Am I eating enough?!?! Help

cloemillerpicton1

Wicked - thank you!!

_HeartsOnFire_

I think it's literally about getting my head around that concept.. I hate the idea of eating a lot of calories. I think it's definitely clear that I need to do some research - that's why I posted on here. It's nice to hear others opinions

Look up the group Eat, Train, Progress. Sarasf2uk is an awesome example of women who look good and eat plenty. She and Sidesteel have awesome advice and are probably the best people on MFP to follow.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Forty6and2

Yeah, definitely. The whole net calorie thing really confuses me and the last thing I want is to be starving my body

Net calories is what you eat minus exercise calories. Gross calories is all the calories you eat throughout the day.

For example: my goal is 1600 calories. If I burn 200 calories, my net will be at 1400. If I eat an extra 200 calories that day, my net will be at 1600, gross at 1800. Net is what you really want to concentrate on unless you're going to factor in your exercise calories daily and go by your TDEE (Total Daily Expenditure something, something.) TDEE is your gross calories but it assumes your activity level (which should be accurate to be successful) but MFP uses net. I prefer net so I can log what I do and eat back the calories.

Forty6and2

I think it's literally about getting my head around that concept.. I hate the idea of eating a lot of calories. I think it's definitely clear that I need to do some research - that's why I posted on here. It's nice to hear others opinions

Look up the group Eat, Train, Progress. Sarasf2uk is an awesome example of women who look good and eat plenty. She and Sidesteel have awesome advice and are probably the best people on MFP to follow.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

^ That.

cloemillerpicton1

So am I keeping the net as close to my goal calories as possible?! Ahhhh it's so confusing!

Forty6and2

So am I keeping the net as close to my goal calories as possible?! Ahhhh it's so confusing!

Yes and kinda no. Depending on what you use to calculate how many calories you burned, you may not want to eat back ALL of your exercise calories. MFP tends to overestimate how many calories you burn, so I would go by a heart rate monitor if I were you. That being said, your goal should be higher than 1200. Probably somewhere closer to 1500-1600, if not higher.

_HeartsOnFire_

So am I keeping the net as close to my goal calories as possible?! Ahhhh it's so confusing!

Here's another great pretty easy read.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

I am doing the TDEE-15% method. I eat 1900 every day, if I'm under, it's not by much.

If I were doing the MFP method I would eat say 1500, but then say I burned 300 calories, I'd then NET 1200, but I should eat back at least half of those calories.

TDEE you do not eat back your exercise calories.

cloemillerpicton1

I see... Okay!

_HeartsOnFire_

Oh and I said eat back half because if you are relying on MFP calorie burns, they are over-estimated. If you are using a heart rate monitor then you would eat back your calories. Yes, you'd still lose.

Personally, I like the TDEE method better, just because I don't have to worry about calorie burns as much. I eat 1900 every day, that's it.

My diary is open if you want to look. You'll see I've logged workouts as having calories burned, but I just focus on 1900. Most people who do TDEE log their workouts as 1 calorie burned.

HerkMeOff

I gotta give to to the OP.

She is actually taking what people are telling her, and applying it...


I'm impressed. You'll be just fine.

_HeartsOnFire_

I gotta give to to the OP.

She is actually taking what people are telling her, and applying it...


I'm impressed. You'll be just fine.

Exactly!!! She's gonna be just fine.

cloemillerpicton1

Thanks guys, I literally feel so much better now!! Gonna get some research in tomorrow to ensure that what I do in future is correct

Forty6and2

I gotta give to to the OP.

She is actually taking what people are telling her, and applying it...


I'm impressed. You'll be just fine.

Yep! Nothing I love more than a willingness to learn and ambition to be healthy, not just skinny.

Forty6and2

Thanks guys, I literally feel so much better now!! Gonna get some research in tomorrow to ensure that what I do in future is correct

The Getting Started section of MFP has plenty of "sticky" threads that are incredibly helpful. It's easier to just go that way and find things all in one space and know that it's fairly accurate. I would suggest there over just the whole, wide internetz.

stephe1987

If you eat less than 1200/day it can put your body into starvation mode and MFP has a warning about that if you finish your day with less food than 1200 calories (your net can be under that if you exercised but do not *eat* under 1200 or it'll give you a warning). So 1200 should be your minimum. As for exercise calories, most people suggest eating back half of your exercise calories because people tend to underestimate their food and MFP can overestimate calories burned through exercise. I would not worry about the net calories because it's not always accurate (although your goal will be based on the net calorie count).

cloemillerpicton1

I sure I'll decipher it - if not, I will be back hehe

sarafischbach9

No, that is not enough calories, especially with the exercise you are doing. I ate around that amount when I was very sick and in my 80s and 90s ( weight wise in lbs ) and I didn't exercise, and I was still losing.

It isn't the end of the world if there is a day or two when you do not have much of an appetite and you can only get to 1000 calories. But if you are consistently logging that little everyday for a period of time with quite a bit of exercise, that can be detrimental to health and possibly triggering.

I would at least eat 1200 calories but probably more.

peejaygee1

Blatantly quoting another wise member on here, but you will find this some very helpful advice:

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

...and here's another approach.

Block off 6 weeks. log EXACTLY what you eat for those six weeks, weigh at the beginning, weight at the end. If you've lost, you're eating under your TDEE. If you haven't lost, congrats.. you found your TDEE, if you've gained... then you're above TDEE.

From there, look at how much you lost or gained and you have a rough estimate of how to shift your intake to balance it out.

Online calculators are great, but they're just estimates. They give you decent ideas for starting points. From there, it's on you to fine tune it.