Minimum # of calories each day??

rainycs65

Hi - I am new, did WW for a while and lost 40lbs, but once they switched to the new program, I gained 30lb. All it taught me was that I can't be trusted with zero-point foods! Wishful thinking on my part.

I have been allotted 1,400 calories per day. I don't intend on leaving calories un-eated but I was wondering how many of those calories must be eaten before starvation mode kicks in, or does that not apply to MFP?

Thanks!

TavistockToad

Starvation mode isn't a thing

kgeyser

The way MFP works is that your daily calorie goal is before exercise. So if you are not an exerciser, you would aim for the 1400 each day. If you do exercise, MFP wants you to eat back your exercise calories. I generally would aim to eat back about 50% of the calories, because I found the calorie estimates for exercise to be way too high.

The best way to find your best calorie goal is track your intake for about a month and your weight loss, since MFP's calorie goal is just an estimate. You'll able to figure out how much flexibility you have with calories to still hit your weekly weight loss goal. I recommend giving it at least a month because you will likely see a big loss the first week (water weight), and weight loss is not linear. One week it might be 1.5 lbs per week, another week you barely hit 1 lb of loss, but over time you'll notice a trend and an average emerging.

Guest714

I’m sorry I don’t have any advice, but I wanted to comment because I also lost 40 lbs on WW. I could not get the hang of the new plan either so I’m giving MFP a go. Hope this works for both of us.

Dilvish

I think the key is that everyone is different. "Starvation mode" can exist but it depends on the person. Of course you have likely heard that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is lifestyle changes. Clearly those of us that have weight issues usually get to the point of "dieting" because we move less and eat more.

If you are concerned about "starvation mode"... don't. As long as you spread your 1400 calories out through the day, your body won't go into starvation mode.

If you do enough reading you will find that Doctors and Health experts will all agree, fad diets or program diets like WW, JC, SF, Atkins etc. will likely help you lose weight but in the long term you will gain all or some of it back. Why? because your falling back into old habits.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is lifestyle change over a long period of time. Weight loss should never be considered a short term thing because look how long it took to become overweight in the first place!

MFP can only help you if you are honest about your entries. Personally I find that creating my own foods (My Foods) is the most accurate I can be because I am getting the Nutrition info directly from the label on the package. In terms of whole foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat/fish etc from whfoods.org. This way I know my consumption is accurate as long as I enter the correct portions.

Adding exercise is a little more complicated as there is no hard and fast rule regarding calories burned per hour because everyone is different. Do some research when entering exercise in MFP so that you can get as accurate a reading as possible because some exercises listed in the database over rate the amount of calories burned eg. walking at a moderatae pace burns 300 calories per hour yet some entries in the database say 400 or 250...you get the idea.

Just remember like a home weigh scale, the numbers can sometimes lie! Nothing in MFP is 100% except you!

bemyyfriend0918

I could not be trusted with zero point foods either. Hopefully you find success with MFP. I prefer it greatly over WW, because I'm a "sweets and carbs" type of person, and WW seemed to punish me with those things. Meaning, I got 26pts per day...one piece of chocolate took 8 of them! At least on MFP if I can fit them into my calorie goal, it's perfectly do-able!

Anyway, if MFP gave you 1400, I would try and get as close to that as possible, but don't force yourself to eat extra for the sake of reaching it. If one day you only hit 1200, don't worry about it, it won't be detrimental. Starvation mode isn't really a thing, however, your metabolism can lower if you are consistently eating a low number of calories. For me, eating a steady number (such as 1400), helps me avoid the urge to binge and go way over.

In addition, if you're getting exercise, you should eat back some of those as long as you're sure you're logging accurately. Most people don't eat 100% of them back, but more like 50% or so. I like to "bank them" for the weekends, because I like to go out to eat and have a drink or two. For example - if I earn 400 extra calories from exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, that's 1200 more I can have on Saturday night! lol

Good luck, I am sure you will find success here!

hippysprout

TavistockToad wrote: »

Starvation mode isn't a thing

^^^ This. ^^^

VVV NOT this. VVV

Dilvish wrote: »

"Starvation mode" can exist but it depends on the person.

While weight loss is not linear, and what may work for one person will not work for another with regards to creating a calorie deficit, essentially weight loss is no different for one person than for another, it's an equation: Calories in < calories out = weight loss OR Calories in > calories out = weight gain.

Short yourself on calories and you run a risk of shorting yourself on essential vitamins and nutrients and that can absolutely take it's toll on your body in a very real and risky way over time. It's every bit as dangerous as remaining overweight or obese.

