Calories seem FAR too low for the amount I'm eating
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dantillbrook
Posts: 4
Hey guys/girls,
So, as I mention in my profile I'm new to ths weight loss malarky. I know the basics but, as I'm sure you're aware, there are so many different resources which are saying a whole lot of very contradictory things. So I've decided to boil everything down to this:
1) Burn more calories than I consume
2) No processed foods (or very, VERY low amounts)
3) Plenty of veggies
4) Slightly smaller portions
6) Exercise (starting slow with this one)
I feel that, despite whether or not this is an optimal diet for weight loss, I will in all likelihood lose weight and wont get cravings like I probably would on something like a low-carb diet. Just healthy, nutritious food in reasonable amounts. Keeps things nice and simple without overly worrying about things.
The thing is though, I'm probably eating more than I usually do in terms of volume and yet I'm worried I'm not getting enough calories.... I'm well aware that if you don't get enough your body can go into a 'starvation mode' and pile on the pounds, so I'm trying to limit my calorie deficit to about 500 per day, but the fact is I'm struggling to hit that. I'm aware I should be eating about 2000 per day (as my BMR is 2500 apparently), but my my average is around about 1500-1800 without exercise. I'm feeling full, and I haven't noticed any drops in energy and concentration (although I've only been at this for a week so maybe they're coming) but still...
These calorie values are all according to the Myfitnesspal app, so I'm wondering if theres maybe a margin of error for the calorie values they have on there? Or maybe the calorie values on the stuff I'm using when I cook are on the low-side and I shouldn't worry too much. Or maybe I just need to substitute in some higher calorie foods like cheese or potatoes. What do you guys/girls think?
So, as I mention in my profile I'm new to ths weight loss malarky. I know the basics but, as I'm sure you're aware, there are so many different resources which are saying a whole lot of very contradictory things. So I've decided to boil everything down to this:
1) Burn more calories than I consume
2) No processed foods (or very, VERY low amounts)
3) Plenty of veggies
4) Slightly smaller portions
6) Exercise (starting slow with this one)
I feel that, despite whether or not this is an optimal diet for weight loss, I will in all likelihood lose weight and wont get cravings like I probably would on something like a low-carb diet. Just healthy, nutritious food in reasonable amounts. Keeps things nice and simple without overly worrying about things.
The thing is though, I'm probably eating more than I usually do in terms of volume and yet I'm worried I'm not getting enough calories.... I'm well aware that if you don't get enough your body can go into a 'starvation mode' and pile on the pounds, so I'm trying to limit my calorie deficit to about 500 per day, but the fact is I'm struggling to hit that. I'm aware I should be eating about 2000 per day (as my BMR is 2500 apparently), but my my average is around about 1500-1800 without exercise. I'm feeling full, and I haven't noticed any drops in energy and concentration (although I've only been at this for a week so maybe they're coming) but still...
These calorie values are all according to the Myfitnesspal app, so I'm wondering if theres maybe a margin of error for the calorie values they have on there? Or maybe the calorie values on the stuff I'm using when I cook are on the low-side and I shouldn't worry too much. Or maybe I just need to substitute in some higher calorie foods like cheese or potatoes. What do you guys/girls think?
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Replies
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If MFP tells you to eat 2000, that's already with a deficit built in.
Eat the 2000.
Eat more calorie dense food. Almonds, for example, are 170 calories for 30g. Just a handful. Good fats and goes a long way.
If you're weighing/measuring your food accurately, and you're still under... the answer is really simple. Just eat more of what you are already eating. If you're too full, switch out high volume/low calorie foods for higher calorie/lower volume.
Yeah, 200g of broccoli may fill you up.. and feeling full is awesome, but if you aren't hitting your calories.. swap out.
