Disturbing Calorie Recommendations

sgualtieri1 · October 2017

This may have been brought up before but I am disturbed by the recommendations that my fitness pal gives. I imagine this would be really destructive and unhealthy for people just beginning to track calories and macros. It recommended that I consume 1200 calories which is basically a starvation diet. An extreme cut for me is 1500 (I know this for sure because I've done figure competitions and have cut to very low body fat 3 times before) so I'm pretty sure I would die on 1200. My fitness pal really needs to do something about this.

TavistockToad · October 2017

the information you inputted are what determines your calorie goal on MFP...

livingleanlivingclean · October 2017

What are your stats and what rate of loss did you pick? Perhaps your weight loss expectations were too lofty?

Plus... The recommendations are based on normal activity without exercise. You add extra calories for your workouts. They are also just recommendations - if they don't work for you, you can change them to whatever you like.

FourLynne62 · October 2017

I agree. I was set to 1200 calories per day by MFP, too. I met with my doctor and he said that's too low. He reset me to a more reasonable calorie intake per day and we'll reassess at my next visit. The good news is that MFP will allow you to adjust that calorie amount to a more reasonable range. I edited mine based on my doctor's advice.

cmriverside · October 2017

Yeah, it's a dumb tool. If you ask it to do something illogical, it's happy to oblige.

I don't think you'd "die" at 1200. But you might feel awful and not have energy for your daily life let alone workouts; then we would say, "Well, eat more." Some of this is common sense. If you feel fatigued and irritable and unable to concentrate, eat!

When you sign up it doesn't give a lot of guidance, but the process is well documented in "Help."

Lola_Mercury · October 2017

I agree, if I set my goal to 1.5 pounds a week I find its more manageable. It is definitely not good for anyone starting out to try 1200 to start

French_Peasant · October 2017

There is nothing wrong with a 1200-calorie diet as long as you make sure it is nutritionally dense; it really helps to focus on getting 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and eat all the lean proteins (while hitting the fat macro).

1200 was my baseline when I was losing, but I was active enough between gardening and assorted fitness activities that I would generally be eating 2000+ calories a day while still maintaining several hundred calories deficit. (I ate back all my exercise calories, but it is strongly recommended that you start by eating back 50%-75% because they can be greatly overestimated in the MFP database and gym machines, etc.)

I am 5'6" and 44, for reference.

magster4isu · October 2017

I have eaten at a 1200 calorie/day level for a few weeks now. I do not starve. When I'm hungry, I eat (real, flavorful food). I have energy for my day and my workouts. I also do a lot of planning to ensure that I am eating a well balanced day to remain healthy. Multiple sites have given this as my calorie recommendation, not just MFP. I think it all comes down to the individual.

Nixi3Knox · October 2017

I guess it depends upon what that 1,200 consists of. It would leave little room for high calorie foods. You would be eating greens and protein basically, with room for some other fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of fat. Not everyone wants to limit their options to this end. Or it would mean having that high calorie meal and then having very little calories left for the rest of the day. Just speaking on experience.

All that aside, I enjoy vegetables immensely, and I would have no problem on such an eating regimen.

erickirb · October 2017

As mentioned before, MFP gave you 1200 cals based on your stats and weight loss goal, but you get to eat more, when you exercise MFP adds those caloreis back, so if you burn 400 cals a day, MFP will tell you to eat 1600 calories.

I assume the 1500 you used before for cutting included exercise, if so MFP may even give you more calories, depending on how much you burn from exercise. Here is an example of what I am saying:

say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a TDEE calculator may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas the TDEE calc will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.

Piqueaboo · October 2017

Meh, I've been doing 1200 for about a year now and i've been fine. It's about being clever. For example, I drink only water, coke zero and coffee (black). That's calorie - free. I create my own overnight oats which comes to 200 calories a serving and keeps me tied over until lunch. A typical lunch for me is 70g of pasta with loads of vegetables and some protein - today's was 150g tuna, 200g tomato, 160g mushroom and 90g onion, altogether under 500 calories (and made up 2 plates, FYI). Snack is a piece of fruit. Typical dinner for me will be Shakshuka or something with eggs or spinach or broccoli - and then there's still room for wine. If I add exercise to the day, I can eat more, too. I'm 5'8 for reference. On 1200 calories I basically make the choice between all of the above or I could also spend them on one veggie burger from mcdonalds (763 calories) and fries (289 calories) with 150 calories left to play around with. It's about making smart choices, and eating at a deficit.

Vladaar · October 2017

Off topic sorta, but I think it is also a perception issue. People are so used to eating so high calorie meals, especially if they eat out instead of cooking for themselves. No one dies from 1200 calories, they might be uncomfortable or not get all the nutrients they need but death not likely. Many people can't fathom going without a single meal either. Check with your doctor if your worried about the calorie level.

magster4isu · October 2017

Vladaar wrote: »

Off topic sorta, but I think it is also a perception issue. People are so used to eating so high calorie meals, especially if they eat out instead of cooking for themselves. No one dies from 1200 calories, they might be uncomfortable or not get all the nutrients they need but death not likely. Many people can't fathom going without a single meal either. Check with your doctor if your worried about the calorie level.

I agree with this perception idea. If I had started off on MFP going straight to 1200, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I hadn't learned how to eat correctly yet. I had to start much higher and gradually make my way down to 1200. With the gradual change I was able to learn what foods kept me fuller longer, how to meal plan, and how to control my portion sizes.

cwolfman13 · October 2017

Nothing wrong with MFP...what's wrong is that people put sedentary for their activity level whether they are or not and then select 2 Lbs per week rate of loss target because they want to lose the weight yesterday.

Also, 1200 calories assumes sedentary and assumes that if you exercise, you're going to log that and eat back those calories...so someone who exercises regularly could easily eat 1600-1700 gross calories per day while netting 1200 if they're doing it right.

The bigger issue is that people don't do it right...that's on the user, not MFP.

Disturbing Calorie Recommendations

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