Not taking in enough calories.

jhall585
jhall585 Posts: 61
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All -
I'm having trouble on some days consuming enough calories. I know I did plenty of work taking in calories over Thanksgiving and the holiday weekend, but Sunday and yesterday I was under by quite a bit. I'm in good shape, 5'4 125 lbs, never measured my body fat but you can see considerable ab definition and muscles on my body, I work out often and sometimes for long periods of time (aerobic conditioning). That being said...

How negatively would this effect me if i'm under my calories a few times per week ? Should I zig zag to make up for the calorie deficit? I wouldn't mind losing a little fat but don't want to lose muscle.

Replies

  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    From what I hear people say, a few times a week isn't bad as long as you are getting your required nutrients and energy for working out - and as long as your calorie goal isn't really low to begin with. We can't eat exactly the same amount of food day in, day out, so just being reasonable should be okay.

    But there are others here who have waaaaaay more experience, so we will see what they say!
  • AliciaStinger
    AliciaStinger Posts: 402 Member
    I can't see your diary, so I don't know if by "being under" you mean that your goal is 1800 and you eat 1600, OR if you mean your goal is 1200 and you only eat 1,000. At the minimum, you're supposed to net 1200 calories a day; some people will eat slightly under that and presumably be okay. If you eat significantly under that, you run the risk of messing up your metabolism, and if your body is hungry, it may eat your muscle, as well as hold on to whatever fat you have. Of course, I'm not an expert (just someone who reads a lot online), and I don't know you, your body, or your eating habits; you may wish to do your own research about the things that I mentioned and see whether or not those things could be a problem for you. If you have a doctor, personal trainer, nutritionist, etc., you may also want to get their advice.

    I did go to your profile...I noticed that you want to "buff up." If you haven't already, you may want to look into proper eating for lifting, strength training, body building, or whatever you're into. I've heard that you're supposed to have a high caloric intake to build muscle, and you're also supposed to eat certain types of things to encourage the muscle to heal.

    Edit - QuirkyTizzy makes a good point, too: if your goal is 1400 and you only eat 1200 calories one day, that's a 200 deficit. If you go 200 over the next day and eat 1600 calories, it balances out. Being a little under some days or a little over other days shouldn't hurt you. You said "significantly under," so I didn't mention this! Good luck with everything.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Think big picture... as long as your total cals at the end of the week/month are within reason, I wouldn't worry about it. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to get in the habit of netting 500 one day, then 2500 the next, etc.

    And feel free to "dirty up" your cals a bit if it makes it easier to hit your goals.
  • jhall585
    jhall585 Posts: 61
    I made my diary public. For some reason, sometimes i'm just not very hungry at all, despite my lifting and cardio. And I hate feeling bloated and heavy so I don't like to stuff myself to make up for the calories.
  • jhall585
    jhall585 Posts: 61
    Think big picture... as long as your total cals at the end of the week/month are within reason, I wouldn't worry about it. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to get in the habit of netting 500 one day, then 2500 the next, etc.

    And feel free to "dirty up" your cals a bit if it makes it easier to hit your goals.

    By dirty up, do you mean add candy or some sort of delicious "bad" treat??
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Think big picture... as long as your total cals at the end of the week/month are within reason, I wouldn't worry about it. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to get in the habit of netting 500 one day, then 2500 the next, etc.

    And feel free to "dirty up" your cals a bit if it makes it easier to hit your goals.

    By dirty up, do you mean add candy or some sort of delicious "bad" treat??

    Sort of... Most people who have trouble hitting their daily goal have that problem because they are eating "too clean". Add in some more fats (nuts, seeds, etc if you want to stay fairly clean, or go crazy and have some ice cream) and it'll be much easier to hit your target.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    I think your diet looks good. You want to "firm up", so make sure you meet (or preferably exceed) your protein goal to build muscle. You're in a deficit so you're going to lose fat... this is only a problem if you're already at your ideal weight and don't want to lose any more.

    The issue for you is that you're burning a lot of calories in exercise pretty much every day. You're burning about the same amount I am, but I'm a big guy trying to lose 17 pounds.

