Is MFP telling me to starve?

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  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited May 2015
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  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    Chlochloyoutube wrote: »
    This website is telling me my BMR is under 5000kj though:

    "Your estimated BMR is: 4,877 kilojoules/day*"

    Due to health reasons I have a relatively sedentary lifestyle, besides standing at work. Surely I shouldn't be eating THAT much more than my BMR?

    Your BMR is the very minimum that you'd need if you had a lifestyle similar to that of Sleeping Beauty. Your TDEE is your BMR plus the calories that you burn with normal daily activities. Most people try to eat somewhere between BMR and TDEE to lose weight.

    If your TDEE is 1700 calories, and you ate 1600 calories total, and lifted weights, you could lose fat at a pretty decent pace. It might seem slow, but as I said, it's not going to happen quickly at your current weight. 1kg/week is reasonable for obese people, but not for vanity lbs.

    Sorry, I'm not sure how to convert to kj, and I'm too lazy to Google the calculations right now.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Chlochloyoutube wrote: »
    But do those websites have a lower limit that they're hitting? I've had a lot of experiences where websites won't go below a certain calorie intake. Why is MFP setting my goal so low?

    MFP is not a TDEE calculator. It does not include exercise in the amount it gives you. You eat more for exercise. This is why MFP will seem lower than most other calculators. With this method you eat MFP amount + more.

    TDEE means Total Daily Energy Expenditure also known as "maintenance calories". This is the amount where you would not gain or lose weight. TDEE of course fluctuates from day to day, and calculators are estimates based on your body size, age, gender. Using a TDEE method to lose weight, you would eat less than TDEE to lose weight, (but not too much). Typically 20% less for weight loss or 10-15% less if you are close to goal weight so that you don't lose too quickly.

    A properly set MFP + exercise calories should be in the same ballpark as a properly set TDEE - % calorie goal.



  • Chlochloyoutube
    Chlochloyoutube Posts: 7 Member
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    No need to worry about conversions, I'm pretty good with metric and imperial. Thanks for explaining that to me - I think I'm just frustrated because I'm finding weight very difficult to budge at the moment when I used to maintain 98lbs without any difficulty. I'm on different medications and stuff now though too, so I may need to chat to my doctor about those and make sure I'm counting my calories correctly.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    Chlochloyoutube wrote: »
    No need to worry about conversions, I'm pretty good with metric and imperial. Thanks for explaining that to me - I think I'm just frustrated because I'm finding weight very difficult to budge at the moment when I used to maintain 98lbs without any difficulty. I'm on different medications and stuff now though too, so I may need to chat to my doctor about those and make sure I'm counting my calories correctly.

    I understand, it can be confusing!

    If I were you, honestly, I'd probably set my goal to around 1500 calories/week. I'd focus on getting enough protein, and I'd start lifting heavy with maybe some light cardio on rest days if I felt like it (light as in maybe 30 minutes of jogging or something). That will put you on the right track, and you'd have some wiggle room with your calories if you wanted to indulge on the weekends.

    Just don't lose sight of the end goal, and remember to just be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day, and all that. Good luck!
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    I wouldn't eat less than 1200 cal / 5000 kj if I were you. It is likely a bug that gave you 3700, it shouldn't be possible for it to suggest you less than 5000
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    I'm American and all this kg and kj talk is hurting my head :)

    With that said, I'm also 4'11 (lucky us!). MFP sets my maintenance calories at 1500 and 1250 for .5 lb loss per week (but I have more to lose than you). I also select sedentary and work my way towards another 200+ calories a day through exercise.

    Here's my suggestion: switch MFP to maintenance to find out how many calories you need to stay right where you are. I assume it will be less than 1500 since you weigh less than me. Then decide how much lower you're willing to go. You may have to settle for only .25 lb loss a week since you're already so light (so you'll need only a 125 daily calorie deficit).
  • astralpictures
    astralpictures Posts: 218 Member
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    Your height and weight definitely makes it harder to lose, because you have very little wiggle room when calculating your calories. Those TDEE calculators are just estimates, so you'll have to do a lot of experimenting to figure out what works for you. You should start eating 1400 - 1500 calories, and need to be very precise about weighing and logging every morsel (because even being off by 100 calories either way can ruin the results). Four weeks should be a good window to let you know if that limit works for you. You can then slowly adjust up or down based on your results.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Chlochloyoutube wrote: »
    I'm 4'11'' and twenty-two years old. I've slowly been putting on weight to the point where I'm uncomfortable and have been rejected from modeling work multiple times due to my size. Forty-six kilos is definitely not 'stupid unhealthy low.' I've been at 37kg and THAT was low. Ideally I'd be around 42kg but I understand how hard this would be to maintain.

    My best friend is the same height is you and she is 38kg or 85lbs, she looks deathly skinny. Literally doesn't have a bit of visible body fat on her body. You need to be at least 100lbs/45kg to look healthy even at your height.

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