Mistrust of MFP calculations - Anyone else?

TrefG · July 2018

Hey Folks,

So I've been through a bit of a journey over the last 8 years. I started out at 30st back in 2010 - and got down to 16st within about 12 months. However, over the years I've slowly crept back up to just under 21st.

All of my initial weight loss was done by exercising every day, using MFP and sticking very rigidly to 1200 cals per day - it just seemed to work for me back then!

I recently decided it was time to start using MFP again and do something about the weight gain - so I tried the 1200 cal thing but just couldn't stick to it this time - I always seem to end up going well over my calories each day and then self-sabotaging (because if I'm already over it's fine to keep going right?

).

So this past week I decided to let MFP do it's own thing and choose my calories for me. I'm 21st and 6ft 1in and want to lose 2lb a week - MFP decided I should be eating 1870 cals per day.... but here's the thing - it seems far too easy! So easy that I'm starting to doubt if I could really lose 2lb a week consistently at this level. I'm often a couple of hundred cals under. Seems too good to be true?

Anyone else experienced this? How reliable do people generally find MFP's suggested calorie calculation?

Thanks for any help

Trev

cmriverside · July 2018

All any of us can do is use the numbers, track accurately and adjust as results indicate.

FWIW I lost weight at the predicted rate and I maintain at about 300-400 above what the site recommends. Only way to know is to do it.

I would eat my arm at 1200. I lost most of my weight at 1500-1700 (and then added more for exercise - so really about 2000 on exercise days.)

With that said, other peoples' numbers (i.e. mine) are meaningless for you. No one moves the exact same amount, sleeps the same amount, exercises at the same intensity etc.

Your own data is your best tool.

kimny72 · July 2018

Well, I'm only 5'4 and 125 lbs, and I maintain on 1800 calories, so I would think it would be way below your TDEE and have you losing at a nice clip. And I could easily eat @ 2,000 cals a day if I wanted to maintain in the higher end of the healthy weight range for my height.

1200 calories is simply not a lot of food. And if you are male, it's downright dangerous. I will add as a caveat, most people I know who say they eat 1200 cals and it's plenty of food, when I look at their diary it's obvious they are eyeballing portions, using bad database entries, and not logging every day. I'm not saying that's what you were doing, but sometimes logging accurately all of a sudden makes the numbers make more sense.

Regardless, the best way to find out is to try it for 6-8 weeks and see what happens. There is no reason why you should gain or maintain at that level, so worst case scenario is you don't lose quite as quickly as you hoped to at first.

snemberton · July 2018

I'm 5'7" and 203lbs. I'm set to lose 1 lb a week (lightly active). MFP gives me 1810 calories for that. I eat back most of my intentional exercise calories and I'm losing just over a lb a week on average.

You are taller than me and weigh more than me, not to mention just being male is going to give you more calories. 1870 sounds quite right for your stats and wanting to drop 2lbs a week.

Make sure you are being accurate with logging though. Scales, watching serving sizes on packages, etc. Your previous experience with 1200 calories a day was probably so hard for you because it was WELL below the minimum your body needed. Men should have at least 1500 a day minimally unless you are on doctors supervision for less for medical reasons. It's easier now because you are eating the level you should be eating for your size and trying to drop weight.

kommodevaran · July 2018

Yes! It seems too easy! Many of us are used to starvation diets and monodiets - coming in here, being told to eat more, to eat what they like, makes many people angry.

But MFP works on bilateral trust. You are supposed to log correctly, not guess or estimate, leave out oils or condiments, forget to log, cheat or pick "too good to be true" entries. You need a food scale, and to use it right. You need patience and calm to tolerate not seeing a stready drop on the scale (because of water weight), to accept that being so strict, "only" results in 2 pounds per week, and that that number even decreases as you lose weight.

I have found MFP pretty spot on calorie-wise, and the whole concept, of letting me take all the decisions, gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, enough to actually be able to keep the weight off, for more than 3 years now.

TrefG · July 2018

Thanks for all the input folks.

I know the only real way to know if this is working is to monitor my own stats, I just didn't want to get 4 weeks down the line and realise that the suggested calorie amount was far too high and it was a known MFP issue. Sounds like it's working for everyone else so I'll press on!

NovusDies · July 2018

TrefG wrote: »

Thanks for all the input folks.

