Questions about the calories MFP recommends

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AZackery
AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have questions about the calories MyFitnessPal recommends.

1. How does MFP determines how much calories each person should eat daily? I could be wrong, but I think they base the calories off a person's height and weight. MFP set me at 1800 calories a day. That's more than I aim to eat on a daily bases. I aim to eat 1500 calories a day. I don't log my food or exercise. I come on here to talk to other people on the healthy road and motivate and encourage others.

2. When a person logs their food, does MFP determines the calories, fat, etc. in the foods or do the person have to input the nutrition information themselves? If MFP determines the calories, there's room for error right? MFP can have a person at being under their recommended calories, when in fact they are over and vice versa, MFP can have a person at being over their recommended calories, when they can be under.

I don't think anyone should eat under 1200 calories and I believe that the more intense workouts a person does, the more they need to eat.

Replies

  • Bonny272
    Bonny272 Posts: 154 Member
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    You log the correct foods and if there is something you like that's not in there you can add the nutrition facts yourself. You should really try using the whole program. I love being able to enter my food and exercise and having MFP keep me on track without all of the guess work.
  • misslyssa319
    misslyssa319 Posts: 186 Member
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    i scan my food as much as possible so those values are off the packages. if i eat out, i check restaurant website and input values myself. the calorie guidlines are the same ones you'll get from any nutritionist or doc
  • doc_martin
    doc_martin Posts: 15
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    As far as the calorie recommendations I believe that MFP use various numbers inputted by you in order to come to a daily calorie recommendation. These include your height/weight/pounds you want to lose/ and activity level. Using these numbers the program gives you a recommendation based on a loss of about 2 pounds a week.

    For the food logging the best way i have found is to scan the UPC into my Iphone MFP app. This will input ALL the nutritional information that is on the label. I have found this way to VERY accurate. If you don't use the mobile app all the same foods are listed in the web sites database, you just have to search them out. This method will also give all the same nutritional info.

    Also make use of the sites recipe maker. This will allow you to create a recipe using all the ingredients you need and then calculate the nutritional info for everything combined.

    I also agree that the more active person is the more calories is needed. MFP DOES take this into account when you input your exercise into your daily diary.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Thanks everyone.

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