Calorie limit

Hello,
I just started last Tuesday and I have always been on no more than a 2000 calorie diet plan. I am wondering why FatSecret has me going off of a 2600 calorie plan? Did I input something wrong on my profile??

Nah. One of the weaknesses of FatSecret is that it tends to overestimate the daily calorie recommendation. I'd trust other sources more than FS for this particular piece of information.

or you might have over estimated your activity level. Try changing that to a less active setting and see if that changes the daily calorie needs.

It is mostly based on your weight. So the more you weigh the more it thinks you burn. I used to think it was WAY off, but now I think it's pretty close. But I also think when you're heavier, you can get away with bigger calorie deficits. 2000 calories a day sounds like a good place to start at your current weight and see how it goes from there!

Usually, I input "sedentary" and then add in the exercise myself.

I had the same problem. Just add basic sedentary activities. I set mine to 10 hours resting, 8 hours sleeping, and 6 hours sitting. For my weight it adds up to 2156 calories, which is inline with what a dietician calculated for me in the past.

If I went with FatSecret's defaults, I'd be kidding myself and gaining weight.

Weight Watchers goes the same way. The more you weigh, the most calories or points it gives you so your body doesn't enter "starvation mode."

Can anyone point me in the direction of a website that will give me a more accurate RDI number? According to FS, my RDI is 2700 - that's a hoot! How in the heck can someone consume 2700 calories and lose weight? That's mindboggling to me.

I went to http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx Yes, the govt site and it told me a ridiculous number too. Try web md http://www.webmd.com/diet/food-fitness-planner/create-your-personal-plan

If I already set my activity level, where do I go to change it? I can't find an update menu.

If you want, you can add a customized daily calorie goal independent of your activity level. Go to: My toolbox > My diet > edit weight details > edit your RDI > calculate your RDI. In the "Save your RDI" box, put in the number of calories you want to consume and click save.

Just started using FatSecret and I really like the way I can customize and streamline everything and create my own diet plan. Switching from SparkPeople which became a mess of ads and unwanted clutter.