Queries on calorie intake and starvation mode!

rock_1206

I know this must have been asked a million times already and I have read the sticky on “eating calories back”. I still had some questions. I have been on MFP for a month and have lost almost 8 lbs. My MFP suggested calorie intake is about 2000. On an average (over the span of a month) I have been consistently consuming about 400 calories less than the suggested intake. For example, on a typical day I end up eating 2100 calories and burn about 300-500 calories, leaving me with a deficit of roughly 400-600 calories/day, making my total daily intake in the range of 1600-1800.
Now to the questions!
1) After reading the “Eat your calories back” post I realized that the deficit should be as close to 0 as possible, but is the deficit of 400-500 too much for the body to take?
2) How much of a deficit is really the acceptable limit?
3) Am I losing weight because my body is going into starvation mode?
Just another confused MFP’er trying to get this right!
Thanks in advance to all you guys and gals.

ladyhawk00

Your deficit is already calculated by MFP, so if you eat under goal, you make the deficit larger than what you signed up for. Whether this will put you in starvation mode is dependent on your specific situation - how much you have to lose, your energy requirements and your exact intake.

Might help to read these threads that should answer those questions:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

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

ETA: Just to be a little more specific, based on your ticker you are already relatively lean and need a conservative deficit, probably 1/2 lb per week (ie 250-300 cal deficit from maintenance).

babygreen11

Im having the same issue but on my end theres days when I have over 1,000. I feel like Im eating enough but apparently not. I need a course on this whole calorie deal cause Im lost. Yesterday I was under by over 2,000!! I did skip lunch though.

erickirb

1. As long as you are at 1500 Net or more you should be fine (1500 plus what you burn)
2. An acceptable deficit depends on a bunch of factors, mainly how much you have to lose. If you have over 100 lbs to lose a deficit of 1000 or so/day would be fine (1000 below maintenance, not MFP's suggested calories as that already gives you a deficit based on your goals) but if you only have 10 lbs to go a deficit of 250 or less is recommended (0.5 lbs/week loss)
3. Probably not. What is your maintenance calories?, and what does MFP give you? and what did you choose as your weekly loss goal?

stanvoodoo

For Men the bottom line for calories is 1500. Thats what you don't want to go below. If what you are doing is working then you should be fine. If you plateau then you may need to change it up some like add a few calories and change your exercise routine.

Congrats on the 8lbs and Good Luck, Sounds like you are on the right track!

rock_1206

Thanks guys, you are all rock stars!! That clears a lot of stuff up!!
PS: feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.
Cheers!

mosneakers

I was very confused at the beginning too - "wait, isn't the whole point of exercising to burn calories? You want me to eat all that back?" I appreciate what everyone wrote above and all the articles about calorie intake and exercise. I'm a lot less confused now - it just takes some time and getting used to the system and your changing body!

olyrose

I have my goal set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk (1,440 for me). On the days I exercise, I usually have trouble eating back all the calories, so I try to at least net the calorie goal for a loss of 2 lbs/wk (about 1,200). This way I figure I'm still sticking to recommended guidelines.

Azdak

I know this must have been asked a million times already and I have read the sticky on “eating calories back”. I still had some questions. I have been on MFP for a month and have lost almost 8 lbs. My MFP suggested calorie intake is about 2000. On an average (over the span of a month) I have been consistently consuming about 400 calories less than the suggested intake. For example, on a typical day I end up eating 2100 calories and burn about 300-500 calories, leaving me with a deficit of roughly 400-600 calories/day, making my total daily intake in the range of 1600-1800.
Now to the questions!
1) After reading the “Eat your calories back” post I realized that the deficit should be as close to 0 as possible, but is the deficit of 400-500 too much for the body to take?
2) How much of a deficit is really the acceptable limit?
3) Am I losing weight because my body is going into starvation mode?
Just another confused MFP’er trying to get this right!
Thanks in advance to all you guys and gals.

Depends. If you are just starting out and are in the 30%+ body fat range (for a male) and you are eating 2K calories, and you are exercising and lifting weights, I doubt that you will go into "starvation mode", even with a high calorie deficit. I average an average calorie deficit of 1800-1900 per day (avg 1600-1700 cal/day intake, 3500+ output) for five months and never experienced "starvation mode" of any sort. I think that if you are at a certain intake level (ex 1600/day rather than trying for something like 1200) and, again, you have a high level of body fat, then you should not be that concerned with higher deficits and I would "eat back" exercise calories only to the small extent you need to refuel after long workouts. Eventually, that will change as your body composition changes and you will have to be more careful, but, at the start, there's no need to overthink. this.

rock_1206

I know this must have been asked a million times already and I have read the sticky on “eating calories back”. I still had some questions. I have been on MFP for a month and have lost almost 8 lbs. My MFP suggested calorie intake is about 2000. On an average (over the span of a month) I have been consistently consuming about 400 calories less than the suggested intake. For example, on a typical day I end up eating 2100 calories and burn about 300-500 calories, leaving me with a deficit of roughly 400-600 calories/day, making my total daily intake in the range of 1600-1800.
Now to the questions!
1) After reading the “Eat your calories back” post I realized that the deficit should be as close to 0 as possible, but is the deficit of 400-500 too much for the body to take?
2) How much of a deficit is really the acceptable limit?
3) Am I losing weight because my body is going into starvation mode?
Just another confused MFP’er trying to get this right!
Thanks in advance to all you guys and gals.

Depends. If you are just starting out and are in the 30%+ body fat range (for a male) and you are eating 2K calories, and you are exercising and lifting weights, I doubt that you will go into "starvation mode", even with a high calorie deficit. I average an average calorie deficit of 1800-1900 per day (avg 1600-1700 cal/day intake, 3500+ output) for five months and never experienced "starvation mode" of any sort. I think that if you are at a certain intake level (ex 1600/day rather than trying for something like 1200) and, again, you have a high level of body fat, then you should not be that concerned with higher deficits and I would "eat back" exercise calories only to the small extent you need to refuel after long workouts. Eventually, that will change as your body composition changes and you will have to be more careful, but, at the start, there's no need to overthink. this.

Thanks for the great insight. shall keep that in mind. Cheers