Does anyone feel like MFP tells them to eat too many calorie

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nikki3337
nikki3337 Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
It tells me to eat 1500 to lose about 1.5 pounds a week, but I usually only get up to 1100-1200 and that is a lot sometimes. Maybe it's because I just eat a lot of low calorie diet food. I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

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  • Sunshine_Girlie
    Sunshine_Girlie Posts: 618 Member
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    What it does is give you an allotment of how many calories you need to keep your body out of starvation mode and keeps you from messing up your metabolism.
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
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    Mine is the same on Low Carb. I know if I ate the carbs, the calories would bump up.
  • staciez1
    staciez1 Posts: 9 Member
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    I am actually wondering the same thing
  • dani921
    dani921 Posts: 8
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    do you workout? If so it's understandable. No one should eat less than 1200 cals/day. so if you work out you need to add the calories you burned so that it nets. It's hard for me too bc I don't really like to eat much meat. I actually added this so that I can make sure I eat enough. I eat lots of big salads that will get you full but in all actuality work out to like 100 cals including dressing.
  • FabiolaEnvy♥
    FabiolaEnvy♥ Posts: 730
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    no i never really had that kind of problems...

    i thought MFP was telling me to eat to little. thats why i up it a bit.

    but if you like you can lower your calories.
    you must be very active for it to be that high.

    but dont get me wrong... i have had days where i cant even get close to what i should be eating and by the end of the day i have like 600 calories left remaining... thats when i just try to find high calories but healthy at the same time to boost it up :)

    but other than that no. ♥

    oh and if you work out... depends on how intense you do it or how much you burn... MFP will help give you the right amount of calories that you should eat. but you dont have to eat all of it. :) ♥

    do what you are comfortable with yourself. MFP is just a great tools to use to keep track of things. :) i love the fact that you can change it to what you think fits best for your own body :) ♥
  • sparrows7
    sparrows7 Posts: 59
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    I have in the past read many articles and books that say you can go lower than the generic number that many of these sites put out there. Quickly from web MD they say you can go eat 1,050 to 1200 for faster weight loss. When I was skinny I was always working on the math. If you're not doing much, maybe a light workout but sit around on your butt for most of the day (my trainer told me that was sedentary) you take the weight that you want to weight and times it by 12
    (my skinny weight is about 115) 115 x 12 is only 1380 calories a day. So if I want to lose weight I have to drop it down lower than that.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I think it depends on the activity level you enter and your age. I put low activity because I have a desk job, though I either go to the gym or walk the dogs a couple of miles every day. I get 1330 per day, and that's to lose 1 lb per week. I think it's plenty.
  • Danahimself
    Danahimself Posts: 279 Member
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    yes
  • XxBri22xX
    XxBri22xX Posts: 183
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    I kinda feel that way. I said I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. It tells me to eat 1200 calories a day, and I barley lose a pound a week while getting plenty of exercise and eating those 1200 calories.
  • nikki3337
    nikki3337 Posts: 19
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    Yeah I work out about 5 days a week, and I usually do a pretty hard workout. Maybe I set my activity level too high, I set it at moderately active. But even on days I do work out I usually get up to about 1200, and I eat back about half of what I burn. At 1200 calories though i've been losing weight at a pretty decent pace for the past couple months, so i'll just stick with what i'm doing. But mfp is nice because it helps me see what other things i'm eating besides just calories.
  • NicholeTrussell
    NicholeTrussell Posts: 22 Member
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    When I am really eating healthy...lots of fresh veggies and fruits it is really hard for me to make the calorie goal set for me. Sometimes I fill some of the calories with an evening smoothie....protein powder and fresh fruit with 1% milk and ice, or I use the powder with milk ice and the folgers english toffee flavored cappuccino mix...you kinda get a treat that is low cal (260 w/ the protein powder).

    And on the days that I just cant put anything else in...I just dont...but I try to balance it as best as I can.