Peanut butter is another winner, too.0 -
If you need to get more cals without eating more food, make different food choices. peanut butter + spoon is a good snack. Add olive oil to soups, sauces, and salads. Avoid diet and lite foods and opt for full calorie versions of said food.0
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You don't have to eat "diet" foods or low calorie foods in order to lose weight. If 2000 is your budget then eat what you want as long as you stay within that number. Eat full fat dairy, eggs, lean meats, oils, nuts. You don't have to avoid fats and carbs to lose weight.0
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My guess is you're eating "diet" foods in addition to tons of fruit and veg...you need dietary fat...don't buy into the low fat no fat stuff...you need that fat. When people fail to hit calorie goals it is often because they've cut too much fat from their diets. You need to have a well rounded and balanced diet...veggies and fruit are good, but you need so much more than that for proper nutrition.0
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I'm trying not to go cut anything out of my diet but maybe I'm doing it unconsciously. So you guys don't think it's underestimation of the calories I'm consuming, jut that I'm maybe going a little TOO far down the healthy and nutritious route? :-P0
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Starvation mode is complete nonsense.
-500 calories per day is a decent starting place, you can always mess with it a little later.
I know when I first started, I also felt like i was eating a lot more then normal. Depending on what you consider "processed foods", it could be that the calorie density of WHAT you're eating now is lower. Like eating 2 pieces of chicken is far fewer calories, then say a fast food meal type thing.
In anycase being pretty anal with a food scale is the best way to ensure you're actually eating what you think you are. Measure out every single thing you eat, most people tend to underestimate (by quite a bit).0 -
It would help if you open your diary.
A lot of the time people who think they are struggling to get enough calories are actually eating more than they think. How do you measure your portion sizes? Especially when you're new to it, eyeballing isn't going to work. At the very least you need to be using measuring cups. Even better, at least according to many, is kitchen scales so you can weigh anything not liquid. It's really easy to underestimate.
Eating at 1500 to 1800 calories probably isn't going to be horrible for you. I've noticed a lot of people come in to this gung-ho ready to change everything and they struggle, at first, to find the right calorie balance and the right foods to get there. After a few weeks, as enthusiasm wanes, they start eating more again, so maybe a little wiggle room right now isn't a bad thing (just keep tracking, and make sure you hit your goals as you start eating slightly more). It often takes a few weeks to a few months to get everything figured out. Heck, I still am trying to find the best balance for my goals, and I've been at this for a while. (Well, with some detours, lol)0 -
If you are eating 1800 calories a day you should still be fine even though MFP says 2000. You are not going to go into starvation mode on that. You wouldn't go into starvation mode eating 1500 calories a day instead.
MFP is also a guesstimate for everyone. Your BMR may be less than what MFP assumes - I've had mine tested and I know mine is.
Are you weighing and measuring everything and tracking diligently?0 -
I started almost 3 weeks ago and things are trial and error with food to eat or not. Fitness pal has helped me to see I am low on cal. but high in other areas. I am working on the bal. Fruits and veg. are real good even without cal. Your body needs that bal. High fiber is good. I also found out diet alone does not work. I am exercising 6 days sometimes 2x. I lost 7 pounds. Thought it would be more with all exercise I am doing.2 pounds a week is a good number a week. I found you need to tone muscles too not just do cardio. By toning you build muscle which burns fat. I am over 300 right now and once you do go exercise or cut certain foods after awhile you will want that healthy food. Start with little things, like no white stuff. need whole grains and wheat, cut pop down if you drink it.(mine was sweet ice tea) Drink plenty of water. For exercise just move. As I found out I can do all moves in Zumba, or go as long as some on a stationary bike. I started at 5 min and up to 10. I couldn't do the stepper because of my feet and knees and I was able to do it for 7 min, pushed through the pain, very slow moving but I was moving. You can do it. I also learned all the web sites out there do contradict and some are after money. Go to .gov or .org. These are the ones who can help and not fake. My fitness pal said I should be eating 1650 cal. I am eating a goal of 1200. Watch if you do exercise yoo do burn cal, so you may need a little snack to keep energy up after exercising.0
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I'm trying to limit my calorie deficit to about 500 per day, but the fact is I'm struggling to hit that. I'm aware I should be eating about 2000 per day (as my BMR is 2500 apparently), but my my average is around about 1500-1800 without exercise.
