Eating Enough
GeorgiaKett
Posts: 28 Member
Hey all just wanted to ask a quickie.
I'm twenty years old. 11 stone. I've been advised by a friend in order to loose weight I need to stick to 1,200 calories a day, which, with this app I have been doing. I like to have three meals and no snacks. Why is it saying I'm not eating enough. Help??
I'm twenty years old. 11 stone. I've been advised by a friend in order to loose weight I need to stick to 1,200 calories a day, which, with this app I have been doing. I like to have three meals and no snacks. Why is it saying I'm not eating enough. Help??
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Replies
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How tall are you?0
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How many calories are you eating?0
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I'm trying to stay under 1,200 calories. On days it will say in 5 weeks you'll weigh 10/9 stone but others it will just say that. My friend who's been telling me about this said so long as I stay under 1,200 I should be okay. My meals are always decent size. I rang up a local health centre and according to them I am 5'8 xx
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Women are generally recommended not to go below 1,200 calories a day, even when they're trying to lose weight. Have you tried entering your calories into MFP and seeing what goals you are given? You aren't short -- you likely can eat more than 1,200 per day.0
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GeorgiaKett wrote: »I'm trying to stay under 1,200 calories. On days it will say in 5 weeks you'll weigh 10/9 stone but others it will just say that. My friend who's been telling me about this said so long as I stay under 1,200 I should be okay. My meals are always decent size. I rang up a local health centre and according to them I am 5'8 xx
Your friend is a registered dietitian or other healthcare professional, right? I can't see any other reason you'd take her advice and risk damaging your healtg.0 -
It's saying you're not eating enough because you're not. MFP isn't here to promote dangerous diets. If you eat under 1000 calories it will not tell you how much you'll weigh in 5 weeks because it isn't a safe way to lose weight by eating that little and they don't want you to continue eating like that.0
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diannethegeek wrote: »GeorgiaKett wrote: »I'm trying to stay under 1,200 calories. On days it will say in 5 weeks you'll weigh 10/9 stone but others it will just say that. My friend who's been telling me about this said so long as I stay under 1,200 I should be okay. My meals are always decent size. I rang up a local health centre and according to them I am 5'8 xx
Your friend is a registered dietitian or other healthcare professional, right? I can't see any other reason you'd take her advice and risk damaging your health.
This ^ so very much this.
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I'm 2" shorter than you and I wouldn't go near 1200. You could safely lose at 1500-1600 I bet. Up your activity. You must be in the normal range for your height already. Sounds like you want a recomp if you're not happy with your current physique. Taking a stab here, but I'd bulk, put on some lbm, and then cut down to this weight. Adjust your bf%0
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Yeah, she's not a registered dietician but I don't think I'll damage my health by taking a friends advice. Yes I have i
Have set my calorie goal to 1,200. I understand I may not be eating as much as recommend but maybe that's because I don't want to over do it on the eating. You know, I'm young so I'm self councious of both my self image and what I eat, like seriously I never have a chocolate hardly. Thinking about it, I think if I just keep eating healthy and continue to use this app and try to stay under or within the calorie goal recommend I should be okay, I suppose it's better to be under your calories than over as over means you've overindulgence, and given what I said about my self image i wouldn't want that.
This doesn't happen all the time when I use the app sometimes they say if you continue like this you'll be so and so stone. I think it's just on the odd occasion.
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Im very active. I'm single. I am in the normal range yes I just want to loose a few pounds. In terms of bulking I just want a slim stomach, I'm not fat or overweight or anything but you know just an area of focus type thing. In with regards to what you said about activity, I'm joining a running club and Zumba class after a family holiday x0
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GeorgiaKett wrote: »Yeah, she's not a registered dietician but I don't think I'll damage my health by taking a friends advice. Yes I have i
Have set my calorie goal to 1,200. I understand I may not be eating as much as recommend but maybe that's because I don't want to over do it on the eating. You know, I'm young so I'm self councious of both my self image and what I eat, like seriously I never have a chocolate hardly. Thinking about it, I think if I just keep eating healthy and continue to use this app and try to stay under or within the calorie goal recommend I should be okay, I suppose it's better to be under your calories than over as over means you've overindulgence, and given what I said about my self image i wouldn't want that.
