What is wrong with MFP diet/fitness profile?
nytrifisoul
Posts: 499 Member
Its seems no matter how many days/min i choose for weekly workout it doesnt change how many pounds per week or how many pounds in a month i will lose. It seems the only thing that seems to change how many pounds you will lose is your normal daily activities. This doesn't work for me because my job requires both deskjob, and hard labor, meaning some days i am sitting at a desk, and some days i am all over the place doing manual labor/contruction.
I have been keeping track of my calories in calories out in my head, but i was using MFP as a baseline and i now realize while i am still losing weight, its slower then it should be because MFP has me calculated as 1.3lb/week even though i choose 2lb/week. And it wont change unless i choose a higher daily activity level which i don't want to do because it changes daily.
It would be much more reliable for me to change and stick to the daily workout min/hour to compensate for the lb/per week/month
I have been keeping track of my calories in calories out in my head, but i was using MFP as a baseline and i now realize while i am still losing weight, its slower then it should be because MFP has me calculated as 1.3lb/week even though i choose 2lb/week. And it wont change unless i choose a higher daily activity level which i don't want to do because it changes daily.
It would be much more reliable for me to change and stick to the daily workout min/hour to compensate for the lb/per week/month
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Replies
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Ah - the workout choice in the "goals" section doesn't actually affect your daily calories issued. It assumes you will ENTER those "workouts" manually on the day they are done at which point, more calories will be added to your expected eating totals. The baseline activity level should be what you get at your desk work, and then when you do your manual job, you add in "exercise." There are exercises in there for things like "moving boxes," etc.
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the workout goals doesn't have anything to do with your calorie goal. I'm not really sure why that's there.
MFP only uses your daily activity setting to calculate your calorie goal. If you're losing slower than you like, maybe change it down a setting. If you're active half of the time, and sedentary half of the time, maybe just choose "lightly active" and see how that goes for a while. (for example). Alternatively you can keep your setting at sedentary or lightly active, and then on the days that you're more active at work, add that as exercise to get more calories on those particular days.5 -
Yeah, what Elizabeth said. Here's the explanation: https://myfitnesspal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-
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the workout goals doesn't have anything to do with your calorie goal. I'm not really sure why that's there.
MFP only uses your daily activity setting to calculate your calorie goal. If you're losing slower than you like, maybe change it down a setting. If you're active half of the time, and sedentary half of the time, maybe just choose "lightly active" and see how that goes for a while. (for example)
The problem is, i might only be lightly active 2 out of 5 days. Which brings up a question, does MFP assume 5 or 7 days? Most people do jack *kitten* on there days off, or if anything, a little bit of exercise.0 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »the workout goals doesn't have anything to do with your calorie goal. I'm not really sure why that's there.
MFP only uses your daily activity setting to calculate your calorie goal. If you're losing slower than you like, maybe change it down a setting. If you're active half of the time, and sedentary half of the time, maybe just choose "lightly active" and see how that goes for a while. (for example)
The problem is, i might only be lightly active 2 out of 5 days. Which brings up a question, does MFP assume 5 or 7 days? Most people do jack *kitten* on there days off, or if anything, a little bit of exercise.
Just pick one or the other. There is a 250 calorie difference between levels. You're likely to make at least 150 calories per day in logging errors. It's not an exact science. So, pick the Activity Level, and log food and purposeful exercise using that setting for 4-6 weeks. At the end of that time you'll have good trending data and if your weight isn't doing what you want it to do, pick the higher or lower Activity Level. It's an experiment. We all have to do this, nothing is exact and you'll need to make adjustment as you go. Just pay attention to energy levels, sleep, irritability etc. If you start having trouble with those, you may be under eating.6 -
I don't know, this just seems easier to completely forget about using MFP and just calculate it all in my head. There should be a option to add a set amount of weekly calories burned or minutes doing a specific exercise so it affects your profile. Its easier for me to stick with a exercise routine , then to keep going in there on a daily bases changing my job activity level.
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nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't know, this just seems easier to completely forget about using MFP and just calculate it all in my head. There should be a option to add a set amount of weekly calories burned or minutes doing a specific exercise so it affects your profile. Its easier for me to stick with a exercise routine , then to keep going in there on a daily bases changing my job activity level.
So do it that way.
You can choose a Set Calorie Goal. Go to Goals > Edit
If you are willing to pay for it, you can set separate goals for different days, but why?
Set your calories. Then do as you want. Why do you feel you need to "match" what some random calculator tells you? They are all estimations anyway. You don't have to log exercise separately and you don't have to stick to a calorie goal that is the same every day. This is just a tool, make it work FOR you.
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Did you read that link in my post above?
