Navigating MFP Goals: Creating a Deficit?

JesT23
JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am just trying to understand how MFP calculates caloric goals. I've been logging for a year and have lost about 40 lbs (with at least 20 lbs more to lose). I am 4'9" according to the doctor and weigh 144lbs. I have MFP set at the lowest weight loss setting of 0.5lbs lost per week (I'm in no hurry) and have indicated a sedentary lifestyle and no "planned" workouts. I have a desk job. I do work out but I log that exercise separately and approach net calories accordingly.

SO, According to MFP apps, my BMR is 1274 and that is also the caloric goal I've been given (1274 calories per day). I try to stay around a 100 calorie radius of that number before exercise. Under the "Goals" tab and "Your Diet Profile," it says my calories used "From Normal Daily Activity" is 1590 per day and it calculates my deficit from there to get to a 0.5lb loss per week.
Here is my question: How did MFP calculate this number?? Where did this 1590 TDEE (I guess that's what it is?) come from if I have a BMR of 1274 and told MFP I'm sedentary and to omit planned workouts? Has anyone else questioned this?

My goal is to start eating more (before eating back exercise cals) but I'm already losing at a pretty slow rate. I run short distances a few times per week, practice yoga, do bodyweight exercises and use weight machines. How do you guys know for sure you are creating a deficit without eating too little?

Replies

  • JesT23
    JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
    .
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    MFP has certain calculators in place that figure out how much you should eat based on what you tell it your goal is.. So for your height and activity level it would expect you at basically doing nothing all day (sedentary) to burn what your estimated BMR is (amount you burn sitting around doing nothing) for losing that half lb a week (250 calories less)... If you exercise, you eat your exercise calories (try not to overestimate this number)..

    You can try a different online calculator and set your goals manually as well if you think that number is wrong.
  • JesT23
    JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks for responding. That part I understand. What I want to know is how my deficit is being calculated off that 1590 TDEE. Where did that TDEE come from if I'm sedentary? How can my deficit be accurate if MFP pulled an arbitrary TDEE out of nowhere?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Thanks for responding. That part I understand. What I want to know is how my deficit is being calculated off that 1590 TDEE. Where did that TDEE come from if I'm sedentary? How can my deficit be accurate if MFP pulled an arbitrary TDEE out of nowhere?

    It's not totally arbitrary, it's based on averages for someone of your size and activity level. BMR is the amount of calories your body burns when doing nothing at all (just basic organ function). TDEE at sedentary still includes everyday activity like walking to the bathroom, car, store, etc. An average amount of standing (cooking, in line, pumping gas, etc.). Sitting instead of lying. And other types of non-exercise activity.
  • JesT23
    JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
    Ah okay. Thanks. When my anticipated weekly loss is so low, there isn't too much room for error on calculating a deficit. I can't imagine the algorithm MFP must have to use to find averages for an accurate TDEE calculation. I'm now interested in buying an arm band that tracks expenditure all day to compare the numbers.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    MFP calculates your BMR based on the Mifflin St. Jeor formula. Then it asks you for your activity level for everyday activities NOT INCLUDING EXERCISE, so it covers things like work, school, taking care of kids, x trips to the bathroom, walking to and from your car, normal stuff. So it gives you a number that is not TDEE, your TDEE would include exercise.

    THEN it takes a flat number of calories away from that number based on how many calories you say you want to lose per week. Since you chose .5 a pound a week, it is deducting 250 a day.

    It calculates that your BMR + amount needed for regular day (not including exercise) is 1840 - 250 = 1590.

    Adding in exercise gives you more calories to eat since that was not included already in the calculation above, exercising and eating those calories would still leave you with a deficit of 250.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Just like any calorie calculator, it utilizes statistical averages for someone of your particular stats. Also, it does not calculate your TDEE..MFP is a NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator...your activitiy level, whether it's sedentary, light active, moderate, whatever....you activity level is only supposed to include your day to day hum drum...it is exclussive of exercise. Your true TDEE would be inclusive of exercise before the fact...with MFP, it is included after the fact when you log it and net to those increased calorie goals.
  • JesT23
    JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
    Just like any calorie calculator, it utilizes statistical averages for someone of your particular stats. Also, it does not calculate your TDEE..MFP is a NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator...your activitiy level, whether it's sedentary, light active, moderate, whatever....you activity level is only supposed to include your day to day hum drum...it is exclussive of exercise. Your true TDEE would be inclusive of exercise before the fact...with MFP, it is included after the fact when you log it and net to those increased calorie goals.

