How many Calories? TDEE, MFP Estimation, Fitbit Charge2 numbers - What do you use?

karleeggarner
karleeggarner Posts: 37 Member
edited November 14 in Getting Started
I'm struggling to set up my calorie goals. I want to lose weight. 1 pound a week should be fine. MFP always gives me 1200 as a goal for weight loss but that is just setting me up for failure. I just can't figure out how to eat so little and I don't think thats healthy for me right now anyway. I have used a couple different TDEE calculators with results varying from 2008 to 2144. So if I reduce by 20% that would give my targets as 1606-1822 for calories in and then I would not eat back any exercise calories using that method is that correct? No matter how much I burn that day?

I also have a fitbit charge2, so it has a heart rate monitor in it and tracks my calories burned day and night, rest and sweat fest. Looking at last weeks numbers from the fitbit app, I burned an average of 2482 calories a day. Using that number and reducing by 20% my calorie intake target for weightloss would be 1986, right?

So I'm looking at all of this and I'm so confused. How am I suppose to be accurate? The numbers range from eating 1200 to 1986 calories a day to lose weight. Thats a huge difference right? I want to be healthy and lose weight safely, but also would hope to get off my 40 lbs in less then a year (Fair enough right?) (hopefully more like 8-9 months).

Do I just pick one of these numbers and try it for awhile and see what happens? I would hate to waste time in this manner. What have you found to be the most accurate way to set your calorie goals? Any advice/help?

Replies

  • rachelr1116
    rachelr1116 Posts: 334 Member
    Did you pick sedentary for your activity level when you set up MFP? Do you have your Fitbit synced with MFP? When I had a Fitbit I set MFP to sedentary and synced my activity from my Fitbit. If your Fitbit is showing that you've been more active and burned more calories than you would if you were truly sedentary then it will add calories to your daily goal on MFP so you likely will always get more than 1200 calories unless you are really inactive.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    The TDEE calculators consider exercise and MFP assumes you'll log exercise & earn extra calories for it.

    If you set MFP up for .5 pounds per week as a goal, what # does it give you? Just an experiment to get an idea of what MFP is expecting you to burn daily not counting exercise.

    Your Fitbit tracks your actual movement, exercise and non-exercise. If your average daily burn is 2400 (rounded down to assume for error) then 1900 would be a reasonable goal to lose 1 pound per week. While this seems muc higher than the MFP # of 1200, the Fitbit goal includes exercise (MFP's 1200 does not) and your Fitbit judges your actual activity level. While you may have put MFP to sedentary or lightly active when you are truly one step higher.

    All you can do at this point? Try something. And see how it goes. Aim for 1700-1900 per day perhaps, and track for 4-8 weeks. I personally like having a range, as its a bit easier on the mind that trying to hit a certain # each day. Kind of like darts - it is easy enough to hit the board, but much harder to always get the bullseye.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Ps-if you sync Fitbit to MFP it should transmit your actual calorie burn to MFP and adjust your MFP goal.
  • FLBeachluvr
    FLBeachluvr Posts: 110 Member
    I would see what the average calories burned from your Fitbit are and adjust for your 20% deficit based on that. Too many information sources just get confusing. Give it a month and see if you are losing at the rate you would like to and if not, make modifications. MFP also gives me 1200 calories per day (short woman over 50) and I have gotten quite good at sticking to that amount plus eating some exercise calories if I'm hungry.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    karleeggarner wrote: »
    I'm struggling to set up my calorie goals. I want to lose weight. 1 pound a week should be fine. MFP always gives me 1200 as a goal for weight loss but that is just setting me up for failure. I just can't figure out how to eat so little and I don't think thats healthy for me right now anyway. I have used a couple different TDEE calculators with results varying from 2008 to 2144. So if I reduce by 20% that would give my targets as 1606-1822 for calories in and then I would not eat back any exercise calories using that method is that correct? No matter how much I burn that day?

    I also have a fitbit charge2, so it has a heart rate monitor in it and tracks my calories burned day and night, rest and sweat fest. Looking at last weeks numbers from the fitbit app, I burned an average of 2482 calories a day. Using that number and reducing by 20% my calorie intake target for weightloss would be 1986, right?

    So I'm looking at all of this and I'm so confused. How am I suppose to be accurate? The numbers range from eating 1200 to 1986 calories a day to lose weight. Thats a huge difference right? I want to be healthy and lose weight safely, but also would hope to get off my 40 lbs in less then a year (Fair enough right?) (hopefully more like 8-9 months).

    Do I just pick one of these numbers and try it for awhile and see what happens? I would hate to waste time in this manner. What have you found to be the most accurate way to set your calorie goals? Any advice/help?

    For one, are you comparing apples to apples in regards to rate of loss goals...typically women get 1200 when they say they want to lose 2 Lbs per week and set activity level to sedentary...Your TDEE - 20% calculation is right around 1 Lb per week.

    For two, TDEE calculators factor exercise activity into your activity level...MFP does not...so your 1200 would be 1200 + exercise = total calories.

    For three, any and all of these calculators are only meant to be a reasonably good starting point based on population averages...your real world results would dictate adjustments as necessary.
  • karleeggarner
    karleeggarner Posts: 37 Member
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    The TDEE calculators consider exercise and MFP assumes you'll log exercise & earn extra calories for it.

    If you set MFP up for .5 pounds per week as a goal, what # does it give you? Just an experiment to get an idea of what MFP is expecting you to burn daily not counting exercise.

    Your Fitbit tracks your actual movement, exercise and non-exercise. If your average daily burn is 2400 (rounded down to assume for error) then 1900 would be a reasonable goal to lose 1 pound per week. While this seems muc higher than the MFP # of 1200, the Fitbit goal includes exercise (MFP's 1200 does not) and your Fitbit judges your actual activity level. While you may have put MFP to sedentary or lightly active when you are truly one step higher.

    All you can do at this point? Try something. And see how it goes. Aim for 1700-1900 per day perhaps, and track for 4-8 weeks. I personally like having a range, as its a bit easier on the mind that trying to hit a certain # each day. Kind of like darts - it is easy enough to hit the board, but much harder to always get the bullseye.

    So keeping a range of calories is still accurate for weightloss? I will try out your suggestions...thanks! What you said all makes sense to me
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    As long as its under your TDEE, then yes - a range is fine. If your TDEE is 2400 and some days you eat 2000, some days 2400, some days 3000: you may not see results! It would depend on the overall average. But if you regularly eat under your TDEE, then the result is weight loss.

    Its even ok to occasionally eat AT TDEE. Call it a special day 1-2 times a month, or a sanity check, or what have you.
    karleeggarner wrote: »

    So keeping a range of calories is still accurate for weightloss? I will try out your suggestions...thanks! What you said all makes sense to me

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