Eating less than your recommended daily calorie intake?

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becks0127
becks0127 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering if any of you out there don't eat the recommended daily calorie intake. There have been a couple of days that I have been far away and then ate something just to reach the goal. Is that silly? I am just worried to be too far under the goal because of the warning that if you don't eat the recommended amount, your body can/will go into starvation mode and it will be even harder to lose. What do you guys do?

Also, I am REALLY new here, so if anyone wants to friend me, that would be nice! I need all the support I can get!
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Replies

  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    Plan the food for your day in the morning before you eat anything. Balance them throughout the day so you're not trying to play catch up before bed. It takes some getting used to but it's worth it. I try to get within 100 calories of my goal. That works for me.
  • dunztar
    dunztar Posts: 45
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    Many times I am under... but oh well
  • mandykasase
    mandykasase Posts: 110
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    on the first day, i went over my intake by 150. But since then i always eat less, not on purpose but because i keep busy, have a drink on hand and carry a lot of fruit so i just don't feel hungry. I don't force myself to eat when i'm not hungry and i don't starve myself either. I think it's important to eat the right amount but also to listen to your body. eat when you are hungry and if you fall below it's no big deal. i assume you are quite active so the excercise you do adds more callories to your count.
  • kyacky1
    kyacky1 Posts: 11
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    I too am usually under So far its not by much. I almost thik that if you are close to the recommended in take you should be alright:smile:
  • ethel64
    ethel64 Posts: 91
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    i am usually under my calories as well. i dont usually worry too much about it...

    welcome to mfp :)
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Many times I am under... but oh well

    NO, not "oh well".

    There are many, many negative ramifications of being underfed.

    Please everyone, rethink your goals. If you only have a small amount to lose (say, less than 50 pounds) do NOT set it for 2 lbs a week, you will be creating too large a deficit. People with more to lose can start with the higher deficit but will have to eat MORE as they LOSE, believe it or not.
    You need to FUEL your body, not STARVE it, in order to lose weight healthily.

    Set it to half pound or 1 lb a week, eat healthy foods, drink a lot of water , and move your body in any way you can. EAT all your calories for the day and you will look AND feel better, I promise!

    I am now maintaining at 103-108 on any given day and I eat close to 2000 a day.
  • juldga
    juldga Posts: 119
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    my goal is 1800 I stay around 1500
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    my goal is 1800 I stay around 1500

    If you chose 2 lbs a week, you already have a 1000 calorie deficit, If you eat 300 below goal you are eating at a 1300 calorie deficit, which is way too much. That's just over 2.5 lbs a week, which is too much unless it is monitored closely by a doctor.

    Your weigh loss will stall, you'll wonder why, you'll lower it more, you will be sick and starving. You need to RAISE it, not lower it.

    Tough love, people. I am not trying to sound mean.
    It's just that half the women on this site are undereating and most don't even realize it.
    Most would lose weight faster and healthier if they ate MORE.
  • Martha_VH
    Martha_VH Posts: 386 Member
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    I know that it was suggested to me by my nutritionist to start out eating only 1200 per day for the first 3, then bumping it back up to about 1600.

    The first few days were to cleanse my system and get used to eating less. But I know that even during that time, I was hungry and cranky. Now that I'm eating 1600 I feel much better and I have a lot more energy. The least I usually eat is about 1350, thats as little as I can eat and still be productive in a day.

    My strategy is eating 4 meals about 400 calories each. I try to not go more then 3-4 hours without eating so i don't get hungry. Its working so far.

    Just listen to your own body. You should learn how many calories you can eat to stay healthy and energetic, but still around your calorie goal.
  • superninjatam
    superninjatam Posts: 44 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth according to one poster who linked to some research. Apparantly, you have to not eat ANYTHING for 2 and a half days to get to starvation mode!! I think going under a couple hundred cals every so often is ok.
  • mytime60
    mytime60 Posts: 176 Member
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    I try and eat as close to my calories as possible each day. That means taking in that I know what excersise I'm going to do for the day. I had been dieting for a year holding at 1000-1200 calories a day and all i did was loose 2 gain 2. When I found this site and out of curiosity put my data in, it showed I should be at 1350 calories before excersize. Within days of bumping my calories, I started losing. I will only be on two weeks tomorrow, but i'm anxious for my weigh in. I lost 4 lbs the first week. It was not my goal, and I don't think I will maintain that high, but i know with what I eat now i'm not hungry, and i'm finally losing.
  • jesseroyal
    jesseroyal Posts: 22 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth according to one poster who linked to some research. Apparantly, you have to not eat ANYTHING for 2 and a half days to get to starvation mode!! I think going under a couple hundred cals every so often is ok.

