Did MFP calculate the right maintenance calories for you?
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I just keep adding 100 every other week or so and watch the trend on fitbit or moving avg on happy scale. Then I set my calories in MFP and don't worry about exercise. I am using a TDEE spreadsheet also.0
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Armywife04_21 wrote: »One more thought....I honestly don’t understand how maintenance works as a whole while eating a lot more calories than before. How can you still lose while eating at 1700 as if you were losing at 1500? What was the point in eating at 1500 all along? Idk, just a thought...
That's why you look at your personal results after about 6 weeks eating at a deficit.
If you're losing faster than expected at the calorie target MFP gave you, you're probably going to maintain at a higher level than MFP estimates. (A small fraction of people may lose at the expected rate but still have a higher maintenance, perhaps: Anecdotally, it seems like some people's NEAT may up/down regulate more automatically, invisibly (to them), and dramatically in response to calorie consumption changes).
If your NEAT for maintenance is 2000 in real life, eating 1500 net will result in about a pound a week loss, and eating 1700 net will result in losing something over half a pound weekly, approximately. It's just the math.
This is one reason you see people here saying things like "s/he who eats the most calories and loses, wins" and "you may not have to eat 1200 even if MFP says so".
It's possible that you could've accomplished all your weight loss at 1700, just a bit more slowly.
The calorie target "calculators" (like the one built into MFP) don't really calculate (with precision), they estimate. Individuals vary from estimates, sometimes by a surprising amount, in either direction.
I posted this before, above. I'm going to post it again. Read it; It's insight-producing:
https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/
Edited: missing word = unclarity.4 -
This thread should be stickied!! This has some awesome recounts for maintainers!1
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Armywife04_21 wrote: »My maintenance weight is 120lbs and MFP puts me on 1720 calories a day but I think it might be too low, I am now down to 118lbs, so we will see if it stabilizes soon.
I'm 45, 5"8 and 160lbs, and MFP gives me 1770 to maintain at sedentary. Your number sounds way too low.0 -
It's a massive assumption that people are actually estimating their food, activity and exercise calories accurately enough for the MFP calculated number to be relevant let alone comparable between people.
I simply adjusted based on my rate of weight loss then made small manual goal adjustments as required.
Do give yourself time to adapt mentally and emotionally to maintenance, what is new takes time to become normal and habitual.
Well, yes, that is true.
however, when I say the calorie calculation is spot on, I mean the 1710 that I think I eat does maintain my weight.
Just like the 1460 that I thought I ate did lose weight.
Now it is possible my number is wrong and I actually eat more or less than I think or burn off more or less than I think (or am different height or age or gender than I think I am
) - and it is certainly true that my 1710 is measured very roughly - but point is that the number MFP tells me to eat and the number I think I eat or that I measure roughly that I eat do tally up.
The number is still relevant.
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It was WAY under for weight loss. I lost too much weight too fast when I was strict on 1200-1400 daily. Now, with my new found activity level, It seems I can maintain at 2000-2300 daily and stay within 2-4 pounds of my weight.0
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I’m 158 cm, sedentary and 53 kg and MFP only gives me 1390 for maintenance— seems very low to me0
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Christine_72 wrote: »Armywife04_21 wrote: »My maintenance weight is 120lbs and MFP puts me on 1720 calories a day but I think it might be too low, I am now down to 118lbs, so we will see if it stabilizes soon.
I'm 45, 5"8 and 160lbs, and MFP gives me 1770 to maintain at sedentary. Your number sounds way too low.
I’m only 5’2 though, but I do think it is still too low for how active I am. I run 13-15 miles total a week and do weight training too, so I will probably be upping my calories soon.0 -
Armywife, I think it gives you your BMR as a baseline and then adds to it for your activity. So 1720 does sound correct ballpark, but you would get additional added for your workouts etc.
I am only a hair under 5'2" but maintaining at a lower weight than you are. I am currently doing about 1850 per day total. MFP says 1200 to maintain. So, yeah, it might be low but it gives me about 600 for exercise from my fitbit link.. I think you just need to keep adding slowly and watching your weight to see where you are. For me it was easier to slowly add and monitor to the rate of loss than to just add a whole bunch at one time. I am learning that maintenance is not a set # all the time as typically we are never just stagnant but either gaining or losing. So, the goal is to just set the range and make adjustments as the moving avg changes. It takes at least 2 weeks to see what sort of effect is going on. More if you are having menstral cycles too.
