too little calories ?? i dont get it

lisa4131

:ohwell: MFP has me set up for a 1200 calories a day intake ...ok fine , however on most days i dont eat all 1200 calories and MFP tells me to eat more after i complete my food diary for the day , for the most part i eat as healthy as i can...if i eat more than 1200 calories i often feel like im too full and i feel sick so most of the time i come in under my goal calories ...should i be worried that im not going to lose weight because im consuming less calories than suggested ????? am i right to feel like if im not hungry then why eat ? i try to stay active and i do eat i just come in under cals ....any suggestions as to what i should do ??????

trewgirl

I dont really have any advice or help but I am having the same exact problem and would also like an answer....

ski3r4life

Listen to your body... see what happens... and then adjust accordingly. There is no one cut and dry answer. I suggest reading the Q and A blog on the populat blog list because she talks about this and she has been there and done it!!

crashta

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/62929-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

I read this last night and it makes a lot of sense to eat the net 1200 calories if you are tying to lose weight.

mishmash73

if you are eating 3 300 calories meals plus snacks, i don't see how you could be eating less than 1200 calories. you shouldn't be skipping meals. the other issues is that you are not entering all your foods. You need to eat about 1200 calories a day for your body to avoid going into starvation mode & hoarding all the calories ... which stops you from losing weight. you shouldn't feel sick if you are eating good healthy foods. it when i eat mac & cheese or fast food crap that i used to feel that sick full feeling,.

chach918

From what I understand, if you do not eat enough your body goes into starvation mode. Stores food as fat thinking it will not get any when it needs it. Try eating a few extra calories to get to the 1200. Good luck.

Isa25

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

^^Long but a good read.

ebkins7

Listen to your body... you can get the extra calories by simply adding an extra piece of fruit or veggie with each meal.

I'm not sure what your goals are but definately listen to your body and try to eat back any exercise calories. Try aiming for 1200 NET calories!

Hope this helps!

rodneyderrick

I suggest you get as close to the 1200 calories as possible. People that eat too few calories don't last long on any diet program, but the reason for the 1200 calorie limit is because people that stay on a low calorie diet for too long start to develop early signs of osteoporosis. In addition, your metabolism can come to a stand still, weight-loss will stop, and you'll stop logging your calories which will lead to you gaining back all your weight.

dawnyl25

had this problem when i first started. you need to get 1200 cals what i did was stared drinking a glass of juice it puts you right where you need to be without feeing really full from it. plus its easy cals to burn. hope this works for you!

lisa4131

i dont eat any where near 3300 cals a day i eat alot of veggies mostly raw fruit and lots of water i dont ever skip meals and i do light exercise i feel sick when i try to eat more because my body feels full so what should i do eat more and then get sick and puke ??? i get extra cals for excersing but never eat them back i just feel like im not hungry ...should i be worried or should i just force myself to eat more and i enter everything in MFP as soon as im done eating to so i never leave anything out ....thank for all ur help

randi50

add in some almonds or something to up your cals

fitniknik

I go with at least 1200 calories eaten after exercise has been factored in. I usually try to eat almost all of my calories. I have been losing weight rapidly. If your body is telling you that your not hungery you are probably already in starvation mode.

hpsnickers1

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.
Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way.
Ready to change?

Right this minute, your body is the way it is because it has adapted to the lifestyle you've thrown at it, in an attempt to survive. Ever seen the directory at the mall with the little red arrow that says “you are here”? Well, fitness is the same way. You are here. You can't start anywhere else. So be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up. Don't worry about how much there is to do. Change your self-talk from “My body is my enemy” to “My body is my partner.” Accept where you are right now as the starting point, and start moving.

Changing your body requires more than just “going on a diet” for a few weeks. If you want to change your body, you have to make some changes to your lifestyle (which requires some discipline, but isn't as hard as it sounds). If you create the right environment, your body will adapt to it by becoming leaner, stronger, and more energetic. You can do this.

AND:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/209559-metabolic-damage-starvation-mode-article


Eating back your exercise calories and staying above 1200 NET is even more important when you are not that overweight or already at a healthy weight (fat reserves are low). The body doesn't want to give up the fat and will protect it while eating into your lean muscle mass and that muscle mass is what burns fat during rest, normal activity and sleeping.

Your body will adjust to the food. I went from drinking coffee all day and eating at night to eating at least 4 meals a day. It was hard at first but my body had adjusted and is loving me for it.

SaraTonin

Lisa, he meant three 300 calorie meals, not 3300 calories. Maybe you should try incorporating more snacks or protein shakes to help you meet calories.

Missjenn98

Add some healthy higher calorie snacks like peanut butter or almonds. After I exercise I usually eat 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana, that adds around 200 more calories. Or an ounce or two of cheese, it has good fats and higher cals. Avocados also are high in calories but good for you.

TonyaJ83

i dont eat any where near 3300 cals a day i eat alot of veggies mostly raw fruit and lots of water i dont ever skip meals and i do light exercise i feel sick when i try to eat more because my body feels full so what should i do eat more and then get sick and puke ??? i get extra cals for excersing but never eat them back i just feel like im not hungry ...should i be worried or should i just force myself to eat more and i enter everything in MFP as soon as im done eating to so i never leave anything out ....thank for all ur help

That person was saying if you ate 3 meals and each meal was 300 calories each, plus snacks & drinks, you shouldn't have a problem getting to 1200 calories total. I think that's what they meant..........You should be eating every 2-3 hours. Have a healthy snack in between meals.

NoAdditives

You can't always trust your body. Over time it adjusts to the amount of food you eat. If you eat too much you'll be hungry all the time if you suddenly cut back. If you eat too little you'll feel too full when you try to eat more. Hunger signals are subjective.

When I first started with MFP I was eating 400-700 net calories a day. I hadn't lost weight in three months. I started eating more because I knew I had to, but it was hard. I added a little extra food to each meal and tried to work in some snacks. I didn't simply eat higher calorie foods because they are generally higher in fat. It only took about a week for me to be comfortable eating 1500 calories plus my exercise calories every day.

I retrained my body to want the appropriate amount of food. It took a little bit of work at first, I was daunted by the amount of calories I had to eat. But like I said, I adjusted quickly. Once I was eating enough I started losing weight immediately. It's been 5 months and I've lost 13.5 pounds.

Sasha_Bear

Somedays I have this same problem and I've noticed the weeks when I eat under my calories are the weeks I lose the least or no weight at all. So I would definitely suggest trying to get as close to 1200 as possible without getting sick, you can add a glass of milk or juice and that should help get you there.

lisa4131

my food diary is open someone look and tell me what else to add , maybe ur all right i need to eat more i just feel really full after i eat but thanks for all the help i appreciate it

TonyaJ83

I cannot see your diary.