No wonder why everyone is confused!!!

I guess my point is that with the exception of the first week of weight loss of 5 lbs, mostly water, my average has been closer to 1/2 pound.

I don't feel starving doing what I'm doing. I feel like I'm working out really hard, eating really well, etc. and the past month has been sluggish. That is why I'm thinking of tinkering.

There are many reasons why weight loss has been sluggish for the past month. The most likely culprit is mis-measurement. After a period of time, the tendency is to start packing the cup measure. Or you are mis-estimating something that you do frequently. Take a look at your diary and see if there's something that you do/eat every day and double check it.

If you are doing everything right, then keep doing what you are doing. Sometimes the body just plateaus for a time. Your weight loss will start up again.

Experimentation is good, though. A lot of people who were really disciplined at getting the weight off end up with a lingering fear that less discipline will lead to it all returning. Doing different things and seeing the results, I think, leads to a more informed perspective on your ability to maintain a healthy weight.

I think it's good people are mentioning trial and error or experimentation. Often we try to insist cookie cutter strategies work for everyone and they don't. The basics work for everyone: healthy nutrition/diet, moderate to active activity/exercise and get enough sleep. Other than that you have to fine tune it for every individual.

My guess is you're calculating TDEE on each of those websites while MFP calculates your NEAT calories (meaning you should be eating exercise calories back each day). So, rather than eating 1300 and then eating back 600 calories from exercise, you'd just eat 1900 daily using TDEE and never eat back exercise calories. It's not that drastic of a difference when you actually look at what you're calculating with each site.

This. If you eat back your exercise calories according to the MFP estimation, I bet you will find things to be a lot closer.

First, if you have 50 lbs to lose and select 'lose 1 lb a week' there is no way MFP tells you to eat as little as 1250 calories... unless you really don't have 50 lbs to lose.

Second, you're not logging properly if you even mention using measuring cups and spoons. Get rid of them. They're not accurate. Just use the scale.

Otherwise, yeah, there are a ton of formulas out there, just got to find what works for you.

Spoons and cups should be used for liquids

VERY interesting!!

Second, you're not logging properly if you even mention using measuring cups and spoons. Get rid of them. They're not accurate. Just use the scale.

??? Most basic liquid calories ,like milk, is given by volume not by weight in the database.

There's 3 different calculations for metabolism - Mifflin - St Jeor, Katch Mcardle and I forget the other.

Add to that different places will use different methods of calculating exercise expenditure and different multipliers applied to estimated BMR, and yeah, you will get different results.

I agree, and I think some of the sites used NEAT-500 cals, others used NEAT- 20%, others used TDEE - 500 cals, while others used TDEE - 20%. So 3 BMR cals, countless activity multipliers, depending on site, and 2 deficit calculator, -20% or -500 cals would give you a host of different info. Some of these are just different estimates, others are comparing apples to oranges.

Okay, I have 8 months of data that I've collected on myself and a bodpod measurement but what I've found is that using MFP or TDEE - 20% comes within 100 calories when I enter the data correctly into MFP. When I start playing with entering the data into MFP, particularly the activity factor it quickly drops me down to 1200, which by trial and error I cannot live on without going bald.

So here's what I do for what it's worth but I know my body by now. I set my calories at approximately my TDEE - 18% or so with rounding. I still track my burns with a hrm and make sure I net at least my BMR daily because I am very active. By doing this I have steadily lost 1 lb a week more or less. On days that I'm not as active I eat closer to my calorie goal, on really active days when I burn over 800 calories I eat what I need to meet my BMR.

I think the OP is right to experiment as long as she is counting calories as accurately as possible.

I'm 40, 5'4, losing on anywhere from 1900-3000 calories a day depending on activity.

Something else to think about is what you're eating. I believe that calorie monitoring is an important tool, but I think what type of food (and the quality of the food) you're using to fill those calories is more important. By quality, I don't necessarily mean organic - I just mean whole, unprocessed foods. If you've been rotating a lot of the same meals through your diet, maybe try changing those up a bit and see how your body responds.

That may affect energy levels and general healthy, maybe, but for weight loss will make no difference. And you could be fine if you eat a lot of processed stuff as long as you are meeting your mico (vitamins and minerals) and macro (Cabs/Fat/Protein) requirements.

2,000 is often quoted as the daily requirement for the average woman....but none of us is average.

Very true...if you believe in averages, the average human will have 1 breast and 1 testicle.

While I'm sure there are plenty of women and single-testicle dudes bringing the mean down to "one" for the "average" person....I've never seen anyone with only one breast (who didn't have them medically removed anyhow...). I would guess the average is probably more like 1.333 after adjusting for mastectomies. (What's a third of a boob look like anyhow?)

Second, you're not logging properly if you even mention using measuring cups and spoons. Get rid of them. They're not accurate. Just use the scale.

??? Most basic liquid calories ,like milk, is given by volume not by weight in the database.

Ok... liquids definitely, lol! But I thought it was self explanatory.

Although I do use grams to log my milk too... just way easier that way.

Well, obviously was not self explanatory to YOU, since you were the one who immediately assumed she doing it wrong and suggested to throw away the measuring cups. Most people use scale for solid food, and measuring cups for liquid.

When I cut my calories to 1400 I tend to be less accurate with logging and cheat more which ends in either gaining or maintaining.

This is so true...

You've been given outstanding advice. Since you are obviously not going to take any of it, nothing else to say until your inevitable future "I'm back to try again!" thread.

Cheers.