Under eating your calorie target

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gponter79
gponter79 Posts: 124 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've just started the MFL program and have lost 5lb in just under 2 weeks. I'm 30yr Male - 228lb aiming to lose 2 lb per week down to about 180lb. My calorie target is set at about 1750 per day. I'm eating healthy choosing all the healthy option meals/sandwiches etc from the supermarket. Looking back my average daily consumption now is between 900-1300 every day. I'm not going hungry and feel fine. I'm also burning about 500 cals 4/5 days per week in the gym. I'm not trying to under eat but this just seems to be what i'm eating now i'm choosing healthy food options.

I'm just wondering how much under eating my calories target is effecting me. Would i lose more weight eating more???

Thanks in advance for your replies!
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Replies

  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    you'll keep losing at a fast rate for about 2 weeks if you are undereating. Then you'll hit the wall. You won't budge for weeks on end. Your body won't let you. We refer to it as "starvation mode" but it should be more accurately called depressed metabolism mode. You aren't doing yourself any favors by undereating. MFP is already including a deficit in the calories it has allotted to your plan. Follow the plan. I've tried it both ways, I'm speaking from experience.

    if it's hard for you to get your calories in, add good fats (nuts, PB, olive oil, avocado) to your meals/snacks so that you boost the calories without adding a lot of bulk.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    and if you are working out, you should be eating to replace those burned calories. Your body needs fuel.
  • hanr
    hanr Posts: 20
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    you'll keep losing at a fast rate for about 2 weeks if you are undereating. Then you'll hit the wall. You won't budge for weeks on end. Your body won't let you. We refer to it as "starvation mode" but it should be more accurately called depressed metabolism mode. You aren't doing yourself any favors by undereating. MFP is already including a deficit in the calories it has allotted to your plan. Follow the plan. I've tried it both ways, I'm speaking from experience.

    if it's hard for you to get your calories in, add good fats (nuts, PB, olive oil, avocado) to your meals/snacks so that you boost the calories without adding a lot of bulk.

    Agree completely!!!

    Gosh I wish I had this problem ;)

    Good luck!
  • linzismith
    linzismith Posts: 139 Member
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    a lot of people say you should eat back all your exercise calories. I do most of the time, but when I don't, I make sure that my net calorie intake never drops below 1200 a day (and I'm a woman).

    I'd say that for a man, your calorie intake minus your exercise cals should NEVER drop below 1300. if they do, your body is going to start storing everything you eat because it will think you are entering a famine period. also, it will start to burn whatever fuel is the closest and easiest to get at, even if that means muscle.
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
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    i have only just joined and for the past 7 weeks i have been slaving at the gym and eating less than 1000 calories a day--i can easily do about 900 cals at the gym in 1 session! i am 163lbs now and have been losing about 2,2 to 3,3 lbs a week over the past 7 weeks--i join here and get a real calorie counted diet and it has all become a lot easier and i am losing at the same rate--i am eating more and doing less exercise for the same loss. i was very lucky i didnt depress my system and even gain weight! also i could have damaged some internal organs as a pleasant side affect---i do struggle to reach the targets on heavy gym days but i am learning what foods can give me the calories etc
  • gponter79
    gponter79 Posts: 124 Member
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    Thanks folks, like i said i'm not trying to under eat on the calories. I have a busy working day and just have 3 meals and the odd snack. I'm not going hungry and feel great! I certainly don't want to hit 'the wall' as this has made me fail diet's in the past.
    Although I'm really not trying to think of MFP as a diet more a complete change in Lifestyle. I would always eat big bulky high carb food like pasta, rice, pizza (essentially anything that features bread/cheese/meat). That's what really piled the weight on.

    My usual daily diet now would be something like.

