Confused on my calorie intake!

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lauraashley09
lauraashley09 Posts: 182 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am reading that a lot of you are stating "do not eat under 1200 calories". When I signed up for MFP, I entered my goals in and it says I shouldn't eat more than 1200 calories a day to maintain a weight loss of 1.4 pounds a week. It calculated that based on the amount of exercise I'm getting (6 days a week). I'm 5'5 and 140 pounds. Am I really starving myself? It's just confusing because I thought it was healthy to lose 2 pounds a week but MFP says it's practically impossible for me without starving myself.

Replies

  • ciaobella47
    ciaobella47 Posts: 97 Member
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    Where you're at right now, I would think shooting for 1 lbs a week would be the best way to go. But I don't know. Experts? Where are you? :)

    I would at least be sure to eat your 1200 plus any excersize calories. Does that make sense?
  • absolament
    absolament Posts: 278 Member
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    You need to add in your exercises for the day. The original entry for your goal exercise is separate.
  • ashleyjea1985
    ashleyjea1985 Posts: 190
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    hmmm i do 1200 calories...... since christmas..

    im losing weight.

    1200 is the minimum you should eat... youre fine if you eat 1200 calories.. dont worry about how much they say you will lose per week.. just focus on limiting ur calories and getting exercise
  • ashleyjea1985
    ashleyjea1985 Posts: 190
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    hmmm i do 1200 calories...... since christmas..

    im losing weight.

    1200 is the minimum you should eat... youre fine if you eat 1200 calories.. dont worry about how much they say you will lose per week.. just focus on limiting ur calories and getting exercise
  • xxxwings
    xxxwings Posts: 13
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    Its healthy to lose that much over a certain BMI. For you, you might want to just stick to a pound a week, otherwise you are expecting too much. The site just uses mathmatical formulas, I'm not sure they set a limit if you put in variables that makes it go under 1200. Also try to eat back some of what you exercise to maintain a net intake of over 1200.
  • lauraashley09
    lauraashley09 Posts: 182 Member
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    You need to add in your exercises for the day. The original entry for your goal exercise is separate.

    I do that. But I'm confused..should I really be eating the extra calories that it gives me after I exercise? Or will that just make me not lose any weight at all?
    Sorry, I don't know much about weightloss
  • lauraashley09
    lauraashley09 Posts: 182 Member
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    hmmm i do 1200 calories...... since christmas..

    im losing weight.

    1200 is the minimum you should eat... youre fine if you eat 1200 calories.. dont worry about how much they say you will lose per week.. just focus on limiting ur calories and getting exercise

    I feel like I'm really scared to go above 1200 so I eat about 1000 calories a day or sometimes less. Today I ate almost 1200 calories, though.
  • xxxwings
    xxxwings Posts: 13
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    You just need to eat back enough to stay over 1200. So if you exercise 300 calories off, you should eat 1500 or a bit more. But don't just eat anything, keep an eye on *what* you are eating.
  • lauraashley09
    lauraashley09 Posts: 182 Member
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    You just need to eat back enough to stay over 1200. So if you exercise 300 calories off, you should eat 1500 or a bit more. But don't just eat anything, keep an eye on *what* you are eating.

    That makes sense. Gracias!
  • ciaobella47
    ciaobella47 Posts: 97 Member
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    You're going to lose weight if your NET calories are 1200 a day. Seriously, you're going to lose weight. No worries!
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    Many people on here proport this starvation mode myth. I emplore you to do your own research on this. I did, and I have found it to be myth. Also this whole you shouldnt eat under 1200 cals is a myth also. What you SHOULD go on is your BMR. There are many more reliable calculators out there than the one MFP offers. I dont use theirs, and I set my own calories. Google BMR and a good one is on wiki about BMR. my BMR with activity level is 1800 or so. My BMR w/o activity is 1300 or so. You need to subtract calories from your BMR with activity level. I am small so I only subtract 500, so i'm down to my 1300 basically. I eat that, and whatever I work off I dont eat back. I only usually work off 200-300 cals a day. I lose about 1 or so a week. (i dont workout every day).

