Not enough calories?

cathy3457
cathy3457 Posts: 24 Member
edited February 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all. I've been struggling with this. MFP is set to 1200 calories per day. I have the fitbit and have the two linked up so my day rarely stays at 1200 if that makes sense. The past few days i've been working hard to stay under my daily goal (with fitbit and active calories included, so some days I may eat 1500 or whatever and still be so called under my goal) Even with the activity that fitbit is logging, is 1200 too low? Im just curious because I've been so grumpy and tired the past few days which have actually been good tracking days for me. And should I be eating these calories that I'm earning or just letting them hang there in space?

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    1200 is way too low for me, and yes, you are supposed to eat back the earned calories so that your NET cals are at or near your daily goal. The 1200 most definitely has you at a daily deficit already, so burning off more cals through exercise leaves you with an even bigger deficit - too big, which is why the cals are added back into your goal.

    The grumpiness and being tired are signs of needing more fuel - bad case of the hangries (hungry + angry = hangry). :tongue:

    And check your MFP settings - did you set your weekly goal to lose 2lbs a week? With 35 lbs to go, you could do very well with a goal to lose 1lb a week. You'll get a higher allotment of daily cals, and probably feel a lot better eating more. You'll still lose at a good pace - just remember that weight loss isn't linear - some weeks you might lose 1 lb, some weeks 2 lbs, and some weeks none at all. But you'll still be making progress.

    And without the hangries, you'll be more likely to stick with this and stay on track! Good luck!
  • cphair27
    cphair27 Posts: 17 Member
    ^^^^agree
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    1200 is way too low for me, and yes, you are supposed to eat back the earned calories so that your NET cals are at or near your daily goal. The 1200 most definitely has you at a daily deficit already, so burning off more cals through exercise leaves you with an even bigger deficit - too big, which is why the cals are added back into your goal.

    The grumpiness and being tired are signs of needing more fuel - bad case of the hangries (hungry + angry = hangry). :tongue:

    And check your MFP settings - did you set your weekly goal to lose 2lbs a week? With 35 lbs to go, you could do very well with a goal to lose 1lb a week. You'll get a higher allotment of daily cals, and probably feel a lot better eating more. You'll still lose at a good pace - just remember that weight loss isn't linear - some weeks you might lose 1 lb, some weeks 2 lbs, and some weeks none at all. But you'll still be making progress.

    And without the hangries, you'll be more likely to stick with this and stay on track! Good luck!

    agreed.

    end thread.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    MFP calculations do not include exercise. Other methods do. So yes, you are supposed to eat more for exercise with MFP.

    Make sure you are set to lose 1 pound a week, not more than that. 2 pounds per week is for very obese people. If you don't have a lot to lose then that goal is too aggressive.
  • Mainebikerchick
    Mainebikerchick Posts: 1,573 Member
    1200 is way too low for me, and yes, you are supposed to eat back the earned calories so that your NET cals are at or near your daily goal. The 1200 most definitely has you at a daily deficit already, so burning off more cals through exercise leaves you with an even bigger deficit - too big, which is why the cals are added back into your goal.

    The grumpiness and being tired are signs of needing more fuel - bad case of the hangries (hungry + angry = hangry). :tongue:

    And check your MFP settings - did you set your weekly goal to lose 2lbs a week? With 35 lbs to go, you could do very well with a goal to lose 1lb a week. You'll get a higher allotment of daily cals, and probably feel a lot better eating more. You'll still lose at a good pace - just remember that weight loss isn't linear - some weeks you might lose 1 lb, some weeks 2 lbs, and some weeks none at all. But you'll still be making progress.

    And without the hangries, you'll be more likely to stick with this and stay on track! Good luck!

    agreed.

    end thread.

    Yup, me too.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    MFP is quite notorious for setting calorie goals FAR too low, regardless of height and weight. For example, it told me to eat 1200, and my BMR (the bare amount of calories I need to LIVE) is 1280. And I am extremely tiny, only 5 feet. So unless you are smaller than me, or wheelchair-bound, it is almost a CERTAINTY that you are eating too little. (This can result in lean muscle loss, chronic fatigue, metabolism damage, and bingeing due to over-restriction.)

    Go to

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    and enter your height/weight/activity level.

    Subtract 10-20% from the number it calculates for you, and that is the number of calories you should be eating a day in order to lose weight.
  • cathy3457
    cathy3457 Posts: 24 Member
    Wow thanks everyone. I'm going to adjust this.
This discussion has been closed.

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