Do You Set Your Calories or Do You Roll with MFP?

I MFP it although sometimes I feel hungry. My calories got cut after I lost some weight. I had to readjust ingredients to stay on range.

When I first started, I went with the default calorie amount. I adjusted my calorie goal, as well as my other macros, when I reached my halfway point. I didn't realize how miserable I had been making myself until I started eating more!

I went with MFP's settings in the beginning, starving off the 1200 calories a day it set. I was miserable! Then reading the forums, and seeing a lot of people losing doing TDEE - 20%, I manually changed my settings to that. It has helped and I'm much happier eating more

I set my goals at 1500 calories (40carb/25fat/35protein) because if I at the 1200 from MFP I would be starving & cranky... I eat back my exercise calories.

When I first started MFP set me at 1350... and I couldn't do it without falling off and binge eating because I was ALWAYS hungry. So I reset it at 1500 calories and ate back some of my calories. After doing that I lost 20 lbs in 4 months. It was a slow weight loss, but to be honest, for me losing 1lbs a week is hella exciting. Now that I am getting closer to my goal weight, I noticed that I could not get off my plateau no matter what. Whether I was working out and burning 1000+calories a day or eating less than my daily intake. It all came down to my net wasn't high enough and I switched to using the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) method-20% which sets my calories at 1900 for eating everyday, but I slowly upped those calories since I'd been eating so little for a long time. While I haven't see the scale move, I have lost a 1/2" on my thighs and waist (I've just been back at it since June, so not too bad of a loss). I have come to realize the closer you get to your goal, the more you should start eating and eventually you'll end up losing inches. It's okay to not lose weight though.... muscle is heavy and dense. Anyways, I never really let MFP completely guide my calories for eating because I know that in order to be successful in my weight loss, I need to be able to be satisfied and not always hungry. Even if that means a very SLOW weightloss track...

I've been using the calories mfp gave me for 5 months. At first I set it to lose 2 pounds a week. Because I was so big I was allowed around 2000 calories a day. This was great! As time went on it kept lowering the amount I could eat, eventually getting to around 1500, which was torture. Still, I stuck with it and ended up losing a little more than 2 pounds a week so it can work.
Recently, I changed my diet to lose 1 pound a week and now I'm at a very comfortable 1720 calories a day. Scales are still dropping , but more slowly!

I determine my TDEE at set my calories.

With 14 lbs left to lose, you should be eating more. At the low amount you are on right now, no wonder you are having a problem with compliance - you need more FUEL!!

For a female:

If you have 75+ pounds to lose, use the Goal of 2 pounds per week
If you have 40-75 pounds to lose, use the Goal of 1.5 pounds per week
If you have 25-40 pounds to lose, use the Goal of 1 -1.5 pounds per week
If you have 15 -25 pounds to lose, use the Goal 0.5 to 1.0 pounds per
If you have less than 15 pounds to lose, use the Goal of 0.5 pounds per week

If you use the proper settings, you will lose weight and not feel deprived. If you are having huge problems with compliance, you're doing it wrong - in your case, you aren't eating enough.

Here, these will explain much better.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets


Myfitnesspal expects you to add in and eat the extra calories "earned" by exercise, too.

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Bump:flowerforyou:

So glad I found this topic. At first I allowed MFP to set my calories which was 1200; I was always hungry and found that I would binge eat. I decided to set my goal at 1500 I use this number as my "high" so I try to stay between 1200-1500. So far this has helped me not be hungry. I just made the change so I will see how this works. According to the previous post I think I am on the right track.

I set my own.

I set my own. I eat MORE than MFP's suggestion for 1lb a week. I am losing 1.5-2lbs a week most weeks.

I set my own cause I don't like worrying about accuracy of exercise calories. So basically I'm lazy.:laugh:

MFP has me at 1200 - I did calculate my TDEE which is 1550... I usually stay in the 1200 calorie range and sometimes eat back my workout calories - but if i go over 1200 i dont stress about it ... its only been three weeks for me and the numbers on the scale have not gone down but my clothes are looser and im feeling tighter

I am a lot more overweight than you are I am sure of that by your photo and what your goal is. But I let MFP pick for the most part. And yes it lowers as your lose weight because you need to eat less the smaller you get. But because you don't have a lot to lose so I don't think a 2 pound good a week is good for you. When I get closer to my goal within 20 pounds or so I will have it guide me still but have it set to only about 1 pound or so a week. Just try not to rush it. Best of luck to you

I set my own. I have a good idea of what I can eat each day and still lose weight at because I weigh myself on a daily basis. I sometimes still go over because I have a sweet tooth. :blushing: But if I let MFP set my calories, I'd be way over!! Besides, I don't want to eat so little that I lose muscle mass. I'd say go with the TDEE formula.