Dying a little inside when I see MFP cut my calories (lol)

vegginoutfitness
vegginoutfitness Posts: 14 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone else want to die a little inside when MFP cuts their calories? Like I keep manually adjusting myself back to 1500 when I should be at 1460 with them. Does 40 cal a day extra really make THAT much of a difference? If 3500 calories are in a pound then it will take 87.5 days to gain a lb from "overeating" 40 extra cal per day.

Replies

  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Well I don't think too many are going to gain a lb eating 1500 calories a day...but yeah I just bump up my goal to 1 lb a week or a .5 lb a week if I don't like the number it's giving me. If you can accept losing slower and don't like feeling 'deprived' at the number it's giving you that would make sense.
  • vegginoutfitness
    vegginoutfitness Posts: 14 Member
    I feel deprived - mentally - seeing the number lower, honestly. I'm at 1 lb per loss and with my running I usually eat way more than the 1500 and have still managed to lose weight. I used to eat very low calories (1200/day/max/no eating back workout calories) and while it got me quick results, it didn't stick.

    I stopped eating meat 6 months ago so I have to get creative when it comes to counting calories since fruits and veggies are super low in calories and I'm not a big fan of bread and pasta to fill the calorie gap.

    I guess mentally I feel deprived because I'm afraid of getting back to that point of basically starvation...
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I don't use the calories it gives me. I use the manual goal setter hahaha.
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
    I eat 1500 calories (set this manually) and my goal is to lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week, and I have averaged 1 pound per week over the last 50 weeks. I exercise a lot, but I don't eat back many of the (inaccurate) exercise calories. I'm so over eating less that 1500 calories -- I'm not on a "diet" I am on a food plan for living. Of course, as I loose more weight I need fewer calories. Since I feel better I exercise more, but at some point I will probably plateau, and maybe that will be my maintenance, but not there yet..
  • SpiderGwens
    SpiderGwens Posts: 87 Member
    1460 is not that bad! MFP gives me 1370 for my cals, and I usually eat around 1400-1500 when I add exercise cals.

    I find that eating a lot of protein really helps to keep me full throughout the day. I don't eat a lot of meat (I usually just have a little bit with dinner), so I've found quite a few vegetarian friendly protein options. For example, here's what I ate today (no meat):

    breakfast - Quest bar; 200cal & 20g Protein

    lunch 1 - two hard boiled eggs w/salsa + apple; 300cal & 13g Protein

    lunch 2 - pistachios + clementines; 250cal & 7g Protein

    dinner - cauliflower chowder (recipe) w/ whole wheat baguette and a bit of butter; 583cal & 18g Protein

    That's 1333cal and 86g of Protein for the whole day! I even exercised this morning, so I have an extra 350cals if I get hungry. I usually grab something like greek yogurt (Chobani flips are awesome) or string cheese, which are both high in protein. Also try adding protein powder to oatmeal for breakfast with a bit of fruit. You can buy sample packs at health food stores and experiment with flavors. I hope this helps!
  • FabianRodriguez94
    FabianRodriguez94 Posts: 221 Member
    lindaardell319 wrote: »
    I feel deprived - mentally - seeing the number lower, honestly. I'm at 1 lb per loss and with my running I usually eat way more than the 1500 and have still managed to lose weight. I used to eat very low calories (1200/day/max/no eating back workout calories) and while it got me quick results, it didn't stick.

    I stopped eating meat 6 months ago so I have to get creative when it comes to counting calories since fruits and veggies are super low in calories and I'm not a big fan of bread and pasta to fill the calorie gap.

    I guess mentally I feel deprived because I'm afraid of getting back to that point of basically starvation...

    As a 5'7" guy, 1500 (what it has set me to for 1lb per week) is pretty hard to reach. It is almost impossible for me to eat that little, so I usually tend to go for 1650-1750 and will jog 1-2 miles or do some HIIT alongside my strength training regimen. This has worked and I have been losing weight at ABOUT 1 lb per week.
  • mtzgirl
    mtzgirl Posts: 6 Member
    I use a TDEE calculator. I found MFP too low for me. http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    I "updated" MFP once... it cut me back from 1310 to 1200 and I just about quit this thing. I found I could manually change it and so changed it back to 1310. Honestly, I usually eat between 1100 and 1200, but knowing I have that buffer is mentally important to me. And I've lost over 50 lbs since Sept 1, and averaging 1.94 lbs per week loss.
  • vegginoutfitness
    vegginoutfitness Posts: 14 Member
    mtzgirl wrote: »
    I use a TDEE calculator. I found MFP too low for me. http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    I used to use this method and thought about switching back. How is it working for you?
  • vegginoutfitness
    vegginoutfitness Posts: 14 Member
    RoseTheWarrior wrote: »
    I "updated" MFP once... it cut me back from 1310 to 1200 and I just about quit this thing. I found I could manually change it and so changed it back to 1310. Honestly, I usually eat between 1100 and 1200, but knowing I have that buffer is mentally important to me. And I've lost over 50 lbs since Sept 1, and averaging 1.94 lbs per week loss.

    That's awesome!! Way to go Rose!!
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    TDEE calculator daily calorie goal works better for me. It already includes the exercise so I do not have to worry about how many calories I burned.
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR and the daily calorie burn matches my TDEE.
  • vegginoutfitness
    vegginoutfitness Posts: 14 Member
    Merrysix wrote: »
    I eat 1500 calories (set this manually) and my goal is to lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week, and I have averaged 1 pound per week over the last 50 weeks. I exercise a lot, but I don't eat back many of the (inaccurate) exercise calories. I'm so over eating less that 1500 calories -- I'm not on a "diet" I am on a food plan for living. Of course, as I loose more weight I need fewer calories. Since I feel better I exercise more, but at some point I will probably plateau, and maybe that will be my maintenance, but not there yet..

    Love it!!! Just love, love, LOVE this! I've been on active rest this week and only with my low cal burn did I realize how little food they have me eating each day. I love your spirit. Last month I was losing 2 lbs a week and this month I've averaged about .75-1 lb per week this month but I've been toning up my midsection like crazy and building muscle. I'm on a plan for life, not a diet!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    No one is going to beat you up if you eat 40 cals over the MFP goal. Worst case you'll lose a tad slower, but only about 4 lbs less per year.
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
    It's just an algorithm. As you lose more weight, your body doesn't need as many calories, so MFP adjusts your intake numbers accordingly.
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