Am i undereatting???

Dannyphantom

I am wondering what could come of eatting under your allotted calories...i have a surplus of 900 calories...ive eatten 800 but worked off 600 calories today...Is this a problem??? I have gotten a tip that eatting so less calories may lead my body to believe that it is starving itself, therefore it will hold the nutrition it is given, making me gain weight. (*true or false?)

mfkfoster

This is very true! if you eat too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and will hold on to fat. Also, it will slow down your metabolism making it even harder tolose weight. It might seem like a good idea at first you'll probably lose weight fast but after a while your body just shuts down. And since your metabolism slows down the next time you start eating normally agin you'll start packing on the pounds.

MissAnjy

You need to eat atleast 1200, possibly slightly more if you're exercising a lot.

kaitimae

True. Right now, you have a NET intake of 200 calories for the day. Your body needs *at the very least* 1,200 NET calories (that means if you are at a base of 1,200 you need to eat your exercise calories to get back to 1,200). So what I see is that you need to eat another 1,000 calories today.

Right now your body thinks you are starving - you are telling it to function on 200 calories - you will not last long doing that.

Dannyphantom

Thanks...So what should i do for tonight??? Eat the 900 calories??

ericnshyt

Hi,

Ive been tought that in a nutrition course before. Think back to when people were hunters and gatherers, they never knew when the next meal might be available, so the body had learned over time to store fat. If you are undereating by 900 calories, you probably ought to have a few more healthy snacks. Bananas are about 100, and oatmeal is a couple hundred calories, both good for you.

Hope that helps.

Eric

superhippiechik

true.

kaitimae

Thanks...So what should i do for tonight??? Eat the 900 calories??

At least! If you are having trouble, eat some calorie dense things - nuts, peanut butter, juice, cheese, whole milk - things that are good for you in reasonable amounts, but are full of calories!

ProTFitness

If I got paid for eveytime this was asked I would be rich Yes you need to eat to get your net calories to your calorie requirements. I will post this artical again. Great Info

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator
By Dennis Thompson Jr.

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD You burn most of your daily calories with little to no conscious effort. Whether you're talking on the phone, working at a keyboard, or just watching television, your body is burning calories to keep your heart pumping, your lungs expanding and contracting, and your organs functioning. The calories used to maintain these basic bodily functions add up to your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Basal essentially means base — think of it as the number of calories that are just enough to cover all your body’s bases.

"These are what I call your couch-potato calories," says dietitian Sari Greaves, RD, CDN, of Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J,. and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "It amounts to 60 to 75 percent of the total calories you use daily, and there's no physical activity required for this."

In other words, this is what you burn without lifting a finger. That’s why BMR is also is called the resting metabolic rate, or RMR, by some.

Knowing your BMR can help you create a more effective strategy for weight loss, allowing you to better keep your calorie count on track and better understand the effect exercise will have on your waistline.

Calculating Your BMR

The easiest way to measure your BMR is to use an online calculator, like the one at My Calorie Counter. This calculator factors in your height, weight, gender, and age, and activity level, then assesses how many calories you need to eat daily just to maintain your current weight.
You can do the math yourself, using the appropriate equation:

• If you’re a man, your BMR is equal to: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years). For example, if you’re 170 pounds, 5’11”, and 43, your BMR is 66 + (6.23 x 170) + (12.7 x 71) – (6.8 x 43) = 1734.4 calories.
• If you’re a woman, your BMR is equal to: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). For example, if you’re 130 pounds, 5’3”, and 36, your BMR is 665 + (4.35 x 130) + (4.7 x 63) – (4.7 x 36) = 1357.4 calories.

Next figure out your total daily calorie requirement by multiplying your BMR by your level of activity:
• If you rarely exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
• If you exercise on 1 to 3 days per week, doing light activity, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
• If you exercise on 3 to 5 days per week, doing moderate activity, multiply your BMR by 1.55.
• If you exercise 6 to 7 days per week, doing vigorous activity, multiply your BMR by 1.725.
• If you exercise every day and have a physical job or if you often exercise twice a day, multiply your BMR by 1.9.





If the man in the example exercises 3 days a week, doing moderate activity, his daily caloric requirement is 1734.4 x 1.55, or 2688.3 calories.

If the woman in the example exercises 6 days a week, her daily caloric requirement is 1357.4 x 1.725, or 2342.5 calories.

