I am not meeting my caloric intake for the day, is this bad? Also,Please help explain net calories?

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moshispins
moshispins Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I am new here and this is the first time I have really started logging calorie. I am really happy to have found the myfitnesspal app, it makes logging so much easier!

But, I have noticed that I am not reaching my goal caloric intake for the day. I was supposed to have 1640, but I only reached 782 yesterday (and that was using a generous estimate of the oil I used for cooking). My husband seems to think this will prevent me from losing weight, is this true?

Also, I have already read the definition but I am still confused, can someone help explain how net calories work?

This is the first time in a long, long time that I have decided to seriously lose weight. I would hate for my confusion to cause my downfall. I am sorry if this has already been answered or is in the wrong place, I am very new here. Thanks for your help!
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Replies

  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Eating 782 calories (which is highly unlikely if you are not using a scale to weigh your foods) will not inhibit your weight loss; HOWEVER, eating such a low amount makes it impossible to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs to be healthy. My advice: get a scale, and USE IT to make sure you are eating the recommended amount.

    Total calories consumed - exercise calories burned = net calories (1200 is the minimum you should have for net calories)

    Be aware that the calorie burns on MFP tend to be overestimated.
  • moshispins
    moshispins Posts: 10
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    Yeah, people keep saying that it is unlikely that I am eating that little. I do have a scale and I did weight my food. I also used MFP to log the calories of the foods I could scan and kept an eye on the portions to make sure they were correct. I really do not eat much though. I didn't know if I should up how much I am eating or just keep it where it is. Especially considering I am trying to lose weight.
  • moshispins
    moshispins Posts: 10
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    Also, the same thing happened last time I tried to track my calories. I felt dejected by the fact that I was not meeting my goal and eventually fell off track.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Sorry, honest question here. If meeting your calories is a problem, how did you come to need to lose 75 pounds?
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
    edited January 2015
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    If its volume of food you are having a problem with eat more calorie dense food - nuts avacado etc, if you are eating as little as you think you are it's not healthy or sustainable in the long term, even 1200 is very low for most people.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Well, the bottom line for weight loss is calories in/calories out so you will lose weight eating 782 calories per day. But, eating so little is neither healthy or sustainable. Do you really want to eat so little for the rest of your life? I really encourage you to approach this the healthy way, which is to use the application to calculate the calories you need and to follow through with eating that amount.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Why are you eating so few calories? While it won't inhibit weight loss, it's not healthy, so yes it is bad. Obviously you used to eat a substantial amount of calories or you wouldn't be overweight. There is really no need to eat so little now. You're going from one to the other extreme when you should be finding a happy medium. At the very LEAST, you should be taking in 1200 calories and eating back most of your exercise calories.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Sorry, honest question here. If meeting your calories is a problem, how did you come to need to lose 75 pounds?

    Nailed it.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Sorry, honest question here. If meeting your calories is a problem, how did you come to need to lose 75 pounds?

    I always wonder this, too, lol.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    edited January 2015
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    You can check out this link to read about setting your calories and going from there:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Yes, you'll lose weight eating that little, but it won't take very long for you to become miserable eating that little. Long-term, you'll see plenty of negative health effects, some of which you'll be able to see, some of which you won't. That's if you continue eating that little, but my guess is that the pendulum will swing the other way, and soon.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.

    NO. OP please do not heed this advice, it is incorrect.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Yes, eat more to hit your target. Dried fruit and nuts can add up quickly to reach your goal. Measure them out first.
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
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    RBXChas wrote: »
    You can check out this link to read about setting your calories and going from there:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Yes, you'll lose weight eating that little, but it won't take very long for you to become miserable eating that little. Long-term, you'll see plenty of negative health effects, some of which you'll be able to see, some of which you won't. That's if you continue eating that little, but my guess is that the pendulum will swing the other way, and soon.

    +1 for sexy pants!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.

    No

    OP, you're expected to hit your goal. One or two days low isn't a problem, but consistent undereating can lead to malnourishment.
  • mawkishstoic
    mawkishstoic Posts: 14 Member
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    How many days in a row have you failed to meet 1200 calories?
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.


    Wrong.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.

    ahh, NOPE.
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing, when food is plentiful your body packs on weight as fat, when food is in short supply the body will slow down and burn less calories. Eating too little will put your body in starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and weight loss will be minimal.

    You need to eat enough that your body doesn't think you are starving.

    No.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
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    trinatrina1984 wrote: »
    RBXChas wrote: »
    You can check out this link to read about setting your calories and going from there:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Yes, you'll lose weight eating that little, but it won't take very long for you to become miserable eating that little. Long-term, you'll see plenty of negative health effects, some of which you'll be able to see, some of which you won't. That's if you continue eating that little, but my guess is that the pendulum will swing the other way, and soon.

    +1 for sexy pants!

    I feel like it should be required reading for everyone signing up for MFP. It really is helpful, and it contains links to other helpful posts. It's a lot of reading but oh so informative. It changed my perspective even after I'd been at this for a while.

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