Hey there,
Your calories aren't too low for the amount you're eating. Not all foods have the same amount of calories for their volume, ie 100g of cauliflower has far fewer calories than 100g of nuts.
You could always go FURTHER down the health & nutrition route by eating MORE cauliflower, vegetables, lean meats etc to make up your calorie goal. That would be a win/win! I could never do that btw, I hate vegetables...
I don't think you're taking on enough calories, try to aim for around your calorie goal - if you continue with a 1,000 calorie deficit you could find you start to feel tired, lethargic and/or get food cravings.
Best of luck
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The only way to know for sure if you''re underestimating your calories is to not estimate! If you're not using a food scale, buy one ASAP (they're like $20 on Amazon). Weigh every single thing you put in your mouth. The milk in your coffee, an apple, peanut butter, etc. All in grams or ounces. If you make a multi-serving recipe, use the recipe calculator, weigh the whole finished product, + portion it by weight. Seems tedious at first but I actually think it's way easier than dirtying measuring spoons+cups. Then re-evaluate after a week or so of truly measuring everything!
If you're already doing all of that- I'd see what MFP says your calorie allowance is if you set your desired loss at 2 lbs per week, if that's not where you already have it set. 2000 cals to lose 2 lbs a week sounds too good to be true, but then again I'm a short girl lol.0 -
I'll give you a quick run-down of the sort of stuff I eat on a typical work day typical work-day:
7am Breakfast - 304 cal
30g Porridge with 200ml semi skimmed milk + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
10am snack - 285 cal
50g Unsweetened Muesli + 200ml semi skimmed milk
1pm lunch - 265 cal
BBQ chicken couscous salad
4pm snack - 175 cal
Apple and banana
7pm dinner - 400 cal
Thai green curry with prawns and brown rice
Plus about 4-5 cups of tea per day with milk which is about 100 cal. Altogether comes to about 1450 calories but looks like I'm not scrimping on anything to my eyes. Thoughts?
Edit: I've opened my food diary to the public as a commenter suggested. Bear in mind I've only been at this for less than a week0 -
It can also be good to double check the calorie information from the database here. If something looks suspicious to me, I'll check a few other sites to see if it's right. I have found some things to be off, and if it's something you eat often, that can add up quickly.0
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You can have a higher deficit if you have more to lose. For example, if I had 50 pounds to lose, I could get away with 1000 calorie deficit (as long as I'm eating over 1200-1500 calories) and lose weight quickly. But when I get to the last 10-20 pounds, that 1000 calorie deficit is going to do more harm than good; I would only want a 500 calorie deficit at that point. A lot of people say you should follow MFP's numbers exactly. I say do your own reading on the subject and decide what will be good for you (how many calories you should eat, should you eat back exercise cals, etc.). It may take some trial and error.
Also, if you feel satisfied, don't feel like you HAVE to eat more to meet your requirements as long as you've gotten that 1500-1800 in that day. Listen to your body.0 -
Altogether comes to about 1450 calories but looks like I'm not scrimping on anything to my eyes. Thoughts?
If you're logging correctly - you're nearly a 1,000 under your BMR. It might be an idea to up your calories by at least 500.
All the best x0 -
Altogether comes to about 1450 calories but looks like I'm not scrimping on anything to my eyes. Thoughts?
If you're logging correctly - you're nearly a 1,000 under your BMR. It might be an idea to up your calories by at least 500.
