Who uses MFP defaults, and who uses other methods?

GuitarJerry
GuitarJerry Posts: 6,102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Like the title says, who uses the MFP defaults for calorie intake and gets results from that, and who customizes the calorie defaults? If you customize them, what do you do?
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Replies

  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    I've just (yesterday) changed from the default to lose 1lb per week to maintenance for my goal weight. It gives me 200 more calories a day and means I won't have to do a major transition to maintenance calories because I'm already on it. Of course, this is going to mean my loss slows down, but I'm not in any hurry.

    I'm only doing it to "trick" myself really, as I got frustrated by the low calorie amount that MFP gives me. I could have changed my goal to lose .5lb per week but I wanted to keep that ace in the hole. I've been on a planned break for a while but am back to logging/counting again (I didn't gain or lose any weight on my break).

    Having a bigger calorie allowance is good for my psyche, even if I don't eat them all. I might not stick to this method until I reach goal, but that's ok - I know the default MFP system works for me so I can always go back to it.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    I customize. Mine is TDEE-500 as an average for the week. I eat slightly lower 6 days out of the week and have a higher calorie day one day. The higher calorie day is for greater flexibility with food choice, not as a "cheat".

    This is essentially what I did as I prepped for my first bodybuilding competition. Now that I'm coming off of a long bulk it is working just as well as it did the first time.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    Back when I was in my initial weight loss phase I didn't even know about MFP. Since transitioning into maintenance I've been on and off here for the forums, and also to play around with numbers. This past week I started a short weight loss phase, to correct some spring/summer weight creep. I entered my stats here and it gave me the default 1,200 calories for a .9lb per week loss before exercise. That sounded kind of awful :p So I played around with some other calculators and decided to track everything on the My Net Diary App. With the same info it put me at 1,389 calories a day before exercise. Going by that and also adding their estimated exercise calories (I've been walking 2 miles a day), I'm down 1.5lbs after the end of my first week. That's averaging around 1,500 calories with one day that hit around 1,600 calories. I know the first week of weight loss is always a bit off duet to water weight etc. but I'm eating more calories than what MFP recommends and I'm losing so yay me :D
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    I use what MFP tells me. It works for me.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    I customized it. I am working on the basis of my TDEE at goalweight. I am close to it and I hope that it will help me to ease into maintenance.
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
    I use defaults, but with my fitbit feeding the exercise data.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I use the default because my exercise isn't consistent.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,937 Member
    Default, but I've been tracking for years and know what and when to tweak.

    All Hail, spreadsheets. :lol:
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    I upped my calories a little from where it was set because I was getting cranky and stayed hungry at the lower level (1300 cals) so I upped it to 1450 and have been happier - and still losing - there.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I am using the defaults, and eat back most of my exercise calories most of the time. I am very overweight, have my settings on sedentary with loss at 2lbs per week. I consistently walk roughly two miles a day and eat between 1250 and 1400 calories, depending on exercise. I plan on upping my calories when I get to my last 50lbs to lose to 1lb per week, instead of 2, and focus on weight training.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    MFP gives me my TDEE because I don't do cardio, therefore I don't really use the NEAT method anyway. I've always used the number it gives me for my activity level as my TDEE and gone from there. I adjust my calories up or down depending on my goal, and set my macros at .8-1g per lb of BW protein, .35-.4 for fat, the rest in carbs.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    I use the calories MFP gave me but I changed what I track and edited my macros. I upped my protein and fat and decreased carbs - I like the way I feel that way. More satiated, less fatigue. I track fiber instead of sugar because sugar is already included in carbs and fiber is more helpful to track. I like to think that tracking fiber leads me to choose healthier carb sources, but I'm still working on that. :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    MFP gives me my TDEE because I don't do cardio, therefore I don't really use the NEAT method anyway. I've always used the number it gives me for my activity level as my TDEE and gone from there. I adjust my calories up or down depending on my goal, and set my macros at .8-1g per lb of BW protein, .35-.4 for fat, the rest in carbs.

    Just want to make sure I understand. I've seen you around a lot, so I think you understand how MFP works with its built in deficit. So, do you set it at maintenance so that there is no deficit built-in, or do you accept the deficit as TDEE?

    I use the number MFP gives me as maintenance as my TDEE. I adjust my calories from there. I work on a weekly average so I eat low during the week and in a surplus on the weekend. It averages to MFP maintenance.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,937 Member
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Cool. Thanks for the comments. Interesting to see how different people do it. I go back and forth between MFP defaults and eating back exercise calories, and TDEE. They both turn out the same results, so it's a wash for me. With TDEE, I like have a few more calories on rest days. However, I do find that when I use MFP defaults and eat back exercise calories, I tend to exercise a little more, such as I might sneak in some cardio on a rest day. That's a good thing for me. Because I tend to dislike cardio. But, I need it as I age.

    This^

    After many years of using MFP, I find that using the MFP method encourages me to exercise. Not only do I get more food, but I am not as hungry when I exercise/get more food. It's a great motivator.

    I've always eaten every single calorie for exercise. In early days when I was really over weight I just used whatever numbers I had, whether it was MFP exercise estimates or off the elliptical or whatever. It's easy to lose weight when you have lot to lose.

    When I got within 25 pounds of my goal I decided to just use a flat 300 calories for any one hour moderate exercise. If I get two hours I don't count 600, but I tend to just exercise for an hour when I do it. I had to find a set number and I picked 300. That way it's constant and I know that if I start to gain, it's all about the food. Again, spreadsheets are my friends.

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Default + Fitbit, but in my head I'm really doing TDEE from Fitbit data. I know the neighborhood my calorie intake should be in for the TDEE method. I shoot for it.

    My exercise is pretty consistent.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    I use my fitbit to set my deficit, I just use MFP for food tracking
  • dustedwithsugar
    dustedwithsugar Posts: 179 Member
    For me it's default + whatever Fitbit adds. I have mfp set on sedentary (because I'm veeery sedentary on weekends). On my active days Fitbit adds even 1000 kcal and lately I'm eating them all. I find it very accurate, maybe even underestimating, because I'm losing faster than my set 1 lb per week.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    I used macros & calories calculators from iifym, muscle for life, Gauge girl training, and Scott Herman fitness- not MFP. Most of them came out similar so I used that and adjusted just a little more for my own specific needs. I feel like MFP sets the calories too low, estimates calories burned on exercise too high, and the default protein ratio is too low if you are doing weight lifting & want to preserve muscle while losing fat. You can adjust calories & macros easily in the GOALS menu.

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