    Banana
    (trip to gym)
    Poached eggs on toast or muesli

    Boots meal deal (UK shop)
    Shapers wrap/apple & grapes/snack a jacks/bottle diet coke

    Chicken stiry-fry / noodles
    or Jacket potato cheese/beans

    I'd be interested to know of any foods that you think would be good for my daily routine. (good fats as you called them) or any other tips and advice. BTW I've actually put off going to the gym this morning because i'm writing on here! ha ha ha
  • ritadani
    ritadani Posts: 6
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    I think your diet is not bad. but you could try adding some fruit in there as dessert, for example, and snacks inbetween meals, like fruit/vegetables with peanut butter, crackers with cheese, yogurt, milkshakes, nuts, etc. you clearly don't have that much nutrition on what you are eating, not because they're bad choices, but because it's not enough.
  • ang696
    ang696 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks for posting this!!! I have run into the same problem myself. I workout 5 days a week, and barely eat anything cause I don't feel hungry, which helps me lose weight for a while, then I hit that wall. I drove myself crazy trying to understand it! I knew about starvation mode but didn't think i was in it. Thanks to all the replies too, they were really informative!
  • hutche
    hutche Posts: 6
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    If you're consistently undereating your calories by a significant margin, you are burning lean muscle mass, not fat - which is a terrible thing for your body. You'll lose weight - but you'll end up a skinny skeleton with a pot belly. Eat your calorie targets people.
  • kpnuts23
    kpnuts23 Posts: 960 Member
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    Nuts - Almonds especially are a good fat source - you can buy large bags at holland n barrett i think instead of spending a few quid in sainsburys on a small bag!
    Maybe add more protien in between meals, just a simple snack of a chicken breast will fill you up and add on a few more cals...
  • LisaJayne71
    LisaJayne71 Posts: 197 Member
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    I think it's different for everyone though... I have PCOS and I have to eat less calories than the normal woman. If I eat 1200 a day I gain weight. I have to stick to around 800 and try to burn off as many as I can in the gym......
    Also, I don't stick the the calorie and carb count that MFP has given me as it's not tailor made to each individual person. If I were to eat the 275 g carb and calorie allowance I'm told to eat each day by MFP I'd be piling on more weight rather than lose.
    I've been told by my endocronoligist to stick to low carb (no more than 160g a day) and low calorie so I'm trying out what suits me and using this website to track my calories going in and for the support of all you lovely people here!!

    I'd say that as long as you're not starving by eating what you're eating then listen to your body and if you do hit that wall then it might be time to try and eat a few healthy exercise calories , or cut back if that doesn't work.....
    At the end of the day all our bodies work differently and it's all trial and error to find what works for you!
  • Timjones4u
    Timjones4u Posts: 2
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    I found your advice on this really helpful as I have recently been eating well under my calorie allowance and yet getting nowhere. I had lost sight of the fact that MFP works out how many cals I should take in and that I should make sure that I do take them in! It isn't easy to eat more calories as I don't feel hungry very often but when I do take in extra cals it tends to be alcohol at the weekends. I suspect that's a problem for many of us!
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
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    I have always eaten under my calorie allowance since joining in january, (apart from a short spell where I tested out the eat more loose more - to my horror!! - it did not work for me AT ALL!!) I'm only maintaining my weight.
    I'm petite and choose my foods carefully, I don't eat a lot of rubbish, I mostly eat good healthy fresh food, and well choosen snacks. I find I'm full and have reached my daily requirements quite easily on 1000 cals a day, with a snack or two too.
    I exercise every single day anything from 300 cals to 1000 or more sometimes. I only eat back 200 cals extra for exercise.
    I always have plenty of energy for my exercise and I also do strength training and arm weights.
    I feel at my best on 1000 net cals a day, any more than that and I feel sluggish.

    I get that 'starvation mode' warning notice every single day when I finish my diary.
    Fact proven that I'm not starving because if I were then I'd loose weight not maintain, over a period of months.
    It's such a generalised system at MFP, it's not looking at foods eaten and contents of those foods and if the body has had all the vitamins it needs etc, it's just looking at calories and giving a rough guide.

    I would say if you are choosing healthy foods and really watching every single item you eat then you will be under calorie but also perfectly fed. Always listen to your body and do what feels right for you.
    If you feel good then stick with it, you are certainly not doing yourself any harm if your eating healthily and feel really well in yourself.

    If I believed in this starvation mode theory I'd never have regained my size 6 figure :smile:
    Everyone is different and everyone has different goals.
    Do what's right for you and ignore the rest. :flowerforyou:
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
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    If you're consistently undereating your calories by a significant margin, you are burning lean muscle mass, not fat - which is a terrible thing for your body. You'll lose weight - but you'll end up a skinny skeleton with a pot belly. Eat your calorie targets people.

