Should I always eat up to the MFP calorie recomendation?

darrenlees

Hi,

I posted this else where but didn't get a response so i figured i might have more luck here...

My daily allowance worked out by MFP is 1680 calories. Some days i do eat that amount, sometimes i eat more (if i have exercised). But some days i may only eat maybe 1000 calories, just simply because of healthy choice options, or low cal food.
The app then moans at me and say you will go into starvation mode, is this really that bad? I mean surely if i am exercising and eating to the limit most days my body wont just switch to low metabolism will it?

Thanks

Darren

dougpear

This is a pretty controversial topic. In my experience no but thats me. Check out Leangains.com the writer of that website has a few articles on the subject matter and cites the studies and journals he uses.

heidiberr

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Eats every single calorie MFP gave me--and lost 90 pounds. Just saying.

LorinaLynn

If it really is once in a while... no, it won't hurt you. If it happens frequently, make more of an effort to plan your meals to reach your goal.

DavesKitten

I think this is a personal decision, but I don't always eat the amount it tells me to.
It's not going to kill me and I am not starving. But, again...that is my decision!

jamiesadler

I would say try to get at least 1200 but if you are making healthy choices and feel full then I wouldn't worry about it.

nray3119

I try very hard not to eat after 7 but I worry through out the day if I eat something I will run out of calories before dinner so a lot of the times I have some left over. I did it with another website and lost 20 lbs, but they didnt have people you could actually talk to so I quit them.

gleechick609

I try very hard not to eat after 7 but I worry through out the day if I eat something I will run out of calories before dinner so a lot of the times I have some left over. I did it with another website and lost 20 lbs, but they didnt have people you could actually talk to so I quit them.

The whole "you should stop eating after a certain time" is a big myth. It does nothing to your metabolism. I eat from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I have lost 51 lbs (and not following MFP guidelines either)

ca551dy

You should never eat below 1200 calories per day, especially if you are exercising. You would think that the more calories you bank, the more weight you will lose, but you will actually slow down the process. Your body will decide it's not getting enough to eat and start holding on to fat instead of burning it. Which is why, as much as it goes against what you'd think, it's better to eat those calories than not to. If you're not hitting that number because of healthy food choices, then just eat bigger portions, or add in some snacks. Make sure you are getting your protein too - it's much needed to repair those muscles after working out and a protein snack typically packs in more calories than other things like fruit.

darrenlees

Ok, thanks for all the comments.
It seems like most people experience the same thing, but eating close to the goal is the main suggestion and not to eat too little too often which is what i do try to do.

It really is nice to have a community that can answer these questions maturely.

Thanks again.

70davis

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jlightl24

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