Am i really eating too few calories?

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  • notenoughspeed
    notenoughspeed Posts: 290 Member
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    If you're only 20 pounds away, I would say bump it down to .5 a week, and see how it goes. If you accurately log, and gain, no worries, bump it back down. I highly doubt you'll gain at .5 a week deficit. You can put yourself into a mode where your metabolism will slow down. Consider eating some of those calories it gives you back. Happy training. :)
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    I'm as concerned about the (lack of) quality of your diet as the quantity. Not enough fruit and veggies, tiny servings of fish (why?), 'meals' of 100 calories, few to no mineral rich foods, little to no dairy, high percentage of calories as processed junk .... IMO go back to basics and make sure you are consuming sufficient servings of all the food groups or an appropriate alternative. Forget calories, you are going to end up malnourished if not already.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    If you are within 50 lbs of a healthy weight, then you should, at the very least, eat back your exercise calories. If you have your goal settings on 2 lbs a week loss, I would suggest raising it to 1 lb a week, or even 0.5 lbs a week. If you are within 50 lbs of goal, your health isn't really being compromised by your weight so there is no need to rush. However, if you are within 50 lbs of goal, eating too few calories can compromise your progress.

    i'm about 20lb from my goal, and i have my settings at 1lb per week. I'm not in a major rush, and i don't want to force it. I really do want to do it the right way. I haven't lost hope or anything... there's been no "why isn't this woooooorrrrking" whining.

    I literally posting because MFP is telling me i'm eating too few calories, and i wanted to hear other users thoughts on that. So far it sounds like i'm not really compromising my progress with how i'm currently eating, but i should probably plan better on my gym days.

    You haven't compromised anything yet. But if your BMR is greater than 1200 calories, then you are not allowing yourself enough calories to get sufficient nutrition. This will be a problem eventually. The closer you are to your goal, the more likely it will be sooner than later.

    I'm sorry if that isn't the answer that you wanted, but it is the answer. Nutrition is a science, and despite popular belief, the human body generally responds to nutrients and nutrient defeciencies the same way. Many have posted here supporting the advice that I gave. With my advice, I included knowledge that I have obtained to support it. The statements that I made are documented facts. You could do some of your own research, and will likely learn the same things. Best of luck to you. I hope your progress continues.
  • hsacksy
    hsacksy Posts: 15 Member
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    Thanks to everyone's feedback, i've realized that while i've been focusing on calories, i've been forgetting about quality. i am lactose-intolerant (fyi for those of you who have noted a lack of dairy in my diet) and i avoid red meat (i don't digest it well), but i love all fruit and veggies... I have just gotten lazy with my food shopping.

    So I think now, instead of worrying about my calorie intake (well, i mean, i'll still be tracking and sticking to a goal...) i'll try to focus more on what exactly i'm eating. I think i was mistaking eating "carefully" for eating well. and while i was making ok choices, what i am choosing from maybe isn't ideal.

    thanks for not attacking me and calling me an idiot, by the way. this is my first time participating in a message board community, and i was a little nervous!
  • zhiking
    zhiking Posts: 161 Member
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    Since your lactose intolerant have you considered protein shakes you could add it to soy milk, rice or almond milk? this might also be an easy way to get some extra calories at least on your workout days -oh and since you said you were low on fruits why not add bananas, frozen berries etc to smoothie?
    This was an interesting thread. Not eating enough calories is not a problem with me!- but as a vegetarian I also need to think more about getting enough protein. I also like tofurky (soy based) it also has a lot of protein.
  • hsacksy
    hsacksy Posts: 15 Member
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    The shake idea is a good one, for my workout days anyway. Silk makes a delish, premade fruit and protein shake that i really like. its a little expensive, which is why i don't keep it in the house regularly.

    I don't know much about protein powders, only that whey protein is really popular, and i can't have that since whey is a dairy ingredient.

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