MFP calorie calculation

DeborahD1971
DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 24 in Getting Started
When I joined MFP I was asked for my current weight, height, how active I was and how many pounds per week I wanted to lose all of which I answered.
It calculated my calorie deficit at 1200 in order to lose 1 lb per week.
I weight train 3 times (at least) and do 2 cardo workouts per week and I'm being told my starting calories of 1200 are far too low.
I have gone on the internet and manually worked out my TDEE in order to calculate my calorie deficit and I get way higher results.
What should I believe and follow and How come MFP are is inaccurate?

Deb
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Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    MFP calculates your calories without workouts and you're supposed to eat part of them additionally. Most online calculators take workouts into account.

    If MFP gives you 1200 then 1lb per week is probably a too high aim. 1200 is the absolut minimum you'll get as below would be unhealthy. Thus try 0.5 and see what you get.

    Btw, what's your current size and weight?
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    I am 5”4 and weight 155lb with muscle mass. I have about 10lb to lose
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    MFP isn't "inaccurate", it just doesn't tell you that your goal of 1 pound per week isn't realistic, and floors at 1200. This is also why you're told 1200 is too low.
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    So I should actually eat my additional calories earned through exercise, right?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    I am 5”4 and weight 155lb with muscle mass. I have about 10lb to lose

    set MFP to lose 0.5lbs, eat back your exercise cals
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone.

    I've reset my MFP to lose 0.5lb per week and it has recalculated my calorie deficit at 1400.
    I'll eat back my exercise cals (sticking to 1400 on non exercise days) and see how that goes.
    I may not be hungry now! :wink:

    I'm 5ft5 and 20lbs lighter than you and would gnaw my arm off on 1400 cals!

    very few people are truly sedentary (less than 5000 steps per day)
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    Hi TavistockToad.
    Honesty, this is doing my nut now.
    I'm sure if I ate more calories than 1400 I would gain weight.
    My average steps (fitbit) is 15,000 per day. I weight train three times, do one spin and one Body attack class per week. Rest days are usually Sat & Sun.
    MFP has allocated me 1400 but I will eat all calories earned through exercise and see if that works.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    Hi TavistockToad.
    Honesty, this is doing my nut now.
    I'm sure if I ate more calories than 1400 I would gain weight.
    My average steps (fitbit) is 15,000 per day. I weight train three times, do one spin and one Body attack class per week. Rest days are usually Sat & Sun.
    MFP has allocated me 1400 but I will eat all calories earned through exercise and see if that works.

    why are you sure you would gain weight on more than 1400 cals?

    if you get 15000 steps, have you set MFP to at least light active?
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    I don't know really. It just seems like a lot of food.
    I eat a lot of vegetables, prawns, chicken, quark and eggs which are all generally low calorie foods and I try to keep my fats and carbs low.
    I've stopped drinking coffee as I take milk (a lot of milk) and don't eat treats anymore.
    The more I talk about it the more it looks like a punishment! ha
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    I don't know really. It just seems like a lot of food.
    I eat a lot of vegetables, prawns, chicken, quark and eggs which are all generally low calorie foods and I try to keep my fats and carbs low.
    I've stopped drinking coffee as I take milk (a lot of milk) and don't eat treats anymore.
    The more I talk about it the more it looks like a punishment! ha

    the question is, are you eating in a way that is sustainable for the rest of your life?

    for me, the way i eat to lose the vanity pounds is the same as the way i eat to maintain, just slightly smaller portions, a little less peanut butter, and a few less treats so that i am in a slight deficit.
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    Maybe I should loosen up a bit and re-*kitten* then. Thanks for you advise!
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    Sorry. That should re-evaluate!
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    I wanna know what you typed to get re-kitten
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    Yeah, that was it!!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,984 Member
    Try it with 1400. Be conservative with your workout calories as MFP tends to overestimate them. Maybe start with eating half of them back. It will take time though, considering you have very little to lose. But the good thing is: the slower you are the more muscles you preserve.
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    I’ve been on the iifym website and calculated my TDEE.
    It came out at 1,913. (Including calories needed for my daily activities and exercise)
    They recommend that 15-20% is deducted from my TDEE to get my daily calories.
    I deducted 20% which gives me 1,531.

    I’m going to try these figures and give it a go.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    I’ve been on the iifym website and calculated my TDEE.
    It came out at 1,913. (Including calories needed for my daily activities and exercise)
    They recommend that 15-20% is deducted from my TDEE to get my daily calories.
    I deducted 20% which gives me 1,531.

    I’m going to try these figures and give it a go.

    Why are you using external sites to calculate your TDEE - what does FitBit say your total calories burned is? That's a good approximation of your TDEE - mine is very accurate for me. I lost weight at the rate I wanted to and am now maintaining using FitBit Synced with MFP - are your devices synced together? What activity level have you chosen in MFP? If you average 15K steps per day, you are not sedentary - that's what I was getting during warmer months (now more like 12K) and I'm set to active.

    I'm also 5'2, over 40, and lost all my weight eating b/w 1600-1900 calories, maintaining my weight at 118 with a TDEE of 2200.

    You don't need to make such dramatic changes to your diet in order to be successful - there's nothing wrong with milk in your coffee, treats in moderation, etc. You don't have to only eat "healthy" foods to have a healthy diet.
    I lost weight eating pizza, wine, and oreos in moderation - and with your high activity level you have plenty of room to work those things in.

