MyFitnessPal tells me I'm consuming to few Cals

LR182
LR182 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I love this system but the advice at the end well isn't advice it tells me i'm eating to few calories, i'm not hungry, so what does it want me to eat more food?, losing weight is the goal im not going to eat unless im hungry and im not going to changed what i eat just because the calories are too low.
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Replies

  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    Your body needs a certain amount of calories just for its basic function, without movement. For most people, its more than 1200 calories. If you eat less but arent hungry, try eating more calorie dense foods, like good fats (avocado, pb, etc).
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I love this system but the advice at the end well isn't advice it tells me i'm eating to few calories, i'm not hungry, so what does it want me to eat more food?, losing weight is the goal im not going to eat unless im hungry and im not going to changed what i eat just because the calories are too low.
    OK I'll bite

    No the goal is to get healthy. Part of that is losing weight (if you are overweight). Being healthy also means eating enough to maintain a healthy body
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    And just had a look at your diary. There's no reason for you to be eating that little and be full. You should probably visit your GP and eventually a dietician to rule out health problems and learn about what and how you should eat. No way 600 calories is filling you up for the day.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Your super-low calorie strategy may be working for you now since you're fairly new to this (and appear to have a lot of weight to lose), but nobody is going to be surprised if you're on here in another month saying your weight loss has stalled and you don't understand why. The goal should not be to lose as fast as possible, but to do it slowly and steadily, in a manner that's conducive to a sustainable lifestyle. Good luck!
  • SuperCrsa
    SuperCrsa Posts: 790 Member
    AH SHAME!! To your body not to you..

    Your body needs food to survive, that's why we actually have to eat, not just to stuff our faces with all the deliciousness.
    Please treat it with some love and I am sure you will get a lot of posts here to explain why it is important to feed your body correctly.
  • blackNBUK
    blackNBUK Posts: 58 Member
    And just had a look at your diary. There's no reason for you to be eating that little and be full. You should probably visit your GP and eventually a dietician to rule out health problems and learn about what and how you should eat. No way 600 calories is filling you up for the day.

    I would also have another look at how consistent you are with your logging. Are you really logging absolutely everything that passes your lips? What you think is just a little bit here and there can mount up quickly and could explain why you aren't hungry.

    If you really are being accurate with your logging the only explanation I've got is that your hunger sense is off. I'd be climbing the walls if I was eating as little as you are. As other people have said it's important to get at least close to your calorie target as it makes it much easier to get the nutrition your body needs to be strong and healthy. Dropping weight quickly is also much more likely to leave you with rolls of loose skin instead of a nice firm stomach. Finally if you want to keep the weight off you need to think of this as a life long change instead of being a short term fix.
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    I took a look at your diary.

    In the name of every deity, demon, demi-god and in the name of science! Eat some more food!!!! You're a 19 year old male. You need a hell of a lot more than 600-1000 calories a day just to survive.

    I'm 40, I weigh less than you (going by what you have written on your profile) and I'm losing weight eating an average of 2,400 cals per day.

    You may want to speak with a doctor because if you think 600 calories per day is acceptable; you are heading down the road of an eating disorder.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    MFP is telling you that because it's the truth. An adult male needs 1800 calories a day just to properly maintain body functions. Women can get away with less because they generally carry less lean body mass than men. You may also be able to do 1500 calories as an obese male for a while but it has to be with an eye to good nutrition and your diary is anything but.

    You may think that you're full but that's a mind game. It will catch up with you and you'll be ravenous, probably binge and blow the work you've done not to mention things like your hair falling out and organ damage.

    Educate yourself on BMR and TDEE (Google will help you), buy real food and learn to prepare it and set yourself up for a healthy life.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Eating low one day will not harm you but if you're doing it many days in a row and still are feeling full, you're probably not logging right. But be honest with yourself about 'feeling full'. Is what you're really feeling that you'd rather lose weight really quickly and you feel like you can suffer through the deprivation to get there? Usually that plan backfires pretty quickly.
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Eating low one day will not harm you but if you're doing it many days in a row and still are feeling full, you're probably not logging right. But be honest with yourself about 'feeling full'. Is what you're really feeling that you'd rather lose weight really quickly and you feel like you can suffer through the deprivation to get there? Usually that plan backfires pretty quickly.
    It's not just one day; it's every single day. :noway:
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    Eating low one day will not harm you but if you're doing it many days in a row and still are feeling full, you're probably not logging right. But be honest with yourself about 'feeling full'. Is what you're really feeling that you'd rather lose weight really quickly and you feel like you can suffer through the deprivation to get there? Usually that plan backfires pretty quickly.
    It's not just one day; it's every single day. :noway:
    ..and next to no protein...hello catabolized muscles.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    It tells you that because you are consuming too few cals. :flowerforyou:
  • erialcelyob
    erialcelyob Posts: 341 Member
    My diary says this too, it was frustrating but I just leave it, I discovered the only way it is going to tell you you are eating enough is if you are bang on 1200 or above. My goal is to not go above that, and well it is working for me so far :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Eating low one day will not harm you but if you're doing it many days in a row and still are feeling full, you're probably not logging right. But be honest with yourself about 'feeling full'. Is what you're really feeling that you'd rather lose weight really quickly and you feel like you can suffer through the deprivation to get there? Usually that plan backfires pretty quickly.
    It's not just one day; it's every single day. :noway:
    I leave the diary checking to others. It tells me nothing except what someone felt like logging.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    You are a 19 yr old male and you need a minimum number of calories according to government standards to be healthy (take it for what it is). That is why MFP gives you that message.

