Am I eating too few calories?

ChristineR1990

Hi everyone!


I just joined this website and wanted to say "Hi!" to everyone.

I also have a question. A while back, I read that eating too few calories could actually slow down my metabolism and cause my body to hang onto calories and fat because it goes into "starvation mode". I don't know a lot about nutrition or exercise, but I just got back into counting calories and exercising again. If I eat between 875-1,000 calories a day, will it cause me to loose less than if I ate maybe 200-300 more calories a day?

Everything that I've started to eat is healthy and low-fat. I am also a vegetarian so the majority of what I eat are a lot of fruits, veggies, soy-patties for sandwiches, frozen 60-cal "go-gurt", 50-cal cheesesticks, tacos w/low-fat refried beans, etc. and don't feel that hungry because I eat small meals and snack throughout the day.



Listed below is what I'm currently doing, but I read that I should be eating a minimum of 1,200 calories per day. Maybe I am over thinking this.

Start date: Jan 18th/One week today.
Weight lose: A little over 4 lbs in first week.
Sex: Female.
Height: Almost 5' 10".
Daily calorie intake: Between 875-1,000 max.
Exercise: On the treadmill at 4.0 for an hour/5 days a week. I usually try to run about half a mile at 5.5 each time I exercise, but it's my first week and I cannot run like I used to! :P

shadow2soul

I think you would benefit from reading this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/976981-welcome-to-mfp-don-t-worry-there-s-cliff-notes?hl=cliff+notes

SherryTeach

I don't know your stats, but you are probably taller and younger than I am. You certainly are not getting adequate nutrition on 800-100- calories a day. You should look at your nutrient chart and make sure you are hitting 100 in all the micronutrients that MFP will track.

At age 59 and 5'1" I eat 1350 calories to maintain. That is with moderate exercise.

Also, four pounds in a week is a lot. Certainly not sustainable. Of course, the loss of often more in the first week.

I'd check those calorie numbers again, set at .5 or 1 pound a week. And eat all of that.

chickenz

You are seriously under calories. The easiest is to use mfp based on your age, height, weight, activity and goal to calculate your caloric needs.

AmyRhubarb

Height: Almost 5' 10".
Daily calorie intake: Between 875-1,000 max.

Way too low. :noway:

I'm older and two inches shorter - I lose on 1800-2000 calories a day with less/different exercise.

1200 is the bare minimum recommendation for women, yes, but rather a broad generalization when you consider we are all different shapes and sizes. I guarantee you your BMR is higher than 1200, and you should be eating above that.

Great info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

Trying to run as much as you are on so little food is going to burn you out quick - food is fuel!

Psychgrrl

I really think you're not consuming enough, especially with your activity level. The general advice I see says 1-2 pounds per week and no fewer than 1200 calories per day.

I'd see your/a doctor (or registered dietician)--I feel really confident a professional can give you some guidelines to help you lose the weight you want in a healthy way.

ChristineR1990

Thank you so much for the feedback and links! I honestly had no idea what a "BMR" was or how important it is! Holy cow.

I work full-time as an HR manager so I assumed that because I have little physical activity at work, I wouldn't be able to eat a lot of calories otherwise I wouldn't loose any fat at all. I literally used to eat fast food almost every meal (with no exercise) to what I'm currently doing so I'm still trying to figure all of this out. I already feel so much more energetic (I used to be exhausted by 9pm) and my mood has even gotten more positive/bubbly so I want to keep this up.

Last question: I will add onto my daily intake of calories because I now see that my intake is below what's healthy. Since I currently eat up to 1,000 calories a day and spread my meals/snacks so I'm not hungry, would I NEED to force myself to eat the extra calories to maintain my body's needs? Or could I forgo them if I'm actually not hungry? I see that I probably need to schedule an appt. with my doc. but am just curious on your thoughts.

Thank you for all of the help!

Dnarules

Thank you so much for the feedback and links! I honestly had no idea what a "BMR" was or how important it is! Holy cow.

I work full-time as an HR manager so I assumed that because I have little physical activity at work, I wouldn't be able to eat a lot of calories otherwise I wouldn't loose any fat at all. I literally used to eat fast food almost every meal (with no exercise) to what I'm currently doing so I'm still trying to figure all of this out. I already feel so much more energetic (I used to be exhausted by 9pm) and my mood has even gotten more positive/bubbly so I want to keep this up.