This doesn't happen all the time when I use the app sometimes they say if you continue like this you'll be so and so stone. I think it's just on the odd occasion.
If you create too large of a deficit (which can happen if you under eat) regularly, then you will be targeting your lean body mass (muscles), instead of your body fat. If you are conscious of your body, you should be aware that losing weight this way can lead you to have MORE body fat (even after losing weight), than when you began. If you don't care about your health, maybe you'll care about your eventual appearance.
The fact is that friends can often give us bad advice. Sometimes that advice is harmless (yes, you should get bangs!) and other times it can actually be harmful (consume fewer calories than your body requires!).
It isn't better to be under than over. Context matters. Eating over 1,200 calories, when you're a young woman who is 5'8, isn't over-indulging -- even if you are trying to lose weight.0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »Yeah, she's not a registered dietician but I don't think I'll damage my health by taking a friends advice. Yes I have i
Have set my calorie goal to 1,200. I understand I may not be eating as much as recommend but maybe that's because I don't want to over do it on the eating. You know, I'm young so I'm self councious of both my self image and what I eat, like seriously I never have a chocolate hardly. Thinking about it, I think if I just keep eating healthy and continue to use this app and try to stay under or within the calorie goal recommend I should be okay, I suppose it's better to be under your calories than over as over means you've overindulgence, and given what I said about my self image i wouldn't want that.
This doesn't happen all the time when I use the app sometimes they say if you continue like this you'll be so and so stone. I think it's just on the odd occasion.
With so little to lose, you should have your goal set for 0.5 lb loss per week, and be eating back a portion of your exercise calories. You're already a normal weight for your height, having such a large calorie deficit means you increase your chances of losing more muscle than you would with a reasonable deficit. And if you're only eating 1200 and not eating back any exercise/activity calories, you're also running the risk of creating an even larger deficit that leads to fun things like mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and hair loss.0 -
I do care about my health, it's not bad advice, yes okay I see where your coming from I will weigh myself in a few weeks time to see if this app has helped and if not i can make changes! 0
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GeorgiaKett wrote: »Im very active. I'm single. I am in the normal range yes I just want to loose a few pounds. In terms of bulking I just want a slim stomach, I'm not fat or overweight or anything but you know just an area of focus type thing. In with regards to what you said about activity, I'm joining a running club and Zumba class after a family holiday x
You can't spot reduce. You also have to make sure you're eating enough to fuel your body. Regularly coming in under 1000 calories (when it gives you the message) can lead to not only muscle loss, but hair loss, organ weakness, irregular/missing periods, and other health concerns. With little to lose, it's best to set your goal to half a pound a week and eat that much plus a portion of your exercise calories, ensuring that your logging is as accurate as possible.0 -
I did mention that i am very active and my portion sizes are decent. I will weigh myself in a few weeks time and see how i get on and take things from there x0
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It's a lot easier to keep lean body mass than it is to put it on. Recklessly cutting will net you a skinny fat physiquen and you'll be back here looking for help to get even thinner because you still think that's the answer. Do the research, you have a lot of good info here already from PPs.0
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GeorgiaKett wrote: »I do care about my health, it's not bad advice, yes okay I see where your coming from I will weigh myself in a few weeks time to see if this app has helped and if not i can make changes!
