Should I be eating all of my allowed calories?

angiepurcell

Should I be eating all of my allowed calories?

I am given 1200 daily calories by mfp. My "plan" says by doing this I will lose 1.4 lbs a week. I'd like to get that number closer to 2 lbs if not higher. Truly most days I am not eating all of those, maybe 900 calories a day. And then I am doing roughly 300-400 calories worth of exercise daily.

Should I be eating more?

jldunn713

living on 600 calories a day? Not safe. Eat your allotment and you will still lose weight and also have enough energy to workout harder.

astrampe

yes....

caraiselite

if you're hungry, eat.

if you're not, don't.

nickyfm

You absolutely need to eat more. Your body needs fuel to recover from exercise. Also, normally if you maintain that unsafe caloric deficit, it will come back to you in some way. Either exhaustion and malnourishment, or some uncontrollable binges.

If you really struggle to meet your minimum caloric needs, try and drink some protein shakes, or eat some nuts.

Take care of yourself. It's a marathon, not a race!!

angiepurcell

Thanks for the replies. I don't really feel hungry. I was just concerned that my body may go into "starvation" mode and I don't want that.

weefreemen

if you're hungry, eat.

if you're not, don't.

I agree, eating just for the sake of eating isn't good either... A day or three under calorie goal is okay, but not for long periods at a time, if you are exercising especially your body needs the nourishment. Some days I'm really low, but I just don't feel like eating and I don't see the point of forcing myself to eat. Listen to your body, it's usually right. Cheers,

pudpud24

you NEED to be eating more.My calorie goal is the same and you should be eating at least 1000 calories a day not including the calories you burn from exercise.You should never be 300 calories under your goal and if you exersice alot each day then you should be eating a little more.But i had that exact question and somebody gave me this exact answer.I hope i helped you!!!

FlaxMilk

Eat a minimum of 1200--for the sake of your muscles, including your heart.

JoniBologna

Yes! It's a goal, not a suggestion.

Christine1110

Yes.....or as close as you can get!!

mona561

Maybe it's not that you need to eat more, but you need to focus on what types of foods you are eating, and choose foods higher in calories, protien and the like. This way you aren't over-eating, but you are ingesting more calories.

pudpud24

if your not hungry dont eat for the sake of it but if you have not come close to your calorie goal then eat a food that will not make you any less hungry but eat a food that has alot of calories like icecream its not meant to make you less hungry its meant for the taste and if your dieting then eat it for the calories that you may need.

vcreinert

Not only do you want to lose weight you want to keep it off. Anything under 1200 calories lowers your metabolism. Granted you may lose more weight in a week, but with your metabolism set so low, the minute increase your calories you will gain the weight back quickly. Slow is better if you want to keep it off; but if you are into yo yo dieting by all means lower your calorie count. Get it off fast, gain it just as fast.

myfitnessnmhoy

Thanks for the replies. I don't really feel hungry. I was just concerned that my body may go into "starvation" mode and I don't want that.

Make sure, especially at lower calorie intake, that you are getting fats and especially proteins, and all of your vitamins and minerals.

The site has a "floor" of 1200 calories. No matter what you set as a preference, it won't allow you below that unless you start going manual. This is based on research and assumptions that you are free to ignore, but I'd recommend starting out with them for a while if you feel you can, then experimenting from there once you're well established on something the site feels "comfortable" recommending.

Slow and steady wins the race, and a comfortable pace of weight loss will have a better long-term outcome than trying to rush it in most cases. If, after a month, you want to speed things up, that's a good time to play with things and decide what is working and what is not.

Your call, but I'd go with 1200 + exercise calories and then see how it works. If you simply cannot eat that many, make each calorie count and get your proteins and vitamins/minerals first.

beautybiz

If you don't eat enough your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto fat to protect itself and burns muscle for fuel.

Southernsass6885

Actually, I've had the same problem. I have to work to get close to my calorie goal. Some days, I'm just trying to come up with what I can eat to meet it. But still, I do my best to meet it and I get... a "scolding" from my MFP buddies if I don't. Keep it up. Get as close to it as you can. Protein is always a good idea. Just do your best.

MinMin97

Yes! It's a goal, not a suggestion.

