How seriously does one take MFPs caloric intake suggestions?
Replies
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I'm 5'3" and when I was losing the most, I was eating about 1600 and going to the gym 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes. I move a lot during the day--walk at work and take the dog for walks at home--so I was burning at least 2100 even on my day off from the gym. I agree with the others that if you start at 1200, you need to make sure to also eat at least some if not all of your exercise calories back. If you only eat 1200 and burn 2400 or more, you risk exhaustion.0
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The way MFP calculates your goals works with a couple of caveats:
1) You are REASONABLE about your goals. In other words, take the site recommendations unless you know what you are doing.
2) You do a sanity check to make sure you are getting enough calories.
3) you are honest about your activity levels and food intake.
4) You follow the plan.
The thing is, the site is a cookie cutter algorithm to adjust calories. It bases everything off the info you give it. If you give it ridiculous info, you get ridiculous goals. It is great for giving you a jumping off point, but after than, it is your responsibility to make adjustments to find what works for YOU. There is no reason to blame the site (a great one that people spend a lot of time and money maintaining, that happens to be free) for not taking the responsibility of ensuring your personal success. The site can't do it for you, but gives you a great tool if you want it. If you want someone to do it for you and make you a custom routine, it is best to find a really good personal trainer.0 -
I think I'll continue to eat whole, filling, nutrient-dense food when hungry and let my body deal appropriately with whatever the calorie number is.
Seriously, the whole 3500 calorie deficit = 1lb fat loss thing is a crock, we can deal with a reasonably wide variation in calories if our metabolism is healthy.
If I consume more calories than I need then they don't HAVE to be turned into fat. Likewise, if I consume less I do not have to lose fat if my body doesn't want to.
The idea that we have to consume a certain number and any variation from that is ludicrous when you think about it.
Calorie obsession is a scourge.
This^ I spent years obsessing over calories and worrying about what I should and should'nt eat. I now eat varied and very 'healthy' food, lots of meat, fish, veg, fruit,eggs, nuts, etc. I bought a ready prepared lunch on the go yesterday (salmon and new potato salad) and realised a few hours later that I was finally 'cured'....when I bought it I had a look on the back to seewhat the ingredients were, they were all real food, so in the basket it went. I didnt even look at the calorific information. I'm not saying everyone should eat whatever calories and not think about what they put in their mouths,but if you eat well and eat good food, the rest falls into place.0 -
I am also 5ft2! I suggest you to go with MFP. MFP says I need to be on a 1200 daily calories, and I have been doing so without fail since 7/16. I started at 143.5 on that day and today's weigh in was 133. My goal is just 3-5 lb. away (I'll regroup when I reach 130).
At the beginning it was hard for me too because 1200 cal is not that much, but during this journey I learned to make the right choices (fish, chicken, turkey, salads, fresh veggies, fruits...) and am now doing really well. I look forward to reaching my goal within a month or less, after that....it's shopping time!! Malls, be very afraid!! LOL
Best of luck to you!
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MFP set me at 1200 and I was starving every single day. No way was I going to stick with something that was making me miserable. AND myself and two of my friends, all three vastly different in weight, were all set at 1200....that didn't make a lot of sense to me. So I upped mine to 1500/day and was much happier! My weight is off and my maintenance is 1740/day.
Also, the best, sure fire way to know how many calories you should is to to have your metabolism checked.
Edit: 5'6 with a starting weight of 223.0 -
I take it with a grain of salt, honestly. I'm maintaining and they had my calories set for 1500 which is way too low. I manually changed the numbers and now they are set at 1800 and I'm just fine with it. They also set their macros really low, especially the protein IMO.0
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I think I'll continue to eat whole, filling, nutrient-dense food when hungry and let my body deal appropriately with whatever the calorie number is.
Seriously, the whole 3500 calorie deficit = 1lb fat loss thing is a crock, we can deal with a reasonably wide variation in calories if our metabolism is healthy.
If I consume more calories than I need then they don't HAVE to be turned into fat. Likewise, if I consume less I do not have to lose fat if my body doesn't want to.
The idea that we have to consume a certain number and any variation from that is ludicrous when you think about it.
Calorie obsession is a scourge.
This is true-ish. But, you're talking to people with no clue what this really means. So, they have to go through a bunch of gyrations. It took me about 3 years to figure this out on my own.0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
This is the answer.0 -
I'm 5'3" and when I started 3 1/2 months ago was 155 lbs - so similar height/weight as you. I started with 1250 cal limit plus my exercise cals working out 4 - 5 times a week for 45 mins...it took me a good month and a half to get used to eating that low but now it is second nature. I hit whatever weight MFP felt I should eat less and took 50 cals away and now I am at a goal of 1200 a day. I always eat at least 1200 and usually eat back my exercise cals but it def works...I am 12 lbs down and much healthier overall.
Note: I go over every Friday and Saturday b/c I usually go out to eat at least once and indulge in some adult beverages (I track EVERYTHING)...but by keeping myself in check all week I am still seeing results.
Stick with it! It's worth it!0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
This is the answer.
Then I guess MFP is accurate for me. These calculations give me 1203.625 for losing and MFP has me at 1200.0 -
Like others have said, it's an estimate. mfp put me at about 1650 for maintanence, but I found it's really closer to 1750. You'll probably need to experiment a little. This goes for the macros that mfp sets also. The macro ratios they set automatically are not what works best for everyone.0
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The MFP numbers have been working for me. Everyone is different.0
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I used Body Bugg (the armband and the food diary software) for over a year.
I've lost more weight on MFP by taking the low calorie goal very seriously. Like others said, I find it freaking me out every day when I see "300 calories left" but I also find I'm really NOT hungry and need more than that.
