Not eating enough?

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tattooedmomma93b
tattooedmomma93b Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just prelogged my day. My goal is 1220 calories. I took a walk that gave me around 300 calories back. But my food for today is around 800...first time I've encountered this problem. Should I eat more even tho I won't be hungry, or is it Okay to be this low every once in a while?

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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Eat back to 1200 calories, to prevent other complications down the road like thinning hair and brittle fingernails.

    I've spent the last month rehabilitating my nails from insufficient protein and calcium intake. Avoid that path if you can.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    It's fine to eat low every once in a while, but don't make a habit of it. If you find yourself doing this often and you're really not hungry then try to add in some higher-calorie foods like nuts, or add sauces to your meals.

    Or have a desert. There's always room for desert.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    800 is really low. But 300 cals for a walk also seems a bit high - how long did you walk? brisk pace? Trails/hills? If you're using MFP's burn estimates, they tend to estimate high, so you could cut that burn number a bit - many only eat half or 3/4 of their cals back.

    But some nuts, or banana with peanut butter, cheese & crackers...ice cream? Small portions add up quickly with calorie dense foods, and get you to goal without a lot of food. At 1200 cals (or 1220), you're pretty much at the lowest recommended intake as it is, so to go lower isn't a good idea.
  • tobin1
    tobin1 Posts: 26 Member
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    so are you all saying you should eat the calories that you burn or just eat to go back to whqt you should be at
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    tobin1 wrote: »
    so are you all saying you should eat the calories that you burn or just eat to go back to whqt you should be at

    Eat the calories that you burn. So if your base calorie allowance each day is 1200 and you burn 500 at the gym, you should eat 1700 in total. Some people don't eat back all of their exercise calories and stick to anything between 50-80% in case the burn is overestimated, but you should be eating back some. Personally I eat back all of mine, but I use a Fitbit rather than MFP's estimates, and Fitbits tend to be fairly accurate when the only exercise you get is walking.
  • tattooedmomma93b
    tattooedmomma93b Posts: 101 Member
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    I know the calories they give you for exercise are high..... walked for an hour and 5 minutes . Went 3 miles. (and it was up and down but Not big hills....I usually don't worry about eating back my calories , but was just worried about my normal calories: /
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    You should be eating at least 1200, whether you went for a walk or not.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Because 1200 is MFPs lowest minimum default.....I would eat back some calories. MFP as designed expects you to "net" 1220.

    Your body needs enough fuel to maintain existing lean muscle. You want to lose mostly fat (ie: reduce your body fat %). Calorie dense foods...a spoonful of peanut butter....a cube of cheese....a handful of nuts. Small portion sizes. Feeling full is not a good indicator of proper nutrition.
  • tattooedmomma93b
    tattooedmomma93b Posts: 101 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »

    Your body needs enough fuel to maintain existing lean muscle. You want to lose mostly fat (ie: reduce your body fat %). Calorie dense foods...a spoonful of peanut butter....a cube of cheese....a handful of nuts. Small portion sizes. Feeling full is not a good indicator of proper nutrition.

    So even tho I'm Not hungry I should do something small but high Cal (and good for me) to at least get to 1200? I can do that. I guess I was just afraid of stuffing myself, cuz I don't like that feeling and I'm trying so hard to loose this weight that I don't wanna force myself to eat just to get calories if it's Not necessary. But I see now from what everyone has said that I do need to get more..thank you everyone: )

  • tattooedmomma93b
    tattooedmomma93b Posts: 101 Member
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    I drink the slim fast protein shakes (I don't exercise hard enough or enough in general to do the better protein shakes) when I'm mixing my shake powder with milk, should I add fruit to it? Or is it Not necessary with a meal replacement shake?
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    You said you just pre-logged your meals. So, does that mean you haven't eaten all your meals yet? If so, you might find that you are in fact hungry by the end of the day.
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
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    Tattoo I would invest in a good HRM that way you can be a little more accurate with steady state cardio than the MFP entries.

    Also do you have a digital food scale that weighs in grams/ounces? If you don't then you could be eating a little more than you think since eyeballing or measuring cups can be wildly inaccurate for correct portion sizes. You can get a pretty decent one at Wal-Mart for around $20.00.
  • tattooedmomma93b
    tattooedmomma93b Posts: 101 Member
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    I'm getting a food scale this weekend when I get paid. I used to have one when I did paleo years ago but I got rid of it when I moved and quit dieting. But j do plan on using one again..

    And I prelogged my dinner as I packed it for work. I know it will fill me up.
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
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    I second the need for a heart rate monitor. 300 calories for a 3 mile walk seems high.

    I don't think that having a low calorie day is going to make your hair and nails thinner. No way.

    I don't think you should force yourself to eat either. That makes for an unhealthy relationship with food.

    BUT I think that you should seriously consider on making better choices when it comes to your shakes. If you want to drink shakes instead of eating, you really need to make them as nutritionally dense as possible.
    Slim Fast is tasty. But it is not well balanced, and it won't sustain your weight loss long term.
    You can make awesome shakes at home full of vitamins, protein etc..

    I think that once you start making sustainable changes in your diet and eating well rounded meals, you won't have trouble eating 1,200 calories.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You might try a calorie dense snack like cheese and crackers at the end of the day. It is tiny, and it carries a calorie punch.
  • ericaeast92
    ericaeast92 Posts: 16 Member
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    Here or there is cool, just don't make it a habit

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