It may help you. I'm not sure we ( or I ) am understanding your issue entirely.1 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »I don't know, this just seems easier to completely forget about using MFP and just calculate it all in my head. There should be a option to add a set amount of weekly calories burned or minutes doing a specific exercise so it affects your profile. Its easier for me to stick with a exercise routine , then to keep going in there on a daily bases changing my job activity level.
Your are making this more difficult than it needs to be....
Keep your activity level at one setting and log your calories.
Do you use any kind of fitness tracker because it will give you + or - calories based on your level of activity for that day. It all happens automatically1 -
I dont use a fitness tracker. Just a polar H7 and a smart phone with the Polar Beat app. My gripe was i was under the assumtion that everything in the fitness profile affected the daily calorie intake goal to lose 2lb/week. Then after almost two months i just realized it defaulted to 1.3lb/week and never changed my daily goal calorie intake. I am staying below my daily calorie goal but the weight loss is stalling and its probably because i was trying to stay close to what MFP suggested.
Whats the point of entering in how much you want to lose in a week if it doesn't change how many calories you should eat per day.
Example: i select sedentary and want to lose 2lbs/week it sets calories to 1500 a day, but below tells me i will lose 1.3lb/week. Only if i choose lightly active will it then change to 1.8lb/week. And if you change your weekly workout it doesnt affect it at all.0 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »I dont use a fitness tracker. Just a polar H7 and a smart phone with the Polar Beat app. My gripe was i was under the assumtion that everything in the fitness profile affected the daily calorie intake goal to lose 2lb/week. Then after almost two months i just realized it defaulted to 1.3lb/week and never changed my daily goal calorie intake. I am staying below my daily calorie goal but the weight loss is stalling and its probably because i was trying to stay close to what MFP suggested.
Whats the point of entering in how much you want to lose in a week if it doesn't change how many calories you should eat per day.
Example: i select sedentary and want to lose 2lbs/week it sets calories to 1500 a day, but below tells me i will lose 1.3lb/week. Only if i choose lightly active will it then change to 1.8lb/week. And if you change your weekly workout it doesnt affect it at all.
MFP won't allow you to go under 1200 calories for 2 lbs per week. So, to lose 2 lbs per week, perhaps you would really need 1100 calorie per day. MFP won't allow that. So, it gives you 1200 calories and you only lose 1.8 lbs per week.0 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
MFP won't allow you to go under 1200 calories for 2 lbs per week. So, to lose 2 lbs per week, perhaps you would really need 1100 calorie per day. MFP won't allow that. So, it gives you 1200 calories and you only lose 1.8 lbs per week.
Is that for women? Maybe 1500 is the limit MFP will allow for men. I wish i would have known that if true. I didn't notice it say that anywhere when i was putting in my info.
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nytrifisoul wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
MFP won't allow you to go under 1200 calories for 2 lbs per week. So, to lose 2 lbs per week, perhaps you would really need 1100 calorie per day. MFP won't allow that. So, it gives you 1200 calories and you only lose 1.8 lbs per week.
Is that for women? Maybe 1500 is the limit MFP will allow for men. I wish i would have known that if true. I didn't notice it say that anywhere when i was putting in my info.
Yes. 1200 for women, 1500 for men.1 -
I guess we figured out the problem. You don't need to be losing 2 lbs a week. That's too aggressive and would have you eating far too little calories. Change your goal to 1 lb a week.5
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nytrifisoul wrote: »Its seems no matter how many days/min i choose for weekly workout it doesnt change how many pounds per week or how many pounds in a month i will lose. It seems the only thing that seems to change how many pounds you will lose is your normal daily activities. This doesn't work for me because my job requires both deskjob, and hard labor, meaning some days i am sitting at a desk, and some days i am all over the place doing manual labor/contruction.
I have been keeping track of my calories in calories out in my head, but i was using MFP as a baseline and i now realize while i am still losing weight, its slower then it should be because MFP has me calculated as 1.3lb/week even though i choose 2lb/week. And it wont change unless i choose a higher daily activity level which i don't want to do because it changes daily.
It would be much more reliable for me to change and stick to the daily workout min/hour to compensate for the lb/per week/month
MFP uses the NEAT method and only regular daily activity is factored into your calorie goals. Your exercise goals are just for you and have no bearing on your calorie targets which is why you log purposeful exercise and get additional calories to "eat back"nytrifisoul wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
MFP won't allow you to go under 1200 calories for 2 lbs per week. So, to lose 2 lbs per week, perhaps you would really need 1100 calorie per day. MFP won't allow that. So, it gives you 1200 calories and you only lose 1.8 lbs per week.
