What is your experience with MFP suggested calorie intake?

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  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    Hunger is not the best indicator of what the body needs.

    Agreed. We all know that Brawndo (TM) has what the body craves.
  • bomomar
    bomomar Posts: 94 Member
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    I'm not sure how long you have been doing this. Be sure to log everything you eat and drink. Weigh and measure your food to be accurate. I was surprised when I started how many calories I was actually eating.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
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    When I started, mfp gave me about 1500. I ate back 1/2 the exercise calories most of the time, the rest of the time I stuck with 1500. Once I was close to my goal I calculated my TDEE, and slowly built up to 1900. This worked for me. Turns out, 1500 was pretty close to a 20% deficit of my TDEE.

    I think mfp overestimates my calorie burn a bit. I have exercised all my life, so I burn efficiently.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    So I have had an abnormal relationship with food my whole life and I get the feeling that my fitness pal is really helping me figure things out but let me get this straight. I am really supposed to eat as many calories as it tells me? My goal is almost 1700 and when I exercise it tells me I can eat over 2000 calories sometimes. I think I have never eaten that many calories in my life, it seems insanely high to me.
    Were you keeping track before MFP? 2,000 calories a day would be higher than that required for maintenance for a small person, but not insanely high for anyone.

    Until I started using the app, I really don't know how many calories I consumed a day. Based on my present 2,000-2,500 calories a day maintenance, I'm guessing I ate 3,000 - 4,000 on an average day with gusts of up to 5,000 a day.

    If I were starting today knowing what I know now, I'd benchmark my calories by not changing my eating habits but figuring out how many calories I was eating. Then I would reduce by 500 calories per day each week until I got to the MFP recommended amount. Adjust as necessary. Trying to go from excess consumption to a much lower consumption all at once is like slamming on the car brakes while doing 80 mph.
  • danaplawson
    danaplawson Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes, I was keeping track, I was on calorie count for years.
    I am hyper aware of what goes into my body.

    While not underweight for my height, I think it is safe to say, I was underweight for me.
    I ate anywhere between 1200-1500 calories on most days.

    I realize now, for lack of a better term, I was borderline starving myself.

    I am not sure at what weight my body will be 'happy'
    I guess this is it, I am trying to find my natural weight.

    I know when I was in college and I went below 135, I stopped menstruating.
    (I am somewhere between 5'7'' and 5'8'')
    Well, for the past 3 years I maintained between 133-135 and guess what...no period.

    My doctors are concerned for my bone health.
    They told me I have hypothalamic amenorhea and I am to add fat to my body.
    So I did and over the past few months I ate with relative freedom.
    I gained about 7 pounds. I would like to see if this kick starts my system into working again.

    I would now like to stop gaining, but the scale keeps inching up even with MFP caloric intake set at a weight loss goal.
    I am an avid exerciser and relatively healthy eater overall, I just can't get a true handle on how many calories my body needs in order to properly function. And FYI: I do not only depend on MYP, I do use other apps to account for calories burned but I know I am not a machine, I am a human and everyone is a little different.

    It is helpful to read everyone's experience with the numbers.
    Thank you very much.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    Simply start with that calculation, and make changes as you go.
    So stick with that amount for a couple of weeks and see if there is weight loss.
    In the meantime, exercise will make your body look and feel better, and that's at least as important!

    yep its working for me. are you sure you never ate that many calories before?? its pretty easy to rack up some calories when we aren't paying attention to what we eat and how much of it we are eating. Try it for a few weeks then adjust if you aren't seeing results.

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