Calories and starvation

bcdudley1
bcdudley1 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I entered my info, I am told my goal is 2,060 calories. If I eat under 1300, I am told that I am in starvation mode.

What I have found over several weeks is, If I eat between 1100 and 1300, I will loose weight. Between 1300 and 1450, I will maintain my weight and anything over that will cause me to gain weight. It does not seem to make a difference if I work out or not. I try to eat healthy under 500-600 cal meals, lean meats, nothing fried, fruits and vegetables.

Is the Calorie estimate that far off or what gives?

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    Your a 38 yr old male eating 1100-1300 calories... ya your either overestimating your calories you eat or your 4 ft tall. 2060 calories is pretty reasonable if your even moving around.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Do you weigh and measure all your food and drink? Log consistently? If you really are only eating 1100 to 1300 as a male, and not losing weight, I will eat my hat. :smile:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    If I eat under 1300, I am told that I am in starvation mode.

    Gah. No, you won't be, unless you make astoundingly bad food choices.
    What I have found over several weeks is, If I eat between 1100 and 1300, I will loose weight. Between 1300 and 1450, I will maintain my weight and anything over that will cause me to gain weight.

    I think you've answered your own question. :smile:

    That said, for someone of your size it sure sounds like you are under-estimating your food intake. So I would take a sharp pencil to the diary and be really diligent for a while.
  • jko90s
    jko90s Posts: 25
    My only suggestion is looking at the amount of carbs you're getting in a certain range. 1300 is low even for a female
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    If you aren't weighing and measuring everything you can in grams on a food scale, you're eating more than you think. Up to double.

    I'm a 122 pound woman and I maintain on about 2200 calories a day.
  • nancyluckhurst3
    nancyluckhurst3 Posts: 122 Member
    You haven't said how old you are. Age can enter into the equation. As you get older you don't metabolize food the same as you did when you were 20 unfortunately. I am going to be 71 next month and I know I have to try and exercise more. But you shouldn't have to starve to lose weight. The more you weigh the more calories it takes to maintain that weight. You haven't given your weight of your goal so a little hard to answer the question.

    Hubby and I have started the Body Reset and have found it very good. He in just 13 days has had to quit taking diuretics because he has lost so much water from his body just with the diet. I too have lost a whole bunch of water from my body. For some reason this diet seems to make you pee a whole lot. The smoothies are great and since I have fought weight all my life I know what foods to cook and eat so the rest of it is easy. However it is not a cheap diet. It is actually quiet expensive because of the amount of fruit required for the smoothies and frosties you drink.

    The Body Reset is meant to boost your metabolism and it seems to be working. We don't get hungry and we have lots of energy for a pair of old farts.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    You haven't said how old you are. Age can enter into the equation. As you get older you don't metabolize food the same as you did when you were 20 unfortunately. I am going to be 71 next month and I know I have to try and exercise more. But you shouldn't have to starve to lose weight. The more you weigh the more calories it takes to maintain that weight. You haven't given your weight of your goal so a little hard to answer the question.

    Hubby and I have started the Body Reset and have found it very good. He in just 13 days has had to quit taking diuretics because he has lost so much water from his body just with the diet. I too have lost a whole bunch of water from my body. For some reason this diet seems to make you pee a whole lot. The smoothies are great and since I have fought weight all my life I know what foods to cook and eat so the rest of it is easy. However it is not a cheap diet. It is actually quiet expensive because of the amount of fruit required for the smoothies and frosties you drink.

    The Body Reset is meant to boost your metabolism and it seems to be working. We don't get hungry and we have lots of energy for a pair of old farts.

    His profile says he's 38.
  • nancyluckhurst3
    nancyluckhurst3 Posts: 122 Member
    I didn't read his profile but I saw that in a later post. I am inclined to believe others are right about he isn't being diligent in measuring his intake and it adds up quick if you don't.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    When I entered my info, I am told my goal is 2,060 calories. If I eat under 1300, I am told that I am in starvation mode.

    What I have found over several weeks is, If I eat between 1100 and 1300, I will loose weight. Between 1300 and 1450, I will maintain my weight and anything over that will cause me to gain weight. It does not seem to make a difference if I work out or not. I try to eat healthy under 500-600 cal meals, lean meats, nothing fried, fruits and vegetables.

    Is the Calorie estimate that far off or what gives?
    Calorie consumption is not about starvation mode- in order to be in starvation mode, you've lost too much body fat and muscle and you are a certain percentage of underweight.

    However, by eating such low calories, you are starving yourself in the sense only that eating too few calories to fuel your body.

    I think you are eating more than you think, especially if you maintain at 1450 calories. Make sure you measure liquids and weigh solids and obtain accurate calorie counts for exercise (if you exercise). Log everything you put into your mouth. If you are using MFP for calorie estimations, eat only a portion of your exercise calories back to account for nay inaccuracies.

    The best of luck to you .
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Hard to tell with your food diary closed. I would say you are eating more than you think. Also as stated previously check your carbs. Increase your protein. Raw veg has very low calorie counts if you are gaining on more calories maybe you are using too much stuff with fat (ie: salad dressings, mayo etc). I lose on more calories than you maintain on and I am 45 yrs old.

    Also cut out sodas and cream in your coffee if you are a coffee drinker the cream calories would add up a lot.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    You haven't said how old you are. Age can enter into the equation. As you get older you don't metabolize food the same as you did when you were 20 unfortunately. I am going to be 71 next month and I know I have to try and exercise more. But you shouldn't have to starve to lose weight. The more you weigh the more calories it takes to maintain that weight. You haven't given your weight of your goal so a little hard to answer the question.