    That aside you are on a dangerous path. Your diet is not balanced, you body needs fat, carbs and protein to survive. I would suggest starting with your doctor and discussing a weight loss plan with realistic goals. Then a dietician to learn about proper nutrition.

    I am a 40 yr old female losing on around 2200 calories a day. If you continue down your current path you can damage your body and have to spend countless hours in the gym rebuilding your muscles.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Hunger cues aren't necessarily trustworthy. Once you regularly under-eat you stop feeling hungry, which is why anorexics report that they aren't hungry even as they are wasting away.

    Use your brain, not your stomach, to determine your energy requirements.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Is losing weight your goal or losing fat?
    Undereating can lead to losing a good bit more muscle too.

    Saying that, the settings are very generic and shouldn't apply equally to all as they do.
  • PrincessTamyka
    PrincessTamyka Posts: 8
    I personally do not think you should eat if you aren't hungry, but I would guess that you are probably eating more than you think you are.....sometimes our estimates for how much of a portion we actually had are off
  • PrincessTamyka
    PrincessTamyka Posts: 8
    Hunger cues aren't necessarily trustworthy. Once you regularly under-eat you stop feeling hungry, which is why anorexics report that they aren't hungry even as they are wasting away.

    Thanks! That was a helpful tip I hadn't heard before.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    My diary says this too, it was frustrating but I just leave it, I discovered the only way it is going to tell you you are eating enough is if you are bang on 1200 or above. My goal is to not go above that, and well it is working for me so far :)

    Except for the binges. That's what happens when you under eat.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    You have a decent amount of weigh to lose, and so a larger deficit is not necessarily terrible in the short run. However, very low calories can cause a bunch of issues including, but not limited to:

    - consuming insufficient protein (and food) to mitigate the risk of muscle loss
    - consuming insufficient fats for hormonal balance (low fat = low testosterone btw)
    - can lead to binges
    - can lead to low energy which can = lower maintenance which = lower deficit
    - can lead to insufficient micronutrients
    - can lead to insufficient fiber for healthy GI (and for good micronutrient absorption)
  • RunWinterGarden
    RunWinterGarden Posts: 428 Member
    I'm the first to say don't eat if you aren't hungry, but if that's how it's going EVERY DAMN DAY, then you need to look at your hunger queues and go see your doctor as you have bigger issues. Will there be a day here or there where I got under 1500 or so and possibly get that warning? Sure, but if I get it more than 2 days in the same week I know something isn't right with my eating habits.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    While there is nothing sacred about 1200 calories....it really isn't appropriate for everyone. And 600 to 800 isn't appropriate for ANYone, much less a guy. Your body can't function properly at that level, and before long will start to tell you so, if it hasn't already by not giving you hunger cues. Please do a little reading on nutrition and healthy eating. There's no need to starve yourself to lose weight--EVER. You aren't being punished. In fact, you can eat better than you ever have before.
    I don't think you're at the point of an eating disorder yet, but you can probably see it from there. Please take care of yourself. You owe it to yourself to treat your body well, its the only one you get.
  • KingRat79
    KingRat79 Posts: 125 Member
    Looking at your food diary (if it is accurate) you are basically starving yourself. As a 19 year old male you should be eating way more then 600-800 a day. Eating such small amount of calories s will have all sorts of unwanted consequences. Yes you will lose fat, but you will also lose muscle, its likely to mess up your hormones, leave you with no energy and generally feeling like crap If you do reach your weight goal’s your going to look unhealthy and feel unhealthy.

    However if I had to put money on it I would bet you cannot sustain eating at such a crazy low level.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Hunger cues aren't necessarily trustworthy. Once you regularly under-eat you stop feeling hungry, which is why anorexics report that they aren't hungry even as they are wasting away.

    Use your brain, not your stomach, to determine your energy requirements.

    You may know more about this than I, but according to Marya Hornbacher who is a recovered anorexic who wrote "Wasted" anorexics will tell you they are not hungry, but they are lying. They are out of their minds ravenous all the time. For what it's worth.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Hunger cues aren't necessarily trustworthy. Once you regularly under-eat you stop feeling hungry, which is why anorexics report that they aren't hungry even as they are wasting away.

    Use your brain, not your stomach, to determine your energy requirements.

    You may know more about this than I, but according to Marya Hornbacher who is a recovered anorexic who wrote "Wasted" anorexics will tell you they are not hungry, but they are lying. They are out of their minds ravenous all the time. For what it's worth.
    .

    That may be true. I can't find my original source (and it's been a long time since I read that) just a bunch of anecdotal evidence from recovering anorexics and people who do various types of fasting. :flowerforyou:
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Anorexics will bounce between both states because their hormones are that dysfunctional. Some moments they won't feel hunger while other times they'll be ravenous but ignore it.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Anorexics will bounce between both states because their hormones are that dysfunctional. Some moments they won't feel hunger while other times they'll be ravenous but ignore it.

    Sources?
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    Well, if you eat under 1200 calories daily, MFP suggests it is too low. 1200 is too low, IMHO, but 1200 is the absolute minimum MFP suggests. If you're not hungry after eating calories that won't even cover your BMR, then fine. It's your health you're putting in the firing line.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    It tells you that because you are consuming too few cals. :flowerforyou:

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