I am constantly told 1,530 calories is "not enough." Is this true?

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jdersen
jdersen Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
I am told, constantly, by people, who aren't dietitians, that my daily 1,530 calories is "not enough food" and that I "need to eat more." During and at the end of the day, though, I'm not hungry or craving extra food, so are these statements that I'm pelleted with throughout my day credible in any way?
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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited January 2015
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    You're an 18 year old male? Probably not.
    How tall are you? How much do you weigh? How active are you? Do you know your BMR/TDEE?
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
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    It entirely depends on your stats. For someone like me, that would not be enough, but I'm an Amazon.

    For a shorter person, it could totally be.

    Height/wight/age? What does MFP have you set to and what are your goals?
  • madrose0715
    madrose0715 Posts: 463 Member
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    I am a 46 year old woman, standing over 5'8" and LOSING weight on 1800 calories/day, working out 5 hours per week with a sedentary overall lifestyle presently. What are your stats?
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
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    One doesn't have to be a dietitian to know that it's not enough food for an 18 year old boy with 50 pounds to lose.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Well, let's see. I'm 40 yrs. old, 5' 3", female, and if I do nothing but my desk job, I maintain on around 1530 cals. Compare those stats to yours, and you'll probably get a good idea.

    ETA: D'oh. Forgot to add my weight. 117 lbs.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Depends who you are, what your history is, what your goals are and what those 1530 calories are made up of. Do some research. Do lots of research.

    Although I see this is your 3rd post and you have no activity... Troll?
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I'm a 46-year-old male, 5'10", with a largely sedentary job. I started at 215 lb. and am now 150. I began with a net calorie goal of 1570, which led to a 1.1-pound loss every week. My total calories were much higher, though, since I burn an average of 500 calories a day exercising.

    Is 1530 net (excluding exercise) or total for you? If it's the latter, you should probably eat a lot more. If it's the former, and you are sedentary and not too tall, it could be OK in the opinion of this random stranger on the Internet.
  • Solamer
    Solamer Posts: 67 Member
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    In this instance, I would not listen to anyone who doesn't know your stats or anyone that's not a professional. People tell people all sorts of things for no other reason than inserting their nose into your business. You know you. Do your own research and make sure it's healthy. If you're not hungry, congratulations! Knowing how to listen to your body is a wonderful thing! You seem to be doing alright. Have a check-in buddy you trust, but otherwise don't listen to any of those fools.
  • jdersen
    jdersen Posts: 7
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    Hi guys.

    I'm 5'10", currently (as of now) 219lbs (was 273, Jan 2013). I work out 5 times a week, about 50 minutes per workout. Otherwise, I'm fairly sedentary in terms of activity. 1,530 calories is the base rate given by MFP. My BMR is ~2,045 calories. My TDEE is, according to iifym.com, 2,957 calories. Yes, I'm 18 years old. And no, I am not a troll.

    ^ The above probably doesn't flow very well, I was just responding to the questions I saw throughout the thread.

    My weight goal is 160-170 before putting on muscle, perhaps 185ish in the end as a total goal.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Well I'm 35, 5'5", never ate under 1600 to lose 80 pounds, so I'd agree that it's probably not enough.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    jdersen wrote: »
    Hi guys.

    I'm 5'10", currently (as of now) 219lbs (was 273, Jan 2013). I work out 5 times a week, about 50 minutes per workout. Otherwise, I'm fairly sedentary in terms of activity. 1,530 calories is the base rate given by MFP. My BMR is ~2,045 calories. My TDEE is, according to iifym.com, 2,957 calories. Yes, I'm 18 years old. And no, I am not a troll.

    ^ The above probably doesn't flow very well, I was just responding to the questions I saw throughout the thread.

    My weight goal is 160-170 before putting on muscle, perhaps 185ish in the end as a total goal.

    Based on these numbers? NO. it's not enough.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    jdersen wrote: »
    Hi guys.

    I'm 5'10", currently (as of now) 219lbs (was 273, Jan 2013). I work out 5 times a week, about 50 minutes per workout. Otherwise, I'm fairly sedentary in terms of activity. 1,530 calories is the base rate given by MFP. My BMR is ~2,045 calories. My TDEE is, according to iifym.com, 2,957 calories. Yes, I'm 18 years old. And no, I am not a troll.

    ^ The above probably doesn't flow very well, I was just responding to the questions I saw throughout the thread.

    My weight goal is 160-170 before putting on muscle, perhaps 185ish in the end as a total goal.

    Yeah you're undereating by about 1000 calories a day. With such a deficit, you're probably losing as much muscle as fat...

    First, change your goal to losing 1 pound a week, 2 pounds a week is WAY too agressive with what you have to lose. Second, eat back your exercise calories.

    Or just eat 2400 calories every day.
  • sofifism
    sofifism Posts: 1
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    Why is everyone telling the guy to force calories upon himself?
    Everyone has a different metabolism so as long as you feel satisfied with your intakes then you're alright.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    sofifism wrote: »
    Why is everyone telling the guy to force calories upon himself?
    Everyone has a different metabolism so as long as you feel satisfied with your intakes then you're alright.

    Nope...
  • jdersen
    jdersen Posts: 7
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    So even if I'm not hungry, should I be forcing myself to eat more? Like, after dinner should I eat something more?
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    jdersen wrote: »
    So even if I'm not hungry, should I be forcing myself to eat more? Like, after dinner should I eat something more?

    you can increase calories by a few easy steps. drink milk with dinner instead of water. add banana to your protein shake. eat a few slices of cheese on top of your chicken breast. eat an avocado. just a few adjustments can give you a couple hundred more calories per day.
  • FitnessTrainer69
    FitnessTrainer69 Posts: 283 Member
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    Depends on what your overall goal is?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    sofifism wrote: »
    Why is everyone telling the guy to force calories upon himself?
    Everyone has a different metabolism so as long as you feel satisfied with your intakes then you're alright.

    So he should consistently underfeed himself, deprive his body of important nutrients, and start suffering the ill effects of that down the road?
  • madrose0715
    madrose0715 Posts: 463 Member
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    sofifism wrote: »
    Why is everyone telling the guy to force calories upon himself?
    Everyone has a different metabolism so as long as you feel satisfied with your intakes then you're alright.

    Please get yourself informed.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    jdersen wrote: »
    So even if I'm not hungry, should I be forcing myself to eat more? Like, after dinner should I eat something more?
    Peanut butter, avocados, cheese, gelato etc. are great ways to bump up calories

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