    Hubby and I have started the Body Reset and have found it very good. He in just 13 days has had to quit taking diuretics because he has lost so much water from his body just with the diet. I too have lost a whole bunch of water from my body. For some reason this diet seems to make you pee a whole lot. The smoothies are great and since I have fought weight all my life I know what foods to cook and eat so the rest of it is easy. However it is not a cheap diet. It is actually quiet expensive because of the amount of fruit required for the smoothies and frosties you drink.

    The Body Reset is meant to boost your metabolism and it seems to be working. We don't get hungry and we have lots of energy for a pair of old farts.
    Love your enthusiasm, and it's wonderful that you and hubby have found something that works for you and hubby.

    I am 52 and found that it has been easier for me to lose weight now than it was when I was younger. I never knew I could eat upwards of 2,000 calories a day and lose weight. However, I think the difference is that I have added weight lifting and I try to exercise six days a week with cardiovascular and weight lifting mixed together. Also, weight loss and exercise has diminished arthritic pain that was present during the last several winters. My doctor is pleased.

    My beau is also using MFP and has lost about 15 pounds over three months. It's great to have a partner with which to work on weight loss goals.
  • bcdudley1
    bcdudley1 Posts: 26 Member
    I typically will eat out so I base my calories on whatever is reported in the mfp app. I drink no soda's what so ever. I very rarely drink tea and when I do, it is sweetened with sweet & low. I usually drink about 10-20 cups of water per day.

    I also set my diary to public so feel free to analyze.

    Thanks.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    I typically will eat out so I base my calories on whatever is reported in the mfp app. I drink no soda's what so ever. I very rarely drink tea and when I do, it is sweetened with sweet & low. I usually drink about 10-20 cups of water per day.

    I also set my diary to public so feel free to analyze.

    Thanks.

    I don't know what to tell you then. Restaraunt portions are typically large but not sure if the food data base calories are based on the entire restaraunt portion or if it has been adjusted to a proper portion? Maybe a doctor's appointment is in order to see if you have another issue that needs to be addressed?
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Never mind I have checked a week's worth of your diary and you are way over on sodium levels (one day you were 2812 over) and pretty much ALL of your meals are from restaraunts.

    My advice - go grocery shopping and cook at home. You will also save a LOT of money.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    You just joined this month. How on earth did you determine these ranges?
  • zentha1384
    zentha1384 Posts: 323 Member
    What do you have your activity level set at? You might be over estimating this, plus under estimating your food.

    If you do not have yourself on sedentary are you counting exercise? If you are you might be counting calories burned twice. This will bump up that calories that MFP says you can eat even though you aren't burning that much.

    Basically make sure that calories in AND the calories out are correct.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Never mind I have checked a week's worth of your diary and you are way over on sodium levels (one day you were 2812 over) and pretty much ALL of your meals are from restaraunts.

    My advice - go grocery shopping and cook at home. You will also save a LOT of money.

    Sodium is not keeping OP from losing weight. Neither is drinking cream in his coffee. It is the inaccuracies that are inherent with eating out and trying to 'guestimate' portions and calories, IMO.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Well without knowing starting weight, weight goal, loss goal per week it's hard to say anything about what you should be eating.

    But lets say you are an average guy...38 6ft tall starting at 190lbs with a desk job..gives you 2060 to lose...that gives you a loss of 1lb a week...

    And looking at your diary you have low and high days...7 of each actually.

    So lets say average low day is 1300 and average high day is 1800 and your ticker says you've lost 7lbs in 2 weeks.

    You are averaging about 1500 calories a day..and you've lost 7lbs...so no...your calories to lose are not below 1300...

    But as I said hard to say with no info to go on other then your diary and age...
  • bcdudley1
    bcdudley1 Posts: 26 Member
    So just for clarification, The day after Thanksgiving, I weighed in at 270 pounds. Between that date and when I first started using the app on Jan 5th, I dropped down to 246.

    My height is 5'10" and I do have a desk job. I try to work out at the gym at least every other day and sometimes more often. I usually do 35 minutes of elliptical and another 30 minutes or so of weight training.

    If you look at the days that I actually lost weight vs maintaining or gaining, they were all days I was below the 1300 mark. I can certainly chalk it up to inaccuracies in portions that restaurants dole out if that seems to be the general consensus. Cooking at home is very difficult most days, but I try when I can.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    A single day, or even a few days, tells you nothing whatsoever.
  • bcdudley1
    bcdudley1 Posts: 26 Member
    I think zentha1384 hit it. I went and checked my settings. My goal was set to maintain my weight with no exercise. My goal was set to 247 and I am currently at 239 so that explains quite a bit.

    My new calorie goal is 1510 per day which seems more in line with what I have experienced.
  • zentha1384
    zentha1384 Posts: 323 Member
    glad I could help :)
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member


    If you look at the days that I actually lost weight vs maintaining or gaining, they were all days I was below the 1300 mark. I can certainly chalk it up to inaccuracies in portions that restaurants dole out if that seems to be the general consensus. Cooking at home is very difficult most days, but I try when I can.

    You can't judge off of a day's loss. Even a week's is pretty iffy. It's very common to fluctuate 5+ pounds across a week (some people fluctuate that much within a day). This is not fat loss/gain. It is water weight, the weight of stuff in your intestinal tract, etc. Even scale inaccuracies. So the days you "lost" have much less to do with calories consumed than other factors.

    You need to track honestly and consistently for at least 2-4 weeks and track your weight over that time to get an idea of what is maintenance or loss.

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