Signs that Calories are Too Low
Replies
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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.
Sorry if you've already answered this, but how much do you have to lose currently? It's possible your deficit is too aggressive. MFP won't go below 1200cal and that's not always appropriate/necessary for everyone.1 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »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.
Sorry if you've already answered this, but how much do you have to lose currently? It's possible your deficit is too aggressive. MFP won't go below 1200cal and that's not always appropriate/necessary for everyone.
I am 5'4 and 141 currently. I was 146 on January 1. I have been 120-130 my whole adult life until the last six months from a family situation leading to depression. I have a VERY small body frame. I know some people can weight 140 and be fine at my height, but on my body frame, this has lead to a lot of extra fat in my midsection.0 -
So about 10-20lbs to go. You might be fine on whatever MFP gives you for 1lb/week loss, but if that's giving you these symptoms might want to bump it down to .5lb/week.3
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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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?2 -
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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?
It looks like it’s set to 2 pounds per week.
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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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?
It looks like it’s set to 2 pounds per week.
Yeah that's way too aggressive with so little to lose. Try 1lb/week for awhile, and bump down to .5lb if necessary.3 -
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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?
It looks like it’s set to 2 pounds per week.
For someone trying to go from the top of the healthy weight range to the bottom, this is far too aggressive. Change it to 1 lb per week (if you aren't patient enough to do 0.5). And make sure you are not skimping on protein and fat, one of the problems with 1200 cals is its difficult to get enough protein and fat, which can affect how you feel. Glad to hear your food scale is on the way
Good luck! 6 -
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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?
It looks like it’s set to 2 pounds per week.
For someone trying to go from the top of the healthy weight range to the bottom, this is far too aggressive. Change it to 1 lb per week (if you aren't patient enough to do 0.5). And make sure you are not skimping on protein and fat, one of the problems with 1200 cals is its difficult to get enough protein and fat, which can affect how you feel. Glad to hear your food scale is on the way Good luck!
^^Second this.2 -
it could be just your electrolytes are off. next time, trying eating a dill pickle
and see if it helps.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »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.
But what did you choose for a weekly weight loss goal?
It looks like it’s set to 2 pounds per week.
For someone trying to go from the top of the healthy weight range to the bottom, this is far too aggressive. Change it to 1 lb per week (if you aren't patient enough to do 0.5). And make sure you are not skimping on protein and fat, one of the problems with 1200 cals is its difficult to get enough protein and fat, which can affect how you feel. Glad to hear your food scale is on the way Good luck!
^^Second this.
Third-ed4 -
Answering the OP’s question, fitness performance dips.0
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I would highly suggest setting it to .5 a week. I'm 5'3 and 135 down from 155 last year. Every time I would set mine to 1200 a week (2lbs a week), I would get too hungry or fatigued and throw in the towel. Last year I set it to .5 loss a week. And, over the course of 8 months I have lost 20 and have kept it off so far. It was slow. Very slow overall, but this is the longest I have kept it off since like 10 years ago, lol. So even though it's slower (annoyingly so sometimes) I feel like the .5 lb gives you the opportunity to slowly tweak your eating and activity habits in a much more sustainable way. If eating more doesn't solve the racing heart though, a visit to the doctor is in order! If it's nothing, then great! But if it's something, it's best to get on it early! Good luck.
Also come check out this group: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/499-not-that-heavy-girls It's a great group for advice and accountability.
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witchaywoman81 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 👍👍
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.
Sorry but I didn't say to eat under the BMR. I said that this is the base number of calories, I.e. the minimum that should be eaten everyday.3 -
witchaywoman81 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 👍👍
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.
Sorry but I didn't say to eat under the BMR. I said that this is the base number of calories, I.e. the minimum that should be eaten everyday.