Last question: I will add onto my daily intake of calories because I now see that my intake is below what's healthy. Since I currently eat up to 1,000 calories a day and spread my meals/snacks so I'm not hungry, would I NEED to force myself to eat the extra calories to maintain my body's needs? Or could I forgo them if I'm actually not hungry? I see that I probably need to schedule an appt. with my doc. but am just curious on your thoughts.

Thank you for all of the help!

You need to eat them. You could try eating more calorie dense foods like nuts, avocado, full fat dairy.

ell_v131

Hi and welcome!

It's really hard to figure out everything in the beginning. So first, at 5'10 you need to be eating a LOT more. I am 5'6 and eat 1600 net, plus my exercise calories, so over 1800. Please calculate your TDEE online (just google it) and take about 500 calories down from that for a 1lb/week weightloss. That is a safe, sustainable loss. My guess is you will be able to eat about 1700-1900 net. It is important to fuel your body

That brings me to the next point. Healthy food doesn't need to be low fat. In fact fat is good. Most low fat foods are loaded with sugar, and very processed, and that is worse to me than fat. So enjoy full fat dairy, it will help you reach your calories. You also need to make sure you are eating a good amount of protein, about 1g/lb of lean bodyweight, or 0.8g/lb of total bodyweight. Being a vegetarian this will be a bit more challenging, but if you eat eggs and milk products, thats good. Get in some tofu, soy and if you still lack, a protein shake.

I would recommend to eat all your calories every day (or like I do - average the daily number at the end of a week). You will be surprised how easy it is to eat this much once you incorporate fat back into your diet (fat is important for hormone production and balance, especially in women).

If you're interested in more info about the low calorie diet you're doing now, read here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/310489-the-reason-why-starving-yourself-will-not-work
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1088600-dear-mean-people-of-mfp

QuietBloom

You say you are eating 800 to 1000 (which is way too low, and now you know that). How do you calculate your calories? Do you have a food scale?

ChristineR1990

I can tell that this is an awesome group already, I am learning so much.

Ell-Thank you so much for that break down. I'll try to Google my TDEE and get everything in order. I really liked the link of "why starvation doesn't work" as I really wasn't sure HOW or WHY it was bad to eat too little. I'm going to try to up my proteins too!

QuietBloom, I did WeightWatchers years ago (I'm 24) and followed their "point" system. It's very different now but basically one "point" is around 50 cals. It could be higher or lower depending on the fiber and/or fat. Depending on your weight you get so and so points to spend on food for the day. I've been using 20 "points" each day which is up to 1,000 calories. So if a cheese stick is 60 calories with little fat, I say it's one point. If a cheese stick is 80 calories with more fat, I say it's two points. I've never been on a diet other than WeightWatchers so I'm not sure where else to start. I just read the labels for portion/calories and judge the points from there.

Dnarules - Thank you! I didn't even think about that since I'm only eating low-cal foods right now. I'll have to go to the store and browse the nuts and dairy section.

megsmom2

Eat. Treat your body better than that....she deserves it.

AmyRhubarb

You need to eat them. You could try eating more calorie dense foods like nuts, avocado, full fat dairy.

Yes - totally agree with this.

Eggs & toast with avocado for breakfast, or oatmeal with Greek yogurt, some berries and a handful of walnuts or raw almonds, snack on seeds and nuts, or dip sliced apples in peanut butter - easy ways to get more calories in small portions and fuel that body.

SLLRunner

A while back, I read that eating too few calories could actually slow down my metabolism and cause my body to hang onto calories and fat because it goes into "starvation mode". I don't know a lot about nutrition or exercise, but I just got back into counting calories and exercising again. If I eat between 875-1,000 calories a day, will it cause me to loose less than if I ate maybe 200-300 more calories a day

Starvation mode is a myth. In order to get there, you need to have lost a certain percentage of body fat and muscle you would be emaciated.

That said, yes, those calories are way too low to sustain you, or anyone else for that matter. Set your weight loss goals up in MFP and eat those.

You don't more to lose weight, you eat more to properly fuel your body.