Am I Eating Too Little?

sam_r_i · December 2013

So I was just reviewing my diary and found that my net calories seems to be quite low on some days. I usually try to eat the allotted number of calories set by MFP, but I try not to eat back my excercise calories if I can help it (some days I do go over, especially on the weekends).

So my question is, am I hurting my weight loss by not eating back those calories? I don't usually do it because I assume the burned from excercise is high, and my calorie count is low. Just looking for opinions on whether or not eating more might help?

bajoyba · December 2013

I think your diary looks okay, and you seem to be eating a decent amount of food. I always ate my exercise calories back, but if you're going over your goal a couple of times a week, that's sort of the same thing any way. Some people do save up some of their exercise calories so they have a greater allowance for the weekend, and some people prefer to go by a weekly calorie goal rather than a daily one. As long as you're getting enough nutrition and you aren't feeling deprived, you should be fine.

Stage14 · December 2013

I went back 2 weeks and only saw 2 or 3 days that might qualify as eating too little, and even those weren't crazy small numbers. Add the fact that you have more days than that of going over, and no, you are not undereating.

sam_r_i · December 2013

Thanks, I didn't really think I was undereating and I don't really deprive myself (just trying to eat less, althought I miss donuts). Just looked at a report of net calories for the last 7 days and was worried I was eating too little. I lost about 25lbs in one month, then slowed down pretty dramatically the last 2-3 weeks (about 2 lbs), so wanted to make sure I wasn't sabotaging myself.

Stage14 · December 2013

It's normal to see a large loss at the beginning and then have it slow down. This is because the initial loss is partially water weight which comes from a combination of depleting your body's glycogen stores and often decreasing sodium which causes water retention. Anywhere from .5lb to 2lbs a week is normal, healthy weight loss, and weight loss is not linear, so you may have some weeks where you don't lose anything.

That being said, if you haven't adjusted your calorie goal since you lost those 25lbs, you might want to do so in order to maintain faster weight loss. As you lose weight, the amount of calories your body needs changes. It isn't necessary to adjust your calories unless you actually stop losing weight, but it might help keep you on the track you are looking to be on.

bbubb1 · December 2013

As long as you are at least eating what you are supposed to eat in calories you should be fine.Use your exercise calories for extras!!!!

CorlissaEats · December 2013

If your deficit is too great you will risk your lean body mass (LBM). This means muscle. There is a balance between eating less than your body uses but not so little that you destroy your metabolism. Maybe increase your daily goal so that you are not losing more than 2 lbs per week on average. If you are working out then you may need to be eating more to support the extra energy expediture. I am a woman and I eat between 1700-2100 depending on my activity each day- and I am still losing weight at a rate of about 1lb per week. As a man I would expect you require more than I do to support stong muscles.

And check your numbers every 5-10 lbs. Our calaorie needs change as our mass goes down. Scoobysworkshop.com and iifym.com are both good site for tdee calculators. You shouldn't eat less than 1000 cals below your daily energy requirements.

lynn_glenmont · December 2013

If your deficit is too great you will risk your lean body mass (LBM). This means muscle. There is a balance between eating less than your body uses but not so little that you destroy your metabolism. Maybe increase your daily goal so that you are not losing more than 2 lbs per week on average. If you are working out then you may need to be eating more to support the extra energy expediture. I am a woman and I eat between 1700-2100 depending on my activity each day- and I am still losing weight at a rate of about 1lb per week. As a man I would expect you require more than I do to support stong muscles.

And check your numbers every 5-10 lbs. Our calaorie needs change as our mass goes down. Scoobysworkshop.com and iifym.com are both good site for tdee calculators. You shouldn't eat less than 1000 cals below your daily energy requirements.

If you're still losing 2 lbs a week as you say, don't do the recalculation to set a lower goal if you think you'll continue to try to come in way below your new goal -- i.e., if changing that goal numbers means you're going to cut your actual calorie intake even more to continue to create an extra cushion. It looks as though on a lot of days you're eating well below your calorie goal even before adding exercise calories. (It's OK to save calories for the weekend or special occasions, or to focus on a weekly goal, rather that hitting the same number every day. It just didn't look to me like you were really eating them back on the higher days, either, but I'll admit I didn't actually do the math, and I only looked at 5 or 6 days.)

sam_r_i · December 2013

Thanks for all the feedback. MFP seems to automatically adjust my calorie goal down when I check in at a lower weight. Should I keep it set at the higher goal as long as I'm continuing to lose weight at that calorie level?

Jackpot121 · May 2014

No your food diary is absolutely fine.

But I'm starting to think that
I'm eating too little

Some days I eat only 800-900 cals.
Good luck with your weight loss!:flowerforyou:

ireneboness · May 2014

I have been trying to only eat 800 cals a day and have been getting 240 back on exercise but not using it most days. Weight lost good until now but I'm now finding that if I have a normal day of eating (say around 1,500 cals) then I put on weight that week. Please sort me out. Trying to loose weight fast.

travelcoffeemug · May 2014

I have been trying to only eat 800 cals a day and have been getting 240 back on exercise but not using it most days. Weight lost good until now but I'm now finding that if I have a normal day of eating (say around 1,500 cals) then I put on weight that week. Please sort me out. Trying to loose weight fast.

I'm by no means an expert, but pretty much everyone agrees that going under 1200 calories a day is not enough, and many people (myself included) believe that most people need more than that. You are undereating, which messes up your metabolism. Try calculating your calorie needs on MFP, and eating that number of calories for, say, a month (to let your body adjust to normal eating), and then re-evaluate your strategy based on how you feel, weight, etc.

Am I Eating Too Little?

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