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you are eating too few calories

deyofahl
deyofahl Posts: 2
edited January 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I currently am working on getting under 200 lbs. I am currently at 225. The system is telling me to eat 1470 cals per day to reach my goal, but I am always getting this message.....

*Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1200 calories per day minimum.

When Im close to the 1470 mark it doesn't say this but I am always doing cardio so that always raises my daily cal intake to about 1700-2200. Should I be eating more or am I fine. I have been doing this now for almost two weeks and lost about 4lbs.

Replies

  • MorningWhispers
    MorningWhispers Posts: 182
    I don't log my exercise and just try to keep my calories between 1200 - 1600.

    If you are eating at least 1200 calories and things are working for you, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    At the end of the day your net calories should say whatever your calorie goal is and your Remaining calories should say 0.

    You are suppose to eat the calories you earn through exercise, it's how the app works and it's how it's suppose to be followed.
  • mtnhiker1
    mtnhiker1 Posts: 114 Member
    I agree with Morning whisper - I do not log what exercise I do. I sometimes walk to work and then home (3 miles to and 3 miles home. I do not log it. same with splitting wood, going to the gym, or swimming. This approach seems to work for me.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    You should be netting close to zero. Unless you have set your daily activity level fairly high, and based on your numbers, I doubt it, MFP is not taking your cardio into account and expects you to eat extra on days when you work out. Undereating is not a good idea in the long run. You will still lose weight, but a higher percentage of the weight lost will be muscle, not fat. A smaller deficit encourages more fat loss, even if your weight loss is less. Focusing only on the scale is a mistake, and leads a lot of people to decide not to eat the calories allotted since they see more losses on the scale when they don't. Partly, you lose glycogen when you undereat, causing you to drop water weight, and this apparent loss makes people happy. As a reference point, I am 195 lbs, 6'-1" and eat 2000 calories as a base. On days when I do insanity, I eat an extra 800 to 1400 calories for a total daily intake of up to 3400 calories, which seems like a terrifying number to a lot of people. I have gained 2 lbs in the last two months, but I have lost 3% body fat and 4" off my stomach, so it is clear I am burning serious fat. Eat more and take body measurements. You'll be glad you did in the long run.
  • VioletNightshade
    VioletNightshade Posts: 197
    Like others, I don't log working (which consists of walking sometimes 15-20+ miles a day while weighted down by work equipment which, on a hectic day can weigh up to 10lb), walking my dog (which is usually around 5 miles until she's good and tired), swimming, or anything else I do, to keep my diary thing telling me to eat around 1210 calories a day. I kind of follow this, I stay between 1200 and 1300 a day, and don't worry about it. The weight's coming off (down to 220 from 260 since February), so I'm considering it a success.

    You've to do whatever is going to work for you, but most dietitians, doctors and people in general will agree that going under 1200 calories a day isn't good. That's why you're getting that message. I get it, too if I even end up at 1199 calories, so I'll go get an almond or something and consider it a day.
  • deyofahl
    deyofahl Posts: 2
    @grimendale. What body measurements do you suggest taking? How long have you been using this system. When you do insanity you are burning between 800-1000 cals, and you still eat way over the cal rec on here?
  • ible
    ible Posts: 1 Member
    I'm to 1470. Yet I workout 5-6 times a week I to put my exercise in there as well and it increase,so does this mean I'm need to eatote to even out what my calorie intake say then?
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
    What MFP is looking at is your net calories, not just your food calories.

    If your food calories are set for you to eat 1400 calories that means that at 1400 calories you should be losing weight, as the calorie deficit to lose 1-2lbs a week is built in based on what you logged as your desired goal.

    So if it's set for you to burn 1400 calories and you workout burning an added 300 calories in exercise, it says you should be eating 1700 calories that day. Again, the weight lose deficit is built in.

    You can eat LESS than 1700 calories that day (I, myself, usually avoid eating ALL of my exercise calories back), but if you NET less than 1200 calories for the day, you're going to receive the message the OP listed... because nutritionally you shouldn't NET less than 1200 calories for the day.

    Basically, look less at your food calories in the ap and more at your NET calories. Whatever you're doing, you want to net at least 1200 calories.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    For a man you should be eating more than 1400 calories!!
  • missdamman
    missdamman Posts: 44
    I started off at only eating 1200 calories and doing cardio workouts everyday for 1/2 hr - 1 hr. I didn't see any improvements for a full month except for maybe 1 lb. I moved up to eating 1350 calories plus "some" of my workout calories and I dropped 5 lbs in 5 days! I am feeling better as well, it is just really hard to try and work yourself back up to eating more calories. I feel extremely full off 1 piece of 4oz. chicken but I just keep shoveling in good food. Good Luck :)
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    I don't log exercise and I eat whatever amount of calories I need to lose weigh, based on observation. For me, that's under 1200. For maintenance, I probably eat between 1200 and 1600 although I sometimes exceed that.

    If you're losing weight, feel good, and most of your food is healthy and nutritionally balanced stick with that.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,438 MFP Moderator
    @grimendale. What body measurements do you suggest taking? How long have you been using this system. When you do insanity you are burning between 800-1000 cals, and you still eat way over the cal rec on here?

    If you are doing insanity, you should be at no less than level two. Do NOT listen to any of these people that suggest only eating 1400 calories a day is good for you. As man alone.. that is already too little... as an active man, that is a recipe for tons of muscle loss. Heck, I am 5'11, 31 years old, 190 and I cut around 2400-2500 calories with P90X2. You need to be more around those numbers at 225 lbs. BTW, i am down to 13% body fat at this point.

    Also, do not assume you are burning 800-1000 calories, that is the high end of the burns and very few actually burn that.
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