MFP: "You are eating too few calories..."

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  • malery06
    malery06 Posts: 61 Member
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    Considering my 1-2 lb weight loss a week I assume I am taking in the proper amount of calories, even if its a little less some days. Oh and i don't ever eat back the calories I burn, I didn't know it had to be that way :ohwell:

    Two points:
    1) Wouldn't the whole process be better if you could lose 1-2 lbs/wk and eat like 500 more calories more (I have no idea the actual numbers, but the fact that you're getting the message suggests that it's less than 1200, and lots of women, lots, lose around 1600 cals/day)
    2) You might be losing a higher than desirable % of muscle mass. The problem with that is that when people lose a high % of muscle mass, they get to goal weight and still look doughy. Most people should be trying to lose as high as possible a % of fat, and for that, smaller calorie deficits work better.
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
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    I get that saying at least 2 or 3 times a week. I eat till I'm full and even though this site says I need more calories I have no room in my stomach so I don't follow this.
  • malery06
    malery06 Posts: 61 Member
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    This is a little hard to understand since I've only started counting calories since I had my baby which was like October..
    I know my bmr is about 1520 and I know that with a deficit of 20% in order to lose weight I should consume about 1220.

    You do make sence tho bean with the whole eat 500 more cAlories lol but yeah I just recently started tracking my body fat % but haven't been able to compare it, ill do that a week from now..

    Btw I'm 5'3 157 lb 22 yrs old
  • Odmayhea
    Odmayhea Posts: 1
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    I have gotten this 2 days in a row. I really don't know what to do to avoid it. I'm not going to overeat... I have 4 mini meals and 2 snacks a day and eat (healthy foods) until I am full. I have been weight training and drinking a protein shake, but I'm still kind of worried it is going to hinder my weight loss.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    This is a little hard to understand since I've only started counting calories since I had my baby which was like October..
    I know my bmr is about 1520 and I know that with a deficit of 20% in order to lose weight I should consume about 1220.

    You do make sence tho bean with the whole eat 500 more cAlories lol but yeah I just recently started tracking my body fat % but haven't been able to compare it, ill do that a week from now..

    Btw I'm 5'3 157 lb 22 yrs old

    You should take your 20% deficit from your TDEE, not your BMR. Your BMR is the amount of calories just to keep you alive and breathing, TDEE includes your daily activity (which I'm sure you have plenty of with a new baby!) I would suggest checking out Dan's thread here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/682138-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I was basically about to type this whole thing, but he's already done it for me!
    Sidenote- if you're breastfeeding, that uses 300-500 more calories a day, on top of regular activity. I don't know the specific numbers as I've never done it, but if you search the forum for "breastfeeding calories" I know I've seen tons of threads about it.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    I eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. My calories consumed are all over the place, they are over often enough that being under some of the time isn't really a concern.
  • TommiEgan
    TommiEgan Posts: 256 Member
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    I struggle to keep up with my calories. It makes me feel ill the amount I am supposed to eat.
  • isitsororo
    isitsororo Posts: 116
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    I just started, and both days I have eaten "too few" calories. Today I have 380 left over and yesterday I had 519 left. Blah blah "starvation mode" I'll listen if I start packing on the pounds from, le gasp, eating around 1,000 cals per day. I do feel hungry eating like this but that's not what's important here.
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    I just started, and both days I have eaten "too few" calories. Today I have 380 left over and yesterday I had 519 left. Blah blah "starvation mode" I'll listen if I start packing on the pounds from, le gasp, eating around 1,000 cals per day.

    Yesterday you netted 681 calories and ate 17g of protein. Are you looking to lose weight or fat?
    I do feel hungry eating like this but that's not what's important here.
    Learning how to eat properly is what's most important, not just losing weight. What do you think is going to happen once you hit your goal and you stop logging if you keep starving yourself?


    Just honestly trying to help you here.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    What I don't understand is (unless you are here in order to gain weight after an ED/or have a medical condition) if you are on MFP to lose weight then, at some point, you were quite easily eating your TDEE in calories and beyond to have gained. So why is it now magically so hard to eat your goal calories which falls either 500 cals or 20% below your TDEE?

    Seriously. If you have calories allotted - eat them. Your allocated calories are a goal to eat at not aim to be waaay under. Plan a little to have some more calorie dense foods on hand for those times when you think 'I can't eat 5 kilos of lettuce to make up another 100 cals'..then have a little 25g piece of cheese/30g of nuts - it is still healthy.
  • reptilegrrl
    reptilegrrl Posts: 24 Member
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    Weird, I routinely eat too few calories and MFP never tells me that message. Or maybe I never notice it?

    If I eat too few calories per day, I don't lose weight and I am tired and have stomach problems. So yes, I try to eat enough every day.
  • reptilegrrl
    reptilegrrl Posts: 24 Member
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    What I don't understand is (unless you are here in order to gain weight after an ED/or have a medical condition) if you are on MFP to lose weight then, at some point, you were quite easily eating your TDEE in calories and beyond to have gained. So why is it now magically so hard to eat your goal calories which falls either 500 cals or 20% below your TDEE?

    The assumption that someone was overweight because they were eating more than their TDEE in calories is erroneous. Weight gain does not result only from overeating (in fact there are people who routinely "overeat" and do not gain weight.)
  • isitsororo
    isitsororo Posts: 116
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    I just started, and both days I have eaten "too few" calories. Today I have 380 left over and yesterday I had 519 left. Blah blah "starvation mode" I'll listen if I start packing on the pounds from, le gasp, eating around 1,000 cals per day.

