Am I eating enough calories?

Jane92394
Jane92394 Posts: 74
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I try and eat around 1200 calories a day and then I burn off 100-200 depending on how long I exercise. I'm still a teenager so I was wondering if I was eating enough or if I would lose weight faster if I ate more?

Replies

  • SarahWrittenThin
    SarahWrittenThin Posts: 595 Member
    I would just follow whatever MFP sets you at :)
  • oravavaara
    oravavaara Posts: 29
    That kind of depends. My nutrition textbook recommends eating 500 less calories than you use each day. Your weight, height, age, and metabolism are used to calculate that, along with any exercise that you do. As far as I can tell, the calculator for this site is accurate- so if you put in all your stats and tell them you don't want to lose any weight, that's how many calories you use a day. It's possible if you're short, thin, and spend most of the day sitting that you do only burn 1700 calories a day, but it's unlikely.

    1200 calories is the absolute very least you should be eating, and is actually considered by my textbook to be a starvation diet. You have to be really careful with a diet that meager, especially if you aren't getting enough carbs, because your body might start producing ketones, which can build up inside your body and kill you. Your body might also start eating your lean muscle mass. As you probably know, muscle mass burns calories just by existing, so you really want muscles if you're trying to lose weight.

    Also, remember to put your health first. Losing weight quickly often fails to address the underlying cause of the problem, and often results in gaining it right back again. You might think to yourself "that's no big deal, I can just lose it again." There are many studies that show this yo-yoing is bad for your health. It results in more weight being carried around the belly and a higher risk for many chronic diseases, along with self-esteem issues. I would urge you to concentrate on developing a healthy lifestyle that keeps you fit, trim, and happy.

    While it's possible to lose weight faster, a pound a week is generally accepted as the fastest a slightly overweight person can lose pure fat. If you're losing weight faster, odds are there's some muscle, minerals, and water being lost too.
  • kcavities
    kcavities Posts: 18
    That kind of depends. My nutrition textbook recommends eating 500 less calories than you use each day. Your weight, height, age, and metabolism are used to calculate that, along with any exercise that you do. As far as I can tell, the calculator for this site is accurate- so if you put in all your stats and tell them you don't want to lose any weight, that's how many calories you use a day. It's possible if you're short, thin, and spend most of the day sitting that you do only burn 1700 calories a day, but it's unlikely.

    1200 calories is the absolute very least you should be eating, and is actually considered by my textbook to be a starvation diet. You have to be really careful with a diet that meager, especially if you aren't getting enough carbs, because your body might start producing ketones, which can build up inside your body and kill you. Your body might also start eating your lean muscle mass. As you probably know, muscle mass burns calories just by existing, so you really want muscles if you're trying to lose weight.

    Also, remember to put your health first. Losing weight quickly often fails to address the underlying cause of the problem, and often results in gaining it right back again. You might think to yourself "that's no big deal, I can just lose it again." There are many studies that show this yo-yoing is bad for your health. It results in more weight being carried around the belly and a higher risk for many chronic diseases, along with self-esteem issues. I would urge you to concentrate on developing a healthy lifestyle that keeps you fit, trim, and happy.

    While it's possible to lose weight faster, a pound a week is generally accepted as the fastest a slightly overweight person can lose pure fat. If you're losing weight faster, odds are there's some muscle, minerals, and water being lost too.

    1200 is not by any means a starvation diet.
    in fact, i've always heard starvation to be under 900-1000 cals.

    i aim for a net of 500 daily, usually intaking between 600 and 800 calories (unless i binge, which happens quite frequently in times of severe stress/anxiety/depression, as now). then again, i have an eating disorder.
    so i'm not saying you should be like me--i'm just saying i know calories. i know weight loss. i know how these things work because i've abused my body for years with my knowledge.

    my advice to you is to eat between 1200 and 1500. never eat less than 1200, because as you become obsessive and as your appetite diminishes you may develop disordered eating, which is mentally and physically unhealthy. as for upper limits: if i were healthy, i wouldn't eat more than 1500-1600 on "hungrier"/high-activity days.
    this is a safe range to accommodate the body's needs.

    cheers :)
  • Rosi3
    Rosi3 Posts: 28
    MFP sets me up at 1240 calories a day and I try to eat that much and I too don't know if I'm getting enough calories. I walk and climb stairs which burn calories. I'm 5'4 at 120 pounds and thats how much calories MFP recommended for me.
  • Jane92394
    Jane92394 Posts: 74
    Well I'm 5'3 and 130lbs, my goal is to lose around 20. MFP set me at 1200 and I eat around that give or a take a few hundred because of exercise. But I was looking at some different sources and some of them said 1200 calories was a good amount and some of them said I needed more.
  • Kanzaki3
    Kanzaki3 Posts: 656 Member
    My goal is to consume at least 1,200 calories per day. 1,200 is the minimum and you shouldn't really consume less.
  • Xanadar
    Xanadar Posts: 23
    First, you should never eat less than 1200 calories a day, so you should not cut back on calories any more. When you exercise, eat back your calories. That is what will increase your metabolism, and increase your weight loss.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Eating food is not JUST about weight. It is fuel (energy) for our organs - our brain, liver, kidneys, heart, stomach, and muscles, for example, all require ENERGY in order to function. Our bodies require nutrients to keep in good condition - organs, nails, hair, vision, digestion, etc. These nutrients come from FOOD. A little at a time. If you do not eat enough, you are depriving your body of the very necessary nutrients it needs to operate.

    Want to know what can happen with inadequate nutrients?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition#Illnesses_caused_by_improper_nutrient_consumption

    Eat. It is as important to eat enough food as it is to not eat too much.
  • liveyourlifex
    liveyourlifex Posts: 149 Member
    depends on your height, weight, and all that
This discussion has been closed.