3 different calorie goals...

AleciaG724
AleciaG724 Posts: 705 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The LA Times published an article yesterday about food journaling apps called, "Technology That's Fit" (not archived yet, so no link, sorry). They featured MFP, Lose It, and My Plate and mentioned a few things they liked about each. I was curious about the other sites so I signed on, but I'm confused because they each have a different calorie goal for me... MFP = 1600, Lose it = 2051 and MyPlate - 1510. I used the same age, weight, height, and activity level so I'm not sure what's up. Any thoughts?

Also, I have begun to question the number of calories MFP is saying I burn during exercise (which was also a question in the above article.) I know I am burning more than the average person because of my size and current fitness level, but I just think it seems high so I have not been eating back all of my calories (I net between 1300-1500). I've been on MFP for two months & am losing 2#/week. I know it's not a perfect system, and probably shouldn't try to fix it if it's not broke, right? I plan to buy a HRM this week so I can track my calories more accurately - suggestions??

Thanks all!
Alecia

Replies

  • AvalonsUnicorn
    AvalonsUnicorn Posts: 425 Member
    Curious to read reply's. :) and posting so I can read them tomorrow. good night :) lol
  • Tendlr
    Tendlr Posts: 17
    Some good questions, look forward to replies
  • RCottonRPh
    RCottonRPh Posts: 148
    Why don't you just calculate your BMR using the standard equation? And eat at or slightly above that number?
  • demarii06
    demarii06 Posts: 340 Member
    I don't care what mfp says for exercise calories burned. They are highly inaccurate. It claims you can burn thousands in a day when in actuality if you worked your A off the max it would really only be like 700 max. Please use caution
  • WhaddoWino
    WhaddoWino Posts: 146 Member
    I always cross check my calories burned with other sites-- usually two other sources-- to find an average and then I adjust the number accordingly. I never subtract calories for typical daily activity but just deliberate exercise.

    MFP is a tool not a rule. If nothing else, it makes us very aware of what we're putting into our mouths and how much we're training. I take the calorie counting and calories burned with a grain of salt. I have seen very positive results based on my adherence to daily exercise and healthy eating-- regardless of MFP numbers. Turn this discipline into an automatic habit and you are set!
  • tootchute
    tootchute Posts: 392 Member
    What if you use a calorie/hrm to check the calories burnt instead? What do people think?
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    When I started, I used strictly the MFP goals - both for my raw intake goals and for my exercise calories. Then, started running into trouble - I couldn't find the exercises I was doing, so wound up having to look at outside calorie burn calculators. Now, it's second nature to use those calculators for my "burns", which I'll append to my exercise news feed post, though I go through and manually change the calories to 1 for each exercise for two reasons:

    1) I'm currently working on refining the TDEE - 20% numbers (which should include my exercise if I'm calculating them right)

    and

    2) I have to keep my macros from shifting, which they would do, since MFP only allows the macros to be set at a percentage, rather than an absolute number. If I left my exercise burns alone, I'd have VERY skewed numbers, which would cause some ugly medical results I don't want to even think about!
  • AleciaG724
    AleciaG724 Posts: 705 Member
    That makes sense kcaffee, now I understand why I see that for some people. Seems like a pain. But when I checked the other sites they listed almost the same calories burned for what I listed...

    BTW, my BMR was very close to what MFP calculated.
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    That makes sense kcaffee, now I understand why I see that for some people. Seems like a pain. But when I checked the other sites they listed almost the same calories burned for what I listed...

    BTW, my BMR was very close to what MFP calculated.

    It took me a few weeks to "train" MFP to the correct burns. Then, everything calculated within a calorie or two of correct according to the outside calculators. However, I'm in the process of RE-training MFP because I'm starting to push the intensity level up a notch, so the burns are skewed again.

    I don't mind, because it helps me keep track of what I'm doing, and if I have a bad day (for me, that is anything UNDER a 500 cal burn) I know I'm either taking a lazy day, or I'm not doing something right. Most days I tend to be up in the 1000 cal range. Though, even THAT is starting to change, because I've been pushing some massive marathon times for my gym sessions. ::Grins::

    60 mins in the weight room followed by 60 mins swimming

    OR

    2 hours in the pool swimming.

    Unless you've got a HECTIC schedule, I wouldn't really recommend either option unless you build up to it. After a day of either one of these, I tend to be so stiff I couldn't follow up with a similar day if I wanted to!
  • fietsvrouw
    fietsvrouw Posts: 50 Member
    I don't care what mfp says for exercise calories burned. They are highly inaccurate. It claims you can burn thousands in a day when in actuality if you worked your A off the max it would really only be like 700 max. Please use caution

    They do skew high, at least for me and evidently for quite a few other people. MFP tells me that my hike I do regularly on Mt. Pisgah burns around 700 calories, but my heart rate monitor tells me 500.

    You definitely can burn thousands a day - it just depends on your activities. Cycling and hiking with hills seems to burn about the same for me. It is pretty easy to clock 1500 on a Saturday or Sunday just being out on a nice long hike or bike ride. Before I fell off the cycling wagon, I was burning 1500 a day on my commute to work and easily 5000 over the two weekend days.
  • loriband
    loriband Posts: 54 Member
    Curious for replies
  • lemonmon1
    lemonmon1 Posts: 134 Member
    I just checked myself on 5 different BMR calculators. Something I noticed is that maybe not all of them differentiate between BMR and calorie requirement. Mine ranged from 1475-1773. It makes me think I should lower my calorie intake, but I just don't know if I can do it! There was one that scared the crap out of me. If you are losing 2 lbs a week, you are definitely doing something right. I tend to think that slow loss is more permanent, so you wouldn't want to lose more than 2 lbs a week anyway!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The LA Times published an article yesterday about food journaling apps called, "Technology That's Fit" (not archived yet, so no link, sorry). They featured MFP, Lose It, and My Plate and mentioned a few things they liked about each. I was curious about the other sites so I signed on, but I'm confused because they each have a different calorie goal for me... MFP = 1600, Lose it = 2051 and MyPlate - 1510. I used the same age, weight, height, and activity level so I'm not sure what's up. Any thoughts?

    Also, I have begun to question the number of calories MFP is saying I burn during exercise (which was also a question in the above article.) I know I am burning more than the average person because of my size and current fitness level, but I just think it seems high so I have not been eating back all of my calories (I net between 1300-1500). I've been on MFP for two months & am losing 2#/week. I know it's not a perfect system, and probably shouldn't try to fix it if it's not broke, right? I plan to buy a HRM this week so I can track my calories more accurately - suggestions??

    Thanks all!
    Alecia

    I'm going to assume that Lose It is a TDEEmethod calculator and MyPlate is a NEAT method calculator; I know for fact that MFP is a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which is why you're supposed to eat exercise calories back; you don't include them in you activity level setting.

    If you put in "light active" in a TDEE calculator you're going to get a different calorie goal than you would with a NEAT method calculator because a NEAT method calculator is only going to assume you have a job or whatever that requires you spend a good chunk of time on your feat and/or walking around...while a TDEE calculator is going to assume you're working out 1-3 hours per week plus your day to day.

    You just have to know that there are different methods and understand which method your are using.
  • AleciaG724
    AleciaG724 Posts: 705 Member
    Thanks for the replies!

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