"You're not consuming enough calories"... Please help me.

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  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    Your calories aren;'t meant to be in the green, that calorie target is a goal, by keeping it in the green you aren't meeting your bodies requirements, you are missing the goal.
  • cowgirlslikeus86
    cowgirlslikeus86 Posts: 597 Member
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    Why do't you take a peak at my diary. I customized my macros( 50 carb,25 protein,25 fat) but I do not follow them to a T. I might choose my last meal or snack of the day to help balance it out a little, i,e, If didn't get enough protein for the day, I will eat something high in protein, etc.

    You should be more worried about eating your calories though. You can read my diary to get ideas if you want. FYI, I havent eaten all my excercise calories the last 3 or 4 days but that is not normal at all. I usually have coffee for breakfast and then start eating around noon-9pm. My diary looks weird but I actually graze all day long:-)

    Don't get overwhelmed. Don't over think it. Eat 3 well rounded meals and a couple snacks throughout the day and youll get your calories up there.


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  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
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    try to cut down on carbs and eat more protein decrease bread/ pasta/rice
    change from white to wholegrain if you can ( then you get fibre too) and increase proteine.
    try to balance your plate.

    good luck
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
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    Just looking through your diary for the past few days, it looks like you are eating < 1000 calories per day, and exercising on top of it. That really can't be enough fuel for your body. You are eating healthy foods, just not enough of them. Try adding in a greek yogurt and fruit, or granola, nuts - any kind of high calorie, low volume food that contains healthy fats and protein.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
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    I only worry about calories and am down 19 lbs so far! Buut I fouund if I am under on calories I stio losing, its really important to eat enough
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Just looking through your diary for the past few days, it looks like you are eating < 1000 calories per day, and exercising on top of it. That really can't be enough fuel for your body. You are eating healthy foods, just not enough of them. Try adding in a greek yogurt and fruit, or granola, nuts - any kind of high calorie, low volume food that contains healthy fats and protein.

    ^^ This.
    Also, the type of fat (good vs bad) isn't broken down automatically, I believe you can do that under settings.
    If I go over in my fats, but I'm eating avocados or healthy proteins, I don't worry about it.
  • journalistjen
    journalistjen Posts: 265 Member
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    Different intake categories fluctuate so much daily, that you really should analyze it week by week. It may even out more than you realize.
  • RLeighP
    RLeighP Posts: 232 Member
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    Meeting your calorie goal is the most important. Yes, keeping the carbs low or something is important too, but remember that there are GOOD carbs and BAD carbs. MFP can't tell the difference. You need good carbs for energy. Fruits, whole grains, etc will up your carbs, but its better to consume those than processed foods.

    And if you just feel that you can't reach your calorie goals, eat foods that are higher in healthy calories. Almonds, avacados, etc are high calorie healthy foods.
  • kodiak1957
    kodiak1957 Posts: 13 Member
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    First, you have to realize that MFP is supplying you with a suggested Basal Metabolic Rate (the rate you burn calories when at rest), based on averages for your age, sex, height, and weight. It may or may not be accurate. There are machines that your doctor can use to get an accurate measurement of a BMR, but you will probably have to pay to have that done. I was lucky enough to be able to take part in a 8 week study, in which my BMR was precisely calculated by equipment. It turned out to be much lower then the estimated BMR used by MFP. The bad news (at least at first) is that the exercise/caloric rate suggested by MFP was not going to take off weight anywhere nearly as fast as the MFP estimate. Since it was not really safe to lower my calories any more, I needed to increase my exercise. By increasing my exercise, I should (theoretically) also increase my BMR, making weight loss easier. The study ends next week and I will be tested again, so I will find out if my increased exercise over the past 2 months has actually raised my BMR.
    My point is--exercise not only helps you to lose weight by burning calories, it also raises your BMR so that you burn more calories even when you are not exercising.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I'm always over on sugar and don't care... The automatic settings aren't always right. My original settings kept putting me in the red for fiber. It said I only needed 15 grams a day. Most other sources say 25 at least.
  • rchupka87
    rchupka87 Posts: 543 Member
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    Okay - I updated my profile to public. I also changed my settings to a 40/30/30. I try to eat right. for the most part I eat 3 meals a day, I try to eat a couple of snacks. And usually I am forcing the food down. I just don't know how I am going to eat MORE. And I wanted to up my Cardio to try to burn so more fat - but that means eating EVEN MORE. I suck at this.
  • billtonkin
    billtonkin Posts: 109
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    Hitting your macros is the most important. Because, if you hit your macros, the calories take care of themselves.
  • lmd172
    lmd172 Posts: 172
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    Okay - I updated my profile to public. I also changed my settings to a 40/30/30. I try to eat right. for the most part I eat 3 meals a day, I try to eat a couple of snacks. And usually I am forcing the food down. I just don't know how I am going to eat MORE. And I wanted to up my Cardio to try to burn so more fat - but that means eating EVEN MORE. I suck at this.

    i know what you mean, about eating all the food that is! i am having a hard time too...i'm trying to make better choices but i'm so full around 3 or 4 in the afternoon (and that is before i workout!)...eating healthy really does fill me up better than all the crap food i used to eat!

    hang in there...you'll get it!
  • rchupka87
    rchupka87 Posts: 543 Member
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    I've just been up and down the last few days - to the extreme! One day I feel the best I've felt since 2005, the next I want to quit. I try to read all the boards but sometimes they confuse me. 30DS is enough, no it's not. Do 30 minutes of cardio too. Don't pay attention to the macros. Do pay attention to the macros. It took me a few minutes to figure out what the hell a macros was. Track your 20 minute walk, don't track your walk. I eat all day long, and can't get enough calories. Should I stop working out, until I can get my calorie count up? But if I don't work out, then i'll be skinny fat. And that's the whole damn point - I don't want to be any kind of fat. Today I guess is one of my down days where I feel like I don't know what the hell I am doing. I don't know about fitness, or working out, or eating right. Here I thought I was doing so well - when in all actuality, I am putting my body into starvation mode and holding on to the very fat I am trying to get rid of. I just don't know what else to do.

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