Why is calorie intake so different from site to site?

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McghanK
McghanK Posts: 120
in Food and Nutrition
I wanted to research more on calorie intake and I get the basic concept. I need to eat less calories to loose weight. Which is a no brainer really. However, the calorie intake differs from, I guess, who ever you get the information from. According to MFP if I want to loose 1pd a week I have to eat 1200 calories a day. Yet, according to About.com (nutrition) I can loose one poud a week if I eat 1481.2 and that is without excercise. I know it doesn't seem like a big difference but in a way it is. I read a post on "starvation mode" and that is really not what I would like happen to me. Any recommendations? Ideas? or has anybody else notice that as well?

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  • McghanK
    McghanK Posts: 120
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    Anybody?
  • Dcgfeller
    Dcgfeller Posts: 83
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    Are you using the same activity level when you calculate on both sites?

    Edit: I did the calculations on about.com and used the same lifestyle multiplier as I have here and my numbers were within like 30 calories of eachother. And that is likely because when I set my goals here I was a couple lbs heaver than I am now...don't remember what I used originally.

    Either way, it's not an exact science. So take whatever numbers you get as a guide and not "THE" number of cals you have to eat...just a nice starting point.
  • McghanK
    McghanK Posts: 120
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    Maybe that's it, I need to check that...thanks for the reply...I thought I was loosing my mind...lol
  • Dcgfeller
    Dcgfeller Posts: 83
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    More info....the about website uses the Harris-Benedict formula.

    Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
    Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)



    MFP uses the Mifflin St Jeor Equation.

    Male: BMR = 10×weight + 6.25×height - 5×age + 5
    Female: BMR = 10×weight + 6.25×height - 5×age - 161



    Both of these are in metric. So that is where the difference comes from. Which one is "right?" Beats me. MFP claims Mifflin St Jeor is supposed to be more accurate. It's good enough for what I'm doing hah. Also note, from what I understand MFP will never set you to under 1200 calories a day, so if your numbers aren't adding up right, that's probably why.
  • McghanK
    McghanK Posts: 120
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    Maybe that is why, I did it again and this is what I got.






    These calorie calculator results will help you understand how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and the number of calories needed per day to achieve your goal weight in a healthy, steady manner.

    You need 1981.2 calories per day to maintain your current weight without exercise.

    You need 1917.4 calories per day to reach your goal weight slowly and maintain that weight without exercise.

    If you reduce your current caloric intake to 1481.2 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise.

    If you increase your current caloric intake to 2481.2 calories per day, you will gain one pound per week.

    Exercise and Calorie Needs

    If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2203.8 calories per day and still maintain your current weight.

    If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2482.1 calories per day to maintain your current weight.

    If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2132.4 calories per day.

    If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2401.1 calories per day.

    Macronutrients

    The United States Department of Agriculture suggests that approximately 50 percent of your calories come from carbohydrates, about 30 percent from fats, and approximately 20 percent from protein sources. One gram of protein has about four calories, one gram of fat has about nine calories, and one gram of carbohydrate has about four calories.

    You need 247.7 grams of carbohydrates, 65.4 grams of fat, and 99.1 grams of protein per day for 1981.2 calories to maintain your weight of 150 pounds.

    You need 239.7 grams of carbohydrates, 63.3 grams of fat, and 95.9 grams of protein per day for 1917.4 calories to maintain your goal weight of 135 pounds.

    Please remember that these calorie counts are based on the average of the population, you may need to adjust your calorie needs up or down slightly to get the results you want. These results are calculated to help you understand how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, or the number of calories you need to lose weight slowly.

    If you would like more detailed information about the number of calories you need, join Calorie Count. Membership is free and you will have access to online tools to create your perfect diet.

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