Under Calorie goal... Is it really good?

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Haters4less
Haters4less Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just wondering because if your already on a 1200 calorie diet and you eat less than that isn't it considered unhealthy? I don't mean like by 20 or 80 calories, I mean like 100 or 200 hundred which means you only ate 1100 or 1000 calories which would mean your body was most likely in starvation mode. IDK :/ is seems weird to me sometimes when people congratulate someone for eating less than 1200 calories which isn't good for you...
I could understand if it was more than 1200 but I don't think eating any less would be beneficial(especially if you want to lose weight in a healthy way).

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Starvation mode won't happen in one day. Won't happen in one week either.

    Should you be doing that, though? Absolutely not. 1,200 is also a really aggressive goal for most people, and they should be eating far more than that. If you are on the 1,200 calorie plan, those people should be eating back a good chunk of their exercise calories as well, since they will net far too few calories for the day.

    Being a little bit under (like, 10-50) some days is fine. But to be a full hundred or several hundred under will not give your body the fuel it needs to function.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yes, I don't think people should be congratulated for regularly eating significantly under a 1200 goal.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).

    Yeppp. The only times I don't hit at least 1,200-1,300 a day are when I'm sick (cracking a base goal of 400 during the stomach flu was a personal victory). I can't imagine being consistently under it regularly.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    I try to hit my calorie goal every day. Or at least be within 100 calories of it. I have found that if I leave 200-300 calories off of yesterday because I didn't feel super hungry, today I will be super super hungry.

    Every nutritionist, doctor and personal trainer I have talked to recommends men to not go under 1,000 calories a day and women to not go under 1,200 calories a day.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    With the exception of this app, when does this come up? I have never in my entire life seen anyone congratulate someone for eating under that person's individual goal.

    If you mean around here, the congrats could just be for logging or for trying or who knows what. I know I don't read food diaries to see what everyone has eaten before I say, "Good job" on logging. There are a couple I look at, but I don't look at most of them.

    But if something upsets you, you can always hide that person's stuff so that you don't see it. It's very easy to do!
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
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    Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).

    I think it's partly to do with the way MFP is set up. If you go over your goal, the numbers go red which people see as BAD, if you stay under you get those lovely green numbers telling you that you can still have something to eat if you want. In my opinion I think MFP should change this to having a goal range, like instead of having a 1400 cal goal make a 'green zone' of 1375-1425 or something, and the numbers show red if you go under OR over.
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
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    lemonlionheart wrote: »
    Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).

    I think it's partly to do with the way MFP is set up. If you go over your goal, the numbers go red which people see as BAD, if you stay under you get those lovely green numbers telling you that you can still have something to eat if you want. In my opinion I think MFP should change this to having a goal range, like instead of having a 1400 cal goal make a 'green zone' of 1375-1425 or something, and the numbers show red if you go under OR over.

    This. That is a really good idea. For a while I thought MFP was encouraging users to eat under the goal because of how it's set up.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Well I have reasonable deficit/weight loss goals, so I net about 1900 calories (just upped from 1880, just to make it rounded out, and I am going to be logging 'vigorous' for lifting on lower body days because those are actually quite strenuous for me - been losing too quickly). I always try to be within 30 calories of this. I'm over it sometimes.

    I agree with a goal range idea. otherwise, just increase your goal and remember that your actual goal is really, say, 1400. So you eat to around there nad stay in the green.

    I really do not like the colour system myself. It has even affected me, and I do not eat at a ridiculously low number of calories.
  • stevensx2
    stevensx2 Posts: 5 Member
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    How do you determine how many calories a day you should eat. I am 56 years of age and weigh 260 and am 5'4. Someone please tell me the caloric count I should be eating a day to lose on an average of 1-2 lbs a week. TIA!! :D
  • valpert
    valpert Posts: 1 Member
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    Honestly, i do that all the time. If i have a day where i come in about 300 - 500 calories under my goal, i just will eat more the next day. I also like donuts, so i'll go get myself a little treat the next day.

    I really like this app. I've lost about 10 pounds so far and i pretty much eat whatever i want. I just make sure i get in alot of cardio for the day and burn enough calories.

    I've tried different types of diets, but this is what works for me. I like that i cab eat whatever i want, but i just have to make sure my portions are ok, or i get in the extra cardio that i need ;)

    Vanessa
    My review blog
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    lemonlionheart wrote: »
    Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).

    I think it's partly to do with the way MFP is set up. If you go over your goal, the numbers go red which people see as BAD, if you stay under you get those lovely green numbers telling you that you can still have something to eat if you want. In my opinion I think MFP should change this to having a goal range, like instead of having a 1400 cal goal make a 'green zone' of 1375-1425 or something, and the numbers show red if you go under OR over.

    I think that is a very good idea and is something the admin here should look into.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    stevensx2 wrote: »
    How do you determine how many calories a day you should eat. I am 56 years of age and weigh 260 and am 5'4. Someone please tell me the caloric count I should be eating a day to lose on an average of 1-2 lbs a week. TIA!! :D
    I'd recommend checking out these three links:
    health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    health-calc.com/diet/weight-loss-calculator
    exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    First and last are to estimate your caloric maintenance needs (to maintain your weight), and from there you can try out the calculator and change the dials until you reach 1lb or 2lbs, I'd say stick with 1lb though :) Also you can just subtract 20% from the original number instead, but I like the calculator and I plan to give it a proper go after I track my weight for the next month or two to see how my weight loss progresses!

    If you do exercise then you can include the average in your calculations (e.g. 4 days of working out for 30 minutes is about 20 minutes daily), or you can omit these and just loga nd eat back exercise calories here.

    It's all trial and error, though. Start with a number, monitor for a month or two, lower your goal if you are not seeing results - 50-100 calories for a month should do!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    If you go too far under 1200, you don't get the happy stuff. You get red letters saying you're bad and a lecture about eating more.

    As far as I can tell you can go over as far as you want without getting yelled at.

    I go over and under all the time. :)
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
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    I think when people congratulate someone regularly eating under 1200 they're just not looking at the diary. I like to look because I'm not going to congratulate someone for eating 800-900 calories every day. (Also I like to steal meal ideas)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    I honestly can't say wtg or good day unless I look, just for this reason. If its someone who is consistently under 1200 by more than 100 calories and they don't take the hint when I say "got peanut butter" or some other smart a*s thing, they don't need me as a friend (different goals).
  • sophie_pophie
    sophie_pophie Posts: 1 Member
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    Basilin wrote: »
    lemonlionheart wrote: »
    Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people try to stay UNDER their goal when you're supposed to reach it (or at least when it averages out at the end of the week).

    I think it's partly to do with the way MFP is set up. If you go over your goal, the numbers go red which people see as BAD, if you stay under you get those lovely green numbers telling you that you can still have something to eat if you want. In my opinion I think MFP should change this to having a goal range, like instead of having a 1400 cal goal make a 'green zone' of 1375-1425 or something, and the numbers show red if you go under OR over.

    This. That is a really good idea. For a while I thought MFP was encouraging users to eat under the goal because of how it's set up.

    i love this idea :)
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I do not congratulate anyone eating below 1200 consistently and usually those who do are quietly removed from my list as I find it a negative influence and cannot support it.

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