Is eating 800 calories okay?

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13

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  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    I've just been eating the amount MFP suggested for one pound weight loss a week, and I'm also not sure how accurate my BMR is, considering I did this online.
    MFP didn't "suggest" you eat 1200 calories a day. It's basic math. You said you want to lose 1 pound per week. To do that, you need to eat 500 calories less per day than what your body would need to maintain your weight. MFP took what it estimates your daily maintenance calories to be (based on factors you tell it, like activity level) and subtracts 500. It doesn't do anything more than that. It won't recommend going below 1200, so if the basic math would put you below that, it'll simply suggest 1200. That doesn't mean 1200 is the magical number you should eat, though. Weight loss isn't linear, and our bodies are very good at adapting to our stupid decisions.

    So if your TDEE is truly 1800, eating 1200 is a 600 calorie deficit.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    If you are 5'6 and 140 pounds there is NO reason you should be losing 1 pound a week.
    1,200 is too few calories, and 800 is damaging and ridiculous.
  • christielewis58
    christielewis58 Posts: 7 Member
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    I do it once or twice or twice a week usually. Not intentionally, it's just the way it works out some days. Sometimes you eat your fill of healthy options and when you add it all up, you're only at around 800 cals and don't feel like anything else. I don't worry too much because the next day, I know I have the option to add that extra couple of hundred calories I saved the day before to the menu if I feel like I need or want it the next day.

    Like you, I'm trying not to eat when I'm just not hungry. That said, if I'm really under calories for the day and not up to eating (admittedly, I'd have to be sick for that to happen), I'll eat a handful of nuts or something.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    NO! Going below 1200 is dangerous and you should NEVER do it. For you, 1200 is still too low. I don't think it's a good idea to eat below your BMR. If your TDEE is 1800, I'd eat 1500 per day. That's about an 18% deficit, which would be somewhere between .5 and 1 lb per week. Slow and steady is best!

    How hungry you feel is not always a good indication of what your body needs. It doesn't matter if you've eaten 800 calories and you don't "feel like" eating anything else - do it anyway because your body needs it!
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    800 calories. .. For dinner right? Right? No?

    more than 800 calories for a single meal is too much.

    should be between 600 and 800

    Yea, seems legit.
  • rrsuthy
    rrsuthy Posts: 236 Member
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    Every so often isn't going to hurt you. Every other day could.

    Check out the 5:2 plan if you want to do intermittent fasting. Lots of research behind it and it's good to fast a couple of times a week.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Eating 800 calories is great. Just do it twice every day and you're golden.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
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    I'm 5'6 and currently 140 pounds. So I'm just barely at a healthy weight. My general goal is 120 pounds. And my calorie intake is not constant, as sometimes I eat 100-300 less or 100-300 more. And I'm beginning to try to incorporate exercise, mainly running and bicycling and some home strength workouts. The problem is I'm not fit, which is one of my main goals of weight loss. Anything else?

    You really don't have enough to lose to be looking at more than 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

    the Scooby Calculator is quite good - cutting 20% from your TDEE (1531 is you are sedentary no/little exercise based on your numbers) would give you 1225 calories and a loss of 31.9 pounds per year (obviously this muber cvhanges as you drop weight and add exercise )

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    So stick with the 1200 and if you are exercising eat more. Make sure you are accurate on the calories you eat by weighing all solids and measuring all liquids (this includes any packaged foods because they can be off in the posted serving size # up to 20% - the bread i eat says 54 grams but i've had 40-60 when i weigh for instance, and my yogurt 125grams is less than a measured 1/2 cup - every time )
    Because the measuring of exercise calories is less than accurate without at least a heart rate monitor just eat back 1/2 - 3/4 of the calories - or if you are regularly active at a certain level then just figure it into your TDEE and don't eat exercise calories
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    800 calories. .. For dinner right? Right? No?

    more than 800 calories for a single meal is too much.

    should be between 600 and 800

    Bull crap.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    NO! Going below 1200 is dangerous and you should NEVER do it. For you, 1200 is still too low. I don't think it's a good idea to eat below your BMR. If your TDEE is 1800, I'd eat 1500 per day. That's about an 18% deficit, which would be somewhere between .5 and 1 lb per week. Slow and steady is best!

    How hungry you feel is not always a good indication of what your body needs. It doesn't matter if you've eaten 800 calories and you don't "feel like" eating anything else - do it anyway because your body needs it!

    No, going below 1200 is not dangerous. STAYING below 1200 for a long period of time can have a negative impact.

    Nothing wrong with an occasional day of really low calories. I did it yesterday. About once every 2 weeks or so I have a day with no intake whatsoever. In fact fasting can raise your resting metabolic rate by up to 20%
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Upto you isn't it really, if you want to eat 800cals then good luck to you and once you hit goal weight good luck maintaining it's not easy believe me.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
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    800 calories for lunch is totally acceptable.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    Totally agree and you really need to look at why you are eating 1200 calories when you shouldn't be going below 1500, yes, you will lose weight even at 1500 and doing it much healthier.
    If your BMR is 1500, why are you eating 1200 a day???

    However, leaving aside the question of how you reached your daily calories figure, I don't think eating 100 - 300 under that goal, from time to time, not constantly, is an issue.
  • Oldtimer_65
    Oldtimer_65 Posts: 89
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    800 calories a day is fine. FOR BREAKFAST.

    Eat MOARRRR food.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    1353485885247.gif

    Agree. :ohwell:
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Those are the days you supplement with wine, honey.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    Those are the days you supplement with wine, honey.

    ^ Just won the thread.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    800 calories is totally fine--for a meal :) please eat more. you have to eat more to lose....i'm not an expert but there are definite nutrition and fitness experts on here and i'd listen carefully to them.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    ^i didn't realize just how large the pro-ana subset is on MFP. i just surfed around...and saw so many bones...*shudder*. it scared me. truly.

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