It set me at 1200 calories then yelled at me to eat more!

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HighGlossSauce
HighGlossSauce Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So what's up with this. I put in my weight/height/goals and whatnot and it popped out that I'm supposed to eat 1200 calories a day. Fine. So today I ate like 1100-something, literally like 20 calories shy of my target number and a little message pops up that I might be putting my body into starvation mode. WTH?

Thank you and good day.
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Replies

  • tlp8rb
    tlp8rb Posts: 556 Member
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    It's because you didn't eat the 1200 calories recommended. You need a MINIMUM of 1200 calories a day for a healthy fat loss journey. Dropping below 1200 calories is not healthy. Those calories need to come from GOOD Foods; lean poultry (no skin), fish, fresh or frozen vegetables, low-sugar cereals like oat squares, stone ground oats, good fats like Olive oil, Almond Oil, plenty of fruits for fiber.
  • HighGlossSauce
    HighGlossSauce Posts: 8 Member
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    Oh! How very interesting. Maybe they should give you a range. I'm a big time anal retentive perfectionist so it drives me maddd that there is no perfect number in this scenario.

    I've lost 24 pounds recently and I realized I was plateaued because my calories were set to the needs of a person at the higher weight. (It was 1800 before, which seems like a huge difference going to 1200, right?) Anyway, when I went under the calories previously I never got a starvation message.

    Thanks for responding!
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    20 calories is not an issue. It's a program. Ignore it. Just be close to 1200 and you're fine.
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    It only gives you the starvation mode message if you drop below 1200 no matter what your goal is! I wouldn't worry to much about going below 1200 one day, but wouldn't suggest making a habit out of it :-)
  • brewingaz
    brewingaz Posts: 1,136 Member
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    I can't stop looking at your profile pic.
  • cassiex10
    cassiex10 Posts: 40
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    I can't stop looking at your profile pic.

    you took the words out of my mouth haha
  • mpurkis
    mpurkis Posts: 10 Member
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    Yeah that's an annoying feature.

    Starvation mode is usually defined as eating more than 500 calories fewer than your body requires for the day (this includes exercise calories), or as less than 50% of what your body requires. You won't go into starvation mode eating even 1100 calories a day at your height/weight unless you're eating only that and burning off another 500-1000/day. I read a lot of articles recently about that, that starvation mode is VERY relative and is based on metabolism, weight, what those 1100 calories (or whatever number) consist of, etc. And it doesn't happen in one day either. It takes quite a few days of depriving your body of everything necessary for it to "shut down". If your 1100 calories are all empty, then your body will react strongly to that; if you eat 1100 calories of clean, healthy foods with high protein, your body is not just going to shut down. It's possible for someone who is smaller to eat a very healthy 1000-1100 calories a day, exercise, and lose weight. My doctor doesn't recommend that I eat any more than 1000-1100 a day or I will gain. So everybody's body is very different.

    1200 is just a guideline. :)
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
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    Yeah that's an annoying feature.

    Starvation mode is usually defined as eating more than 500 calories fewer than your body requires for the day (this includes exercise calories), or as less than 50% of what your body requires. You won't go into starvation mode eating even 1100 calories a day at your height/weight unless you're eating only that and burning off another 500-1000/day. I read a lot of articles recently about that, that starvation mode is VERY relative and is based on metabolism, weight, what those 1100 calories (or whatever number) consist of, etc. And it doesn't happen in one day either. It takes quite a few days of depriving your body of everything necessary for it to "shut down". If your 1100 calories are all empty, then your body will react strongly to that; if you eat 1100 calories of clean, healthy foods with high protein, your body is not just going to shut down. It's possible for someone who is smaller to eat a very healthy 1000-1100 calories a day, exercise, and lose weight. My doctor doesn't recommend that I eat any more than 1000-1100 a day or I will gain. So everybody's body is very different.