All the best x
I wonder if he is confusing BMR with TDEE. Eating at a 500 cal deficit from a TDEE of 2500 would be 2000 calories.0 -
I'll give you a quick run-down of the sort of stuff I eat on a typical work day typical work-day:
7am Breakfast - 304 cal
30g Porridge with 200ml semi skimmed milk + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
10am snack - 285 cal
50g Unsweetened Muesli + 200ml semi skimmed milk
1pm lunch - 265 cal
BBQ chicken couscous salad
4pm snack - 175 cal
Apple and banana
7pm dinner - 400 cal
Thai green curry with prawns and brown rice
Plus about 4-5 cups of tea per day with milk which is about 100 cal. Altogether comes to about 1450 calories but looks like I'm not scrimping on anything to my eyes. Thoughts?
Edit: I've opened my food diary to the public as a commenter suggested. Bear in mind I've only been at this for less than a week
According to your ticker you have only 50 lbs to lose. The deficit you have set up for yourself is more aggressive than it should be..honestly, you are setting yourself up for a nice stall and lots of frustration.
You're a guy who's half my age, even if you were the same height and sat on your *kitten* all day you would need to eat more than me.. I'm on 1800 - I'd starve on what you're eating. Great for you if you wish to do that to yourself but why would you want to? Very likely to maintain your weight you would be eating at least 2300 a day (did you try to enter a couple of days before you started cutting to figure out where you were?) You could probably lose 2 lbs / week for a few weeks but once you get down to only 30 to go it should be more like 1lb/ week or less. I would eat closer to 1800 for you, and more if you are doing any kind of working out at all.0 -
If it were me, and I were full and satisfied, I'd simply not eat anymore. Eating when I wasn't hungry is part of what made me fat to begin with. You aren't going to go into starvation mode at 1500-1800 calories. Honestly, starvation mode is kind of a myth anyway. Yes you will need fewer calories as you lose weight, but that's because it takes less energy to maintain a smaller body.
The reason the volume seems lower is probably because foods like fruits and vegetables and lean protein simply have fewer calories than things that are high in fat. If you really want to eat 2000 calories for some reason then start including more higher fat things like nuts and olive oil, etc. It's probably smart to stick to healthy fats rather than saturated fats like is in fatty red meat, etc.
All of the calories on MFP and every other site are estimated. So it is possible that you are eating more calories than you think you are. You may need to adjust up or down based on how much weight you lose.0 -
I'll give you a quick run-down of the sort of stuff I eat on a typical work day typical work-day:
7am Breakfast - 304 cal
30g Porridge with 200ml semi skimmed milk + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
10am snack - 285 cal
50g Unsweetened Muesli + 200ml semi skimmed milk
1pm lunch - 265 cal
BBQ chicken couscous salad
4pm snack - 175 cal
Apple and banana
7pm dinner - 400 cal
Thai green curry with prawns and brown rice
Plus about 4-5 cups of tea per day with milk which is about 100 cal. Altogether comes to about 1450 calories but looks like I'm not scrimping on anything to my eyes. Thoughts?
Edit: I've opened my food diary to the public as a commenter suggested. Bear in mind I've only been at this for less than a week
According to your ticker you have only 50 lbs to lose. The deficit you have set up for yourself is more aggressive than it should be..honestly, you are setting yourself up for a nice stall and lots of frustration.
You're a guy who's half my age, even if you were the same height and sat on your *kitten* all day you would need to eat more than me.. I'm on 1800 - I'd starve on what you're eating. Great for you if you wish to do that to yourself but why would you want to? Very likely to maintain your weight you would be eating at least 2300 a day (did you try to enter a couple of days before you started cutting to figure out where you were?) You could probably lose 2 lbs / week for a few weeks but once you get down to only 30 to go it should be more like 1lb/ week or less. I would eat closer to 1800 for you, and more if you are doing any kind of working out at all.
This is my point though. I don't want to be eating too fee calories, I want this weight loss to be a nice, slow, controlled stroll towards my ideal weight. I figure that will help me keep the weight off. I'm more trying to work out why my calorie intake seems so low when I don't see what I'm doing as an aggressive diet. But if you guys think the calorie count is right then I suppose I just need to get a few more calorie dense foods into my diet. Which is awesome because now I know I don't have to forgo cheese, bread and potatoes. Yay ^_^0
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