    Thank you for explaining TDEE vs NEAT. I was definitely confused on that. MFP has me eating at my BMR to lose 0.5 lbs per week. What you all are saying makes sense. So MFP assumes based on averages that I burn just around 300 calories from daily, non-exercise, activities [1590-1274=316 (actual deficit rounds to 0.6 lb loss per week)]. Sounds a bit generous since I'm sitting on my butt most of the time (in the car, at work). I pretty much get up, get ready, walk to the car, sit, walk like 20 feet to my office, sit again, walk back to the car, sit, walk back in my house, make dinner, sit, clean up, (exercise), and go to bed. Without including intended exercise, I doubt I take even 1,000 steps a day.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Just like any calorie calculator, it utilizes statistical averages for someone of your particular stats. Also, it does not calculate your TDEE..MFP is a NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator...your activitiy level, whether it's sedentary, light active, moderate, whatever....you activity level is only supposed to include your day to day hum drum...it is exclussive of exercise. Your true TDEE would be inclusive of exercise before the fact...with MFP, it is included after the fact when you log it and net to those increased calorie goals.

    Thank you for explaining TDEE vs NEAT. I was definitely confused on that. MFP has me eating at my BMR to lose 0.5 lbs per week. What you all are saying makes sense. So MFP assumes based on averages that I burn just around 300 calories from daily, non-exercise, activities [1590-1274=316 (actual deficit rounds to 0.6 lb loss per week)]. Sounds a bit generous since I'm sitting on my butt most of the time (in the car, at work). I pretty much get up, get ready, walk to the car, sit, walk like 20 feet to my office, sit again, walk back to the car, sit, walk back in my house, make dinner, sit, clean up, (exercise), and go to bed. Without including intended exercise, I doubt I take even 1,000 steps a day.

    I would strongly encourage you to change this lifestyle. As you age you will find it harder and harder to stay healthy if you are slim, though you will probably find it harder to stay slim as well. Exercise is key for health.
  • JesT23
    JesT23 Posts: 51 Member
    Just like any calorie calculator, it utilizes statistical averages for someone of your particular stats. Also, it does not calculate your TDEE..MFP is a NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator...your activitiy level, whether it's sedentary, light active, moderate, whatever....you activity level is only supposed to include your day to day hum drum...it is exclussive of exercise. Your true TDEE would be inclusive of exercise before the fact...with MFP, it is included after the fact when you log it and net to those increased calorie goals.

    Thank you for explaining TDEE vs NEAT. I was definitely confused on that. MFP has me eating at my BMR to lose 0.5 lbs per week. What you all are saying makes sense. So MFP assumes based on averages that I burn just around 300 calories from daily, non-exercise, activities [1590-1274=316 (actual deficit rounds to 0.6 lb loss per week)]. Sounds a bit generous since I'm sitting on my butt most of the time (in the car, at work). I pretty much get up, get ready, walk to the car, sit, walk like 20 feet to my office, sit again, walk back to the car, sit, walk back in my house, make dinner, sit, clean up, (exercise), and go to bed. Without including intended exercise, I doubt I take even 1,000 steps a day.

    I would strongly encourage you to change this lifestyle. As you age you will find it harder and harder to stay healthy if you are slim, though you will probably find it harder to stay slim as well. Exercise is key for health.

    I already do exercise daily because I realize I have to in order to eat right and be healthy. I was just making the point that if I didn't exercise intentionally, I wouldn't be very active because I'm behind a desk 10 hrs a day and in the car 2 hrs a day. I do little things like stand at my desk during phone calls and park at the back of the lot when running errands in addition to my normal exercise routine. The basis of the thread was to understand how MFP knows what number to start with in creating a deficit. I see that the answer to my question is by using averages for my height/weight/activity level.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Just like any calorie calculator, it utilizes statistical averages for someone of your particular stats. Also, it does not calculate your TDEE..MFP is a NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator...your activitiy level, whether it's sedentary, light active, moderate, whatever....you activity level is only supposed to include your day to day hum drum...it is exclussive of exercise. Your true TDEE would be inclusive of exercise before the fact...with MFP, it is included after the fact when you log it and net to those increased calorie goals.

    Thank you for explaining TDEE vs NEAT. I was definitely confused on that. MFP has me eating at my BMR to lose 0.5 lbs per week. What you all are saying makes sense. So MFP assumes based on averages that I burn just around 300 calories from daily, non-exercise, activities [1590-1274=316 (actual deficit rounds to 0.6 lb loss per week)]. Sounds a bit generous since I'm sitting on my butt most of the time (in the car, at work). I pretty much get up, get ready, walk to the car, sit, walk like 20 feet to my office, sit again, walk back to the car, sit, walk back in my house, make dinner, sit, clean up, (exercise), and go to bed. Without including intended exercise, I doubt I take even 1,000 steps a day.

    I would strongly encourage you to change this lifestyle. As you age you will find it harder and harder to stay healthy if you are slim, though you will probably find it harder to stay slim as well. Exercise is key for health.

    I already do exercise daily because I realize I have to in order to eat right and be healthy. I was just making the point that if I didn't exercise intentionally, I wouldn't be very active because I'm behind a desk 10 hrs a day and in the car 2 hrs a day. I do little things like stand at my desk during phone calls and park at the back of the lot when running errands in addition to my normal exercise routine. The basis of the thread was to understand how MFP knows what number to start with in creating a deficit. I see that the answer to my question is by using averages for my height/weight/activity level.

    Oh, sorry. I misuderstood your post. My bad.

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