Weigh your food, log your food, eat your food, stick to your calories and you'll be fine. Good luck.

lowcarbmale

hippysprout wrote: »

Calories in < calories out = weight loss OR Calories in > calories out = weight gain.

Correct. Calories out is not a constant though. If you eat less of the foods that your body needs to maintain its functions it will try to conserve energy and will eventually try to burn less calories. Have you ever heard of people being cold or tired on a diet? If the body kept up the same rate of metabolism you would not feel cold. Use the search for tired or cold - there are literally thousands of results with people having that exact problem.

You would believe it when myfitnesspal.com writes it right?
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-dietitian-whats-deal-starvation-mode/

jjpptt2

To clarify - starvation mode is a thing. Just not how MFP and the diet industry talk about it. But just because people are wrong about something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Now, to the question - you don't have to worry about starvation mode. While I'm sure there are exceptions, by in large it's a non-issue unless you are living far below the poverty line. Simple dieting isn't going to put there.

OP - 1400 cals is a pretty reasonable number, but it's just an estimate and a starting point for you. Log/tracks as consistently and as completely as you can and see how things go. If, after a month or so, you aren't seeing the results you want then (a) make sure your expectations are reasonable, (b) make a couple of small changes and go from there.

TheresaG710

Rainycs65, great question. I'm a registered dietitian. I agree with kgeyser's response. Just so you know, 1200 calories per day is *generally* the minimum # calories to obtain the nutrients we need for survival. (We tend to forgot that we need all those trace elements and vitamins that are obtained in a healthy, varied diet.) My suggestion is to consume ~1400-1500 if that's what MFP estimated and track your weight loss. (like others said) If you're starving, eat more healthy foods. If you're satisfied, stop eating. Good luck!

AnnPT77

lowcarbmale wrote: »

hippysprout wrote: »

Calories in < calories out = weight loss OR Calories in > calories out = weight gain.

Correct. Calories out is not a constant though. If you eat less of the foods that your body needs to maintain its functions it will try to conserve energy and will eventually try to burn less calories. Have you ever heard of people being cold or tired on a diet? If the body kept up the same rate of metabolism you would not feel cold. Use the search for tired or cold - there are literally thousands of results with people having that exact problem.

You would believe it when myfitnesspal.com writes it right?
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-dietitian-whats-deal-starvation-mode/

One can certainly eat too little, so become fatigued and undernourished, slow down, rest more, move less, thus burn fewer calories in daily life and sap intensity out of workouts, thus lowering TDEE, and losing more slowly than expected at a particular calorie level.

Often, people here who mention "starvation mode" mean that they're worried that if they eat too little, they'll stop losing weight altogether. If that were really routinely possible, no one would ever starve to death, and sadly many people do starve to death worldwide every day.

Undereating is a bad plan. Fatigue/slowdown is only one reason. The optimum calorie intake for weight loss is not the minimum calorie intake that a particular person can tough out, for many reasons.

(And no, I wouldn't believe something just because it was written in the MFP blogs. There's a mix of solid info, and complete click-bait nonsense in the MFP blogs. This particular article is fine, but it doesn't include the "too low calories so no weight loss" possible definition of "starvation mode" . . . and yes, I've literally seen people here spell out that they believed it was possible to eat so little they'd stop losing weight, and call that "starvation mode", where your body adds fat even though you're in a calorie deficit. SMH.)

AnvilHead

lowcarbmale wrote: »

hippysprout wrote: »

Calories in < calories out = weight loss OR Calories in > calories out = weight gain.

Correct. Calories out is not a constant though. If you eat less of the foods that your body needs to maintain its functions it will try to conserve energy and will eventually try to burn less calories. Have you ever heard of people being cold or tired on a diet? If the body kept up the same rate of metabolism you would not feel cold. Use the search for tired or cold - there are literally thousands of results with people having that exact problem.

There's a BIG difference between metabolic adaptation (which is a thing) and "starvation mode" (which is not a thing, at least not as it's commonly passed around in dietary woo). Hopefully you understand the difference between the two.

lowcarbmale wrote: »

You would believe it when myfitnesspal.com writes it right?
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-dietitian-whats-deal-starvation-mode/

LOL.

LOLOL.

LOLOLOL.



No.

The MFP blog is as big a source of woo as some of the woo-iest sites on the internet.

lowcarbmale

AnvilHead wrote: »

lowcarbmale wrote: »

You would believe it when myfitnesspal.com writes it right?
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-dietitian-whats-deal-starvation-mode/

LOL.

LOLOL.

LOLOLOL.



No.

The MFP blog is as big a source of woo as some of the woo-iest sites on the internet.

good. lol.