Under calorie goal.. Problem?

rohmaansari

if im under my minimum cal goal and not hungry so is it a good thing? Or i should atleast eat my minimum cal intake (1200) even if im not hungry coz otherwise the metabolisim slow down or something.. Is that true?

and what if i do this everyday.. ?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

if you do it everyday then prepare to lose some substantial muscle mass and slow your metabolism down as a result. Muscle mass not only LOOKS GREAT but it is more metabolically active, meaning your body burns more calories with more muscle. It's also unlikely that you'll be getting all of the essential micronutrients if you're not eating AT LEAST 1200 calories, really that isn't even close to being enough for MOST people. You could probably lose on more, especially if you're working out.

rohmaansari

but what if im not hungry? I would still have to force myself to stuff in? Hahah SWEEET :drinker:
oh and thanks for the reply.. Its really informative

bella51708

What about when you are morbidly obese? I have about 90 more pounds to lose and MFP has my calorie goal set at 1300 for a 2#/week weight loss. I have been staying within about 100-200 cals of my goal everyday and exercising (I do eat most of my exercise cals back) and I'm in a plateau. When I eat at my goal per MFP, I'm WAY under my BMR. Could that be a problem or because I'm extremely overweight, it shouldn't matter as much. So many people tell me that I can eat less than BMR safely because I have so many stored calories in the form of fat. Is that true??

melsinct

but what if im not hungry? I would still have to force myself to stuff in

There are plenty of ways to add healthy calories, and yes you should be meeting your calorie goal, not eating under it, especially with such a low goal of 1200/day.

Easy way to add calories without "stuffing yourself":

Cook in healthy oils (olive oil, walnut oil) when you cook and ditch the cooking sprays. One tablespoon = 120 calories

One serving of almonds = 170 calories

Two tablespoons of natural peanut butter = 200 calories

jess_1993

According to my nutritionist the minimum we should be eating to loose weight is 1600 calories. This is a problem for me too because I'm always under my calorie goal yet I get my 2 cups of fruits and veggies, my grains, and enough dairy on a daily basis. For me I think I'm lacking a bit protein. Like you said, I dont feel like I'm starving myself and I dont feel hungry either but I want ny metabolism to stay up! Also, the more we workout, the more food we need in our systen!

mallory3411

As another poster pointed out if you can't reach your calorie goals change up what you are eating so you are consuming more calories daily. It's not healthy to constantly be under your calorie goal (most people also suggest eating at least your BMR). Eating too little will slow down your body... sure you will lose weight but it will most likely come from muscle and not fat.

Add healthy oils, nuts, peanut butter, etc. If you are eating low fat/low cal or fat free versions of foods switch those out. Have full fat/calorie yogurt, milk, salad dressings etc. It's easy to add calories without adding a lot more food.

Are you measuring your food? Measuring cups/spoons and a kitchen scale? If not you may not be hungry because you are eating more than you think you are.

sleepytexan

Your body gets used to how much you eat. This is not necessarily a good thing when you are eating too little.

WHY 1200 CALORIES (or fewer) MIGHT BE A BAD IDEA:

You lose weight for a while and maybe you will make it to goal (the bigger you are, the longer this will work, however most people can't get those last 10-20 lbs off at 1200 calories).

The longer you do this, the longer your metabolism has to adjust downward and get used to 1200 calories. Assuming you make it to goal, you want to maintain, right? What do you think is going to happen when/if you get there and it's time to maintain, when you start trying to eat "maintenance" calories? You'll gain. Welcome back to the yo-yo.


WHY EATING AT THE TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) OF YOUR GOAL WEIGHT MIGHT BE A BETTER IDEA:

Eat now, like the thin you at maintenance. Fat2Ftiradio.com can help you find the TDEE of your ideal weight: Choose ALL CALCULATORS, MILITARY BODY FAT%, then get your bodyfat estimate. Now calculate your BMR, and look in the chart below to see the TDEE of your goal weight -- that is how much the thin you will eat at maintenance.

Eating at maintenance for your ideal weight is a great idea because you will eat THIS SAME AMOUNT of calories for life. Your metabolism will not slow down to match too little fuel (1200 calories), and consequently stall on the way to goal, or cause you to gain when you try to increase calories later to maintain.

BTW, if you have been eating below your BMR for an extended period of time, and especially if you have been stalled/plateaued for an extended period of time, you may experience a slight gain for some weeks after you increase to the proper amount of calories. However, at the point where your body adjusts to the proper amount of fuel based on your dally activities, you will begin to lose again and break through the plateau.

Blessings.

texastango

if im under my minimum cal goal and not hungry so is it a good thing? Or i should atleast eat my minimum cal intake (1200) even if im not hungry coz otherwise the metabolisim slow down or something.. Is that true?

and what if i do this everyday.. ?

Several people have given you excellent answers. I will preface my anwswer with "I am not a nutritionist nor do I pretend to impersonate one". That said, I reached my goal just fine eating under my calorie counts for many days on end. However, as an educated poster said, I did also lose lean body mass as well along the road. I started exercising gradually and slowly increased my level. I added resistance training and then actually tried to put back some weight after I met my goal. (actually I passed my goal by 5 lbs). I'm now in the process of readjusting my goal by how I look. I happen to be 8 lbs heavier than at my lowest (which was too low).

Everyone I see now says "we were worried about you...you got too skinny"...but they all agree I look "FIT" now. Being a skinny coach potato is actually a higher health risk (from Metabolic syndrome standpoint) than is being obese and fit. So keep in mind, that you can reach your goal doing what you are doing. You can maintain it.....I've been where I want to be for 6 months now and have no desire to gobble up all calories in site. It's always a work in progress and your RMR or BMR (resting or basal metabolic rate - calories you burn doing nothing) unfortunately is lower than it should be as you lose and after. Research shows this..and it's why many people gain weight back. You have to eat below your total calories (BMR + Exercise) by formula if you want to maintain. You'll find this out. That's unless you have your rate measured (metabolic cart) and you closely and accurately monitor your food and exercise (hard to do).

Aerobic exercise and resistance traing are both good. Mix it up. You don't have to do too much. 30 min a day has been shown to significantly reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity...a good thing. Resistance train will help you maintain lean body muscle mass and as alluded to by another poster....that is very important in your health and that's a fact. Research clearly shows this.

Good luck to you. Enjoy. Do what is comfortable to you and adjust it as you go. Keep getting advice, asking questions, and researching the answers. It's how you learn, change your lifestyle, and it will open your eyes to the future and you will be one of the many success stories on here! Keep it up!

em9371

What about when you are morbidly obese? I have about 90 more pounds to lose and MFP has my calorie goal set at 1300 for a 2#/week weight loss. I have been staying within about 100-200 cals of my goal everyday and exercising (I do eat most of my exercise cals back) and I'm in a plateau. When I eat at my goal per MFP, I'm WAY under my BMR. Could that be a problem or because I'm extremely overweight, it shouldn't matter as much. So many people tell me that I can eat less than BMR safely because I have so many stored calories in the form of fat. Is that true??

I started with over 100lbs to lose eating 1900 cals / 1300 ish net. I actually lost more when I was unable to exercise and NETTED 1650. Now I can exercise I eat 1950 total / 1550 net (bmr is 1568), have occasional super high days (4000+ maybe once a month) and have lost 42 lbs in 6 months with NO plateau :-)

You say you eat back most of your exercise, but you are coming in 300-500 under most exercise days which puts your net cals below 1000. your goal is low to begin with so at the very least you should eat back all exercise, but ideally increase your net cals a few hundred.
To break your plateau, try a week on maintance cals, then switch back to your goal levels.