Am I eating to few calories??

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changinmylifeforever
changinmylifeforever Posts: 13 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I feel like my body may be in starvation mode which has never helped me in the past. I'm eating around the 1200 calories MFP has suggested burning 600 to 850 calories at the gym 6 days a week not including the circuit or free weights. I do Not eat back those calories that I know I've burned. My net calories end up being around the 500 area depending on my eating habits for the day ( I stay within nutrition goals as well). Am I doing this right? I also have my day set to seditary... I'm currently 231.2 any help or knowledge would be very much appreciated and I'm always looking for supportive and motivating friends if you like to add me.

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  • gonzanab
    gonzanab Posts: 117 Member
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    You might not be eating enough from the looks of it. It seems to me, since you're active, you should set your myfitnesspal differently because you set it up as seditary instead of active. I hope this helps.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'm not sure what your height is, but I weigh only one pound less than you and eat 1720 calories a day before exercise. If you are going to eat only 1200 a day, I would say you definitely need to eat those exercise calories back.
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
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    Having your net calories that low will cause you serious problems in the long run. I don't actually know how long human bodies can cope on that kind of net value before it starts basically eating itself. :(
  • pattytully
    pattytully Posts: 1
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    Hi I'm new to this. When I was with WW they told me that I wasn't eating enough because the scale didn't move! I excersized, ate right and after 6 weeks I only lost 2 pounds! I am on another medical weight loss program and still stuck! I have fibromyalgia and find it hard to keep up with all the excersize. I feel doomed, so now it's negative thinking! Lol
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,949 Member
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    You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories.
  • scheidch
    scheidch Posts: 32
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    500 net calories is way too low unless you are on a medically supervised diet. The body typically drops your metabolism just to stay alive if you routinely eat less than 1200 calories.

    As a side note, if you are regularly working the same muscle groups/doing the same cardio routine, you may be burning less calories during exercise than you might think. Even a heartrate monitor can't give you perfectly accurate feedback.

    The main question is, how do you feel overall? Do you have good energy levels? You may be alright if the answer to that question is yes. It may be a good idea to discuss your fitness goals and share your MFP journal with your PCP.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    No, you're not doing it right. You are to NET 1,200 minimum. That means you eat back your workout calories so at the end of the day you have taken in 1,200 for your body to live off of. MFP does tend to overestimate - so eating ALL of them might not be the solution, but not eating ANY of them is setting you up for failure. Get a HRM so you know what you are burning for cardio. Log those calories, eat them back.
  • YoullFindMeFit
    YoullFindMeFit Posts: 24 Member
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    I think it really depends on your height/weight. I used my Polar Heart Rate monitor to see how many calories I burn on a regular day. It was only around 120 calories an hour, which is under 1500 in 12 hours. I'm 5'1" and even though by every online calculator I should be eating more calories, I eat 900-1200 calories a day, feel satisfied, and am healthy according to my doctor. But I think there's too much conflicting information out there to really know what's right and you should just listen to your own body over other people's opinions (including mine)! I like many people have cravings at night and I find it helpful to ask, am I really hungry or am I eating compulsively? Am I hungry enough to eat an apple? Sometimes I still indulge anyway, but more often than not it helps me to make smarter decisions and feel better about myself the next day :)
  • bigd66218
    bigd66218 Posts: 376 Member
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    You need to fuel the fire otherwise you burning up muscle and your body will react to this by storing fat.
  • r5d5
    r5d5 Posts: 219 Member
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    Netting only 500 calories over an extended period of time is one:not healthy, and two: unsustainable in the long run. It's fine to have your calories set to 1200 (but that probably means an aggressive goal, i.e. 2lbs a week). If you're really burning 600 to 800 at the gym, then you should be eating back at least half that that (so 300 to 400). Perhaps reassess your goal. (Instead of 2lbs a week, go for 1.5). Depending on how much you want to lose, you should take into consideration what practices will be ideal for you long term, what you can reasonably expect of yourself, and know that there are no quick fixes! Weight loss can be a lengthy process.

    Best of luck to you!
  • r5d5
    r5d5 Posts: 219 Member
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    sorry for the bolding...not really sure what happened there :)
  • ellie0213
    ellie0213 Posts: 562 Member
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    There are so many factors that determine how much you should be eating. MFP is a great tracking program but it is only a computer program. It doesn't know you and your history. Message me if you want help figuring this out.
  • vmsolko
    vmsolko Posts: 51 Member
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    MFP is set up so that even if you eat every single calorie you're allotted (even those burned at the gym), you will still reach your weight loss goal (ie: 1.5lbs per week). I agree with most people and say that you should be aiming to eat back half your exercise calories. Try that for awhile and see how it works out. Also, I tend to underestimate on all the calories burned for my exercises. I figure underestimating is better than overestimating, especially since MFP seems to give high estimates for calories burned. It's a process about finding what works for you specifically - there is no single right answer.

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