  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    So confused............
    I do 3 weight training sessions and up 2/3 Cardio sessions per week.

    If I select "Sedentary" (I sit at a desk all day at my job) with 5 workouts per week, I get 1390 cals.
    If I select "Active" (taking into account my gym life) but put no workouts per week, I get 1850 cals.
    I just don't know what to input in order to get my calorie deficit to lose 10lbs.
    :s:s:s:s
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    So confused............
    I do 3 weight training sessions and up 2/3 Cardio sessions per week.

    If I select "Sedentary" (I sit at a desk all day at my job) with 5 workouts per week, I get 1390 cals.
    If I select "Active" (taking into account my gym life) but put no workouts per week, I get 1850 cals.
    I just don't know what to input in order to get my calorie deficit to lose 10lbs.
    :s:s:s:s

    What about other than work and exercise? Are you busy, on the go? Do you have a FitBit or other tracker? Most people aren’t truly Sedentary, I also have a desk job but I average 12k steps a day and that’s not just from exercise.

    I would probably choose lightly active, still log the exercise, and start with eating back 50-75% of the adjustment. Also with only 10 lbs to lose you should be aiming for 0.5 lbs/week which is only a 250 cal deficit, so logging needs to be tight.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    So confused............
    I do 3 weight training sessions and up 2/3 Cardio sessions per week.

    If I select "Sedentary" (I sit at a desk all day at my job) with 5 workouts per week, I get 1390 cals.
    If I select "Active" (taking into account my gym life) but put no workouts per week, I get 1850 cals.
    I just don't know what to input in order to get my calorie deficit to lose 10lbs.
    :s:s:s:s

    Both options will probably get you to your goal. Not sure why you're concerned. The active level is simply taking your sedentary level and including calories burned through promised activity.

    I personally choose sedentary and eat back my exercise calories bc my work out schedule isn't consistent. And I work from home so I really don't move much outside of exercise.

    There's no right or wrong way, it's what works for you. A lot of this is trial and error also, maybe try active for a month and see how it goes.
  • DeborahD1971
    DeborahD1971 Posts: 13 Member
    WinoGelato,
    I am on the go every day outside of work and gym when I include household stuff, food shopping, cleaning, walking etc.....
    I had my fitBit synced to MFP. It was adding calories that I'd earned through exercise (steps - I average 12k per day) to my basic calories. I didn't want to eat these earned calories so I removed the FitBit so it was less confusing for me.
    I will add by Fitbit back, set my status to Lightly Active and select 5 workouts per week. I will eat back 50% of earned cals and see how that goes for the next month.

    Thanks for the advice.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    DeborahD1971 wrote: »
    WinoGelato,
    I am on the go every day outside of work and gym when I include household stuff, food shopping, cleaning, walking etc.....
    I had my fitBit synced to MFP. It was adding calories that I'd earned through exercise (steps - I average 12k per day) to my basic calories. I didn't want to eat these earned calories so I removed the FitBit so it was less confusing for me.
    I will add by Fitbit back, set my status to Lightly Active and select 5 workouts per week. I will eat back 50% of earned cals and see how that goes for the next month.

    Thanks for the advice.

    Sometimes it’s hard to trust a device that seems to suggest that we actually burn more calories than we think we do, and that we can eat a decent amount of calories and still lose weight.

    I’m 5’2 and have a desk job and was initially set at Sedentary but when I got my FitBit and saw that I was averaging 10k steps a day and getting big adjustments I didn’t believe it - I got good advice on here that 10k steps a day isn’t Sedentary and so I raised my activity level, got a higher baseline calorie target, and the adjustments were then smaller and more representative of my actual workouts. I trusted it and ate back the calories, lost about 35 lbs eating 1600-1900 cals and am now maintaining with a TDEE of 2200, still trusting and eating back the cals.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    I think it's important to add that when you "add" a number of workouts per week in the guided set up, this doesn't actually do anything in terms of calorie allowance. You are still expected to add individual workouts when you do them and eat (at least some of) those calories.

    So sedentary + 5 workouts per week in the set up is only giving you your sedentary calories, without any exercise.
  • elizawho48
    elizawho48 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you to all who posted such sage advice on this thread - you helped me a bunch. I’m fine tuning as I have roughly 15 lbs left to lose (down 36)... I just tweaked a few things after reading this thread. Many thanks!!!
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I set my goal to sedentary, then lightly active when I started moving around more. I always ate 50% to 75% of the exercise calories MFP said I'd expended. I lost weight. It sounds like you've made the right decision. I bet you'll see some progress pretty soon!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You need to stop flitting from one method to another to another (MFP, TDEE, Fitbit) or you will be horribly confused.

    Pick one tool, select the appropriate activity level (that can't be sedentary with all your steps), account for your exercise the way the tool you select is designed for you to do.

    After a month you will know if you are losing at a sensible rate, you will know if your amount of food is sustainable, you will know how your energy levels are going. You can then adjust from good personal data if required.
  • sassy_gyrl1
    sassy_gyrl1 Posts: 7 Member
    Just for clarity, fitness pal has me eating 1640 calories a day based on being lightly active. If I exercise I need to eat back at least 50% of those calories?
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