Yeah, it's low. Yeah, you get results. Why not take it seriously?0 -
other sites include your exercise in your caloric intake. MFP ignores them which is why you should eat them back if you follow MFPs caloric intake guideline.
Another thing to consider is that other sites give you a deficit of 20% whereas with MFP you choose the deficit based on your weekly weight loss goal (which most people set too aggressively)
If you enter an appropriate weekly weight loss goal and eat back your exercise calories based on MFP's intake, then either way should get you close to the same number of calories consumed for the week.
As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a one of the other sites may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout or not.
So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif).
What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.0 -
MFP puts me at 1500 net for 2lbs a week, I stopped losing weight at 1500 so I bumped it up to 1800. I also stopped losing weight @ 1800 after awhile, I am now set at 2000 calories/day and I eat back all my exercise calories and I'm still losing 2lbs per week.
Experiment and see what works for you!0 -
In my opinion, you have to find what works for you, a balance with nutrition and exercise. MFP says I should eat 1200 cal/day. I have a desk job 8-5, If I do, I DO NOT loose, I generally keep mine between 1000-1100..... I think age has ALOT to do with it too, the older you are, the harder it is to loose b/c your metabolism is slower.....
GOOD LUCK!
Gayle0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
This is the answer.
Then I guess MFP is accurate for me. These calculations give me 1203.625 for losing and MFP has me at 1200.
The only issue I would have with both hear are is that you have less than 10lbs to lose so your weekly weight loss goal to lose a small amount of weight should be 0.5lbs/week, and using the other site you should subtract 250, or eat 85% of the maintenance amount.0 -
You are supposed to eat back the exercise calories on top of that number. MFP doesn't include what you burn durning exercise.0
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i use it as a general guide...none of the numbers are going to be accurate but atleast it gives me a general idea of where im at....i dont get into all the stuff about tdees and bqts and xyz's i just find what works and keep doing it and usually see great results as long as i stay focused0
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Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
This is the answer.
Then I guess MFP is accurate for me. These calculations give me 1203.625 for losing and MFP has me at 1200.
The only issue I would have with both hear are is that you have less than 10lbs to lose so your weekly weight loss goal to lose a small amount of weight should be 0.5lbs/week, and using the other site you should subtract 250, or eat 85% of the maintenance amount.
I should add, I'm 4'11 with a small frame, and I'm not very active. I am a firm believer that size has a lot to do with it also. I steadily gain if I get 1400 or more each day. But, I've finally found what works for me so I'm running with it as long as its working and getting me closer to my goal.
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I've adjusted mine, because I wasn't losing any weight. There are all kinds of weight loss calculators out there that can give you alternatives.0
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I have followed the calorie requirement pretty closely and have only dropped 3 pounds in the first week and nothing since. I can't imagine going under 1200 calories, but not sure if I am on the right track.....any suggestions?
Suggestions are easier if you make your diary public.0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
Are you sure the last part of your equation is correct (minus 4.7 X my Age)???? when I use that I get 581 calories for maintenance and 443 for weight loss
I Think the last part of the formula should be added not subtracted. :smooched:0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
Are you sure the last part of your equation is correct (minus 4.7 X my Age)???? when I use that I get 581 calories for maintenance and 443 for weight loss
I Think the last part of the formula should be added not subtracted. :smooched:
I think you did that calc. wrong. Did you forget to add the 655?
What is your age, height and weight?
As an example a woman that is 50 years old 5' (60inches), 150lbs would get
655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)=
655+(4.35*150)+4.7*60-4.7*50 = 655+652.5+282-235 = 1354.5 as a BMR and if they were light active that would give you maintenance of (1354.5*1.375) 1862.4 so to lose 1 lb/week your intake would be 1362 (1862-500).
I would suggest instead of subtracting 500 cals though, that you eat 80% of the 1862 instead which would be 1490 in this case. Much more realistic deficit.0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
Are you sure the last part of your equation is correct (minus 4.7 X my Age)???? when I use that I get 581 calories for maintenance and 443 for weight loss
I Think the last part of the formula should be added not subtracted. :smooched:
ooooooooooooppppppssssss!!!! I forgot to add the 655.....My Bad. :ohwell:0 -
bump0
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I would suggest instead of subtracting 500 cals though, that you eat 80% of the 1862 instead which would be 1490 in this case. Much more realistic deficit.
^ This. % of TDEE will factor in your current size. Flat reduction (-500) does not, and for very obese or very small people it doesn't give reasonable intakes.0 -
I AGREE! Do the 80% instead.
Don't subtract 500 cals.0 -
I have followed the calorie requirement pretty closely and have only dropped 3 pounds in the first week and nothing since. I can't imagine going under 1200 calories, but not sure if I am on the right track.....any suggestions?
Ditto! I am eating 1500 calories and a 100 or so more when I exercise but still not losing weight..ough I have lost CMOS from round my waist I think I need to change my macros but not sure how to!0 -
Try this and see what you get.
For WOMEN: 655 + (4.35 x Weight in pounds)+(4.7 x Height in inches) - (4.7x Age)= BMR The amount of calories your body burns just from being alive
FOR MEN: 66+(6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 age in years)= BMR. that amount of calories you burn just from being alive.
Step 2: Take that number and multiply by your activity level:
1.2 Sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375 Lightly Active (1-3 days a week)
1.55 Moderately Active (3-5 days a week)
1.7 Very Active (6-7 days a week)
Step 3:
LOSE weight: Subtract 500
MAINTAIN weight: keep the number the same
GAIN weight: Add 500
The final number is the amount of calories you should eat a day 8)
This is the answer.
Not for it me ain't! The formula above gives me 945!! And the 80% one gives me 1156... Will stick with my 1500..I am loosing slowly on that!0
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