Not meeting calorie goal

EpilepsyWarrior

I have been trying to eat right focussing on protein. My calorie goal is set to 1200. Im eatting good portions and excercising as well.
Today my day looked like this:
Breakfast: Overnight oatmeal with fruit and 1 coffee(milk + teaspoon sugar)
Lunch: salad with chicken, spinach cucumber and a little grated cheese for flavor because Im not a fan of salad dressing.
Snack: yogurt cup
Dinner: havent eatten it yet... I need to do groceries today so im not quite sure what. Maybe a healthy "taco" which is ground beef with a little garlic + a teeny bit of salsa, onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, a teeny bit of sour cream and sprinkle of cheese on a protein flour tortilla and a healthy dessert if im still hungry.
Plus a protein shake.
This is mostly how I have been eatting. And more often then not MFP says im not eatting enough. I drink lots of water, I dont feel hungry and if I do I have a snack, the nutrients im getting is more then good because I also take a multivitamin.

Am I doing something wrong? Should I eat when im mot hungry just because MFP says so? Should I eat back the calories I burn?

TeaBea

Yes - you should eat at least 1200 calories. It's a default minimum anyway (before exercise)......yes, eat a portion of exercise calories back. Most women can eat more than 1200 (+ exercise calories) and still lose weight. Under eating can cause a host of health problems.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

Calorie dense foods - nuts, nut butter, avocado, roast veggies in olive oil, full fat dairy.

All calories don't have to be "healthy" whatever your definition is. You could also have a cookie or a scoop of ice cream. Learning moderation for all foods (not just "healthy" ones) will help you maintain your weight loss. Losing weight is just the first step.

vampirequeen1959

I struggle to eat the amounts MFP says I should. Rather than look at calories, I check my protein intake. If that's OK and I know I've eaten a balanced day with plenty of fruit and veg then I don't panic about it. If I'm way under I might have some nuts or such like.

spencen77

I count carbs, and most days that causes me to come in under 1200 calories, but I’m not hungry, and have tons of energy. I’m not worried about it.

TeaBea

spencen77 wrote: »

I count carbs, and most days that causes me to come in under 1200 calories, but I’m not hungry, and have tons of energy. I’m not worried about it.

Under eating on a regular basis helps you lose "weight" more quickly. Healthy weight loss (moderate deficit) is muscle sparing, aggressive weight loss not. Google skinny-fat. There's a price.

kimny72

Are you using a food scale? Double checking that the entries you're choosing in the database have accurate calories listed?
1200 calories is simply not alot of fuel for a body to run on, unless you are unusually short and undermuscled and very sedentary.

Some people do have messed up hunger cues and can undereat without struggling with hunger. That doesn't change the fact that they are underfueling their bodies. And while you might feel fine like that for awhile, the cumulative damage will add up until the fatigue and physical damage becomes obvious and can take weeks or months to recover.

Commit to a month of really accurate logging. Use a food scale for all solids whenever possible. Double check the database entries you are choosing to the package or to USDA values for whole foods. Log every darn thing: condiments, cooking oils, late night snacks, beverages, cheat meals, bad days, everything. If you are undereating, fix it. Please take good care of yourself :flowerforyou:

TeaBea

spencen77 wrote: »

I count carbs, and most days that causes me to come in under 1200 calories, but I’m not hungry, and have tons of energy. I’m not worried about it.

The default minimum for an adult male is 1500 calories. If you are short and sedentary 1500 is fine, or if you are short and elderly. 1200 is the minimum for WOMEN.

DevonKaroline

Are you weighing your food? Does every day more or less look like this? How is your energy? is your weight changing? I would need to know more before pointing you in the right direction.

Something else to consider is that you may be unintentionally inaccurately tracking.

EpilepsyWarrior

Update : I am doing much better now. I am using a scale and im eatting enough. Also excercising Thank you everyone for responding. It was much appreciated