Im so lost with this app

obcindy
obcindy Posts: 12 Member
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so for me, I have to eat 1200 calories then I eat and have like 80 calories left over for the whole day. I update the log, and then it tells me that I'm eating too few calories and I don't know if that's such a big deal or not.

It tells me that I gotta eat more so I do, and then it goes alittle more over the actual calorie count

... so then it tells me I'm eating too much..

Okay I'm just really confused about this.. I thought we were supposed to eat under our calorie goal but then if its like 50 left over, it tells me i'm eating too little and that my stomach will go into starvation mode and I don't want that AT ALL.

How is this supposed to work? I also use a stationary bike almost everyday for an hour and lose 240 calories.

Ahhh I don't know im so confused. Am I over reacting to the app's comment about if I don't eat enough my body will go into starvation mode.

How do I prevent my body from starvation mode?
How am I supposed to be under my calorie intake if it still tells me I'm eating too little that I'll gain weight...? How do I stop that?
Or what if I do eat over alittle and have ate like maybe an extra 150 calories, I still work out and burn it, then it tells me i'm eating too few calories...


I'm sorry if im confusing you guys, really I am but I need help!

I feel so stupid :(

I just want to lose weight.

Replies

  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Within 100 cals over or under goal is fine. It's a target to meet, but as long as you're close, don't stress. Yes, you're intended to eat the cals added for exercise. Ideally, you want your NET cals (on home page) to be at least 1200 each day. Basically, just choose realistic goals, try to meet your daily goals, and let MFP do the rest. :wink:

    May help to read these threads:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
    Hello!

    Well, the target is just that, a target, so if it recommends 1200, try to aim for it. The world won't end if you're 50 over or under!

    However, MFP does tend to treat 1200 as the lowest level, so will complain if you don't hit it. MFP definitely sends out mixed messages there.

    The basics.

    Each day you need a certain number of calories to keep ticking over, healthily, this is your BMR. Your lifestyle will add a few calories more to that (unless you're a student and lie in bed all day!) so a fairly sedentary person like me has a BMR of 1900 ish and needs another 500 to support sitting at a desk all day, so I need a calorie target below 2400 to lose weight.

    A 500 calorie deficit will cause a loss of about 1 pound per week, and for me, so for me, I should aim for 1800 per day to lose 1 pound a week.

    So it's important to fill in the details into MFP accurately (weight, lifestyle activity levels) for it to calculate your BMR + normal activity, then you need a realistic goal.

    Now if MFP does all this and calculates that your target should be, say, 1100, it will still tell you 1200 because 1200 is this magic number it doesn't want to go under.

    If I were you, I'd first tell MFP that I want to lose less weight per week until the target goes about 1200, then I'd know the truer picture of where I am, then generally aim for that.

    Your profile says you need to lose 70 pounds, so I imagine you've got some room to play with here. Aim for 1 or 1.5 lbs per week until you settle into a weight loss rhythm. Don't go too fast.

    Good luck!
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
    Oh, and the target is net calories per day, so if you do 500 cals worth of exercise, you can eat those 'earned' calories to even it out.
    There are mixed opinions on whether you should do this; personally, I eat them all if I've done a little exercise, but about half if I've done a lot.
  • SoCalSwimmerDude
    SoCalSwimmerDude Posts: 507 Member
    I think you need to: (1) read some of the 'stickys' that are posted in the forum, (2) search on this site for the term "starvation mode" and (3) search on this site for the phrase "eating back calories". I'm honestly saying those things to help because you'll get a million responses that will only further confuse you.

    I think you're doing fine, you just need to learn how MFP works a bit... thats all!
  • peacehawk
    peacehawk Posts: 421 Member
    There is a lot of debate around here about if there is such a thing as starvation mode or not, zig zagging calories, to eat :happy: workout calories or not to eat,that is a question. The rule of thumb seems to be that women should eat at least 1200 net calories per day. The net vs total calories is kind of like when you look at your paycheck: net is the total after all of your taxes and calories are taken out. It seems confusing at first. Mainly, it helps us to simply PAY ATTENTION.

    Good luck and welcome to MFP. :happy:
  • obcindy
    obcindy Posts: 12 Member
    Awww

    Thank You so much for the help guys :) Means alot

    I feel welcomed already :D
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