I don't eat enough??

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chickybabe05
chickybabe05 Posts: 48
in Food and Nutrition
ok fairly new here so firstly hi!!
secondly this is the first time i have ever counted calories in my life so new to that too. the thing is, MFP says i should be eating around 1570 calories. I really try to log everything i eat as best i can, if not on here i also have a personal record too, but i am always way under my calories goal. Like somes its over 500 under. I have been doing a bit of research and im worried i am starving my body...I need help getting my calories up but i am just eating what i can already. not sure what to do?? any advice would be great. thanks

Replies

  • zer0vital
    zer0vital Posts: 42
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    I'm no professional, but...

    The quick answer is that when you give your body too little in terms of nutrients, it will go into a "survival" mode. Your body will shut down or decrease unnecessary processes and start storing as much fat as possible. This is obviously not what you want, so you do indeed want to make sure you're eating enough every day. As a general rule of thumb, I'd try to make sure you aren't eating less than 1200 in a day. If you exercise and gain some extra calories that way, you should try to eat them.
  • UneJolieFemme
    UneJolieFemme Posts: 86 Member
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    Hi there !!!

    1000 calories a day is really not much... You need to get all your nutrients, vitamins etc. and at 1000 it's harder. If you really can't take more food, make sure you are not eating empty calories. Unsalted nuts can go a long way, they are 'good' calories too.
    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • automaticturtle
    automaticturtle Posts: 2
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    Hi Chickybabe,

    It's hard to give advice without seeing your food log, but one off-the-cuff suggestion I have is switching out low or non-fat foods for a higher fat alternative. For example, if you're drinking skim milk, you could exchange it for 1% or 2%. This will add on calories without forcing you to eat more.

    Also, healthy high-fat foods (such as almonds or avocado) can be excellent for adding on calories. Just make sure you eat them in moderation!

    But yes, it is important to eat all of your calories. Good luck! =)
  • Adsnwfld
    Adsnwfld Posts: 262 Member
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    Try some foods that are high calorie and also good for you. Almonds, whole wheat pasta, brown rice. It is important not to eat too little. You should also try to eat 5 or 6 small meals each day. I know for myself spreading out the meals keeps me going and it is easier to keep the calories in check because I'm never starving.
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
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    Welcome! There is a LOT of info to be learned when you're new to all this. Instead of taking up 400 lines to explain it, I highly recommend you check out some of the posts that are permanently displayed. They explain all the questions about how this all works, calories, etc. Go to the top of the page here, and click on the "Community" tab. Then click the "General Diet and Weight Loss" section. At the top of that page, you'll see some posts with red push pin icons. Those are "sticky" posts the moderators have decided that deserve to be permanently posted there since they're so useful. Read the Newbies post and the Links you want to read again and again post. This should clear all this up. Good luck!
  • chickybabe05
    chickybabe05 Posts: 48
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    yes, putting my body into starvation mode is exactly what i don't want to do. thanks for the fast replies. might add in a few nuts etc now lol
  • zer0vital
    zer0vital Posts: 42
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    It's worth keeping in mind that there is already a calorie deficit worked into your MFP goals. If your goal is 1570 and you eat 1300, it doesn't mean that you burned 270 more calories than you took in that day. It means you burned 270 calories plus whatever is recommended by MFP, so you will end up with a pretty big gap. Don't think that if you hit your goal exactly that you haven't made any progress that day.

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