Eating too few caloires...???

crush86

So alot of days that i complete my food diary on here, it tell me I am eating too few calories and that I need to be eating more. I feel like I eat plenty. I always do my workouts in the evening so that is the majority of my calories lost. I am not going to sit around at 10pm and eat 1100 calories because MFP is telling me to eat more. I don't understand why if I am eating my allowed calories and working to burn them off why I should eat more?

If someone could explain this to me that would be great!

stephreed11

Well the whole "don't eat after 7pm" thing is a myth, so don't worry about that part. You should be at least netting your BMR.

heatherpg47

I don't know the scientific jargon, but if you eat too few calories you can mess up your metabolism (this I know from personal experience.) You may lose weight for a while, but then eventually you will platue. I do understand what you are feeling, some times I get the same message. When I don't feel like eating something big I may make a smoothie or chocolate almond milk for a small boost. Good luck.

DeanneLea

If you're eating 1,100, you're already under what MFP recommends...but on top of that you are "burning them off" which means you are netting way lower than 1,100. Your body needs fuel. You may be losing now but eventually you will hit a wall and with so few calories, it's harder to jump start your losses again.

Just throwing this out there...if you can lose by eating a higher amount of calories, wouldn't it make more sense to do that? I don't know about you but I love food and I want to get the most out of my calories while still losing. Do you really think you can live the rest of your life at 1,100 calories? Why not eat at a higher, more sustainable amount?

Like the above person mentioned, check your BMR.

Feed_the_Bears

It does sound counterintuitive but there is some sense to it. If you're working out with high intensity you're putting your body through a lot of stress and breaking down your muscles. Not fueling your body sufficiently can cause your muscles to eat themselves, promote osteoperosis, stress, and put your body in that dreaded 'starvation mode' that lowers your metabolism. You don't have to eat all of your excersize calories, but a nice post workout snack is a good idea, 150-200 cal. This will give your body the fuel it needs to grow stronger and recover after a workout. If doing mostly cardio try a 2:1 carbs to protein ratio ie oatmeal, if doing strength training do a 1:2 carbs to protein ie a protein shake and piece of fruit, a couple eggs and some friut. Have you seen those chocolate milk commercials?

Good luck :-)

jzaz903

If you know you're going to work out at night, try eating some of the calories you're going to burn before you work out. MFP doesn't lie to you- if your net calories is too low, your body will start to deteriorate and you will stop losing weight.

michellekicks

I don't mean to sound harsh, but it amazes me when people say they can't net 1200 calories per day. How on earth did anyone get overweight to begin with if they are unable to consume more than that?! You can't eat more?

Don't think of this as a diet. If you do, you will try and eat nothing but vegetables and lean meats and you'll have a hard time eating your minimum calories. You'll also get tired, injured and have other vitamin and mineral deficiencies most likely.

If you can't eat your minimum (which I just doubt), add in full-fat cheese, nuts and avocados. I bet that will fix the problem and you won't feel any fuller from those high-calorie foods.

I eat about 2100 calories/day and I'm still losing.

DeanneLea

I don't mean to sound harsh, but it amazes me when people say they can't net 1200 calories per day. How on earth did anyone get overweight to begin with if they are unable to consume more than that?! You can't eat more?

Don't think of this as a diet. If you do, you will try and eat nothing but vegetables and lean meats and you'll have a hard time eating your minimum calories. You'll also get tired, injured and have other vitamin and mineral deficiencies most likely.

If you can't eat your minimum (which I just doubt), add in full-fat cheese, nuts and avocados. I bet that will fix the problem and you won't feel any fuller from those high-calorie foods.

I eat about 2100 calories/day and I'm still losing.

Word.

Also, what I do is "bank" exercise calories. If I don't want them one day...I use them later in the week as long as it is within the same week I earned them. I don't roll them over week to week.

crush86

It is saying that I need to eat that many more after I am eating my allowed amount..

crush86

I didnt say I cant eat that...It is telling me to eat 1100 more on top of what I have already eaten...I complete my diary at the end of the day when I am going to bed. It isnt everyday that I have this problem...but when I do I get frustrated because I feel like I am working hard and eating healthy, and then get told I am I not doing it right.

michellekicks

It is saying that I need to eat that many more after I am eating my allowed amount..

Yes.

Your BMR (or 1200, which is the lowest MFP will let you go as a NET recommendation) is how many calories you'd burn if you were comatose. If you just eat those, anything you do... like getting out of bed, peeing, showering, putting on your clothes etc. is a burn over and above, so you've just created a deficit already. Then, add in exercise and you could have a net calorie intake of less than nothing! Eat them.

So your base is 1200. Eat those. Then you've added a calorie burn of 500 from exercise. Eat those too. Now you've eaten 1700 calories in a day. BUT, you've burned 1200 just being alive, another 500 from exercise AND probably somewhere around 500-1000 moving around during the day... that's the "lifestyle" portion of the BMR equation. Do not factor your exercise into the lifestyle portion and you'll be just fine.

jzaz903

It is saying that I need to eat that many more after I am eating my allowed amount..

Because when you set it up to lose a pound a week or whatever, it's already got a deficit in it. If you ate that much food without exercising, you would lose weight. What you should do, is if you know you're going to work out after dinner eat more than you're "allowed" during the day. You may not want to eat all of them(machines and MFP both tend to overestimate) but I'd eat at least half of them back(or before). It doesn't matter when the exercise and eating happens, as long as it happens.

crush86

It is saying that I need to eat that many more after I am eating my allowed amount..

Yes.

Your BMR (or 1200, which is the lowest MFP will let you go as a NET recommendation) is how many calories you'd burn if you were comatose. If you just eat those, anything you do... like getting out of bed, peeing, showering, putting on your clothes etc. is a burn over and above, so you've just created a deficit already. Then, add in exercise and you could have a net calorie intake of less than nothing! Eat them.

So your base is 1200. Eat those. Then you've added a calorie burn of 500 from exercise. Eat those too. Now you've eaten 1700 calories in a day. BUT, you've burned 1200 just being alive, another 500 from exercise AND probably somewhere around 500-1000 moving around during the day... that's the "lifestyle" portion of the BMR equation. Do not factor your exercise into the lifestyle portion and you'll be just fine.

Thank you. This is making more sense to me. I have never understood the BMR part of it.