Too Little Calories?

mrcheerios
mrcheerios Posts: 4
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
Hi All!

I am a fairly active person, but at my 8 AM-5PM job I spend almost all day at a desk doing little to no physical activity. Since I have started trying to lose weight/get in shape I have been experimenting with different foods to eat for Breakfast and Lunch. Lately I find that I can comfortably make it through the day by eating a single egg with a slice of cheese for breakfast, and a single can of either Chicken Noodle or Vegetable soup with crackers for lunch. I also drink lots of water throughout the day.

I am wondering if this is too little calories for me. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
    What does MFP have your calorie goal set to? I would stick with what. You should never eat less than 1200 if you are a woman, 1800 (I think) for men. That can ruin your metabolism.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Your calorie goal is only 1290? Did you set that manually? Men shouldn't go below 1500 or so. That's not much higher than my goal, and I'm a 5'2" woman. Yes, your calorie goal is too low. :frown:
  • kmtetour
    kmtetour Posts: 300 Member
    The breakfast sounds a little scant, but the lunch looks good. Maybe add a mid-morning snack of fruit or something. I eat an individual container of apple sauce every day around 10:30 in the morning.
  • nll002
    nll002 Posts: 18
    Yes! Way too little calories! If you don't eat enough calories, your metabolism goes into "starvation" mode and tries to store everything you eat - it ends up shutting down functions in other areas of your body to compensate! You're better off to add in a couple snacks in between breakfast/lunch and lunch/dinner. I work at an office job too, but I go for walks on break and lunch to burn a few extra calories. I also bring small snacks for throughout the day - things like a small handful of almonds, a babybel cheese, or some fruit & veggies. Don't forget that your body burns calories each time you have a snack as well. Look up on this site other information about eating too few calories - there's some great info on here! Hope this helps! Good Luck!
  • ewarm24
    ewarm24 Posts: 29
    i agree, way too little esp if your working out, sticking with the MFP is the best idea, i was eating too low and that was 2200 calories, now that i use mfp i upped it to 3000ish, i too dont get much workout at work anymore, but i work out 5 to 6 times a week for about 75 min or so.
  • freeatlast20
    freeatlast20 Posts: 120 Member
    I work a desk job also from 9 to 5 and im 5'6 and 220 lbs...my calories allowed for the day is 1550 if you are a man and have yours set lower its too low for you. I eat breakfast a morning snack a healthy lunch that always includes some kinda fruit and a afternoon snack before i go home and eat a healthy dinner. You need to eat more small meals and include some snacks during the day that are healthy. You are going to put your body into starvation mode...eat more and the weight will come off. Hope this helps.
  • ewarm24
    ewarm24 Posts: 29
    throw in a protein shake or two, oh how i love my protein shake, it takes care of my sweet tooth issue:smile:
  • mrcheerios
    mrcheerios Posts: 4
    Thanks for all the responses!

    My calorie limit was set by MFP at 1290, assuming a goal of losing 2 lbs per week.

    Not sure if you were thinking that was all I eat, of course I do usually eat a healthy meal after work. Usually I finish within +/- 100 calories of 1290, while I excercise 3 times a week for around 60 mins each. On days I excersice I eat/drink more to compensate for the burned calories.

    I have been carrying on in this manner for a few weeks now, and in general I feel really good. I am losing weight slowly, I drink water much more now so I feel better from that, and I am seeing improvement in my excercise as well.
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