    Not that I care, but I have a feeling this is going to cause some problems ;)
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth according to one poster who linked to some research. Apparantly, you have to not eat ANYTHING for 2 and a half days to get to starvation mode!! I think going under a couple hundred cals every so often is ok.

    Not that I care, but I have a feeling this is going to cause some problems ;)

    I was thinking the same thing.

    It's not a "myth". It is real, just WIDELY misunderstood.
    Read the blog linked to in the first post of this topic. (for anyone who's interested)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/177083-blog-on-short-and-long-term-underfeeding?page=1#posts-2358931

    The term "starvation mode" is thrown around WAY WAY too much here, but it's real, just not what most people think.

    You CAN fast for a day, you CAN have a day or 2 WAY under your calories and be FINE. starvation mode isn't instant and automatic as soon as you hit below your goal, it is a cumulation of long term deficits. fast for 3 or more days, and you can affect your health and metabolism, eat a really really big deficit for weeks at a time and you can affect your health and metabolism.
    Don't sweat being under here and there.
    Just don't do it long term.
  • laurenk182004
    laurenk182004 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Hey :) Welcome to MFP original poster :bigsmile:
    As far as the calories thing goes, I usually try to stay within 100 calories either way. Some days that's 100ish over and some days it's 100ish under...I think if it averages out you're fine :) But I'm no expert. Although, I did lose 60lbs this way..course I gained it back lol but that's besides the point!
  • Beastiephile
    Beastiephile Posts: 50
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    I don't wanna get into the debate but I will say this: The weeks that I ate my goal + all exercise cals (close to 2000 cals a day) I lost a pound a week. The weeks that I didn't eat my exercise cals back, I lost none.
  • PhoenixFire975
    PhoenixFire975 Posts: 70
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    Starvation mode is a myth according to one poster who linked to some research. Apparantly, you have to not eat ANYTHING for 2 and a half days to get to starvation mode!! I think going under a couple hundred cals every so often is ok.

    I think that's a load of bull. Another poster also talked about how her personal experience sent her into starvation mode and she gained a bunch of weight. Starvation mode was something I learned in freakin' Junior High. It's health class 101 people. Not eating enough will make your body want to hold on to any extra fat you eat. So the way you gain weight isn't when you completly starve yourself of food, it's when you don't eat enough cals and your body starts to hold real tight to that fat.
  • loganaw
    loganaw Posts: 62 Member
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    eat when you're hungry. stop when you're full. plan and simple. who cares if it reaches the recommended daily intake? just be smart. 1,200 is not a magical number for every person of every height and weight and age. you just have to listen to your body. MFP recommended that i consume 1,200 a day. i literally had to gorge myself with food to reach that. i say if you eat under then so be it.
  • sweeteme
    sweeteme Posts: 18 Member
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    I am right with you. I cant reach my calorie intake. I am so, so FULL I feel like I am going to BUST if I eat anything else.
  • PhoenixFire975
    PhoenixFire975 Posts: 70
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    eat when you're hungry. stop when you're full. plan and simple. who cares if it reaches the recommended daily intake? just be smart. 1,200 is not a magical number for every person of every height and weight and age. you just have to listen to your body. MFP recommended that i consume 1,200 a day. i literally had to gorge myself with food to reach that. i say if you eat under then so be it.

    You might say that, but it could cause you to have serious probs. Try planning out your meals and eating them small and frequent because our body can process that a lot easier than large meals and we need to replenish our food energy every 3-5 hours. I definately don't agree with MFP's cal deficit, it's way to low to the point of self-destruction. I say find the right amount of cals that works for you from a trustable website's calc or talk to your doctor and then make it your goal on here. Honestly, the only reason I have this account is to track my food and exercise. There's snowball's chance in hell that I would actually trust this site to choose my amount of cals daily.
  • Ally_Clare
    Ally_Clare Posts: 355 Member
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    I'm almost always under my calorie intake. Sometimes by a couple of hundred but i am eating a lot i think it's because i've been doing exercise and it adds on though. I shall add you as a friend for support :)

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