Is that for women? Maybe 1500 is the limit MFP will allow for men. I wish i would have known that if true. I didn't notice it say that anywhere when i was putting in my info.
1500 is the bottom limit for men. 2 Lbs per week means 1,000 calorie deficit...you're getting 1.3 Lbs per week because your NEAT at sedentary is not high enough to have a 1,000 calorie deficit without going below the lower limit for men @ 1500 calories. MFP is estimating your NEAT to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,300 calories at sedentary.3 -
I guess we figured out the problem. You don't need to be losing 2 lbs a week. That's too aggressive and would have you eating far too little calories. Change your goal to 1 lb a week.
No the problem is i can't accurately add a daily activity level as it changes daily. The only constant would be entering in a daily workout which has no affect on daily limits. And i was not aware of this for the past two months. I am now aware, and come to the conclusion its pointless for me to use MFP to track CICO. Might aswell log everything down on a piece of paper since i basicly have to manually log every daily change in MFP. Seems like more work.
Anyway, if it works for others more power to ya's.0 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »I guess we figured out the problem. You don't need to be losing 2 lbs a week. That's too aggressive and would have you eating far too little calories. Change your goal to 1 lb a week.
No the problem is i can't accurately add a daily activity level as it changes daily. The only constant would be entering in a daily workout which has no affect on daily limits. And i was not aware of this for the past two months. I am now aware, and come to the conclusion its pointless for me to use MFP to track CICO. Might aswell log everything down on a piece of paper since i basicly have to manually log every daily change in MFP. Seems like more work.
Anyway, if it works for others more power to ya's.
So just use your average amount of activity to set your activity level, or set your calorie goal manually. If you like, calculate your calorie goal using an external TDEE calculator (like Sailrabbit or Scooby's Workshop) that lets you account for your exercise and activity level differently, then plug that calorie goal in manually here.
Or do it in your head, if that's easier.
(Doing it in my head was how I stalled weight loss, and what made me start using MFP way back in 2015. Since I'm still at a healthy weight now, after decades of obesity before 2015, I'm pretty happy with MFP. But it doesn't suit everyone; maybe it doesn't suit you.)2 -
Why do you think that logging a daily workout in the exercise log wouldn't effect your daily limit? If you log say, 250 cal burnt doing a jog it will add 250 to your calorie goal for the day. If doing strength training log it under cardio so it will actually give you calories back (though not much) Most people eat about 50-75% of the calories given by a workout til they know if the numbers are correct then adjust from there.2
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Why do you think that logging a daily workout in the exercise log wouldn't effect your daily limit? If you log say, 250 cal burnt doing a jog it will add 250 to your calorie goal for the day. If doing strength training log it under cardio so it will actually give you calories back (though not much) Most people eat about 50-75% of the calories given by a workout til they know if the numbers are correct then adjust from there.
I assumed there was a "general" amount of calories figured in the daily workout min/hr just like there is a general amount of calories figured into the daily activity level. Not sure why some of you are having a hard time understanding why someone would think that option would change the amount of daily calorie intake. Like i said, why even have that option in there if it does nothing.0 -
nytrifisoul wrote: »Why do you think that logging a daily workout in the exercise log wouldn't effect your daily limit? If you log say, 250 cal burnt doing a jog it will add 250 to your calorie goal for the day. If doing strength training log it under cardio so it will actually give you calories back (though not much) Most people eat about 50-75% of the calories given by a workout til they know if the numbers are correct then adjust from there.
I assumed there was a "general" amount of calories figured in the daily workout min/hr just like there is a general amount of calories figured into the daily activity level. Not sure why some of you are having a hard time understanding why someone would think that option would change the amount of daily calorie intake. Like i said, why even have that option in there if it does nothing.
Some people replying to you are confusing the exercise entries in the profile set-up with the exercise entries that one is supposed to log in the exercise diary. Two different things.
I think you're talking about the exercise entries in the profile set-up.
It's perfectly rational to think those would affect the calorie goal: I get it. It's confusing. But trust me, they don't affect the calorie goal ( <= you know that part
), and they're not supposed to ( <= this is the part you're finding confusing, I believe).
MFP (1) wants you to exercise, and (2) wants you to learn an important life lesson about exercise, which is that when you move more, you get to (and should) eat more.
Because of #1, MFP wanting you to exercise, it ask you for a goal of how much you want to exercise per week, as part of your profile set-up. Unfortunately, about the only place that shows up is in the web-app exercise diary, where it compares the exercise you actually do and log to the exercise you said you planned to do, with totals that say you've exercised X of the Y minutes per day & week that you planned to exercise. (If you don't use the web app ever, only the phone app, I'm not sure where this shows up, if at all).