And I think everyone is different in how they approach maintaining too. I like the monthly maintenance thread over in that group as I learn a lot from folks who have been maintaining for a lot longer. Right now at 13 weeks in for me it is still pretty new to,and I am only sure of ONE THING. For me personally I need to LOG and WEIGH daily. The #s and the exercise may change but as long as I don't close my eyes and pretend I don't need to do those 2 things, I think I can prevent a big YO swing up again. And yes, it would be nice if I could just eat and not worry about anything, but apparently I can learn at 59 that if I do that, I will end up heavy again as I have over the past 44 yrs. I pride myself that I am an excellent weight loser. I have done it so often that I could do it with my eyes closed. This maintaining thing tho? WOW. Never happened before. All brand new. Kind of fun to learn tho.
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SummerSkier wrote: »Armywife, I think it gives you your BMR as a baseline and then adds to it for your activity. So 1720 does sound correct ballpark, but you would get additional added for your workouts etc.
I am only a hair under 5'2" but maintaining at a lower weight than you are. I am currently doing about 1850 per day total. MFP says 1200 to maintain. So, yeah, it might be low but it gives me about 600 for exercise from my fitbit link.. I think you just need to keep adding slowly and watching your weight to see where you are. For me it was easier to slowly add and monitor to the rate of loss than to just add a whole bunch at one time. I am learning that maintenance is not a set # all the time as typically we are never just stagnant but either gaining or losing. So, the goal is to just set the range and make adjustments as the moving avg changes. It takes at least 2 weeks to see what sort of effect is going on. More if you are having menstral cycles too.
And I think everyone is different in how they approach maintaining too. I like the monthly maintenance thread over in that group as I learn a lot from folks who have been maintaining for a lot longer. Right now at 13 weeks in for me it is still pretty new to,and I am only sure of ONE THING. For me personally I need to LOG and WEIGH daily. The #s and the exercise may change but as long as I don't close my eyes and pretend I don't need to do those 2 things, I think I can prevent a big YO swing up again. And yes, it would be nice if I could just eat and not worry about anything, but apparently I can learn at 59 that if I do that, I will end up heavy again as I have over the past 44 yrs. I pride myself that I am an excellent weight loser. I have done it so often that I could do it with my eyes closed. This maintaining thing tho? WOW. Never happened before. All brand new. Kind of fun to learn tho.
It is definitely a learning experience, this is a lifestyle that takes a lot of getting used to. I do like the ability of eating more though! One thing for me is that I never have eaten my exercise calories, maybe that is what I need to add! It can be a scary step to do so! (For me anyway)...0 -
Armywife04_21 wrote: »SummerSkier wrote: »Armywife, I think it gives you your BMR as a baseline and then adds to it for your activity. So 1720 does sound correct ballpark, but you would get additional added for your workouts etc.
I am only a hair under 5'2" but maintaining at a lower weight than you are. I am currently doing about 1850 per day total. MFP says 1200 to maintain. So, yeah, it might be low but it gives me about 600 for exercise from my fitbit link.. I think you just need to keep adding slowly and watching your weight to see where you are. For me it was easier to slowly add and monitor to the rate of loss than to just add a whole bunch at one time. I am learning that maintenance is not a set # all the time as typically we are never just stagnant but either gaining or losing. So, the goal is to just set the range and make adjustments as the moving avg changes. It takes at least 2 weeks to see what sort of effect is going on. More if you are having menstral cycles too.
And I think everyone is different in how they approach maintaining too. I like the monthly maintenance thread over in that group as I learn a lot from folks who have been maintaining for a lot longer. Right now at 13 weeks in for me it is still pretty new to,and I am only sure of ONE THING. For me personally I need to LOG and WEIGH daily. The #s and the exercise may change but as long as I don't close my eyes and pretend I don't need to do those 2 things, I think I can prevent a big YO swing up again. And yes, it would be nice if I could just eat and not worry about anything, but apparently I can learn at 59 that if I do that, I will end up heavy again as I have over the past 44 yrs. I pride myself that I am an excellent weight loser. I have done it so often that I could do it with my eyes closed. This maintaining thing tho? WOW. Never happened before. All brand new. Kind of fun to learn tho.
It is definitely a learning experience, this is a lifestyle that takes a lot of getting used to. I do like the ability of eating more though! One thing for me is that I never have eaten my exercise calories, maybe that is what I need to add! It can be a scary step to do so! (For me anyway)...
You need to fuel the exercise! Try eating half for 4-6 weeks, see how that goes.
The worst that could happen is ultra-slow gain (ultra slow is why you wait 6 weeks!), and that's unlikely if you're still losing.
Trust the math, trust your results: You can do this! 2 -
To clarify - my 1710 is net calories - before exercise (such as I do) is added on and eaten back
For comparison figures- I am 54 years old, female, 163 cm tall (bit over 5 ft 3) and weigh 62 kg - not sure what that is in lb.0
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