to give a figure truer to your specific situation. Basically, the TDEE calculation relies on categorizing your daily activity into one of the metrics' predetermined groupings:

Sedentary - desk job and little to no exercise Lightly Active - light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk (****SIDE NOTE - even if you have a desk job most people fit right here when you workout 3-5 days a week) Very Active - hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk Extremely Active - hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training Once you have determined where you fit in on the TDEE activity rate scale, this activity rate is used to weight your BMR giving you a more accurate assessment of how many calories you really need throughout the course of the day.

Here is a link to a site that you plug in your information and it will provide your BMR and TDEE along with your Cut value (again, if you workout 3-5 times a week select "Moderate" and the "Select Your Goal" option you will select is "Lose Fat - 15% caloric reduction.



So now, you should have your BMR, TDEE, and Cut Value (TDEE - 15%)

Here is a video that talks about this in great detail that hopefully will clear up any questions you may have: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&feature=g-all-u

If TDEE is figured out correctly, then exercise cals don't *have* to be eaten back because, technically, TDEE figures them in. The underlying factor here, is that most people underestimate their activity levels, (for fear of being told to eat "too much") and then proceed to under eat. If a person is burning 1000 cals/day in exercise, then that should be figured into their TDEE, meaning their TDEE should be AT LEAST 1000 cals more than their BMR. If this is not the case then they are undercutting themselves on the cals. So a person w/a BMR of 1300, that puts up 1000 cal burns should have come up w/a TDEE calculation of 2400 or more. So any situation where a person is not getting those calculations, they should be eating back some of those exercise cals.

So if you come up w/BMR=1300, TDEE=1800, you need to either A)eat back some cals, or recalculate your TDEE to include the *actual* burns that you're getting.

So to cut using *true* TDEE figures, you'd just eat a flat TDEE (-15%), as long as TDEE is correct. It should be fine. But if you are using MFP's calculations, or are not getting a TDEE that includes the amount you burn each day *plus* BMR, you need to eat back some exercise cals.

mcarter99

1200 is not too low according to the authorities I've read, but if you prefer to eat at a higher level, you should do so. Some authorities would say don't aim for more than a 1000 calorie deficit per day on average. So 1200 could be "too low" for you if you regularly burn more than 2200.

There is no authority who recommends not eating below your BMR.

kathyms13

i eat around 800 a day.

amivox

Um, eating below BMR slows your metabolism, you need to NET at least your BMR otherwise you are doing yourself a huge dis-service.

amivox

I generally eat over 2000 calories per day, even on rest days I try to keep my calories around at least 1900. I am losing weight just fine, and I am not slowing my metabolism down. I have lost 32 lbs since March 1st, so it IS possible to eat AND lose weight. Please consider looking into the Eat more to Weigh Less group. They have a lot of amazing and useful information and it is based on sound nutritional science. It doesn't promise to have you drop a whole lot of weight quickly, instead you learn how to eat properly to fuel your body and you lose slow and steady. It is more realistic and more sustainable than a crash diet.

also, you can read the new rules of lifting for women, even if you decide you don't want to lift, that book explains REALLY well why you need to eat more than you have been told to by fad diet trends. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy the journey and eat well.

amivox

1200 is not too low according to the authorities I've read, but if you prefer to eat at a higher level, you should do so. Some authorities would say don't aim for more than a 1000 calorie deficit per day on average. So 1200 could be "too low" for you if you regularly burn more than 2200.

There is no authority who recommends not eating below your BMR.

There are PLENTY of "authorities" that recommend NOT eating below BMR. The problem with the forums is that they are prime breeding ground for false information.

purple_power61

this is all so confusing

mcarter99

1200 is not too low according to the authorities I've read, but if you prefer to eat at a higher level, you should do so. Some authorities would say don't aim for more than a 1000 calorie deficit per day on average. So 1200 could be "too low" for you if you regularly burn more than 2200.

There is no authority who recommends not eating below your BMR.

There are PLENTY of "authorities" that recommend NOT eating below BMR. The problem with the forums is that they are prime breeding ground for false information.

Please show me one. No one has yet. I've searched myself.

goldfinger88

MFP is way too low and gives everyone the same 1200 calories. Or, so it seems to me. I suggest you go to fat2fitradio.com and use their calculator. Use the number that's right for you and do not eat back the calories. I've had good luck doing this. I would never try to live on 1200 calories or less a day. It's totally dangerous and you end out losing weight but it's muscle, not fat.

couldbeme

well done u have have so well since march ive been on 3 wks now and ive lost 2 pounds, weigh in weds , my cals on this is 1380 , i have been keeping to this as much as i can i no to stay at aweight its ur weight in pounds times 14 lb times 13 that tells u what u need to stay at ur current weight x

mcarter99

Still looking. Here's another one that does not say 'don't eat below your BMR'-

The American College of sports medicine (ACSM) says that the daily calorie level consumed for women should never drop below 1200 calories per day and 1800 calories per day for men.

kiwipez

how does age factor into all of this?


Oh good grief! That calculator says I should be eating almost 1700 cal a day to lose weight! That just seems so wrong...


** it also says you have to recalculate your numbers as you go down in weight.

abbeyl11

I can't believe that I was eating 1200 calories before...this totally makes sense!! I can't find another BMR calculator out there that even comes CLOSE to what MFP suggests!!

andreamkelly

If you want to try out a calorie/fat/protein/carb goal other than the default for MFP, go to goals, then change goals, then choose manual. You can fill out the amount of calories you would like and the percentage of the fat/carb/protein breakdown you would like. You can also change other goals like sodium.

AbbsyBabbsy

I would never try to live on 1200 calories or less a day. It's totally dangerous and you end out losing weight but it's muscle, not fat.

Um, no. I did not lose 37 lbs of muscle. It's not dangerous at all. If you're young, active, tall, trying to lose only a few pounds, or male it might not be the right choice for you, but it's not totally dangerous in any way.

Calorie goals can be changed. Start with the number you're comfortable with and tinker with it as you go. There's no one perfect number for weight loss. I increase and decrease mine all the time depending on hunger, stalls, ect. Good luck!

mcarter99

The American Diabetes Association says nothing about BMR, either-

"Let’s get back to basics with how we eat and exercise. One truth remains in the battle of weight loss: you must eat and drink fewer calories than your body burns off.

No matter what path you choose, make sure you use a safe weight loss plan that will support your ultimate health goals. Losing weight too quickly is not good for you. Aim to lose ½ to 2 pounds per week. This means you would need to cut out 250-1,000 calories from what you would normally eat in a day."

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/weight-loss/getting-started/