Where do you get your reccommended calorie intake from? MFP or another method?

mzmom82
mzmom82 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I know calorie intake depends on age, weight, gender, etc. but my question is this:
According to MFP my calories should 1280/day to lose weight, but when I go on other sights like Calorie King and enter all the same info, that sight shows I should have 1650/day.
How do I know which the actual amount I should be taking in??
I've been doing the 1650 and only seeing a VERY SLOW decline in weight, but when I look at the number 1280, it seems too low. Does everyone else use MFP calories or do you input your own calorie goal?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I used MFP's goals for weight loss and am still using them to maintain.

    I suspect you're getting a different goal on other sites because MFP doesn't account for exercise (you log that as it happens). Are the other sites including exercise?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,706 Member
    I'm here on MFP so I use MFP.
    If I didn't want to use MFP I would have gone elsewhere.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I use MFP but do check other sites from time to time to see if they differ or have anything else to consider, but so far, the numbers here work for me.
  • mzmom82
    mzmom82 Posts: 10 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I used MFP's goals for weight loss and am still using them to maintain.

    I suspect you're getting a different goal on other sites because MFP doesn't account for exercise (you log that as it happens). Are the other sites including exercise?

    Thanks for your reply, no the other sight does not include exercise either, just based off your stats.

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I base my calorie goal on my TDEE. I've done both but that's what I'm doing right now. I prefer not to have to log my exercise on MFP.

    Lately I've been using this calculator. I'm ending this cut on 11/21/2015 and wanted to see how much my weight aligns with the predictions.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Got tired of dealing with exercise calories.
  • misterdale67
    misterdale67 Posts: 171 Member
    I use MFP's goals for weight loss and have lost 180# so far.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    I used MFP's recommendations for a few years, and then I (like @Francl27) decided that eating back exercise calories wasn't working for me anymore and moved over to a TDEE method. Now I have a Fitbit I use that calculate my calories out (and keep myself accountable to stay active), and that's working out pretty well for me so far.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I find MFP to be quite accurate.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,706 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I find MFP to be quite accurate.

    I've found it to work remarkably well for me so far. :)

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    mzmom82 wrote: »
    I know calorie intake depends on age, weight, gender, etc. but my question is this:
    According to MFP my calories should 1280/day to lose weight, but when I go on other sights like Calorie King and enter all the same info, that sight shows I should have 1650/day.

    To lose weight? Or to lose a particular amount of weight per week (like 2 lbs)?

    MFP responds to what you tell it your goals are.

    Same with things like saying you are sedentary vs. lightly active.

    Also, the MFP goal is before exercise. You are to add back in exercise calories when you do it (although MFP estimates high so cutting the exercise calories some is a good idea).

    Many other sites will include exercise calories upfront, which very likely explains the difference. If you use MFP as intended, the actual amount eaten should end up the same.
    How do I know which the actual amount I should be taking in??
    I've been doing the 1650 and only seeing a VERY SLOW decline in weight, but when I look at the number 1280, it seems too low. Does everyone else use MFP calories or do you input your own calorie goal?

    I originally used MFP but now have enough results at various levels that I just put in my own goal.

    Why not compromise and try 1500?
  • mzmom82
    mzmom82 Posts: 10 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    mzmom82 wrote: »
    I know calorie intake depends on age, weight, gender, etc. but my question is this:
    According to MFP my calories should 1280/day to lose weight, but when I go on other sights like Calorie King and enter all the same info, that sight shows I should have 1650/day.

    To lose weight? Or to lose a particular amount of weight per week (like 2 lbs)?

    MFP responds to what you tell it your goals are.

    Same with things like saying you are sedentary vs. lightly active.

    Also, the MFP goal is before exercise. You are to add back in exercise calories when you do it (although MFP estimates high so cutting the exercise calories some is a good idea).

    Many other sites will include exercise calories upfront, which very likely explains the difference. If you use MFP as intended, the actual amount eaten should end up the same.
    How do I know which the actual amount I should be taking in??
    I've been doing the 1650 and only seeing a VERY SLOW decline in weight, but when I look at the number 1280, it seems too low. Does everyone else use MFP calories or do you input your own calorie goal?

    I originally used MFP but now have enough results at various levels that I just put in my own goal.

    Why not compromise and try 1500?



    Thank you @LemurCat12- the way you just explained this- it actually made sense to me! LOL.
    I think I actually understand the difference now. Thanks so much! :smiley:


  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I base my calorie goal on my TDEE. I've done both but that's what I'm doing right now. I prefer not to have to log my exercise on MFP.

    This, I take an average TDEE and then subtract my deficit from that and manually enter that as a goal. Makes it much easier for me mentally.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    mzmom82 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    mzmom82 wrote: »
    I know calorie intake depends on age, weight, gender, etc. but my question is this:
    According to MFP my calories should 1280/day to lose weight, but when I go on other sights like Calorie King and enter all the same info, that sight shows I should have 1650/day.

    To lose weight? Or to lose a particular amount of weight per week (like 2 lbs)?

    MFP responds to what you tell it your goals are.

    Same with things like saying you are sedentary vs. lightly active.

    Also, the MFP goal is before exercise. You are to add back in exercise calories when you do it (although MFP estimates high so cutting the exercise calories some is a good idea).

    Many other sites will include exercise calories upfront, which very likely explains the difference. If you use MFP as intended, the actual amount eaten should end up the same.
    How do I know which the actual amount I should be taking in??
    I've been doing the 1650 and only seeing a VERY SLOW decline in weight, but when I look at the number 1280, it seems too low. Does everyone else use MFP calories or do you input your own calorie goal?

    I originally used MFP but now have enough results at various levels that I just put in my own goal.

    Why not compromise and try 1500?



    Thank you @LemurCat12- the way you just explained this- it actually made sense to me! LOL.
    I think I actually understand the difference now. Thanks so much! :smiley:


    I actually just saw your response that said CalorieKing didn't include exercise and I checked it out. At least for my weight it was going for a lower rate of loss than what many give MFP, so I bet that's the difference.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Trial and error.

    There's plenty of calorie/macro calculators online, but they are just that, calculators based on a set standard formula.

    I personally track for two/three weeks without any changes and observe trends in weight and performance, see what happens, then change and tinker from there.

    This method also removes the whole eating back of exercise calories farce.

    After a while this all becomes quite intuitive.
  • siluridae
    siluridae Posts: 188 Member
    For now I use MFP for it, then again, it doesn't seem to be a great idea to go under 1200 anyway. Once I reach an acceptable body fat level and start bulking for muscle growth, I'll probably read more about how I should go about that. But that's in the future.
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