    Good luck.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Have a look at some of the comments on this thread, you might find it helpful.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/278896-would-it-kill-me

    My understanding of MFP is that it calculates how much you need to maintain your current weight based on the info you've provided then takes away calories to give you a deficit. It's all about the maths, so if you are currently heavier or more active then it will give you more calories per day.
    If you eat less than this you are giving yourself a larger calorie deficit. Opinions vary on whether this is a good or bad thing - I suggest you do some research or talk to a qualified professional to get advice that suits your body and your lifestyle.
    My personal opinion is that eating very low calories isn't healthy or sustainable - but you have to work out what is right for you.
  • nikki3337
    nikki3337 Posts: 19
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    Have a look at some of the comments on this thread, you might find it helpful.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/278896-would-it-kill-me

    My understanding of MFP is that it calculates how much you need to maintain your current weight based on the info you've provided then takes away calories to give you a deficit. It's all about the maths, so if you are currently heavier or more active then it will give you more calories per day.
    If you eat less than this you are giving yourself a larger calorie deficit. Opinions vary on whether this is a good or bad thing - I suggest you do some research or talk to a qualified professional to get advice that suits your body and your lifestyle.
    My personal opinion is that eating very low calories isn't healthy or sustainable - but you have to work out what is right for you.

    Thanks i'll check out the thread. I think it gives me such a high calorie count because i'm so active, but I pretty much have to force myself to get up to 1200. I eat small meals throughout the day, they are just low calorie, but that satisfies me. I never feel terribly hungry or anything. I find when I eat past 1200, like around 1600 or so my weight just stays the same. So i've found for my body I have to stick around the 1200 mark. I guess it's different for everyone.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Yup, I think you have to find out what works for you.
    And balance out the desire to lose weight fast with long term health and wellbeing.

    For me, 1500 (net calories, so that means eating 1500 plus my exercise calories) is about the sweet spot where I can lose weight steadily (about a pound a week) and not be really hungry and grumpy and miserable. It also means that I can eat real food in sensible portions, enjoy some treats, go out to dinner or the pub - in other words, get on with a normal life while I'm losing weight.
  • KourtneyP83
    KourtneyP83 Posts: 319
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    I found that it was right in line with how many calories my nutritionist told me to eat to lose 2lbs a week.
  • KarenLouise1981
    KarenLouise1981 Posts: 144
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    Set your activity level to reflect what your day looks like BEFORE exercise as you'll log those cals seperate. Moderatley active would probably be for like a nurse or someone else who is on their feet all day. If you do a desk job, most people on here log that as sedentary.
  • nikki3337
    nikki3337 Posts: 19
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    Ok thanks for the advice! I will change my activity level and that should help :).
  • wanttogetskinny
    wanttogetskinny Posts: 194
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    I kinda feel that way. I said I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. It tells me to eat 1200 calories a day, and I barley lose a pound a week while getting plenty of exercise and eating those 1200 calories.

    Depending on your BMR, MFP may not be 'allowed' to recommend less than 1200. For example if your BMR were 1400 and you wanted to lose 2lbs a week you'd need a 1000 calorie deficit a day. They can't recommend 400 calories a day, so they won't
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
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    I kinda feel that way. I said I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. It tells me to eat 1200 calories a day, and I barley lose a pound a week while getting plenty of exercise and eating those 1200 calories.

    Depending on your BMR, MFP may not be 'allowed' to recommend less than 1200. For example if your BMR were 1400 and you wanted to lose 2lbs a week you'd need a 1000 calorie deficit a day. They can't recommend 400 calories a day, so they won't

    Remember BMR is what you burn if you literally laid in bed and couldn't move. Like if you were recovering from a car accident and were in a full-body cast or something. Otherwise, things like sitting, walking to your car, walking to the bathroom, moving files around your desk, even chewing, etc all burn extra calories. (They don't really get your heart rate up or tone muscles or do anything to add to your fitness level, nor do they burn a huge amount of calories, which is why we don't log things like that for calorie burn. But they do add to your caloric burn for the day). This is why, even if you put "sedentary" and want to lose 2 lbs per week, MFP can still allot you 1200 calories or so and you would still lose weight.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    Please be careful, you are at a risky place to not eat your recommended calories, as you are so close to goal. Many people eat fewer than the recommended calories bc they think they will get to goal faster. In reality, it will KEEP them from reaching goal, and actually over time you can gain weight. It is the last 10 or so pounds where people who hope to get there quickly often harm their metabolism by thinking they should cut even more calories.

    The first post in this thread is a fantastic explanation:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196502-for-the-people-who-work-out-like-crazy-and-are-not-losing?hl=for+people+who+work+out+like+crazy

    blessings.

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