Calorie Intake

samara_334
samara_334 Posts: 22 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so when I signed up for MFP they asked questins like what my weight was , hieght , how active I was and stuff then told me I am supposed to be intaking 1240 calories a day. Some one else told me that your body goes into starvation mode at 1200 calories and others have told me at 1000 calories. I am confused on which it is. if it is 1200 then am i starving myself? I hardly ever feel hungry but maby i am doing it subconcoiusly. A year ago I went to a personal trainer and they said i should be eating 1500 calories to lose weight but i felt like i was losing weight sooooo slow. At 1240 calories I am losing about a pound a week which i thought was the healthy way to lose. If any one has any advice on this please let me know thank you.

Replies

  • pkd1
    pkd1 Posts: 170 Member
    any calories under 1200 your body will go in starvation mode, so if you workout and burn 300 calories you need to eat those calories so your not under your 1200, at the end of the day
  • Squash97
    Squash97 Posts: 84
    You never want to go below 1200 calories in a day. If you are exercising, then I recommend that you eat most if not all of the calories burned. One pound a week is fine (if y ou don't have much weight to lose, then less would be better; if you have a lot of weight to lose, you may lose more than that). If you aren't hungry and can't get 1200 calories in a day on a consistent basis, then your metabolism may be too slow due to medical reasons or from simply not gettng enough food on a regular basis. I would say that 1240 is an okay place to be. I know that I am much more comfortable at 1400-1600 calories a day. Starvation mode is a very contriversial subject around here, but I think that everyone agrees that you should never go below 1200. If you do, MFP will alert you when you complete your diary for the day. For now, I'd say that you are doing great on the course that MFP has set for you. Congratulations on your current weight loss and keep up the great work!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    "Starvation mode", such as it is, is not a fixed border. If it does occur (much, much less frequently than most people think), it's not like your body just switches off at 1199. People waste a lot of mental energy fixating on some of these numbers.

    That being said, I wouldn't get too caught up in the 1240 number either. That's a pretty low amount for someone your size, not because of "starvation mode" but because it's going to be difficult to adhere to.
  • amysambora
    amysambora Posts: 219
    Don't get too hung up on the starvation mode thing. It can happen, but only if someone partakes in a dangerously low calorie diet over an extended period of time. That number of calories will vary for each person - no one here will ever say 'eating 1200 calories puts you into starvation mode' (or at least they shouldn't!). It just doesn't happen like that - it's not that simple.

    If 1240 feels good for you, stick to it! As long as you're not going hungry, you should be fine. 1lb a week is a perfectly safe level of weight loss.
  • samara_334
    samara_334 Posts: 22 Member
    "Starvation mode", such as it is, is not a fixed border. If it does occur (much, much less frequently than most people think), it's not like your body just switches off at 1199. People waste a lot of mental energy fixating on some of these numbers.

    That being said, I wouldn't get too caught up in the 1240 number either. That's a pretty low amount for someone your size, not because of "starvation mode" but because it's going to be difficult to adhere to.


    I actually dont have a problem with eatng that many calories a day. I burn around 500 calories a day if not more and get to eat that back so because i work out alot i eat more that 1240 calories. plus i eat things that have protien and are good for me while eating about every 2 to 4 hours. i never have time to feel hungry.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    If you're losing at 1 pound a week, you're doing the right things. Don't worry so much.
  • MobiusMan
    MobiusMan Posts: 385 Member
    "Starvation mode", such as it is, is not a fixed border. If it does occur (much, much less frequently than most people think), it's not like your body just switches off at 1199. People waste a lot of mental energy fixating on some of these numbers.

    That being said, I wouldn't get too caught up in the 1240 number either. That's a pretty low amount for someone your size, not because of "starvation mode" but because it's going to be difficult to adhere to.
    Thank you. my thought exactly but you saved me the typing.
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