Eating Less Calories than recommended?

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cupcakegirl81
cupcakegirl81 Posts: 2,030 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've only been on here for 11 days, so I'm still new at this.
Am I supposed to eat the exact number of cals suggested? Or aim for lower. As it stands now, I am about 355 cals under the daily limit for today. Do I stop? Or, if I ate 355 cals, am I still on track to lose 1 pd/week?
Is it unhealthy to leave too many remaining? Like your body holds onto fat?
Thanks!!! :)

Replies

  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    In very general terms, as long as you are at least getting 1200 calories per day, you should be safe.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    How much weight do you have to lose? What are your goals? What's you current calorie goal set at?

    After those are answered, it will be a lot easier to give an intelligent and well thought out answer.
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    If you have your MFP set to lose 1lb a week then the number it gives you is supposedly the amount you can eat up to and lost weight. If you're under, you will lose more, to a point. Try not to be too far under. It's all about what works for you.

    I'm a 5'11'' 21 year old female currently 173lbs. My daily goal is 1700 to lose 2lbs/week. If I eat all 1700, then I should still lose that much. Make sense?
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    Calculate your BMR (your calorie "floor"). Don't eat anywhere near or under that. Calculate your TDEE. Eat 10-20% under that. It gets a little more complicated than that, I know, but those are the basic numbers I use to keep my calorie count where it should be. Good luck!!
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    View the number of calories as a target to hit. If you look on the apps sections of the website, there is a tool called the BMR calculator. That is the number that you should try not to go under.

    In general, eating less means losing weight faster. The danger with eating too far under is that, after a while, your body compensates by slowing your metabolism down*. When that happens, it becomes harder to lose weight. You might also not be getting the nutrition you need if you eat too little.

    *The technical name for the metabolism slowdown is "adaptive thermogenesis," but it is known on this site by its nickname, starvation mode. People get into fights about whether such a thing exists. I don't know why, since it's common medical knowledge.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Calculate your BMR (your calorie "floor"). Don't eat anywhere near or under that. Calculate your TDEE. Eat 10-20% under that. It gets a little more complicated than that, I know, but those are the basic numbers I use to keep my calorie count where it should be. Good luck!!

    I'm reading the New Rules of Lifting for Women and he suggests me eating 1924 on rest days. This is under my BMR by not much, but under.
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
    Options
    Calculate your BMR (your calorie "floor"). Don't eat anywhere near or under that. Calculate your TDEE. Eat 10-20% under that. It gets a little more complicated than that, I know, but those are the basic numbers I use to keep my calorie count where it should be. Good luck!!

    I'm reading the New Rules of Lifting for Women and he suggests me eating 1924 on rest days. This is under my BMR by not much, but under.

    1924 is under your BMR? Maybe try the scooby calculator?

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    If 1924 is your BMR that's cool, but don't be eating under it! :)
  • cupcakegirl81
    cupcakegirl81 Posts: 2,030 Member
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    Ok! Thanks! 1471 is my BMR. So nothing under that. Gotcha! I hadn't even looked at the apps!

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