Under calories still

ariyana18 · February 2015

So yesterday I logged everything. It was tons of fruit and veggies. And even one of those protein shakes. Turkey bacon and tilapia. I'm still almost 100 calories under what I need (I added blackberries to see where it would put me and so Mfp would leave me alone). I feel like I've eaten a ton! Is this okay? To be under?

marysamezz · February 2015

it depends on if you're trying to lose, maintain, or bulk. have you calculated your TDEE or BMR to find out how many calories you should be eating? If you're trying to lose you should be eating 15-20% less than your TDEE and pretty much should stick with that number. Going under 100 I would say is fine but I'm not an expert. Consistently going under your BMR would be no good, and could result in fatigue, fat retention, etc. I would say to figure out your numbers and stick to em!

futuremanda · February 2015

Yep!

Life will bring variance. You'll go out to eat with friends or go to a party or a holiday will come up. Some days you'll eat more, others less.

You wouldn't want to be eating really low consistently. You want to pay attention to how you feel and your nutrition. But don't focus too much on any one single day, either by not meeting or going over a goal. Maybe look at how you do weekly or monthly and start to get an idea of how you've been doing "typically" and adjust from there.

Also, a few tips in case some of this is new for you: A food scale is a *much* more accurate and easy way to count calories. Don't forget little things -- oil used in cooking, condiments and additives (butter, jam, sugar, milk, cream, ketchup, etc), candies/mints/gum, etc. Finally, even if you weigh everything, calories are still an estimate -- so a bit of variance should not be taken too seriously.

segacs · February 2015

Your profile says you're trying to lose 30 pounds. You obviously did not gain those 30 pounds by eating below your deficit. At some point, you ate more than you burned over a long period of time to gain the weight, 'cause that's just how it works.

If you feel really full but are still under your calorie goal, then consider the fact that you might not be logging accurately. This is totally normal, especially if you're new to logging. It takes some time and practice, and a food scale to weigh everything precisely.

In general, you should try to hit the number that MFP gives you. Creating too large a deficit isn't good in the long run because you will feel tired, not have enough energy to fuel your workouts and weight loss, and probably be more likely to yo-yo diet. Having said that, being a bit under on some days and a bit over on others is totally fine and normal -- you aren't a machine and you're not going to be dead-on every day. Try to hit your number on a weekly basis and average it out to what MFP gives you.

Also, I see you've custom-set your calorie goal to 1150 calories. That is *really* low, lower than the lower limit of 1200 that MFP will give by default. What are your stats (height/weight/age/activity level?) In all likelihood, this is too low, and coming in under could be dangerously low.

ariyana18 · February 2015

segacs wrote: »

Your profile says you're trying to lose 30 pounds. You obviously did not gain those 30 pounds by eating below your deficit. At some point, you ate more than you burned over a long period of time to gain the weight, 'cause that's just how it works.

If you feel really full but are still under your calorie goal, then consider the fact that you might not be logging accurately. This is totally normal, especially if you're new to logging. It takes some time and practice, and a food scale to weigh everything precisely.

In general, you should try to hit the number that MFP gives you. Creating too large a deficit isn't good in the long run because you will feel tired, not have enough energy to fuel your workouts and weight loss, and probably be more likely to yo-yo diet. Having said that, being a bit under on some days and a bit over on others is totally fine and normal -- you aren't a machine and you're not going to be dead-on every day. Try to hit your number on a weekly basis and average it out to what MFP gives you.

Also, I see you've custom-set your calorie goal to 1150 calories. That is *really* low, lower than the lower limit of 1200 that MFP will give by default. What are your stats (height/weight/age/activity level?) In all likelihood, this is too low, and coming in under could be dangerously low.

I'm 5'7" and almost 20. I walk maybe 2 miles to and from school and all around campus. My job requires me to stand all day. I haven't found a good workout routine. My problem was eating out. I've been cutting that out. As well as juice and replacing that with water. My friends have an insanity group and I've been thinking of starting that Thursday.

segacs · February 2015

ariyana18 wrote: »

I'm 5'7" and almost 20. I walk maybe 2 miles to and from school and all around campus. My job requires me to stand all day. I haven't found a good workout routine. My problem was eating out. I've been cutting that out. As well as juice and replacing that with water. My friends have an insanity group and I've been thinking of starting that Thursday.

With your height, age and activity level, 1200 calories is WAY too low. How much do you currently weigh and what's your goal weight?

Re-enter your height, weight, age into MFP and set your activity to "active". Set your goal to 1lb/week. MFP should give you a new base calorie level, which sounds like it should be no lower than 1800 or 1900 calories.

If you work out over and above your daily activity (e.g. Insanity), you should log those workouts and eat back your exercise calories on top of your base calories.

You're not going to win any prizes by starving yourself.

hananemolki · February 2015

Wow that's really good advice segacs. Can you please check my profile to see if I have my goal set up correctly . Am 150 and looking to loose 20 pounds !! Last 2 weeks I have been steady which is frustrating.

segacs · February 2015

Nobody can see your goals other than you, @hananemolki. Just go through MFP's automated setup process and choose 0.5lbs/week or 1lb/week at most (anything more is for larger people with much more weight to lose) and follow the recommended base calories. Log your exercise and eat back those exercise calories, too -- within reason, as MFP sometimes overestimates exercise burns, so you may want to only eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories. Good luck!

futuremanda · February 2015

Just wanted to add that my answer applied to your question: Is it okay to be 100 cals under your daily caloric goal. It is, from time to time, definitely.

As segacs pointed out though... your caloric goal is way too low for you. It's not really healthy to set a goal that itself is well under recommendations, and then come in under that.

determined24girl · February 2015

I sometimes end up under my goal. But as long as its not under 1200 i don't really worry about it.

Under calories still

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