I'm not eating all my suggested calories...is that so bad?

mtalle3

So I am new to the site. I set my account up that I will exercise 5 times a week it says I get 1200 calories a day and I'm not using all of them. Yesterday and the day before I had 73 & 71 left today its 231 but I'm not hungry. Is this ok or no? They say you can go into starvation mode and not lose weight I don't want that help please?

dstrbdangel

not completely sure what to tell you as im new too but i think you want to eat your calorie goal for the day because if u go into starvation mode it will become discouraging

wadesha

i think its ok... i tried eating my exercise calories today and now i feel sick from eating so much never again

Endeavors

You're fine. As long as you feel full and you're comfortable, I think you'll be fine. Also, according to a lot of studies, starvation mode is a myth. However, there are supporters to both sides of that, so it's best you do the research and decide for yourself. :]

tkdgirl23

You'll go into starvation mode if you minus calories every day.. but not reaching your total daily calorie goals once a week won't stop you from losing weight..

Make sure what you are eating thorough out the day.. is nutritional - tomorrow.. you can try to reach your daily caloric goals. Try to plan ahead.. Plan your shopping, and your menu ..my schedule is so hectic.. I add nuts to make sure I get as close as possible to my daily goal, and I make sure I get at least 30 minutes of workout 5 days a week.

I actually like not eating all those calories and it seems to be working for me.. at least twice a week.. I eat under my goal.. So far so good. The rest of the week.. I eat all my calorie suggested.

Good luck!!

zakkthebear

You're fine. As long as you feel full and you're comfortable, I think you'll be fine. Also, according to a lot of studies, starvation mode is a myth. However, there are supporters to both sides of that, so it's best you do the research and decide for yourself. :]

agreed. as long as you're full and not completely starving yourself (eg Eating a leaf of lettuce and splitting a Tic-Tac with a friend all day) you'll be fine. eat small, healthy portions of veggies, fruits and meats every few hours and you're golden.

zakkthebear

You'll go into starvation mode if you minus calories every day.. but not reaching your total daily calorie goals once a week won't stop you from losing weight..

not so much

ehedges31

As long as your eating healthy and you feel like you're giving your body enough nutrients, just listen to your body. If your are not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. If you have a lot of calories left over and you're concerned, eat a tablespoon of peanut butter (if you're not allergic). it has the healthy fat your body needs and protein but its high in calories.

NatalieWinning

I think "all of them" is more like within a hundred either way in my mind. Nothing is super accurate, so within a hundred is good go go! If you exercise you should also eat those calories back, too. If you really aren't hungry then don't force yourself. But if you are having that problem hopefully you ate good fiber, whole foods and nutritious meals. Plenty of protein. MFP is not generous with protein, so going over is a good thing.

Remember that this program gives you a 500 calorie deficite from the calories you need to eat if you were in bed all day doing nothing at all. So even 100 over is 400 calories less than you need to maintain your current weight. Going over does not make you gain until you get over 500 calories for a few days. It takes over 3000 calories to make a pound, I believe, if I remember right. So slight ups and downs in weight is also no biggie from just one meal. It's probably not you suddenly gaining a pound of actual fat overnight.

Good luck! Keep at it, and be persistant. The more you log in the better you get at it, even if you aren't perfect. Consistancy is the key!

Dahlface13

I think that many people on this site believe you need to eat most of your calories. In fact, the general consensus that I've noticed is that you should NOT net less than 1200 a day at least. That means you need to reach 1200 including your exercise calories. Even if "starvation mode" isn't the reason, the fact is that your body just needs a certain number of calories to function healthy.

However, if you simply do not want to eat that many calories see how it goes for a few weeks, if the weight loss stalls, try increasing your calories a bit. Lots of people have increased calories and were able to push past a plateau. Welcome and good luck.