Eating under the Daily Calories

Yes, if you eat too few cals, you will not lose weight. This happened to me for 5 weeks and I lost nothing. I upped my cals and have lost every week

I think that perhaps the amount of "extra" calories the site gives you for exercising might be high. You also probably eat things that aren't counted on your food list. I'm under almost every day too and feel that the difference is compensating for any extras. I'm losing too and feel good. I think you should eat at least 1200 a day though. Under that I think you could risk your body's metabolism slowing down. Good Luck!

Try adding some higher calorie foods for things you already eat so you don't feel like you are stuffing yourself. Eat nuts, avocados, whole eggs, whole grain bread with some nut butter on it. You can easily consume an extra 200-500 calories just doing those types of things.

I don't know how many calories you're eating, but I agree with bhb301. You may not notice it initially, and I suppose everyone is different,but I do think it can hender your loss. I was using a different site at the beginning of the year that was telling me to eat 1,000 calories or less with excerise. I ended up not losing anything and messing with my health and I lost 4 months of effort because my body thought I was starving it. Everyone is different,but I do think that a typical body needs 1200+ calories to function properly and stay healthy. Just my opinion though. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Hunger cues, especially in the beginning are not usually reliable. And you may lose weight initially by undereating, but the weight is probably more lean mass (muscle) and a little fat. Also, undereating will slow your metabolism, especially if you don't have a lot to lose.

Here are some threads that may help explain why MFP gives you the numbers it does, how metabolism works and why it's important to fuel the body properly.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

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/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

I'm always under my calories.....I'm not starving though

If you are in more than a 1000 calorie daily deficit, you risk putting your body in a "catabolic" state. That is to say, your body will assume you are starving and in response to that stimulus will slow your metabolism and start to burn much more lean muscle tissue instead of fat, as fat is your body's anti-starvation storehouse of energy and your body will seek to preserve it. That is a triple whammy of badness for your diet goals as not only do you not want a slower metabolism, you also want to loose fat. And third, the more muscle you have/retain the more cals your body burns naturally! It's best to follow the guidelines of the website. If you have carefully set up your goals and you are honest about your food intake and daily exercise, I think you will find that this site is fairly accurate (except for the protein numbers - imo they are low for both genders). One of the toughest things to get your head around is the concept that you need to eat often, and much, if you want to loose fat and retain muscle. It seems counter intuitive since eating less is generally regarded as facilitating fat loss. That's true only to a point. Eating significantly less than your daily needs minus a small (300- 1000 calorie) deficit will result in low energy, slow metabolic rates, catabolism of your lean body mass, and fat retention not fat loss! My experience is that most women don't eat nearly enough protein and focus much too much on total fat intake. Try eating lean proteins like turkey breast, fish, chicken breast, or egg whites later in the day as these will add the extra protein you need as well as pack more cals into your diet. Also protein takes the most energy from your body to consume, digest, and use than any other macro nutrient so it's a bonus! Everyone is different and you will make adjustments to the basic guidelines on MFP (some people are more carb sensitive than others, ie.) over time as you progress but in general you should strive to keep on plan as set forth here on MFP. Good luck!!