    Yesterday you netted 681 calories and ate 17g of protein. Are you looking to lose weight or fat?
    I do feel hungry eating like this but that's not what's important here.
    Learning how to eat properly is what's most important, not just losing weight. What do you think is going to happen once you hit your goal and you stop logging if you keep starving yourself?


    Just honestly trying to help you here.


    1. My main goal weight/fat wise is to hit 115 lbs. Secondary is maybe a slight difference in appearance, but as you can see, it's not a big difference in weight I'm looking for so a big difference is not something I will see, it's more about the number. The carb, protein, fat information is stuff I have not thought about before, a month ago I knew very little about calories and calorie tracking and now that is something I focus on as well as cutting down junk food, which is my overall goal.

    I'm not starving myself just because I'm often hungry. Honestly, I still got hungry eating a good 4-5 meals, with fatty foods, per day (and was at a decent weight then, BMI in the 18-20 range). This is just more hunger, which I can deal with.
  • getitgirl11
    getitgirl11 Posts: 18 Member
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    I don't use the Recommended Goal set up, I use Custom for my goals because I don't believe in the ratios MFP provides for your body.

    To keep your body at a fat-burning pace while still gaining lean muscle and maintaining a fuller feeling and high energy level, your body thrives off a 40/40/20 plan--meaning 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat.

    To figure out your daily caloric intake, this site can give you a BMR (basal metabolic rate) meaning the BASIC calories you need per day to survive based on your height, age, weight and gender.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    Once you figure out your BMR, the Harris Benedict equation adds in your activity level. THIS is what you should be consuming per day in terms of caloric intake.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

    HOWEVER, if you want to LOOSE weight, refer to this area of the site.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php

    HOWEVER, if you want to GAIN weight, refer to this area of the site.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-gain-weight.php

    I consume about 1600 calories/day with the 40/40/20 plan and a clean diet. I have never felt better!
    In reference to "eating back" the deficit I added in from my HR monitor for the workout that day, I don't eat back those calories. A healthy deficit is about 500-1000 calories a day to loose 1-2 pounds per week.

    Hope this helps ( : feel free to add me for support and motivation--I would love to help!
  • Showgirlbody
    Showgirlbody Posts: 402 Member
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    I've only got that message when under 1200 since I think that is the bare minimum that it wants women to go to. It never says that if I just ate under my base goal or if I have a boatload of exercise cals left.
  • offthedeependay
    offthedeependay Posts: 435 Member
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    I could never eat under 1200 calories,I have hit my goal weight by eatting between 1800 and 2000 calories a day,lost 81 pounds in 16 months,slow weight loss so I know it will stay off,now that I hit my weight goal I eat around 2200 calories a day and focus on bf% started at 28% bf now at 14%..dont understand why anyone would want to starve themselves,this is not a diet ,it a change in the way I live my life and eat.I eat what I want ,in moderation.healthy choices for the most part but 5 to 10% junk..I love chocolate and am not willing to give up the foods that I love,,I just dont eat a whole bag of chocolate chip cookies any more,,one or 2 will take away the craving...eat to lose weight ...have to love it
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    What I don't understand is (unless you are here in order to gain weight after an ED/or have a medical condition) if you are on MFP to lose weight then, at some point, you were quite easily eating your TDEE in calories and beyond to have gained. So why is it now magically so hard to eat your goal calories which falls either 500 cals or 20% below your TDEE?

    The assumption that someone was overweight because they were eating more than their TDEE in calories is erroneous. Weight gain does not result only from overeating (in fact there are people who routinely "overeat" and do not gain weight.)

    Unless you have a medical condition (as I said above) if you eat over your total daily energy expenditure you gain. If you eat under the amount of energy you expend you don't. Assuming they were eating over their TDEE rountinely to gain weight would not be an erroneous assumption at all. We became overweight because we put more energy into our bodies than we could use.
  • MonicaW1988
    MonicaW1988 Posts: 23 Member
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    I have had some of those messages before with MFP but recently I have not and I do eat back some of my exercise calories... I know somedays I should save them but if I'm really hungry I can't deprive or starve myself - if I did that I would never lose weight the healthy way and just gain it all back... for me its not a diet its a lifestyle change.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    What I don't understand is (unless you are here in order to gain weight after an ED/or have a medical condition) if you are on MFP to lose weight then, at some point, you were quite easily eating your TDEE in calories and beyond to have gained. So why is it now magically so hard to eat your goal calories which falls either 500 cals or 20% below your TDEE?

    The assumption that someone was overweight because they were eating more than their TDEE in calories is erroneous. Weight gain does not result only from overeating (in fact there are people who routinely "overeat" and do not gain weight.)

    Can you ask these people to let us know how they defied the laws of thermodynamics?

    And to all those who are having trouble reaching 1200cals.

    Sanitarium_Natur_4dce2327c337f.jpg
    ist2_2890967_spoon.jpg

    Don't worry, it's all natural "healthy" fats.

    And fat doesn't make you fat.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    What I don't understand is (unless you are here in order to gain weight after an ED/or have a medical condition) if you are on MFP to lose weight then, at some point, you were quite easily eating your TDEE in calories and beyond to have gained. So why is it now magically so hard to eat your goal calories which falls either 500 cals or 20% below your TDEE?

    The assumption that someone was overweight because they were eating more than their TDEE in calories is erroneous. Weight gain does not result only from overeating (in fact there are people who routinely "overeat" and do not gain weight.)

    Why are the laws of thermodynamics not applicable to some people. If the calories they eat was less than the calorie they burned how did they gain weight? The inverse question applies also.

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