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Struggling with eating enough calories

rachd123
rachd123 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been set a goal by MFP of 1200 calories. My main aim is to lose 2 stone by May for a holiday with my BF and also try and cut down on sugar. My BMR according to MFP is 1840 calories yet when a use a BMR calculator it is 1403.24. I have a desk job and I'm on my second week of doing T25 which is basically 25 mins of exercise for 5/6 days. I'm struggling with net calories and I'm very rarely over 1000. Sugar intake seems very high according to the app and I know it doesn't split between natural and added sugar which isn't helpful. I just need to boost my calories intake whilst not eating things with added sugar. Any guidance or help would be much appreciated.

Replies

  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    The most common things I see for this exact situation on these boards:

    1. you are not logging accurately. Weigh EVERYTHING and take the time to find the proper entries. It's easier after the first time, because things will start to show up in your recents.
    2. You are over-estimating workout burns. Even with a HRM, the numbers tend to be higher than what actually happened. A good rule of thumb that I, and others, use is to only log 50-75% of the burn to account for margin of error
    3. If you truly are 100% doing the absolute best with the above (which 99.99% of the time people are not and they aren't being honest with themselves) you can start cooking with full fat oils, add nuts, butters, etc.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    edited January 2015
    Some days I have the same "problem", but it's an easy fix, really. Look at your macros, see what you are missing and then have a little of whatever it is you need to eat to get to your goal.

    You say that your sugar intake is very high, so do you eat lots of fruit? Those do have tons of sugar but obviously not a lot of calories.

    Lean protein is always good, but yesterday, for example, my carbs were nowhere near my goal, so I happily munched on some bread while sitting on the couch. If you like nut butter, a tablespoon of that will also help.

    Otherwise, even if you don't get up to 1200 each day, I really wouldn't sweat it too much. You'll notice if you really eat too little (and your body will go into starvation mode).
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    shadowofender wrote: »
    The most common things I see for this exact situation on these boards:

    1. you are not logging accurately. Weigh EVERYTHING and take the time to find the proper entries. It's easier after the first time, because things will start to show up in your recents.
    2. You are over-estimating workout burns. Even with a HRM, the numbers tend to be higher than what actually happened. A good rule of thumb that I, and others, use is to only log 50-75% of the burn to account for margin of error
    3. If you truly are 100% doing the absolute best with the above (which 99.99% of the time people are not and they aren't being honest with themselves) you can start cooking with full fat oils, add nuts, butters, etc.

    ^ Good stuff.

    Also, there's no need to track sugar. Sugar is just a carb - if you're within your carb goal, you're fine. Eating a couple pieces of fruit a day will put you over MFP's sugar goal, and there's nothing wrong with eating a couple pieces of fruit, so don't worry about it. Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. You're not going to stop losing weight because you're over your sugar goal.

    You clearly CAN eat more than 1200 calories or you wouldn't have gained excess weight in the first place. You certainly didn't gain weight eating so little.

    1200 is most likely too low for you. MFP seems to default to 1200 for women and it's almost always too low, even if you eat back exercise calories. You shouldn't be eating under your BMR for an extended period of time.

    BMR is the amount of calories your body would burn if you were in a coma. TDEE is the amount of calories your body burns while doing your daily activities, including working out. Go here, calculate your TDEE, and eat 20% less calories than that. If that number is less than your BMR, default to your BMR.
  • rachd123
    rachd123 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for your comments and help. It's not my first time on MFP so I'm not a complete novice. Just trying to stick to it a bit more this time. This is what my TDEE is saying....

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1397

    Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1921

    Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1537

    What would you suggest?

    Thanks in advance.
  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
    1500 calories daily... period and then redo about every 10lbs lost. You won't log exercise with this method - it is the simplicity and method I use.

    I eat 1600 per day (and eat what I want) and I am down over 4lbs this week. That is mostly water and not what I gauge in the long term success for myself.
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