Signs that Calories are Too Low
brittlb07
Posts: 313 Member
I am on day 11 of counting my calories. MFP suggested I eat 1,200 calories for my 5’4 height. I started at 146 and I’m down to 141 after the 11 days. So far most days I’ve been okay on 1,200 calories. But tonight I was laying in bed and my heart was racing. When limiting my calories in the past, I’ve noticed this happens. Is this a sign I’m not eating enough? Has anyone else noticed this is a sign of too low calories? I know people who fast all day at times so it’s hard for me to believe it’s from that. My stomach is not growling or anything. My goal weight is 120.
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Replies
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How many pounds per week did you set MFP to?2
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Signs are similar to hypoglycemia. Racing heart could be due to dehydration as we get around 40% of our water from the foods we eat. Hyponatremia is another problem when people start trying to eat healthy and exercise, it is low sodium levels either bought about by excessive sweating or excessive water intake (or low sodium intake of course)5
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As a side note, it's pretty easy to test. See if your symptoms stop briefly after eating. I feel like you're more likely to be dehydrated myself but a visit to the doc might be in order3
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Remember your goal is 1200 + exercise calories, it's only 1200 on a non-exercise day.
Whether 1200 base calories is even appropriate for you is another question of course.11 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!25
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Are you meeting your fat macros? I have had a similar experience in the past when dieting wrong.1
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1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.8
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Teabythesea_ wrote: »1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.
No I am 20 pounds over weight. I have a VERY small bone frame. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life and due to some depression issues the last year, spiked 15 pounds. Trust me when I say that the 140-146 I am at right now is not appropriate for me. Lot of extra fat around my midsection right now.12 -
TheJacob_94 wrote: »Are you meeting your fat macros? I have had a similar experience in the past when dieting wrong.
I am not sure I understand the macros thing. Is this it? It looks like I am OVER on fat.
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Teabythesea_ wrote: »1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.
No I am 20 pounds over weight. I have a VERY small bone frame. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life and due to some depression issues the last year, spiked 15 pounds. Trust me when I say that the 140-146 I am at right now is not appropriate for me. Lot of extra fat around my midsection right now.
Are you lifting?0 -
Teabythesea_ wrote: »1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.
No I am 20 pounds over weight. I have a VERY small bone frame. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life and due to some depression issues the last year, spiked 15 pounds. Trust me when I say that the 140-146 I am at right now is not appropriate for me. Lot of extra fat around my midsection right now.
.5 to 1 pound per week is a reasonable amount with 20 pounds to lose.12 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.17 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs just to function. So no, you shouldn't be going lower than that.10 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).12 -
Teabythesea_ wrote: »1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.
No I am 20 pounds over weight. I have a VERY small bone frame. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life and due to some depression issues the last year, spiked 15 pounds. Trust me when I say that the 140-146 I am at right now is not appropriate for me. Lot of extra fat around my midsection right now.
It may not be appropriate and body composition aside, 20 lbs is still not much to lose at all. Aiming to lose anymore than .5-1lb a week when you don’t have a lot to lose puts you at risk for a multitude of side effects including the loss of muscle mass, nutritional deficiencies, gallstones and more, including some long term effects.
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I am 5’1” and sedentary and now at 145 lbs. my goal is 120-125. MFP suggests 1200 for me also. I do exercise by walking. I eat those calories as well. My weekly average is around 1500 calories and I lose about a half pound every 7-10 days.
Your symptoms may or may not be related to your calorie goal. I find if I am hungry but out of calories I eat a healthy snack (piece of fruit with a slice of cheese or some nuts). 100-200 calories over my target hasn’t been a problem for me. You might be experiencing anxiety by restricting yourself too much.
IMO losing weight slowly over time is more sustainable.7 -
MFP suggested I eat 1,200 calories for my 5’4 height. I started at 146 and I’m down to 141 after the 11 days.
I weigh almost 40 pounds more than you and have lost about 4 pounds in 12 days. In both our cases, it could be partially water weight, but I also think, as I mentioned to you in another thread, that you could afford to eat more than 1200 calories/day. My advice is to set your goal to 1/2 pound/week. If you want to eat 1200 net calories on some days, you still can, but this will also allow you to have a few higher calorie days each week and still lose weight.
I know you want to see the weight come off as fast as possible, but your posts tell me that you’re making it harder for yourself than you need to do. Give yourself a break, shoot for a smaller deficit, and you will reach your goals. Maybe it won’t be as quick as you want it to be, but you’ll also protect yourself from getting frustrated and giving up.
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I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?0 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
Oh dear. Your BMR is the calories your body needs to stay alive if you were in a coma. You should eat below your TDEE to lose weight, not your BMR.5 -
Teabythesea_ wrote: »1,200 is the absolute minimum you should eat and with your stats it seems like you really don’t have a lot to lose so your goal shouldn’t be more than .5-1lb a week. As others have mentioned don’t forget to eat back your exercise calories as well.
No I am 20 pounds over weight. I have a VERY small bone frame. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life and due to some depression issues the last year, spiked 15 pounds. Trust me when I say that the 140-146 I am at right now is not appropriate for me. Lot of extra fat around my midsection right now.
