concerned about calories...

farmgirl88

Hey everyone... had a question about the amount of calories I need to consume each day.

My MFP calorie goal is 1380. Most days I burn 500+ calories, but I only feel the need to eat (am hungry for) 1300-1600 calories.

I know that eating less than 1200 calories a day is very unhealthy for your body, and my goal is to be 100% healthy in my pursuit to get fit, so I don't want to do anything that is going to jeopardize my overall health.

So here are my questions:

1. Am I hurting my progress (and potentially myself) by not eating back all of my workout calories?

2. Why is it that the more I work out, the less hungry I feel?

3. Is it bad to be consistently netting less than 1200 calories?

Thanks for your help!

ladyhawk00

I would recommend reading through these threads that explain metabolism and why it's important to fuel your body, and what happens when you don't. MUST READS! Good luck to you!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

NoAdditives

It depends on your body. Generally speaking, your body needs more than 1200 calories, especially when you're exercising a lot. And if you consistently get less than your body needs your metabolism will slow down and you will stop burning fat and will store it instead. It happened to me and it's very frustrating. But, the best way to figure out how much your body needs is to experiment with different caloric intakes. Go with what you've been doing for a week or two and if your results aren't what you were hoping for, increase your calories.

farmgirl88

Thanks! The links were very helpful.

I feel like I'm pretty body-conscious and listen to my body when it tells me that I need something. So that's why I'm struggling to understand why I should eat my "work out" calories when I don't feel hungry for them...

And just a note: I feed my body lots of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy (little to no junk food or eating out... trying to go organic as much as possible). And I'm working towards getting my diet completely balanced... 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

ladyhawk00

Thanks! The links were very helpful.

I feel like I'm pretty body-conscious and listen to my body when it tells me that I need something. So that's why I'm struggling to understand why I should eat my "work out" calories when I don't feel hungry for them...

And just a note: I feed my body lots of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy (little to no junk food or eating out... trying to go organic as much as possible). And I'm working towards getting my diet completely balanced... 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

Well, remember that bad habits can completely disrupt the body's normal hunger cues. When we get used to eating the same way for a while, the body adjusts and just starts making do with what you give it. So to retrain the body and the mind, you need to try to eat on schedule, and healthy amounts throughout the day.

I spent years undereating during the day and binging in the evening. So during the day, I did NOT feel hungry - it's what I trained my body and mind to do. It took several weeks to regain my appetite and for my body to start sending normal hunger cues.

If you have trouble coming close to cal goals, try adding just 25 more cals to each meal/snack - that adds up to at least 100 more cals per day, and won't leave you feeling like you're force feeding.

Some good ways to add good cals:
Cook with olive oil
Have a handful of almonds or other nuts
Add some dried fruit or nuts/seeds to a salad

Tons of others. Just need to experiment and find healthy ways to keep the fuel up. Also, you can try cutting back on the exercise a little bit (100 less cals per workout), until you can reach a comfortable compromise.

kimwig

Hey everyone... had a question about the amount of calories I need to consume each day.

My MFP calorie goal is 1380. Most days I burn 500+ calories, but I only feel the need to eat (am hungry for) 1300-1600 calories.

I know that eating less than 1200 calories a day is very unhealthy for your body, and my goal is to be 100% healthy in my pursuit to get fit, so I don't want to do anything that is going to jeopardize my overall health.

So here are my questions:

1. Am I hurting my progress (and potentially myself) by not eating back all of my workout calories?

2. Why is it that the more I work out, the less hungry I feel?

3. Is it bad to be consistently netting less than 1200 calories?

Thanks for your help!

My experience only, I tended to only eat my exercise calories if I felt hungry (before exercise allowance I was on around 1350 per day).

I am a vegan, and get my calories from a range of sources - and I make sure my calories are nutrient rich and not empty calroies - so there are many times when I am not hungry (at all) and I have "calories left", so I do not eat them. I was learning to listen to my body, I will not eat unless I recognise I am hungry.

There have been some days when I have been very hungry and exceeded what was expected (but those days were rare).

I know some on here will eat only half of their exercise calories because they may have over estimated calories burnt.

Anyway - that is just my opinion on what worked for me