    There is a study where this starvation mode myth came from. Called Minnesota study. Read up on it, and you'll find how erroneous it is. According to them 3500 a day calorie diet is normal, and 1600 a day is considered starvation. But the 'study' was only done on 36 some MEN. Other than this, and maybe 1 other 'study' there is NO scientific proof we go into a 'starvation mode' when we dont keep 1200 cals a day. The other study was a study on starvation. It was bascially a POW style starvation, a Ghandi starvation. ACTUAL starvation. so that there doesnt prove anything.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    As mentioned, I would say your loss per week goal is too high. 2 lbs per week is healthy for someone with large amounts of fat to lose. You are relatively lean and likely cannot withstand that high of a deficit. Trying to lose too fast can result in losing muscle, rather than fat.

    Here are some great threads that help explain how to determine healthy, realistic goals/deficit, and metabolism and why it's important to fuel the body properly. Good luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/181080-mfp-s-most-common-user-pitfall-to-avoid

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories
  • lauraashley09
    lauraashley09 Posts: 182 Member
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    As mentioned, I would say your loss per week goal is too high. 2 lbs per week is healthy for someone with large amounts of fat to lose. You are relatively lean and likely cannot withstand that high of a deficit. Trying to lose too fast can result in losing muscle, rather than fat.

    Here are some great threads that help explain how to determine healthy, realistic goals/deficit, and metabolism and why it's important to fuel the body properly. Good luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/181080-mfp-s-most-common-user-pitfall-to-avoid

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    Thanks so much! I'll read those.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Many people on here proport this starvation mode myth. I emplore you to do your own research on this. I did, and I have found it to be myth. Also this whole you shouldnt eat under 1200 cals is a myth also. What you SHOULD go on is your BMR. There are many more reliable calculators out there than the one MFP offers. I dont use theirs, and I set my own calories. Google BMR and a good one is on wiki about BMR. my BMR with activity level is 1800 or so. My BMR w/o activity is 1300 or so. You need to subtract calories from your BMR with activity level. I am small so I only subtract 500, so i'm down to my 1300 basically. I eat that, and whatever I work off I dont eat back. I only usually work off 200-300 cals a day. I lose about 1 or so a week. (i dont workout every day).

    There is a study where this starvation mode myth came from. Called Minnesota study. Read up on it, and you'll find how erroneous it is. According to them 3500 a day calorie diet is normal, and 1600 a day is considered starvation. But the 'study' was only done on 36 some MEN. Other than this, and maybe 1 other 'study' there is NO scientific proof we go into a 'starvation mode' when we dont keep 1200 cals a day. The other study was a study on starvation. It was bascially a POW style starvation, a Ghandi starvation. ACTUAL starvation. so that there doesnt prove anything.

    No offense intended, but apparently, you didn't do a whole lot of research. There are reams and reams of research, and countless studies, on the topic (which I and others have posted here on MFP numerous times), and there is no doubt among the scientific community that "starvation mode" (actually adaptive thermogenesis) is real, and damaging. The term is often used too freely and applied incorrectly by some, but that doesn't invalidate the concept or make it a "myth".

    Do what works for you, but please don't encourage others to undereat.
  • absolament
    absolament Posts: 278 Member
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    You need to add in your exercises for the day. The original entry for your goal exercise is separate.

    I do that. But I'm confused..should I really be eating the extra calories that it gives me after I exercise? Or will that just make me not lose any weight at all?
    Sorry, I don't know much about weightloss
    Since the site already factors in the weight loss that is appropriate (never going less than 1200 for women), it's not a good idea to eat any less than that. You need the energy to keep up with the demand of exercising or you might stress your body. However, the site is a generalization. You may have to adjust a little here and there to find the right balance for your body. When I started last week I lost 2 pounds in a week, but only signed up for the recommended 1 pound a week. I am hardly overweight and only want to shed a few vanity pounds, but mostly just the 4 pounds from holiday goodies. I didn't feel deprived of food, but I know that fast weight loss is not healthy and I refuse to put my body through that kind of stress. So I adjusted my weight loss goal to 0.5 pounds a week. Now I find that my body is usually comfortable going a little under the recommended. Plus, I don't exercise aggressively. So my body doesn't need a lot.
  • Rezal19
    Rezal19 Posts: 3
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    It's also important what kind of calories you're eating. Many people forget that different foods are just better in general regardless of caloric intake. Make sure you're eating (generally) more fruits and vegetables and not eating as many carbohydrates. However, depending on the kind of exercising you're doing you may want to increase the carbs. For example, I run 3 times a week so I make sure to eat more carbs after I run. Sometimes I'll fill up on some carbs the night before I run as well to make sure my body has enough "fuel". Just think of calories as energy and certain types of energy is more efficient.

    Sorry if I'm too verbose. Hope this helps! :D

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