Inconsistencies in FreeDieting.com calorie cycling recommendations?

  • I went to freedieting.com last week and calculated my calorie cycling recommendations. Today I wondered if the 2 lbs I have lost would change my recs significantly enough that I should adjust my daily eating. It did, but it also changed the cycle part of the plan. (Before, I had a consistent # every day except 1 day of slightly higher, and 1 more day slightly higher than that) My new fat-loss plan looks like this:
    Monday 1388
    Tuesday 1240
    Wednesday 1666
    Thursday 1388
    Friday 1249
    Saturday 1527
    Sunday 1240

    This would all be fine, except that on a hunch, I put in the same info I did last week to make sure I would get the same results I've been using so far. I can't get them again, no matter what I try. I guess I am just concerned that maybe this calculator isn't correct and I'm going down the wrong path.

    Has anyone else noticed this? What have you done about it? Or should I just ignore, and use my new results? Or my old results? Do you re-calculate as you lose pounds, or do you always stick with the initial recommendations?

    Thanks so much, I am new to this and thought I knew what I was doing but now I'm so confused!!
  • Yes, there are errors in the program. These online calculators are based on averages and can never be the criterion by which an individual determines his or her calorie needs.

    For example, I put in my information and got certain figures for calorie cycling. I put in my information again, but changed the age, by 25 years, and got the same numbers. It is most unlikely that two people of the same height, weight, and activity level, but a generation apart would use calories in the same way.

    There are many threads on this subject in the Maintenance Forum, which I have found most helpful.

    It takes experimenting, and "trial and error", to determine what is right for ourselves.

    Sending you lots of good thoughts for success!