Am i suppose to eat how much MFP tells me to?

AwareFront

because usually i eat about 800 calories a day and im not sure if it'll work because im trying to lose 2 lbs a week, plus when i add more foods, it sometimes shows a negative red number under fats or like sugar because i go over the limit by a little, should i be concerned about this or what?. any tips would be amazing!

diannethegeek

800 calories is very low for anyone. As a point of reference, it's about what concentration camp prisoners were fed during WWII. You should be eating up to the goal that MFP set for you, including a portion of your extra earned exercise calories.

I posted this explanation in another thread and I think it may help you, too:

Calories are what matter for weight loss. As long as you stick to your calorie goal (or even a little more, depending on your setup) you will still lose weight.

Macros (fat/protein/carbs) help with various things. Protein and fat both help keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied. Protein helps to rebuild and retain your lean muscle mass. Fat is amazing and seems to help with everything from hormone control, vitamin absorption, cell growth, etc. And carbs give you energy. You can be over or under on any of them and still lose weight as long as your calories are okay. MFP tends to set it's protein default too low anyway.

Sugar and Sodium are the other two default nutrients tracked and I honestly don't know why they picked those two. Excess sodium may cause you to retain water weight, which can cause a jump on the scale, but if you don't have any health issues neither is strictly necessary to track.

AwareFront

Wow i actually learned a thing or two from that. Thank you very much!! I'll keep that in mind definitely!

frodopuppy

great explanation thanks for the input. I always wondered why I'm hungry all the time. don't think I have enough fat and protein in my diet. going to try something a little different after your post