Confused about calorific intake alert?

cheekymonkeyface

Hi, mfp said i'm to have 1200 calories a day. So yesterday i had just over my 1200 as i had a few cals from some walking i'd done during my lunch break. MFP proceeded to tell me i need to be aware that this could lead to my body going into starvation mode etc.

I understand 'starvation mode' but why would it say eat 1200 if it warns me i'm not eating enough?

confused.com

Julie x

bry_all01

So, the deal is MFP said you should be at 1200 calories, when you added your walk, it upped your calorie intake for the day (because your body exhausted those calories), so you went under 1200 calories, thus sending your body into starvation mode. When your body is in starvation mode for too long, it will not allow you to lose any weight.

You definitely want to try to eat back at least half, if not all of your calories, if possible. If you are eating your exercise calories, consider increasing your calories by 200 calories and see if adjusting helps you get the weight to come off.

Plateaus happen, unfortunately, and when they do, that only means that it is time for a change, because your body has grown accustomed to what it was used to doing. Once it is adjusted, you will get stuck on a plateau and start to feel discouraged.

I hope that helps. Good luck!!


Good luck!!

sknopps

1200 is the minimum your body needs. if you exercise you should eat some back to get to 1200 net.

Sezmo83

You need to eat 1200 calories NET, not 1200 calories total. So if you do any exercise you eat the calories gained from that back as MFP calculates a calorie deficit in without you doing any exercise. I don't eat all of mine back, just half of them as the estimates aren't 100% accurate.

cheekymonkeyface

Thanks, i'm not actually on a plateau, its just that this is my first week of doing mfp properly, registered a long time ago and then thought it was too much faffing....

I'll see how my results are for the next few weeks and then worry if i'm not achieving. Thanks all