Am I not Consuming enough Calories???

agralston
agralston Posts: 31
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
Hello MFP folks, I'm in need of some guidence.

When I began the assesment MFP calculated that I should be consuming 1950 calories a day. On top of this, I take a spin class three times a week so on those days a burn an extra 700-800 calories, which makes me able to consume about 2700-2800 calories a day. I find after logging all of my food at the end of the day, I have on average of 700 calories left over. Sounds great right?

My question is, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does not consuming that extra 700 calories a day kick my metabolism into starvation mode and cause me to hold on to fat and not burn it?

Any info would help. This is a great site and everyone on it is so positive and motivated. Keep up the good work!

Replies

  • agralston
    agralston Posts: 31
    Hello MFP folks, I'm in need of some guidence.

    When I began the assesment MFP calculated that I should be consuming 1950 calories a day. On top of this, I take a spin class three times a week so on those days a burn an extra 700-800 calories, which makes me able to consume about 2700-2800 calories a day. I find after logging all of my food at the end of the day, I have on average of 700 calories left over. Sounds great right?

    My question is, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does not consuming that extra 700 calories a day kick my metabolism into starvation mode and cause me to hold on to fat and not burn it?

    Any info would help. This is a great site and everyone on it is so positive and motivated. Keep up the good work!
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    When I began the assesment MFP calculated that I should be consuming 1950 calories a day. On top of this, I take a spin class three times a week so on those days a burn an extra 700-800 calories, which makes me able to consume about 2700-2800 calories a day. I find after logging all of my food at the end of the day, I have on average of 700 calories left over. Sounds great right?

    My question is, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does not consuming that extra 700 calories a day kick my metabolism into starvation mode and cause me to hold on to fat and not burn it?

    Any info would help. This is a great site and everyone on it is so positive and motivated. Keep up the good work!

    Answers: bad thing---yes, your metabolism is at risk of going into "starvation" or survival mode; Yes, it will cause your body to hold onto anything you eat.

    Look at it this way--you are basically giving your body 1200 calories a day to exist on--and at your age, and being a man, and given the small amount of weight you wish to lose, you should probably be looking at getting in at least 1500 calories a day.

    You should be aiming for a 1/2 pound or at max 1 pound a week loss given your circumstances.
  • agralston
    agralston Posts: 31
    That"s what I figured. Thanks for the reply and good luck!
  • shkaki
    shkaki Posts: 234 Member
    if you're eating what the computer reads out as your BMR calories, then you're fine. if you're burning 700-800 with exercise, you CAN eat those calories and still lose weight at 1-2lbs/week, but you don't have to eat those calories to not go into "starvation mode". exercise calories are extra!
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    if you're eating what the computer reads out as your BMR calories, then you're fine. if you're burning 700-800 with exercise, you CAN eat those calories and still lose weight at 1-2lbs/week, but you don't have to eat those calories to not go into "starvation mode". exercise calories are extra!

    Not quite--BMR is the amount that it takes to keep you alive if you did absolutely nothing else than lie in a bed and breathe.

    Since I'm assuming you do more than that, you need more than your BMR. Make sure you set your activity level correctly as possible to your daily routine in the "goals" section and then MFP will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your weight based upon age, sex, and activity level.
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