What happens if you don't eat all of the calories?

dee_thurman
dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been losing weight and I am not eating all of the calories per day that MFP says I should eat. I am just wondering if anyone else has done this? Are their negatives to not eating all of the calories that it tells you to eat?
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    How much are you not eating?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    If your calorie goal is aggressive, and you are eating under it, you might not be getting all the macro and micro nutrients your body needs. No bueno.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    You may end up losing weight faster. Eating low calories is not sustainable for the long term and there is a good chance you may even gain some of the weight back.
  • savageman69
    savageman69 Posts: 339 Member
    eating far to little will cause extreme weight loss...sound good right?, wrong you will drop muscle and fat and you will not look any better...slow loss will give far greater results and safer and will be for the long term
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
    edited December 2015
    It depends. Are you losing more than 1% of your body weight each week? Do you feel tired or unwell? Do you have the energy to exercise? Are you hungry or feeling deprived? Are you close to a normal BMI or obese? Are you getting proper nutrition and the minimum recommended calories in?

    Those with more to lose (if that's you) have more fat to use for fuel, but that's not the only concern. You don't want to feel like crap or burn out on an unsustainable deficit. Those with less to lose will end up screwing themselves out of lean tissue.

    Edit: And yes, I have eaten under my goal (but not below 1,200 except on very rare occasions and not deliberately) pretty much since the start. Today, for example, my goal (according to Fitbit's adjustments) is 2,327 for a 2 pound weekly loss. I'm eating 1,400. I'll eat all the way up to maintenance on holidays or when I feel like I need to, though.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,030 Member
    If it's for a day or two, no big deal. But if you're doing it consistently, body will adapt to lower calories and reduce metabolic rate to compensate. Body is pretty smart, so just eating a lot less to lose weight faster is a short lived victory.

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  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    All depends on how far under you are.

    Say mfp goal is 1500 and you eat 1450, that's unlikely to even be noticeable.

    But if you eat 1200 or 1000 or 800 a day instead then you are going to likely lose weight faster but more and more will be muscle instead of fat.

    At a point your weight loss will likely start being in part from hair loss from not getting enough protein

    So yes there are negatives from not eating enough.
  • tmcracknell
    tmcracknell Posts: 2 Member
    I'm on 1200 per day an sometimes I only eat about 1100 because I've exceeded my carb recommended intake but I only do it if I'm close to having eaten my protein an fat needs an I have plenty of energy
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
    Some days I am under by a lot. I always eat the calories that MFP recommends but if I go on a long run or after I am working out I will not reach the number it says I should after I am working out. I am on a diet around 1500 calories. I might jog/walk 5 miles. For the day I might eat 1600 calories but won't reach the number after my workout. This is happening almost every day.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Depends on how much you're actually eating. There all kinds of nasty side effects to undereating, so you really don't want to make a habit of it.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    How do you calculate your calorie burns?
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
    I have mapmyrun app that keeps track of my cardio and automatically inputs it into mfp. I am eating around 1500 calories a day. I measure and keep track of my food very well. i eat a lot of foods that don't have a lot calories. Fruits and vegetables. I have around 8 oz of chicken, fish, lean meat, around 3 servings of dairy and a very little carbs ( a bowl of pretty healthy cereal. If a snack i will have a little popcorn or a sugar free jello. I get a little hungry at night sometimes but I am not overly hungry throughout the day because I eat. I just don't eat foods with a lot of calories.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Are you losing weight fast? More then 2 pounds per week?
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    edited December 2015
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Some days I am under by a lot. I always eat the calories that MFP recommends but if I go on a long run or after I am working out I will not reach the number it says I should after I am working out. I am on a diet around 1500 calories. I might jog/walk 5 miles. For the day I might eat 1600 calories but won't reach the number after my workout. This is happening almost every day.

