MFP Diet Allowance Breakdown

flynpa
flynpa Posts: 14 Member
in Getting Started
I would like to know how and why MFP comes up with the diet recommendations that it presents. I have searched and cannot find it? Can anyone steer me towards a post or FAQ or something? I am not saying that MFP is wrong, but the numbers look odd to me. I am not a nutrition no-it-all by any means, but it seems to go against my limited knowledge.

For example, I had one banana this morning and it took up half of my allotted sugar. I understand that sugar is bad but why would a banana be treated the same as a candy bar? Isn't "natural" sugar different? I know that sugar is bad in general, but how can a couple pieces of fruit ruin my day?

Again, I am not saying that MFP is wrong and I just want to learn more.

Thanks,

flynpa (Stuart)

Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I would like to know how and why MFP comes up with the diet recommendations that it presents. I have searched and cannot find it? Can anyone steer me towards a post or FAQ or something? I am not saying that MFP is wrong, but the numbers look odd to me. I am not a nutrition no-it-all by any means, but it seems to go against my limited knowledge.

    For example, I had one banana this morning and it took up half of my allotted sugar. I understand that sugar is bad but why would a banana be treated the same as a candy bar? Isn't "natural" sugar different? I know that sugar is bad in general, but how can a couple pieces of fruit ruin my day?

    Again, I am not saying that MFP is wrong and I just want to learn more.

    Thanks,

    flynpa (Stuart)

    Hi Stuart,

    Welcome! Sugar is not bad. Nothing is bad. It's all about portion control.

    Sugar is sugar whether it be from fruit or a candy bar. However, some of us watch our sugar because of glucose problem or sensitivities. Is that your issue?

    As for the macros, I don't pay much attention to them because I just don't.

    The help button is at the very top of your page toward the right ,but here is the link: http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    Just leave the idea that certain foods are "bad" behind. It's about moderation. I'd much rather have 23g of natural sugar than 23g of added sugar from a candy bar. Fruit is high in natural sugars and MFP doesn't differentiate between added and natural sugars. I'm always negative in sugar by the end of breakfast because of fruit and the honey I put in my tea. I ended up changing out the sugar tracker for a fiber tracker. Just create a deficit with your calories and you will make great progress. MFP is pretty reliable; calories burned is overestimated, so if you eat back your exercise calories, keep that in mind. I only ever eat a small portion of exercise calories back.

    Best of luck!
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    MFP has a default that it uses for everyone. depending on your goals this may or may not be ideal for you. If you know what your macros are supposed to be you can modify them yourself. Just go to Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom. Once there you can fine tune. I would recommend though that you first do the guided option, try that out for some time and make adjustments from there if needed.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    Hi and welcome to MFP...
    I don't know the numbers for bananas because I don't eat them, but just be aware that some of the items are "user added" and may be incorrect.
    I like to track potassium & sodium (just because) but few users enter the amount of potassium (and sometimes not sodium, either).

    I guess the end message is, it's a guide... it's not perfect, and it doesn't take everything into consideration.
  • flynpa
    flynpa Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks to everyone for the replies. I do not have any sugar problems but I do try to keep my non-fruit sugar intake down. I have read several studies lately that are now blaming sugar for heart disease. Some are even saying that we should not pay any attention to cholesterol.

    Anyway, I was just surprised that two bananas, which I always assumed were "healthy", would ruin my daily numbers. I was also very surprised when eating a grilled chicken breast almost exceeded my protein allotment. I am not to worried about it, I was just curious how MFP comes up with their numbers.

    It's all good. Thanks again.

    flynpa (Stuart)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    the MFP sugar number is for added sugars, but it tracks total sugars, so a bit of a fail.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017237-so-what-s-with-this-sugar-then-faq

    Having said that, bananas have a lot more sugar than most fruits, like double. Grapes are +50% too.
  • haymancm
    haymancm Posts: 280 Member
    I stopped watching my sugars for this reason!! Instead, I watch my potassium, making sure that number is high enough to offset the sodium in foods. You are going to do great, just because you are paying attention!! :)

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