What happens if i don't consume 1200 calories???

kyndra87

I have consumed 676 calories so far today, I've burned 526 calories and it says that my net is 150 right now and I have 1050 calories remaining......I am making spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread to try to consume the remaining calories...but my question is what if I don't consume 1200 calories for the day? What then? Does that mean I'm not eating enough or something? I am trying to loose weight and i would think that eating more would put more weight on me....or maybe I'm just being paranoid, lol! Help anyone?

hawinnicki

You should only worry about your net calories. When you exercise you earn extra calories, so it is your choice to use those extra calories.

Glitter_pumpkin

If it's only one day then nothing going to happen but if you keep that up for a week or two then your body will go into starvation mode and your metabolism will go down so you'll have to work harder to lose weight. It takes about a week for your metabolism to change due to new levels of calories so i wouldn't worry if you're under your goal for a day or two.

sirphilipe

Hi and Welcome,

Easy answer, being under you calories every once in a while is ok, however if you do it on a regular basis your body goes into "starvation" mode and stores all calories into fat. So basically does the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

MFP has with your imput worked out how many calories a day you need to consume to live and also lose weight in a controlled/healthy manner.

Some days you will be under.. that happens, but don't starve yourself. Also you are trying to create a new lifestyle. So you have to be able to maintain this eating habbit. Otherwise you will most likely fail.

I hope I have helped.

Coyla

You'll be fine. Just try to eat more tomorrow.

reese66

My suggestion is to ready the forums about this topic. Everyone has an opinion and some people or not so nice about the manner they share it. Eat the calories, dont eat the calories, only eat the net calories, so and so forth. My personal experience when I don't come close to my calories which is very rare is that the next day I could eat everything including the kitchen sink...

Mads1997

Due to the way MFP is set up you are suppose to eat your exercise cals back. The reason being is that MFP has already set you a calorie deficit according to the information you gave about your weight loss goal. If you click on your home tab then goals you will see this deficit amount. So if you are on 1200 and you burn 500 that means your body only has 700 to burn for all it's functions to survive. IMHO this is not enough.

kyndra87

lol @reese66 about eating the kitchen sink! well thanks guys...that helped alot!!!!

Noonoo757

I guess im just as confused as you because i was told that i need to burn more than im putting in my body im only eating my net calories i can burn easy a 1,000 cals a day and i dont want to put those back in my body thats why im in the position im in right now im a cardio fanantic i love to work out but i have to watch what i eat so i guess its different for every one. I wish you the best of luck but trust your body you know how much you can and cannot eat and your body will let you know if it dosent have enough fuel!

Debbisue52

I was afraid to trust the "eat more to lose" system. So...I ate under 1,000 calories a day...5 days a week... for 3 weeks. I lost 10 lbs but....last week I lost nothing. So now I'm beginning to trust the "going into starvation mode" theory! I'm still working on trusting it completely....but hopefully I'll get the hang of it!

katiemeridien

Make up those calories with low carb, protein bars..whatever. Starvation mode sucks.. trust me.. I just beat my weight plateau by eating more and working out more! You just have to make up the calories the right way instead of eating ice cream and pasta.

Hmmowry

i'm in the same boat. Howerver, I like to have a few beers on the weekend. is it safe to make up for the calorie defecit later in the week? I know weight watchers works that way. getting extra points like we do calories for exercises. is that safe or will I end up in the starvation mode boat?

dancerbyday

MFP tells me I should consume 1200 calories a day, but I am almost always under that. That is not bad as long as you are eating good, healthy food. You know your body better than the computer does, so if you think that is all you need, that is probably all you need. Just make sure you are getting the proper nutrients and enough calories to sustain your body. Don't starve yourself, but you don't need to overeat just to make calorie requirements.

_Zardoz_

Your head will spin around and you'll explode

Meecro128

Your body will tell you if you are hungry and need to eat more. Have your dinner and if you feel hungry later in the day don't be afraid to have a snack. The amount you burn off while working out is an estimate so the actual amount of calories you have remaining is also an estimate, let your body decide for you.

SteveJWatson

You should eat excercise cals if you are using MFP as it is set up. HOWEVER: MFP vastly overestimates the calories burned for most people during excercise. You can get an accurate estimate for cardio by using a heart rate monitor, however, I dont have one of those so I cut my cardio exercise cals in half.

Susieout

Your head will spin around and you'll explode

Yep, I'll go with that one

kfrewin1982

You should eat excercise cals if you are using MFP as it is set up. HOWEVER: MFP vastly overestimates the calories burned for most people during excercise. You can get an accurate estimate for cardio by using a heart rate monitor, however, I dont have one of those so I cut my cardio exercise cals in half.

Totally agree - I got myself a heart rate monitor, only a cheapy but it does the job. MFP said I was burning off 800/900-odd cals for an hour of Body attack. My true burn was nearer 550 with a HR monitor on.

dortilolma

It's not really healthy to eat under 1200 for any extended period of time. Every once in while is not too bad but I try to be sure that I'm over 1200 every day.

It's worth working out your Base Metabolic Rate or BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to function without doing anything) and try not got too far below that.

Below 1200 is not really something you can maintain long term, it's not healthy - and the minute you start eating more your body will start piling the weight on faster then ever before. I'm not saying don't eat more, it's better not to let it get to that point to begin with.