Too few calories
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atorres0186
Posts: 8 Member
Hey all! I have noticed MFP has a lot of users who are eating too few calories. I wanted to share a little bit about the risk of cutting calories too low (anything below 1500 calories/day).
I also want to share that I have a bachelor's in Health and Human Performance, so while I can't always make the right choices I have education in what the right choices should be.
In summary, if your body doesn't get enough calories it starts holding onto what calories it does have. Kinda like money. The more money you have, the more money you are comfortable spending where when you are broke you count every dollar and really think about every penny you spend.
I am sure you may have heard about starvation mode. This is your body's way of protecting itself when it is fed too few calories. Your body begins to slow down your metabolism and it holds onto the calories it does get eventually preventing you from losing weight.
When you eat too few calories, it doesn't take long before you are ravenous and binge eat. After guilt sets in, you start back on the too few calorie train. This cycle is a constant stress on your body that wrecks havoc on your metabolism, heart, and your waistline. That's right, your heart because your body is in a constant cycle of stress.
Every body requires a minimum amount of calories just to function. This is called your Basil Metabolic Rate BMR). This is the amount of calories you need to breathe, pump blood, digest food, etc. This for most people is somewhere around 1200 calories(Google search for a BMR calculator and you can determine yours). That means you need more than 1200 calories to get up out of bed, take a shower, pour your cereal, go to the gym, work all day.
I'd be happy to talk more to anyone interested or with specific questions. I just caution everyone to be mindful. MFP is great for logging, but when it sets your goal calories it is only using a mathematic equation and not factoring anything else into that.
Good luck all and count smart and healthy!
I also want to share that I have a bachelor's in Health and Human Performance, so while I can't always make the right choices I have education in what the right choices should be.
In summary, if your body doesn't get enough calories it starts holding onto what calories it does have. Kinda like money. The more money you have, the more money you are comfortable spending where when you are broke you count every dollar and really think about every penny you spend.
I am sure you may have heard about starvation mode. This is your body's way of protecting itself when it is fed too few calories. Your body begins to slow down your metabolism and it holds onto the calories it does get eventually preventing you from losing weight.
When you eat too few calories, it doesn't take long before you are ravenous and binge eat. After guilt sets in, you start back on the too few calorie train. This cycle is a constant stress on your body that wrecks havoc on your metabolism, heart, and your waistline. That's right, your heart because your body is in a constant cycle of stress.
Every body requires a minimum amount of calories just to function. This is called your Basil Metabolic Rate BMR). This is the amount of calories you need to breathe, pump blood, digest food, etc. This for most people is somewhere around 1200 calories(Google search for a BMR calculator and you can determine yours). That means you need more than 1200 calories to get up out of bed, take a shower, pour your cereal, go to the gym, work all day.
I'd be happy to talk more to anyone interested or with specific questions. I just caution everyone to be mindful. MFP is great for logging, but when it sets your goal calories it is only using a mathematic equation and not factoring anything else into that.
Good luck all and count smart and healthy!
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Oh I am soooo picking your brain! I struggle with this. I go back and forth and back again. I reset my settings then set them back. I wonder what is best for my body. Its like you think the less you eat and the more you work out the skinnier you will be. I have been trying to reprogram my thinking but I go back to doing the same old thing. I do exactly what you are saying. What should I really be eating to lose. I am going to set my stuff up now at what I did this weekend. Will you look at it and let me know. I want to be the healthiest me. I want to tone up and look good. I don't want to be that girl that starves to be skinny but man its like I am fighting with myself. I am sure most of you girls know what I am saying. I is a struggle everyday.0
