Calories question!!!

EuroReady

So if MFP says my daily calories are 1500, is it okay to eat 1200 most days? Or is that "starvation mode"? I know I should trust MFP, but how much should I trust it? Religiously?

Helloitsdan

Most 1200 calorie diets fail due to you not feeding your body enough nutrients.
Bmr plays into this big time.
Best bet if you want this to work is to start out at 1600 and work out 3 times a week.
Chances are 1600 is well below your TDEE and youll lose weight.
I see more failure from 1200 diets than 1600 diets.

ZyheeMoongazer

If 1500 is the calories per day MFP has assigned you then I would try to stick to that. It calculates the daily intake you need to meet the goals you have set.

loombeav

I agree with Dan, plus at 1200 calories you're depriving yourself and are much more likely to binge or just plain give up. For me I'd rather have a realistic calorie goal for my lifestyle and habits, lose slowly and keep it off then go with such a low goal that in a month I'm going to feel like I'm starving say f%*@ it and go back to my old habits,

EuroReady

Most 1200 calorie diets fail due to you not feeding your body enough nutrients.
Bmr plays into this big time.
Best bet if you want this to work is to start out at 1600 and work out 3 times a week.
Chances are 1600 is well below your TDEE and youll lose weight.
I see more failure from 1200 diets than 1600 diets.

Are you saying to ago ABOVE what MFP says?

And thanks to all of you!

purpleipod

Why not just eat what it tells you to eat instead of jumping to the minimum right away?

loombeav

Most 1200 calorie diets fail due to you not feeding your body enough nutrients.
Bmr plays into this big time.
Best bet if you want this to work is to start out at 1600 and work out 3 times a week.
Chances are 1600 is well below your TDEE and youll lose weight.
I see more failure from 1200 diets than 1600 diets.

Are you saying to ago ABOVE what MFP says?

And thanks to all of you!

My daily goal is higher than what MFP suggests. It works for me, I'm losing, able to meet my nutritional goals and feel satisfied at the end of the day. IMO MFP's goals are a great starting point but not the end all be all. I've played around with my intake for the last 6 months that I've been on here. I've done 1200 calories for a week at a time every couple months to 2000 for a week or so to give my body a rest from "dieting" You've got to find what works best for you and your needs.

EuroReady

Why not just eat what it tells you to eat instead of jumping to the minimum right away?

Because some days are crazier than others and eating sometimes takes a backseat. You'll probably say to plan snacks ahead of time, but I was just curious about staying in a 1200-1500 range rather than 1500 exactly.

SergeantSunshine_reused

MFP already underestimates your TDEE. I recently found that out. It says mine is 1700 when it is actually 2250. So I can lose a pound a week eating 1700 calories. No need to eat 1200. I would stay with what mfp puts you at.

I agree with dan. Many people fail on 1200 calories

MB_Positif

It's best to try and stick close to the goal set my MFP. That said, there are a lot of people who take the number of calories that they can eat for a week (yours would be 10,500) and try to be close to that. So if you had a day where you only ate 1,200 then technically you could eat extra calories the other days, whatever you needed to make the 10,500 for a week. I think that's too complicated, so I just try to get close to my goal every day.

ncwarren

1200 is a little too drastic. Besides, this program will let you know if you are eating too few calories. Just stick to the plan and see how you do with it.

littlelily613

The daily calories MFP has given me is 1330 (to lose 2 pounds a week). Occasionally I fall under that, but to be honest, most days I go over. Sometimes by even a couple hundred calories (usually with healthy food...sometimes not). Despite that, I am still losing about 2 pounds a week. So, you can follow what MFP says and lose.

hiker282

Get as close to 1500 as possible and even go over every now and then. And eat back your exercise calories. Do this the right way so you don't gain the weight back.

luckyfrog13

I'm having the same problem...I can't seem to meet my calorie requirements despite FORCING myself to eat. For example, I am 725 below my daily allowance...How should I go about changing my eating habits???

SergeantSunshine_reused

Add in high calorie foods. Olive oil, pasta, avocados, nuts, nut butters, full fat dairy and cheese etc

Helloitsdan

Most 1200 calorie diets fail due to you not feeding your body enough nutrients.
Bmr plays into this big time.
Best bet if you want this to work is to start out at 1600 and work out 3 times a week.
Chances are 1600 is well below your TDEE and youll lose weight.
I see more failure from 1200 diets than 1600 diets.

Are you saying to ago ABOVE what MFP says?

And thanks to all of you!

In my personal opinion yes. MFP has a habit of undercutting calories where you should instead be working out to create a deficit. That comes from doing hours of dietary numbers for other people.

missfluffyuk

It's best to try and stick close to the goal set my MFP. That said, there are a lot of people who take the number of calories that they can eat for a week (yours would be 10,500) and try to be close to that. So if you had a day where you only ate 1,200 then technically you could eat extra calories the other days, whatever you needed to make the 10,500 for a week. I think that's too complicated, so I just try to get close to my goal every day.

I do this. On the mobile app, you can go to "Weekly" and it gives you what you've averaged per day. It makes doing this really easy.