This calculation gives you the number of calories you burn in one day at your current level of activity; in other words, this is the number of calories it takes to stay at the weight you are if you don’t change anything.

Applying Your BMR Calculation to Weight Loss


Once you know your BMR and the number of calories you burn for your activity level, you can improve your weight-loss efforts by setting a lower daily calorie-intake limit and crafting a plan for increasing your physical activity:

Set your daily calorie limit. To lose weight, you need to reduce your caloric intake below your total daily calorie requirement indicated by your BMR + activity level. Putting yourself in a 500-calorie deficit every day should result in the loss of one pound per week (since there are 3,500 calories in a pound), Greaves says.

Adjust your exercise output. Our BMR calculator asks you for your level of physical activity for a very good reason. You can influence your BMR through exercise, spurring your body to burn more calories even after you’ve finished and are just lounging about.

• Aerobic exercise provides a temporary boost to your BMR, an effect sometimes referred to as after-burn or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, says Noelle Lusardi, a certified personal fitness trainer who also works at the Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J. Your BMR will return back to its normal level anywhere between 15 minutes and 48 hours.

• Strength training provides a more-lasting boost to BMR by altering your body's composition. Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat at rest. That's why men enjoy a naturally higher BMR than women, as they tend to have more muscle mass, Greaves explains.

• If you cut calories and increase your BMR by exercising, you’ll see results even faster. Increase the amount of calories you burn by 250 each day, and you’ll lose a half-pound more on top of the calorie cuts made in your diet. You could exercise longer or you could increase the intensity of your workouts to burn more calories — either way will increase the calorie deficit.

The advantage of knowing your BMR is that you can learn the number of calories you need to consume and expend to meet your personal goal for weight loss.

rjlam

I had the same problem. After doing some research and speaking with a dietician, you must eat your calorie allotment in order to lose weight. So if you food intake is 1400cal and you exercise buring 350 cal you must still make sure you eat at least 1400 cal.

ProTFitness

Thanks...So what should i do for tonight??? Eat the 900 calories??

You need to make sure your eating 300- 400 calories a meal and eat 3/4 of then from breakfest on to afternoon snack and save the last 400 or so for dinner

SkinnyScripty

Sorry, starvation mode is a myth. Read this. http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267
It is literally and physically impossible to gain weight by eating fewer calories.

Whilst this is a fact its still not a good idea to have a net count of just 200 calories every single day. Which I would wager is impossible to maintain anyway. Every now and then it works out that I've eaten all my calories and burned off 900 that day, so I've had a very small net, but I'm fine. You can't force yourself to be hungry. Just make sure you don't feel weak and sick whilst exercising, and just stop if you do and make sure next time you have enough fuel. Don't worry too much. Your body will tell you when its not happy.

fitmom125

Awesome post. I learned so much. As a matter of fact I will print out this information.

Dannyphantom

this has just been happening that last past few days...its hillarious because at first i was overeatting and now...i cant even cram in all of my meals...

my day today went like this with meals

i woke up and ate special k cereal and a banana (290) at 11 then i went to the gym at 2 stayed till around 5 and came home and ate a sandwich (200- with 50 calorie bread (2) 30 calorie cheese and 70 calorie turkey) peanut butter crackers (220) and string cheese (50) and now im not hungry, and think im going to have a hard time eatting 900 calories tonight

elid

I don't think it's necessary to cram in a bunch of food right before bed today, especially if you aren't hungry now. I'd just try tomorrow to eat a little more (nutritious!) food spaced throughout the day.

olpbabe

Thank you, SkinnyScripty, for that article. I wish every person who posted on the forums and talked about so-called "starvation mode" would read this!

MacMadame

making me gain weight. (*true or false?)

Only if your body knows how to defy the laws of physics. :laugh: If you eat less calories than you burn, your body has to get the fuel from somewhere. It can't create the energy out of nothing. If your body can't get the energy from your food, then it will get it from your energy stores -- which is primarily your fat.

OTOH, the more you diet and the higher your deficit is, the more your body will slow down your metabolism and you aren't going to get the same bang for your dieting buck. Also, the less you eat and the lower the quality of what you eat, the greater your chance of being malnourished.

So, there are lots of good reasons not to undereat, but fear of gaining weight isn't one of them.