I know the only real way to know if this is working is to monitor my own stats, I just didn't want to get 4 weeks down the line and realise that the suggested calorie amount was far too high and it was a known MFP issue. Sounds like it's working for everyone else so I'll press on!

That is not a good way of thinking, imo. You shouldn't be afraid of investing a month into exploring what could be a healthy permanent lifestyle. You may find the need to do some experimentation with food choices/macros along the way to further dial in a sustainable plan for yourself.

kshama2001 · July 2018

Count me as another vote for you using MFP's calories.

For the most accurate assessment of your calories, do weigh your food on a food scale.

cwolfman13 · July 2018

TrefG wrote: »

Hey Folks,

So I've been through a bit of a journey over the last 8 years. I started out at 30st back in 2010 - and got down to 16st within about 12 months. However, over the years I've slowly crept back up to just under 21st.

All of my initial weight loss was done by exercising every day, using MFP and sticking very rigidly to 1200 cals per day - it just seemed to work for me back then!

I recently decided it was time to start using MFP again and do something about the weight gain - so I tried the 1200 cal thing but just couldn't stick to it this time - I always seem to end up going well over my calories each day and then self-sabotaging (because if I'm already over it's fine to keep going right? ).

So this past week I decided to let MFP do it's own thing and choose my calories for me. I'm 21st and 6ft 1in and want to lose 2lb a week - MFP decided I should be eating 1870 cals per day.... but here's the thing - it seems far too easy! So easy that I'm starting to doubt if I could really lose 2lb a week consistently at this level. I'm often a couple of hundred cals under. Seems too good to be true?

Anyone else experienced this? How reliable do people generally find MFP's suggested calorie calculation?

Thanks for any help

Trev

Are you a guy?...If so, you should never have been eating 1200 calories in the first place. 1200 calories is an aggressive weight loss goal for small, sedentary women.

I lose about 1 Lb per week eating 2300-2500 calories...so yeah, I'd easily lose 2 Lbs per week eating 1800-1900.

TrefG · July 2018

The 1200 thing was controlled under my doctor's supervision - so at the time worked well.

yirara · July 2018

Do you use a scale to weigh all your food? If not it might be worth investing in one. That's the best way of making sure you stick with your calorie allowance.

TrefG · July 2018

Yes to the weighing foods question. I know exactly what's going in 😊

I just really wanted some feedback on whether others found that the recommended calorie intake set by MFP was working for them...

Thanks everyone!

yirara · July 2018

it generally does, though it's a statistical mean. That means some people will lose a bit faster, some a bit slower. But on average it's pretty correct

sijomial · July 2018

My guess would be that for the majority of people the calorie estimate from MyFitnessPal (or TDEE estimators) is more accurate than their logging.

When I was losing weight my results over time indicated my numbers were out by about 200cal/day.
But I was (deliberately) a bit of a lazy logger and retrospectively realised I was putting too much faith in a HRM for exercise estimates.
I compensated by dropping my goal and proceeded to lose weight at the desired rate. A victory for consistency rather than accuracy.

PS - investing 4 weeks into an experiment to determine your calorie needs isn't wasted at all, you need to think much longer term than a month. Ideally way beyond the period of time it will take you to get to goal. You don't want to keep repeating the yo-yo of loss and regain.

fb47 · July 2018

Mfp lists me as extremely active when I hardly do any cardio. You simply have to adjust if you don't hit your weight loss rate, you can't just rely on mfp.

toloseme · July 2018

Everyone is different. It may be that MFP's calorie goals don't work for you. They do work for me - I've been losing weight by making sure to stay under my calorie goals and exercise. Maybe it just isn't for you in particular.

janejellyroll · July 2018

toloseme wrote: »

Everyone is different. It may be that MFP's calorie goals don't work for you. They do work for me - I've been losing weight by making sure to stay under my calorie goals and exercise. Maybe it just isn't for you in particular.

There's no evidence in the OP that the suggested goal *won't* work for OP.

rosebarnalice · July 2018

Give it two weeks and see what happens

PokeyBug · July 2018

I had some issues with MFP's calorie estimates. The solution for me was that I just stopped eating back all my exercise calories (on most days), and using the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate my calorie needs, rather than the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation MFP uses. You've got to experiment with what works for you, because no equation is going to give you a perfect number for the amount of calories you need daily. It's just a starting point.

Mistrust of MFP calculations - Anyone else?

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