Is this site not accurate now or what?

Kristina661
Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep seeing more and more posts with people re directing people to the scooby site or to the fit 2 fat whatever to find out what Calorie intake you should have. Isnt that what this site does...is it wrong all of a sudden? Im confused once again lol cause I put the same info in both that and this and my suggested Calorie intake is different on both...w t h

Replies

  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm wondering the same thing.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    I have never had a problem with this site, but I have been wondering way so many ppl are on this site but using other sites calculations
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    All of the different tools are semi-accurate depending on what you want to acheive.

    MFP takes a lot of the "leg work" out of the typical process... answer a few questions and it gives you a decent idea of what/how much to eat.

    Not everyone wants that. Some people (like myself) would prefer to know the inner workings... the math behind it, and make our own educated guess from there.

    MFP is good for a general idea, but just like everything else, there is no one size fits all.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Its accurate but the other sites use different methods. Its really up to you. MFP uses TDEE minus daily where the others average your TDEE over a week and then subtract a percentage. Its really up to you what you do.
  • DLH070911
    DLH070911 Posts: 38 Member
    This site is for tracking/logging calories and for finding boatloads of info and advice. The other sites are for crunching the numbers so you know what your caloric goals should be, based on your personal stats.

    Good luck! :)
  • FitMrsR
    FitMrsR Posts: 226 Member
    It's to find out your TDEE. Mfpgive you calories based in the info you give them and often sets it too low. It also gives you thisnumber expecting you to eat back exercise calories which a lot of people don't do. you can eat more than that, and in lots of cases you should, and still lose weight which is why many people calculate their TDEE and set their macros themselves
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    My only accuracy problem with MFP is exercise cals...it's WAY off for those of us who are extremely overweight. MFP's estimate is a good deal higher.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Because MFP is a ballbark estimate, not an actual reflection. MFP says my TDEE is 1900 - its actually 2100-2200. It says my BMR is 1400 - it's actually 1600.

    Not to mention exercise calories. It gives me 700 calories for an exercise that in actuality only burns 200.

    Those are big discrepancies.
  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
    MFP is a great site to use but the way it figures out your calorie intake is sort of generic and tends to set everybody's daily allowance at 1200 calories. Which, for most people, is not enough according to their bmr's and activity levels. These other sites let you punch in all of your own personal numbers and gives you a more precise calorie allotment which will make your weight loss journey a little bit easier and safer. For most of us 1200 calories is just not enough for sustainable weight loss.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    The default diary settings for this site are based on a system that doesn't take your TDEE into account and has you eating back your exercise calories. It works, but it is only ideal for people who are either:

    a) sedentary

    or

    b) only exercise at a light to moderate intensity level, such as going on regular walks or jogs

    If your chosen form of exercise incorporates real strength training or involves working out at a very high intensity level then it is more ideal to go with a TDEE-based calorie intake which factors your exercise/calorie burn into your base and doesn't have you logging & eating back exercise calories. To sum, this site's logging system is based on a system that is only appropriate/ideal for people who are taking the "bare minimum" approach to weight loss (heavily focusing on nutrition and only incorporating light exercise). If that isn't you, then you should use a different system to base your numbers on.
  • jaycee76
    jaycee76 Posts: 325 Member
    I think it's just a case of every person is different and people jump straight in at the minimum (me included) and find that over a sustained period it is not as successful as we thought! People add a few more in and suddenly things move again. I love MFP and have used the site for years, but, I think the magic numbers are just not the same for everyone forever. Plus compared across other sites, my TDEE is 300 calories less on here than elsewhere. That's like a couple of snacks a day, which is a good feed different.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    For people who have a lot to lose, the TDEE - 1000 works. For people that want to lose 10 pounds, what usually happens in they select 2 pounds of loss a week, eat 1200 calories then are hangry and wondering why it's not working for them after 2 weeks.

    With the calculators, it gives a smaller deficit and figures in your average exercise so you eat the same calories every day without worrrying about eating back exercise calories.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    For me, the calories MFP estimates are way too low. I have myself set as 'Active' and 'Maintain Weight' on this site. MFP estimates my calories goal with those settings to be 1930 a day. I ate at MFP's recommended level (1930 + exercise calories) for several months, but kept losing weight I did not want to lose.

    I ended up buying a BodyMedia last March, and found out my TDEE is closer to 2300 calories on days I DON'T workout and upwards of 2700-3000 calories on days I DO workout.

    My weight has been really stable since I started basing my diet on those numbers instead of MFPs. The reason I continue with MFP is the huge, comprehensive food database and the friends I've made here. :smile:

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