    You're running, right? I'm wondering if you should supplement your running with some lifting to work on toning up and adding muscle mass. Maybe run 3 days a week, lift 3 days a week, rest 1 day a week. Do that and keep your protein up, and I predict you'll see that firmed, toned look you're after.
  • jhall585
    jhall585 Posts: 61
    I think your diet looks good. You want to "firm up", so make sure you meet (or preferably exceed) your protein goal to build muscle. You're in a deficit so you're going to lose fat... this is only a problem if you're already at your ideal weight and don't want to lose any more.

    The issue for you is that you're burning a lot of calories in exercise pretty much every day. You're burning about the same amount I am, but I'm a big guy trying to lose 17 pounds.

    You're running, right? I'm wondering if you should supplement your running with some lifting to work on toning up and adding muscle mass. Maybe run 3 days a week, lift 3 days a week, rest 1 day a week. Do that and keep your protein up, and I predict you'll see that firmed, toned look you're after.


    I log my cardio work outs as "elliptical", but in reality, i'm usually running a few miles, rowing, spinning, ellipticalling (is that the word?) and utilizing every cardio machine in my huge gym. I also strength train about 4 days a week. I don't have much stored fat to burn off so I worry about my body eating its muscle if I get too low a few times a week?
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Few times a week isn't bad. Sometimes after increased calories, the next day you may not be as hungry.
  • _stephanie0
    _stephanie0 Posts: 708 Member
    threads like THIS is why i made my thread :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/804985-this-is-how-hard-it-is-to-reach-1200-calories
  • jhall585
    jhall585 Posts: 61
    threads like THIS is why i made my thread :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/804985-this-is-how-hard-it-is-to-reach-1200-calories

    I guess I should be more mindful about eating, I just sort of do it when i'm hungry!
  • Brock53
    Brock53 Posts: 8
    Monounsaturated body fat and polyunsaturated body fat are known as “good or healthier fats” because they are good for your center, cholestrerol levels and overall health. High on calorie consumption, these body fat help you to put on weight easily and do not cause center illnesses.
  • jhall585
    jhall585 Posts: 61
    threads like THIS is why i made my thread :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/804985-this-is-how-hard-it-is-to-reach-1200-calories

    And let it be said that I don't purposefully and consistently dip so low on cals.
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    How do you change a mindset that has the calorie count MFP sets as cap rather than a minimum. A lot of times I OCD about being "just at" my calorie goal (not including the calories burned exercising). What's the best way to change that? Should I change my goal so my calorie intake on MFP is higher?
  • Brock53
    Brock53 Posts: 8
    Monounsaturated body fat and polyunsaturated body fat are known as “good or healthier fats” because they are good for your center, cholestrerol levels and overall health. High on calorie consumption, these body fat help you to put on weight easily and do not cause center illnesses.

    Any Comment?

    http://www.glenvalesupportedliving.com.au/
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    How do you change a mindset that has the calorie count MFP sets as cap rather than a minimum. A lot of times I OCD about being "just at" my calorie goal (not including the calories burned exercising). What's the best way to change that? Should I change my goal so my calorie intake on MFP is higher?

    I'm not sure I'm following you. Assuming your goal is to lose weight, and the MFP numbers you are working with are reasonable, then you want to be "just at" your calorie goal. That's total overall cals... you can go over in the individual macros and still be at or under your calorie goal.
  • CrazyCatLadylovescats
    CrazyCatLadylovescats Posts: 107 Member
    [quot
    For some reason, sometimes i'm just not very hungry at all, despite my lifting and cardio. And I hate feeling bloated and heavy so I don't like to stuff myself to make up for the calories.
    [/quote]


    Then don't eat more. I am 5'4" and in high school I ran distance track and played field hockey. I just put in my typical daily meals for that time period and I was eating around 1600 calories, and running about 5 miles a day 5 days a week. I weighed 115 - 120 had lots of muscle, had lots of energy to do what I needed to do. I never worried about getting enough calories during that time, I was not considered anorexic by anyone, and was not the thinnest girl on the team.

    It was only after I had kids and started snacking more that my total calories went up. Then I started gaining weight. Now at this site I have people telling me to eat more...when I really need to listen to my body and do what I used to do. (More exercise, less snacks.)

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