Because of #2, MFP does not use the profile set-up exercise numbers to calculate your calorie goal. It only adds exercise calories when you actually exercise and log the exercise (or let a fitness tracker synch it for you).
You may not like that it works that way, but that's how it works, and that's pretty much why it works that way.
If you don't like that, go to an outside TDEE calculator (such as https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/, but there are many others), and use it to calculate your TDEE which includes planned exercise in your daily calorie goal. Take the calorie goal for weight loss that you get there, and manually put it into the MFP calorie goal on your goals page. Eat that much every day, and don't log exercise.
Or, since you say it's easier to figure this all out in your head, do that, if that works for you.5 -
AnnPT77, thanks for the explanation. I dont use the MFP app. I probably should invest in a fitness tracker to make things much easier. Any suggestions on a brand/model?0
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nytrifisoul wrote: »AnnPT77, thanks for the explanation. I dont use the MFP app. I probably should invest in a fitness tracker to make things much easier. Any suggestions on a brand/model?
Have realistic expectations: Fitness trackers only estimate calories, they don't measure them. Like any other estimating method, the good ones are close for most people, a bit off for a few (high or low), and materially off for a very, very few. That's how statistical estimates work.
I have no basis for believing that any of the mainstream respected brands are universally more/less accurate. Choice hinges mostly on what you want them to do (like track stats for specific sports, time workouts, whether you need phone with you, that sort of thing).
If you're looking at higher end multi-sport models, DC Rainmaker is a very useful review site. (Can't link from this device, but it's an easy web search).
Regardless of which you choose, set your profile carefully, especially things like stride length (if you do much walking) and max heart rate (age estimated formulas will default if you don't have a tested max, and they're pretty inaccurate for many people).
I have a Garmin Vivoactive 3. I like it a lot. Tracks my favorite sports' stats fine, plus useful things like resting heart rate. It underestimates my daily calorie burn by several hundred, like a lot of other "calculators" do. Since I've logged on MFP for over 5 years, I know how much to eat, and don't synch it because it would make my life more difficult. Garmin's a top brand, regardless.
You don't wanna expect too much from tools; just figure out how to use some combination of them to your best benefit, which is a very individualized thing.
Best wishes!0 -
I just want to get a realistic idea of what my daily activity level is and have it sync with MFP so i dont have to manually add more then just my daily exercise. Since my job goes from sedentary to sometimes very active randomly throuout the week, my best option seems to be a fitness tracker regardless how accurate they are its better then guessing. I would use my Polar H7 chest strap but there are certain times throughout the day i can't keep my phone with me, so a watch/fitness tracker will have to do.0
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nytrifisoul wrote: »I just want to get a realistic idea of what my daily activity level is and have it sync with MFP so i dont have to manually add more then just my daily exercise. Since my job goes from sedentary to sometimes very active randomly throuout the week, my best option seems to be a fitness tracker regardless how accurate they are its better then guessing. I would use my Polar H7 chest strap but there are certain times throughout the day i can't keep my phone with me, so a watch/fitness tracker will have to do.
IME, the wrist-based monitor in my Garmin is pretty consistent and reasonable (as compared with doctor's office readings and RPE, for example). It loses contact unacceptably much when I'm rowing (boat or machine) so I always need the chest strap then. Other exercise or daily life, it's been fine. (I usually wear the chest belt during intentional exercise just out of habit from my old HRM-only days, but I've done most activities at least once without it and have gotten decent results, except the rowing.)
Not knowing what your job is, I can't guess whether the wrist-based monitor will be challenged, or not. (I'm told skin color and hairiness can also make a difference, but I'm naturally skim-milk blue-white, and averagely hairy for a woman, so I don't have relevant experience.)
Since you can't take your phone with you, it would be important to choose one that will store a reasonable number of workouts or amount of daily life activity data, then.
If I wanted to, I could use my Garmin's all-day calorie estimate manually to set MFP goals (I have a decent idea what percentage adjustment would apply, and I could pin that down). But, for me, it's so far off on the daily total (hundreds of calories) that trying to synch it would create far more work than it could possibly save.
I'd observe that manually logging without device assist works just fine, once there's a couple of months of estimated data logged to make a rational adjustment. I'm sedentary for real outside of exercise, but if I set MFP at "active" plus record/eat all exercise, its estimate is only a little low.
No matter, I know how much to eat, from the data I've collected. It's just a fun science fair project for grown-ups.
:drinker:0 -
I can't tell for sure but it looks like the Polar M200 fitness watch works with the H10, not sure if it works with my H7 but i dont see why not if it works with the H10. If thats the case i might go with the M200 w/chest strap for better accuracy.0
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