I'm confused about MFP suggested calorie intake

mcrane4
mcrane4 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
A little about me.

Using EC stack, so appetite is almost none existent now

Height: 6'1 Male 24 years old

Starting weight:245 a week ago today
Current weight: 238
Goal weight 200

My fitness activities

Cardio 4-5 nights a week @30 mins each session (stationary bike, elliptical and swimming. I go fairly intense compared to the average person.) I change it up every workout
Weight lifting 3 nights a week
Hockey 1 game a week.

Not sure how to set my normal daily activities, so I put sedentary because I'm a student and sit on my butt all day other than walking to class. but I do, do lots of physical exercise so would this bump me up?

I would like to lose about 2 pounds a week so I set my goal as that. It suggests I only eat 1670 calories a day to achieve this goal. According to IIFYM and a few other sites my maintenance is 3029 calories and it suggests I eat 2423 calories a day to lose weight at an aggressive rate. If I go with MFP I think I'm eating way to less of calories and would be losing significant muscle loss. I lost 7 pounds this week although I believe its mostly water weight as its my first week of dieting. Do I just ignore MPF calculations to lose weight and go with IIFYM?


Thank you,

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    With only 38 pounds to lose, setting the goal at 2 lbs. per week is kinda high. I'd change it to 1 lb, if it were me. That should bring your calories per day to 2170. If you eat a bit more on the days you exercise, then that comes pretty close to the IIFYM suggestion.
  • mcrane4
    mcrane4 Posts: 18 Member
    bump
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    What activity level did you put in for calculating TDEE?

    There is an 800 calorie difference. MFP expects you to eat an additional amount equivalent to what you burn, you aren't burning that in 30 minutes, but add in the weight training and the hockey game and it might average out.
  • _Johanna_
    _Johanna_ Posts: 125 Member
    MFP works so that it does not take into account your exercise. So...it says eat ~1600 calories. Then you log 400 calories burned due to exercise....boom - 1600 + 400 = 2000 calories you are to eat that day. With the amount of exercise you do, I don't think this will be a huge deal for you.

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