Why did my allowable calories go down?

paulaercksn
paulaercksn Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just updated my goals. Meaning, I didn't change anything except my current weight and it lowered my calorie intake by 80 calories. I assume it has something to do with the fact that the less you weight the less calories you need. But I would like to know for sure. Anyone know?

Replies

  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
    as you lose weight the calories required to fuel your body will change, if you were to add a weight belt to put you back to the same weight you started at then the body would require more fuel to get you going. As you drop the weight your allowable cals will drop as well.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    MFP readjusts your calorie goal with every ten pound loss. So congrats on the loss!

    From the Help page: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/faq

    Q. I've lost some weight. Will MyFitnessPal automatically adjust my goals for me based on my new weight?

    A. Every time you record your weight in our system, MyFitnessPal checks to see if you've lost 10 pounds since the last time your goals were calculated. If so, we'll ask you if you'd like to reset your goals based on your new weight.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
    Your calorie goal goes down when you lose weight. I learned the hard way...just like you. You should update your fitness profile every time you lose weight so you don't see drastic reductions like that. It's my biggest complaint about MFP. It won't do it automatically...and it's not intuitive at all. And when you update it you have to go back and adjust carbs, protein, fat...I don't know if you messed with them before but I up my protein allowance and reduce my carb, fat allowances.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
    MFP readjusts your calorie goal with every ten pound loss. So congrats on the loss!

    From the Help page: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/faq

    Q. I've lost some weight. Will MyFitnessPal automatically adjust my goals for me based on my new weight?

    A. Every time you record your weight in our system, MyFitnessPal checks to see if you've lost 10 pounds since the last time your goals were calculated. If so, we'll ask you if you'd like to reset your goals based on your new weight.

    That's what it says but it's not true at all. I learned the hard way. I had lost like 15 pounds and the calories didn't adjust automatically. When I went in to look at my fitness settings my calorie allowance when down by about 50 per day. This is something not working right on the website.
  • GypsyRoaddog
    GypsyRoaddog Posts: 80 Member
    I would suspect that the reason for the auto-adjustment (presuming: MFP readjusts your calorie goal with every ten pound loss as prev post states) is that when You weigh 10# less your body will need You to input fewer calories To Maintain Your Weekly Loss Rate . . . Ease up on that by raising your caloric intake if You are hungry and opt for the 'slower' resulting loss. My take on it.

    gyps
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    MFP readjusts your calorie goal with every ten pound loss. So congrats on the loss!

    From the Help page: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/faq

    Q. I've lost some weight. Will MyFitnessPal automatically adjust my goals for me based on my new weight?

    A. Every time you record your weight in our system, MyFitnessPal checks to see if you've lost 10 pounds since the last time your goals were calculated. If so, we'll ask you if you'd like to reset your goals based on your new weight.
    That's what it says but it's not true at all. I learned the hard way. I had lost like 15 pounds and the calories didn't adjust automatically. When I went in to look at my fitness settings my calorie allowance when down by about 50 per day. This is something not working right on the website.
    It's always worked this way for me. Did you customize any of your goals? I know some people have said they receive a message to "recalculate" their goals periodically. Maybe it's in a pop up window that you have blocked? Not sure but if it's not working for you, you should post that on the TECH HELP board so they can research it!
  • gatorflyer
    gatorflyer Posts: 536 Member
    It's one of my personal pet peeves - not that MFP is calculating it for you, but the fact that you work really hard, lose weight, and then your reward is that you have to work harder (burn more calories) to continue to lose weight. I know, I know, it's the way our bodies work, it takes less calories to fuel a smaller body than a big one, and all of that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
    It's one of my personal pet peeves - not that MFP is calculating it for you, but the fact that you work really hard, lose weight, and then your reward is that you have to work harder (burn more calories) to continue to lose weight. I know, I know, it's the way our bodies work, it takes less calories to fuel a smaller body than a big one, and all of that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
    lol you could always buy a weight vest and wear the weight you have lost to counteract the reduced caloric needs.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    lol you could always buy a weight vest and wear the weight you have lost to counteract the reduced caloric needs.
    Ooh, I wonder if that would work? Although, after I lose a bunch of weight I really don't want to have to work out with it any longer! :bigsmile:
  • Jeremy_Holley
    Jeremy_Holley Posts: 3
    I've lost 11lbs so far and it has not adjusted my daily calories yet, but I wonder if it's because I set my diet %'s to "custom" so I could adjust my protein/carbs/fat to ratios more to my liking- anyone know?
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I go in and recalculate my goals each time I lose weight. As you get smaller, you need less calories so it will work it out for you.
  • Jeremy_Holley
    Jeremy_Holley Posts: 3
    So does anyone know what percentage it decreases our calories for each 10lb loss? Can you give examples and include your weight so we can figure it out?
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
    don't quote me on it but I think it depends on overall body stats.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
    I've lost 11lbs so far and it has not adjusted my daily calories yet, but I wonder if it's because I set my diet %'s to "custom" so I could adjust my protein/carbs/fat to ratios more to my liking- anyone know?

    That's exactly why. Apparently you can't customize it or it won't adjust calories automatically. If you go to settings and update your fitness profile it should lower your calories to the right level. But you will have to go back and customize whatever you changed again.
  • cfraga24
    cfraga24 Posts: 1 Member
    This just happened to me too. But I just started and only lost 3 pounds with my first checkin and my calories went down by 300!!! I was freaking out a bit. Glad I found this thread to explain why. But I’m still not excited about cutting out 300 more calories.
  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 178 Member
    cfraga24 wrote: »
    This just happened to me too. But I just started and only lost 3 pounds with my first checkin and my calories went down by 300!!! I was freaking out a bit. Glad I found this thread to explain why. But I’m still not excited about cutting out 300 more calories.
    Pretty sure that’s not correct. In fact, I feel safe in saying that’s 100% not correct. Try it again, either your allowance now is way far off, or your original number was way off. Give us your stats, we should be able to tell you about where you should be at.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,252 Member
    edited February 2023
    That's excessive. Did you change your activity level or "lbs to lose per week"?
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,259 Member
    There's been a glitch here. It could be that. When it happened to me -- twice -- it INCREASED my calories. Not by a lot, but there was an increase in my base calories, not net.

    As I lost weight, I'd get a prompt to revisit the set-up, but I was fine where my goal was set. I just added an "adjustment" to my diary when I needed the deficit. I noticed one day that my base had moved. Made no sense since I set my goal manually, not from the setup. I just reset it and sent a support ticket. That was right at the new year.

    It happened again just a couple weeks ago. Once again, I just reset it and sent a support ticket so staff knows it's going on. If this is what happened to you, just reset it to the number that works for you and submit a support ticket.

    If there's something else, like you accidentally changed some parameters in the set-up, then.... never mind.

    Be aware; this isn't the first glitch that's popped up, and it won't be the last. There's a lot of data here, and a whole lot of users. They always get fixed. They'll get fixed faster if everyone who experiences one submits a support ticket.

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