Calorie Count Change

kmuti1
kmuti1 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When does the calorie count change? My calories have remained the same since I started yet, I have lost weight. Is it every 5 or 10 pounds or something like that?

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Years ago MFP used to prompt me, but I'm not sure it still does.

    Perhaps every time you update your weight it updates your calories?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    edited February 2023
    I'm not sure whether it does it automatically, and whether there are differences between website, app, different operating systems, etc. Why not run through the guided setup every once in a while and see if something changes?

    Other alternative: if you're already at the lowest calories MFP will give you then you won't go lower. This is 1500 for men, and 1200 for women.
  • kmuti1
    kmuti1 Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks! Interesting, mine was set to 1770 which is an odd calorie number. I think I’ll attempt to go in and manually change it to 1500 and see what else changes as a result.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    edited February 2023
    My experience is that you need to go through the goal set-up again to get an updated calorie goal, simply entering weigh-ins isn't enough.

    Why is 1770 odd? Your calorie goal is based on your personal stats, 'odd' numbers like that are normal, I'd find it stranger to have a rounded number :smile:

    Choosing a manual calorie goal instead of calculated by MFP won't change anything else, however if you change your activity level, weight loss rate, etc it will update your calorie goal.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,244 Member
    I think MFP will still send a prompt if you've lost weight. It did that for me recently; it didn't do it the first time I lost back in 2018. I had a two-year struggle with some regain during COVID, and it's back off. I never increased my calorie budget; just kept it at maintenance. Now I'm back. In the last couple months, getting back to maintenance weight, I have received a couple prompts to go back through Guided Setup. I don't, because I know the number I have is right for me based on five years experience.

    That said, there's been a weird glitch lately that MFP reset my calories without my permission. It wasn't a huge reset, but it was an increase. I noticed it the first time on 2 January. The only reason I noticed is I happened to be logged in right at midnight when it rolled to the next day. I hadn't done any exercise, but my allowance was more than the base. It had apparently happened the previous day, so when I went in and reset it manually, it fixed for the previous day too. Odd. I always set it manually even if I go through Guided Setup; the Guided Setup will change the number whether you want it to or not. So I always go fix it. I sent a Support Ticket about it.

    Well, it happened again a couple weeks ago. Once again, I reset it manually and sent a support ticket. Staff is aware of the issue, and they're working on it. Main thing is, be sure to look at your calorie allowance on a regular basis just in case it changes without you knowing about it.

    And if you are actively losing weight, you DO need to reassess your current budget every ten or so pounds of loss to get the most accurate estimate. Your estimate from Guided Setup may still need to be adjusted based on how your body works, but it's usually close.

    Short answer is that MFP shouldn't reset your goal on its own, but sometimes it does, and it sets it in the wrong direction. Just keep an eye on it, and update it as needed.

    Oh - and if it does reset without your permission? Please submit a support ticket so they know it's more widespread.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Years ago MFP used to prompt me, but I'm not sure it still does.

    Perhaps every time you update your weight it updates your calories?

    That's my experience. Calories only update when you update your weight.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,244 Member
    I update my weight every day. Only when I was consistently down days on days for a few weeks did I get a prompt to reassess, but it is supposed to let each of us as users set that goal.

    The glitch is that it was resetting on its own to a HIGHER number which is counter productive if you don't notice it happened.
  • kmuti1
    kmuti1 Posts: 10 Member
    Lots of good comments. Thanks everyone!

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