under the amount of calories bad?

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m_mcardle46
m_mcardle46 Posts: 2
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
im consistently 1000 or more calories short of reaching my "goal" calorie intake for the day. my goal is 2540 calories and im eating around anywhere from 1,200 to 1,600 a day. is that bad? im not starving myself by any means. im just not hungry.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    For a 20 year old male, yes.
  • ifeomaxoxo
    ifeomaxoxo Posts: 3
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    You are a male and 20. You need to follow what MFP has set up for you. Eating so little is very unhealthy.
  • m_mcardle46
    m_mcardle46 Posts: 2
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    why does me being 20 make all the difference? if i was 50 then it would be healthy?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    m_mcardle46 wrote: »
    why does me being 20 make all the difference? if i was 50 then it would be healthy?

    yes, because a 50 year old male has way different nutritional needs than a 20 year old one.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    m_mcardle46 wrote: »
    why does me being 20 make all the difference? if i was 50 then it would be healthy?

    Because you are still growing and your dietary needs are different than someone 50 years old.
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
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    I would look up a BMR calculator and stay as close to the goal provided as you can. It isn't healthy to eat that much underneath your goal because your body needs energy to be active throughout the day. Calculate your goal with a BMR calculator on google and stay as close to the goal as possible. If you are having a hard time reaching it, then look up high calorie foods that are also healthy... I know one is peanut butter. Maybe post a separate thread and others might have some other healthy high calorie food ideas. Good luck.
  • timothyshultz31
    timothyshultz31 Posts: 1 Member
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    Listen to your body, everyone is different. Just make sure to get a checkup once in a while to make sure.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Look at it like a game of blackjack in a casino: You want to get as close as possible to your target number without going over.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    You are seriously under-eating as the target goal already has a deficit built in. This means you will be losing muscle weight as well as fat...do you want to lose a lot of muscle? I certainly don't. I use the TDEE method and try to get as close to my goal as possible (2000 or so calories which is a 10% deficit) and sometimes I go over, sometimes under but rarely more than by 200 calories (and I tend to make up bigger deficits later).
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
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    I really don't get how someone who has gained weight by eating too much (which includes me!) can suddenly be unable to eat more than 1000 calories. I know people will be eating less calorie dense food but 1000 is so easy to do if you eat things like meat, cheese, yoghurt etc which are all still healthy food choices.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    paulaviki wrote: »
    I really don't get how someone who has gained weight by eating too much (which includes me!) can suddenly be unable to eat more than 1000 calories. I know people will be eating less calorie dense food but 1000 is so easy to do if you eat things like meat, cheese, yoghurt etc which are all still healthy food choices.

    Reread the OP, he didn't say he's eating less than 1000. He said he's eating 1000 less than his goal, which is 2500+ which means he's eating 1200-1500 a day. Which, regardless, is too low for a 20yo male, but you still need to get the original post right before you go on.
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
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    Phrick wrote: »
    paulaviki wrote: »
    I really don't get how someone who has gained weight by eating too much (which includes me!) can suddenly be unable to eat more than 1000 calories. I know people will be eating less calorie dense food but 1000 is so easy to do if you eat things like meat, cheese, yoghurt etc which are all still healthy food choices.

    Reread the OP, he didn't say he's eating less than 1000. He said he's eating 1000 less than his goal, which is 2500+ which means he's eating 1200-1500 a day. Which, regardless, is too low for a 20yo male, but you still need to get the original post right before you go on.

    You are right I did misread. :)


    OP try adding in calories dense foods and full fat versions of things. That will help to boost your intake without adding loads of extra food. Avocado and peanut butter too.

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