Your calorie goal while sedentary to lose 1 lb per week (which is still too much given how little you have to lose) is over 1400 calories, so eating 1200 or less is really not good for an active young woman.0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »I did mention that i am very active and my portion sizes are decent. I will weigh myself in a few weeks time and see how i get on and take things from there x
Being very active is a good reason to eat MORE than 1200 calories. You need to fuel your body so you don't end up with saggy skin and brittle nails.0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »I did mention that i am very active and my portion sizes are decent. I will weigh myself in a few weeks time and see how i get on and take things from there x
If you're very active, you need to eat to fuel that activity -- even while losing weight.0 -
I know thanks for the advice but i think from my perspective i will continue as I am and see how i get on when I next weigh myself. I care about my health slot and I work out and eat healthily and am very active and if I have a concern that I'm going under or it's not working I can always come and ask you for advice or friends and family xxx0
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GeorgiaKett wrote: »I know thanks for the advice but i think from my perspective i will continue as I am and see how i get on when I next weigh myself. I care about my health slot and I work out and eat healthily and am very active and if I have a concern that I'm going under or it's not working I can always come and ask you for advice or friends and family xxx
Your friend is the one that gave you the advice to undereat in the first place.0 -
I don't think that will happen. I don't think that's will happen either.'I'll weigh myself and see what happens0
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I've decided what I'm going to do now so thanks for the advice guys0
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janejellyroll wrote: »GeorgiaKett wrote: »I know thanks for the advice but i think from my perspective i will continue as I am and see how i get on when I next weigh myself. I care about my health slot and I work out and eat healthily and am very active and if I have a concern that I'm going under or it's not working I can always come and ask you for advice or friends and family xxx
Your friend is the one that gave you the advice to undereat in the first place.
What type of friend is this.
Op do you have longer hair than your friend0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »I know thanks for the advice but i think from my perspective i will continue as I am and see how i get on when I next weigh myself. I care about my health slot and I work out and eat healthily and am very active and if I have a concern that I'm going under or it's not working I can always come and ask you for advice or friends and family xxx
Eating at the levels you're talking about is not eating healthily. You can eat the healthiest foods in the world, but if you don't eat enough to meet your minimum requirements then you don't have a healthy diet.0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »I did mention that i am very active and my portion sizes are decent. I will weigh myself in a few weeks time and see how i get on and take things from there x
I wanted to make sure you knew that MFP, unlike other methods, is designed for you to eat back the calories you earn for exercise. 1200 is not enough calories for someone who is 5'8" and exercises.0 -
Yes of course thankyou, hmm okay well I think I eat quite healthily on various levels, however like I said if I need any advice I will come back to you all hope your all having a fab weekend0
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Since you plan to go ahead regardless of the advice given, I'm going to make a prediction. At four weeks you are going to get noticeably thinning hair. It will be too late to reverse the damage.
Your body needs a minimum calorie and protein intake in order to function. If you do not fuel it adequately your marvellously flexible body will pirate the proteins where it can (hair stops growing).
Come back in four weeks and I'll tell you how to regrow your hair. (Hint: it takes a few months).0 -
Try eating what the MFP suggests, including extra for exercise, and see how that goes.
If you want to be your healthiest, eat a good variety of healthy foods. When we undereat (which we must to lose weight!), it's much harder to cram all our vitamins and minerals in, so it's even more important to focus on eating healthy, if healthy is a goal. Those healthy foods are generally low-cal, so eating them also helps us to eat more food while we diet, which is helpful.
Remember that your goals are to be healthy and lose weight. If you can do that while eating more than 1200 (and most of us can), you should eat more than 1200. The goal is weight loss, not to eat the lowest number possible.
Focus on losing and being healthy first. The number comes second. 1300 or 1400 is just as good as 1200. 0 -
GeorgiaKett wrote: »I'm trying to stay under 1,200 calories. On days it will say in 5 weeks you'll weigh 10/9 stone but others it will just say that. My friend who's been telling me about this said so long as I stay under 1,200 I should be okay. My meals are always decent size. I rang up a local health centre and according to them I am 5'8 xx
you're trying to stay under an already very low calorie target...that is why MFP is telling you that you're not eating enough. 1200 calories is already a huge deficiency of the calories that would be required for maintenance.
get out a dictionary and look up the word GOAL...0
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