With only 20lbs to lose .5lb a week is very reasonable.1 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate. As others have said, what your body needs to live if all you did was lie around
TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure. How much your body needs to run to do whatever it is you do throughout the day
To lose 2lbs/week you subtract 1000 cal from your TDEE (obviously this is not appropriate for most people)
To lose 1lb/week you subtract 500cal
To lose .5lb/week you subtract 250cal (usually for when you hit 20lbs or less left to lose)
ETA: MyFitnessPal calculates a reasonable deficit from your TDEE based on the info you give it. So fill in your information accurately and pick a reasonable deficit and you should be good
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I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?
Total daily energy expenditure. How much total calories you burn going about your day.1 -
I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?
TDEE = total daily energy expenditure (what you burn in a day composed of BMR + daily activity + exercise)
BMR = basal Metabolic Rate (what your body burns doing absolutely nothing, just sustaining functions)
NEAT = non-exercise activity thermogenesis (this is what MFP goes off of and is composed of your BMR + daily activity, it does NOT include exercise like your TDEE)
To lose weight safely, you eat under your TDEE but above your BMR. Using MFP’s formula, you eat what it gives you, log intentional exercise and eat back those calories. Calorie burn estimates tend to be high so you can eat back 50-75% of exercise calories and probably still be good. If you prefer, and what many including myself do, you can find your TDEE using an online calculator, subtract calories from that and manually input your calorie goal into MFP. This negates the need to log exercise.1 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate. As others have said, what your body needs to live if all you did was lie around
TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure. How much your body needs to run to do whatever it is you do throughout the day
To lose 2lbs/week you subtract 1000 cal from your TDEE (obviously this is not appropriate for most people)
To lose 1lb/week you subtract 500cal
To lose .5lb/week you subtract 250cal (usually for when you hit 20lbs or less left to lose)
ETA: MyFitnessPal calculates a reasonable deficit from your TDEE based on the info you give it. So fill in your information accurately and pick a reasonable deficit and you should be good
MFP uses a NEAT calculation: BMR plus daily activity, then you add your exercise. It doesn't calculate TDEE.
Agree with the rest!7 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »I'm 5ft2 and my BMR is 1450 (for a sedentary job). So this is the base number of calories I should eat a day. I would suggest you Google your bmr and go from that. There are loads of calculators that will work it out for you. Remember to eat good foods as well. 300 cals of veg will make you feel fuller and much better than 300 cals of cookies!
My BMR is 1428.15 so to lose weight, I would certainly need to be around 1200.
You need to eat below your TDEE (which includes bmr, all activity and exercise) to lose, not your BMR (this is the amount you need to survive if you were in a coma).
What is TDEE? Man. I have a lot to learn! That is where I was confused, then. I thought that if your BMR was 1428 then that's what you need to sustain where you are. But I need to lose. So that's not right?
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate. As others have said, what your body needs to live if all you did was lie around
TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure. How much your body needs to run to do whatever it is you do throughout the day
To lose 2lbs/week you subtract 1000 cal from your TDEE (obviously this is not appropriate for most people)
To lose 1lb/week you subtract 500cal
To lose .5lb/week you subtract 250cal (usually for when you hit 20lbs or less left to lose)
ETA: MyFitnessPal calculates a reasonable deficit from your TDEE based on the info you give it. So fill in your information accurately and pick a reasonable deficit and you should be good
MFP uses a NEAT calculation: BMR plus daily activity, then you add your exercise. It doesn't calculate TDEE.
Agree with the rest!
You're right, I forgot that.0 -
Can I point out that I was actually kind of right 😂 not sure why my post got so many 'woo's (tbh not sure what that reaction is supposed to be). Good luck with your healthy lifestyle, I hope you manage to get the results you are looking for. Just remember, to keep it maintainable 👍👍11
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Can I point out that I was actually kind of right 😂 not sure why my post got so many 'woo's (tbh not sure what that reaction is supposed to be). Good luck with your healthy lifestyle, I hope you manage to get the results you are looking for. Just remember, to keep it maintainable 👍👍
You shouldn't be eating just your BMR, unless you're in a coma.12 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »Can I point out that I was actually kind of right 😂 not sure why my post got so many 'woo's (tbh not sure what that reaction is supposed to be). Good luck with your healthy lifestyle, I hope you manage to get the results you are looking for. Just remember, to keep it maintainable 👍👍
You shouldn't be eating just your BMR, unless you're in a coma.
^ this. And if I want a cookie, eating that cookie is gonna be much more satisfying than munching on some broccoli instead, ha!
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Can I point out that I was actually kind of right 😂 not sure why my post got so many 'woo's (tbh not sure what that reaction is supposed to be). Good luck with your healthy lifestyle, I hope you manage to get the results you are looking for. Just remember, to keep it maintainable 👍👍
She should not be eating under her BMR. BMR is the calories a person requires to stay alive if they’re in a coma.
The “woo” reaction basically means what the post says is untrue, incorrect, or, in some cases, based on pseudo-science.
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Thank you all. MFP had suggested 1200 calories based on my numbers, so that's what I had trusted. I will have to reevaluate if my BMR is saying 1428. I have been losing the last 12 days, but sounds like maybe 1200 is a bit too drastic? I am guessing that though I have been aiming for 1200, I am probably not being exact enough on my diary and end up closer to 1400 anyways. My food scale was supposed to arrive today but with the snow in the midwest, it was delayed! Maybe I will aim for 1400 but strive to be even more accurate on my log! Thanks for talking me through this.11
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