Well said! Make a plan, then stick with it. You will know after several weeks if you need to make adjustments.

jenkinsjerry

Ang'

Cool that you know about Starvation Mode. Not only is this a real response to too few calories, but it also wreeks havoc on your internal organs and brain function. Always, always always consume your xcals.

Also 2Lbs per week is the safest maximum weight loss amount. Any more than this is probably from either unhealthy habits (e.g. too few calories) or worse, severe dehydration... Early on, weight loss can crest above 2lbs per week from all of the water we retain. Once you get into a groove of heavyy water consumption and honest logging on your 2lb per week plan, you'll see amazing almost to-the-penny results.

hesn92

You do realize that if you are eating 900 calories and then burning 400 calories, then you are really living on 500 calories a day, right?? Do you really think that's enough? Because it's not. 1200 is probably not even enough. You need to enter in your information in (height, weight, age etc) and it will give you a more appropriate calorie goal. And that's the amount you should net. (As in, what you eat minus what you burn through exercise.) You are starving yourself right now.

Calculate your BMR. You can on this site under the "Tools" tab. You should never net below this number. When I was losing weight, I set my goal to about 100 calories over my BMR, which was around 1500.

angiepurcell

MFP gave me 1200 a day as what I need daily and it says doing so I will lose about 1.4 lbs a week. I've started adding more protein into my diet, chicken and the like and eggs in the morning.

Any idea for snacks that are protein based not high in fat or crazy high in calories?

astrampe

MFP gave you 1200 and told you to eat the calories you burn through exercise - therefore they add it to your daily calories when you log it....
Protein shakes are great to get the extra protein, calories without stuffing yourself...One before bed is a nice snack, makes you sleep well and gives a little boost if you exercise early in the morning....

kevandden

I've noticed that you've lost so much weight. Congrats! I am on my way. However, I am allowed 1370 calories a day and I workout pretty hard, giving me another 350-450 calories a day. I am on path to lose 2lbs a week. However, I thought that If I didn't eat the calories that I earned working out that I'd lose more weight faster. Should I be doing this, or should I be eating the 1370 AND the extra calories from the gym? I just don't want to sabotage myself. Thanks.

AmyRhubarb

A good rule that I follow is to never have my net calories below my BMR. If your body burns that amount (in my case, around 1400 cals a day) just laying in bed for 24 hours, then by all means, you should give it that and a good bit more if you're up and about, and exercising besides!

Eating too little on a regular basis gives your body a reason to store fat, rather than shed it. Definitely not the goal any of us have, I'm sure! Fuel the body properly, and it burns the fuel, sheds fat rather than storing it, builds in lean muscle, and gives you plenty of energy to get through your day and your workouts.

A great topic by an MFP member here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
He explains it all very well and provides links to a site with the tools for calculating your BMR and your TDEE, and then setting your goals here at MFP manually. I love MFP, don't get me wrong, but I like being able to adjust my settings to fit my goals better, such as my daily cals, my percentages of protein, fat & carbs, etc.

Check out that thread - tons of info there, and there's a group for it as well - lots of great testimonials from people using that method and losing the fat!

myfitnessnmhoy

Thanks for the replies. I don't really feel hungry. I was just concerned that my body may go into "starvation" mode and I don't want that.

Starvation mode is largely a myth.

However, if you run a deficit that's too high, your body cannot meet its nutritional needs by just supplementing the calories with stored fat. It starts in on muscle. You will probably not like the results, and you are going to make the last few pounds you want to lose really, REALLY, REALLY hard work...

Take your time. Do this right.

WaterBunnie

Should I be eating all of my allowed calories?

I am given 1200 daily calories by mfp. My "plan" says by doing this I will lose 1.4 lbs a week. I'd like to get that number closer to 2 lbs if not higher. Truly most days I am not eating all of those, maybe 900 calories a day. And then I am doing roughly 300-400 calories worth of exercise daily.

Should I be eating more?

Stick to the site's recommendations, if it doesn't work for you after a few weeks then review it then

kareinlib

For health purposes, you need to be eating at least 1200 calories a day. If it's a concern of not being hungry, then eat higher calorie foods and you don't have to eat as much in volume. You'll hit starvation mode and not only the biggest plateau of your life, you'll gain weight.