    1200 is just a guideline. :)

    Thanks so much for posting all of this... I got worried that I wouldn't lose weight because some days (especially the ones I don't work out on [I work out 5 days a week and rest for 2 --- weekends]) I can't reach 1,200 calories due to my small appetite... but I feel stuffed and never hungry. So I don't feel like I'm harming myself... so this is good news!
  • HighGlossSauce
    HighGlossSauce Posts: 8 Member
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    I can't stop looking at your profile pic.

    you took the words out of my mouth haha

    You guys are just stunned because I'm such a super hottie. Rowr.
  • HighGlossSauce
    HighGlossSauce Posts: 8 Member
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    Yeah that's an annoying feature.

    Starvation mode is usually defined as eating more than 500 calories fewer than your body requires for the day (this includes exercise calories), or as less than 50% of what your body requires. You won't go into starvation mode eating even 1100 calories a day at your height/weight unless you're eating only that and burning off another 500-1000/day. I read a lot of articles recently about that, that starvation mode is VERY relative and is based on metabolism, weight, what those 1100 calories (or whatever number) consist of, etc. And it doesn't happen in one day either. It takes quite a few days of depriving your body of everything necessary for it to "shut down". If your 1100 calories are all empty, then your body will react strongly to that; if you eat 1100 calories of clean, healthy foods with high protein, your body is not just going to shut down. It's possible for someone who is smaller to eat a very healthy 1000-1100 calories a day, exercise, and lose weight. My doctor doesn't recommend that I eat any more than 1000-1100 a day or I will gain. So everybody's body is very different.

    1200 is just a guideline. :)

    Thanks, Melanie! I forgot to say it also yells at me for eating too much fiber. Isn't that like having too much money? Whatever. I think I'm going to shoot for 1300 net calories anyway. (Of course you already know I'm breast feeding, so there's 300 I eat and subtract). Plus who enters every little "light to moderate house cleaning" they do? I'm sure I'm burning something somewhere.

    Not to be a total gossip (who am I kidding) but are you FB friends w/Layla's mom from our old board? She weights 116 pounds and eats 1400 calories a day AND exercises. That lady is going to disappear!

    over'n'out.
  • brewingaz
    brewingaz Posts: 1,136 Member
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    I can't stop looking at your profile pic.

    you took the words out of my mouth haha

    You guys are just stunned because I'm such a super hottie. Rowr.

    No, I was talking about the cake. It looks delicious.
  • Raven00
    Raven00 Posts: 67
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    Lol I have had that stupid message everyday since I have been on here, I at least eat 1,000 calories a day so im not bothered by it
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    So what's up with this. I put in my weight/height/goals and whatnot and it popped out that I'm supposed to eat 1200 calories a day. Fine. So today I ate like 1100-something, literally like 20 calories shy of my target number and a little message pops up that I might be putting my body into starvation mode. WTH?

    Thank you and good day.

    Was 1180 your NET? Did you exercise at all?
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    a message popped up? i've never seen that before. is that a new feature?
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
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    You can manually adjust your calories up to 1300 if you prefer. That's what I did. Just go to your Goals tab and select change goals. You can also tweak your other numbers like percentage of protein, carbs, or fat, or your grams of fiber.
  • Raven00
    Raven00 Posts: 67
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    a message popped up? i've never seen that before. is that a new feature?
    no I think its always been there. Its just a warning if you eat to little,
    I hate how it says you will be blah blah weight in 5weeks if you keep eating this way
    Uh ya thanks?! I don't really wanna see that
  • Achoooo
    Achoooo Posts: 130
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    I have never seen it either! In fact it tells me I will weigh LESS in 4 weeks if I eat below my cals, then when I eat them.
  • kcarv1985
    kcarv1985 Posts: 5
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    I have never met my 1,200 calorie goal, and I steadily lose weight.
  • Raven00
    Raven00 Posts: 67
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    I have never seen it either! In fact it tells me I will weigh LESS in 4 weeks if I eat below my cals, then when I eat them.
    Does that to me to it keeps telling me im going to weigh 166 in 5 weeks if I don't eat the recommend. 1200 here it kinda pisses me off
  • supermom4abcd
    supermom4abcd Posts: 151 Member
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    That is SOOOOO annoying! I have that problem too. MFP set my target at 1200 per day and I try to stay near without going over, but I get the too few calories and then it tells me how much I'll weigh in 5 weeks.

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