    This statement is SIMPLY NOT TRUE !!!!

    If you eat healthy well choosen foods and take regular exercise you WILL be fine :smile:
    I have abs not a pot belly !!! lol
    Some peoples bodies demand less calories than others. FACT!!
    Each to their own!!
  • kpnuts23
    kpnuts23 Posts: 960 Member
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    If you're consistently undereating your calories by a significant margin, you are burning lean muscle mass, not fat - which is a terrible thing for your body. You'll lose weight - but you'll end up a skinny skeleton with a pot belly. Eat your calorie targets people.

    This statement is SIMPLY NOT TRUE !!!!

    If you eat healthy well choosen foods and take regular exercise you WILL be fine :smile:
    I have abs not a pot belly !!! lol
    Some peoples bodies demand less calories than others. FACT!!
    Each to their own!!

    Ahhhmen!!!!

    Im the same as Mel.. I put on weight if i eat 1,200 cals.. just the way my body is.. but if i stick to around 1,000 or a little less i loose..
    im not a strong beliver in starvation mode... meah...
    Each to their own indeed!! x
  • Joanneh
    Joanneh Posts: 40 Member
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    I think you ladies are missing the point. If you go from having a high calorie diet to a really low calorie diet really quickly, your body will try to hang on to fat because it thinks its being starved.

    I know some really slim people who definitely survive on about 800 - 1000 calories a day and always have done, so the starvation mode does not apply to them.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    You're not eating enough.

    I was in your boat almost exactly last year. Eat all of the calories you are being suggested to consume. If you don't, like others have said, you will drop weight but you will lose massive amounts of lean muscle mass too. You will essentially end up thin and flabby. I doubt that's where you are looking to be.

    Send me a message if you want any advice or whatever. Good luck.
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
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    I think you ladies are missing the point. If you go from having a high calorie diet to a really low calorie diet really quickly, your body will try to hang on to fat because it thinks its being starved.

    I know some really slim people who definitely survive on about 800 - 1000 calories a day and always have done, so the starvation mode does not apply to them.

    Not missing the point.
    The point is if you want to loose weight you have to make changes, permenant changes.
    You can do it quickly and you'll slow your metabolism for a short while but your body can only hold on to so much for so long and if your actually serious about getting that weight off and keeping it off the quicker you get to a normal calorie amount the better.
    You can drag this process out over the space of a year if you like but ultimately it'll be healthier in the long run to make the life changes today and stick to it rather that stuffing in extra unneeded cals just for the sake of it.
    It guess it's all about how commited you want to be and where your aiming.

    I personally believe in eating healthy food until your full and exercising everyday.
    I don't believe you should eat when you are not hungry.
    I believe we should all listen to our own bodies and respond accordingly.
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
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    i am sensing that there is an obvious divide here--girls and boys! women have much slower metabolisms than men it seems--i am 160 odd pounds and my instructress is about 100lbs her metabolism is about 1299 and mine is 1693--both done by a dietician- i dont think my bmr will ever go as low as that--infact my goal is to raise it but she is as fit as i would want to be!
    My goal is to eat healthily and substainably after i have got past the excitement of the gym--and normal life takes over--its a fine balance because my calorie count is going up and i want to keep eating but then i want to be able to stop when i stop the extreme exercise
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    I personally believe in eating healthy food until your full and exercising everyday.
    I don't believe you should eat when you are not hungry.
    I believe we should all listen to our own bodies and respond accordingly.

    I'm in agreement with you. Everybody is different. 1200 calories is a blanket recommendation for all of humanity. But! On an individual basis it will differ. I'm on 1000. I can eat up to 1200 if I exercise. Thats what was medically perscribed to me after I was completely looked over. Some women with a small frame can safely eat 1000 calories and be fine. There are many other societies in this world who manage to live healthy long lives with out counting calories. Some of the few food foraging or pastoral societies that are left in the world manage to be extremely active while eating without specific meal times, protien shakes, calorie counting. They live actively into old age with little to none of the diseases that plague us in industrial soscieties. Some of them only eat meat at celebrations, 1 pig to share with the whole tribe once a week to once a month. They live just fine.

    I think you you should know your own body and do what works for you. Talk to a doctor and have a physical if you are new to this. EveryBODY is different.

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