I think there is some confusion here as to the difference between BMR and TDEE. BMR is only the base number of calories a person should eat each day IF they’re in a coma or bedridden. MFP doesn’t give you your BMR. TDEE is the estimated number of calories your body burns each day through normal activity and exercise together. MFP gives you a calorie goal based on how active you tell it you are before intentional exercise. This is called the NEAT method, with a deficit built in. In this case, it sounds like op picked too steep a deficit for her height and weight.
PS. I don’t remember what all of these acronyms stand for off-hand, but I’m sure someone else can help with that if you’re curious. 😃0 -
witchaywoman81 wrote: »witchaywoman81 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 👍👍
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.
Sorry but I didn't say to eat under the BMR. I said that this is the base number of calories, I.e. the minimum that should be eaten everyday.
I think there is some confusion here as to the difference between BMR and TDEE. BMR is only the base number of calories a person should eat each day IF they’re in a coma or bedridden. MFP doesn’t give you your BMR. TDEE is the estimated number of calories your body burns each day through normal activity and exercise together. MFP gives you a calorie goal based on how active you tell it you are before intentional exercise. This is called the NEAT method, with a deficit built in. In this case, it sounds like op picked too steep a deficit for her height and weight.
PS. I don’t remember what all of these acronyms stand for off-hand, but I’m sure someone else can help with that if you’re curious. 😃
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure
NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis5 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »witchaywoman81 wrote: »witchaywoman81 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 👍👍
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.
Sorry but I didn't say to eat under the BMR. I said that this is the base number of calories, I.e. the minimum that should be eaten everyday.
I think there is some confusion here as to the difference between BMR and TDEE. BMR is only the base number of calories a person should eat each day IF they’re in a coma or bedridden. MFP doesn’t give you your BMR. TDEE is the estimated number of calories your body burns each day through normal activity and exercise together. MFP gives you a calorie goal based on how active you tell it you are before intentional exercise. This is called the NEAT method, with a deficit built in. In this case, it sounds like op picked too steep a deficit for her height and weight.
PS. I don’t remember what all of these acronyms stand for off-hand, but I’m sure someone else can help with that if you’re curious. 😃
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure
NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
Phew! Thank you! 🙏🏻1 -
BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate ( Calories burned by just existing)
NEAT= Non-Excercise Activity Thermogenisis (Calories burned by normal daily activity. Things like your job, your activities around the house, etc all effect this number this is what MFP bases your calories on.)
TDEE= Total Daily Energy Expedenture (Calories burned Existing + going about your day + purposful excercise. I guess this would be the total number of NET calories MFP might give you at the end of the day, after you have logged your excersise)
Edit: I see @MichelleSilverleaf Beat me to it while I was typing this up.
Edit2: Also my spelling kind of sucks. Sorry, lol!5 -
Crafty_camper123 wrote: »BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate ( Calories burned by just existing)
NEAT= Non-Excercise Activity Thermogenisis (Calories burned by normal daily activity. Things like your job, your activities around the house, etc all effect this number this is what MFP bases your calories on.)
TDEE= Total Daily Energy Expedenture (Calories burned Existing + going about your day + purposful excercise. I guess this would be the total number of NET calories MFP might give you at the end of the day, after you have logged your excersise)
Edit: I see @MichelleSilverleaf Beat me to it while I was typing this up.
Edit2: Also my spelling kind of sucks. Sorry, lol!
Thank you as well! Also, such a sweet doggie! ❤️
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witchaywoman81 wrote: »Crafty_camper123 wrote: »BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate ( Calories burned by just existing)
NEAT= Non-Excercise Activity Thermogenisis (Calories burned by normal daily activity. Things like your job, your activities around the house, etc all effect this number this is what MFP bases your calories on.)
TDEE= Total Daily Energy Expedenture (Calories burned Existing + going about your day + purposful excercise. I guess this would be the total number of NET calories MFP might give you at the end of the day, after you have logged your excersise)
Edit: I see @MichelleSilverleaf Beat me to it while I was typing this up.
Edit2: Also my spelling kind of sucks. Sorry, lol!
Thank you as well! Also, such a sweet doggie! ❤️
She's a good girl!
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