Too much food?

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I've only been doing this for a few days, but this app is trying to make me eat more than I am accustomed to, based on the amount of exercise I get. Help! This thing is going to make me gain weight if I really follow it. I have been eating the way I do (very little) ever since I went thru menopause and I CANNOT seem to lose weight. I need to lose about 30 lbs. and even if I accomplished that I would still be a bit overweight for my height.

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  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
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    eat half of exercise, problem solved. But also check your hormones with doctor. Maybe you need supplements.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    How much do you think you should be eating? You can always custom set your calorie goals if you feel MFP's are too high.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    inkstain58 wrote: »
    I've only been doing this for a few days, but this app is trying to make me eat more than I am accustomed to, based on the amount of exercise I get. Help! This thing is going to make me gain weight if I really follow it. I have been eating the way I do (very little) ever since I went thru menopause and I CANNOT seem to lose weight. I need to lose about 30 lbs. and even if I accomplished that I would still be a bit overweight for my height.

    How long have you gone without losing any weight? Are you using a food scale to make sure your logged portion sizes are correct? Are you logging everything? Are you making sure that the logged entries you select from the MFP database are correct by checking against a label or the new USDA site if there is no label?
  • RidiriH
    RidiriH Posts: 11 Member
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    Hey, inkstain58, I actually understand what you mean. I’m one of those people who are full WAAAY before 1200 calories are up! I exercise to feel good and improve my health, not to burn more calories, then mfp says, eat even more!!! I ACCURATELY list my food portions and used to come up 300 calories short! AAGGHH! Yet I was overweight. That was back in December 2019. But, I trusted them when they said I was eating too little and, now in September 2020, I am 27 pounds less.

    If you’re not allergic to nuts, if you’re short on calories at the end of the day, try eating a tablespoon of peanut butter or nut butter of your choice. It’s not a lot of food, yet it helps with the calories! Hope this works for you or something similar.
  • RidiriH
    RidiriH Posts: 11 Member
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    Okay, so for example, it’s 3 PM where I am and I still have 776 calories to go to reach 1200 (slightly more with my steps). I AM NOT hungry, but all the research I’ve done says I need at least 1200 calories to support all my body’s systems without going into “starvation” mode. Is that wrong info? I’m new at this—wish I could tell who disagreed with my former entry and why. I enjoy debate—it’s pretty easy to remain friendly and not take things personally. I hope others feel the same! I like exposure to new ideas as long as they’re presented respectfully. I can’t argue with the facts that I’m eating more daily than I want to and still losing weight.
  • RidiriH
    RidiriH Posts: 11 Member
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    Ahhhhhhh! For 8 months I have been practicing eating only when truly hungry. Yes, for two decades I mindlessly snacked, etc, to become overweight. Now that I’m paying attention, I find 1200 calories seems to be a lot for me personally. Thanks for taking the time to clear that up!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,010 Member
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    In theory it is good to only eat when you are truly hungry. But many people who are or have been overweight have unreliable hunger cues. If you are overweight then at some point you were able to eat more than 1200 calories per day. If you are a person who can't eat 1200 calories per day because you aren't hungry then you are going to need to eat at least 1200 calories per day even if you aren't hungry. If you are not weighing your food you should try using a food scale first to make sure you aren't eating more calories than you think you are. But if you are truly eating less than 1200 cals per day and you are truly not hungry, then your hunger cues aren't working right and you need to eat whether you are hungry or not.