    Yeah, that's a problem. You don't want your net calories to be too low. Consider adding some more calorie dense foods to your diet, things a can get a lot of calories from for a small amount, like olive oil, peanut butter, ice cream (yum!). I didn't look at your diary, so I don't know what you're getting, but everyone needs some fat in their diet.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Without knowing any specifics, the result of eating less will be somewhere between losing weight faster and dying of malnutrition.

    You should eat the recommended amount in order to have sustainable weight loss and lifestyle.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I have mapmyrun app that keeps track of my cardio and automatically inputs it into mfp. I am eating around 1500 calories a day. I measure and keep track of my food very well. i eat a lot of foods that don't have a lot calories. Fruits and vegetables. I have around 8 oz of chicken, fish, lean meat, around 3 servings of dairy and a very little carbs ( a bowl of pretty healthy cereal. If a snack i will have a little popcorn or a sugar free jello. I get a little hungry at night sometimes but I am not overly hungry throughout the day because I eat. I just don't eat foods with a lot of calories.

    Are you weighing these? If not, you could be eating a little more than you think and not under eating as much as you think.
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
    I do weigh my food. I have lost around 30 pounds in 50 days. I lost a lot of weight at the beginning before MFP. The last 32 days I have been on MFP and I have lost 11 pounds. I am able to exercise every day. I go on 7/8 mile jogs/walks or 4/5 miles jogs/walks. I do some body weight strength exercises almost daily. I am not that hungry. I think everyone could always eat more including me but I don't feel bad. In fact physically I feel pretty good. I just want to make sure I am healthy. Usually at the end of the day MFP says I don't have enough carbs but the rest of my macros are pretty close.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    How much more weight do you have to lose? I'd maybe add in some almonds or something to make up some calories. That's some serious mileage you're putting in.

    Just realized you're male. I'm a tiny female and eat that much, and don't run as much as you do. Might want to eat a bit more, or throw in some higher calorie days every now and then to even things out.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I do weigh my food. I have lost around 30 pounds in 50 days. I lost a lot of weight at the beginning before MFP. The last 32 days I have been on MFP and I have lost 11 pounds. I am able to exercise every day. I go on 7/8 mile jogs/walks or 4/5 miles jogs/walks. I do some body weight strength exercises almost daily. I am not that hungry. I think everyone could always eat more including me but I don't feel bad. In fact physically I feel pretty good. I just want to make sure I am healthy. Usually at the end of the day MFP says I don't have enough carbs but the rest of my macros are pretty close.

    I'm also wondering how much weight you have to lose. 30 pounds in 50 days, and even 11 pounds in 32 days is a lot, unless you started with a big cushion so to speak :)
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
    I am pretty close to my goal weight. I am not too concerned with my weight. I am more concerned with my overall health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to start eating more and more calories and put back unnecessary weight.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I am pretty close to my goal weight. I am not too concerned with my weight. I am more concerned with my overall health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to start eating more and more calories and put back unnecessary weight.

    11 pounds in 32 days is equivalent of nearly 2.5 lbs a week. You say you're near goal weight, and you're not at the beginning of your weight loss, so it's unlikely that there's a lot of water weight involved in this. You could eat another thousand calories a day and continue to lose at a much more appropriate rate for someone approaching their goal weight. Do you want to lose fat or muscle? Excessively high calorie deficits = unnecessarily large amounts of lean body mass lost. It seems unlikely that what you're doing is conducive to your "overall health and maintaining a health lifestyle."
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    The last 32 days I have been on MFP and I have lost 11 pounds.

    That's really fast if you're near your goal. I lost 11 pounds in the past 30 days but I am over 100 lb away from a true healthy body weight. As you get closer you need to go slower to be healthy.
  • savageman69
    savageman69 Posts: 339 Member
    edited December 2015
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I am pretty close to my goal weight. I am not too concerned with my weight. I am more concerned with my overall health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to start eating more and more calories and put back unnecessary weight.

    11 pounds in 32 days is equivalent of nearly 2.5 lbs a week. You say you're near goal weight, and you're not at the beginning of your weight loss, so it's unlikely that there's a lot of water weight involved in this. You could eat another thousand calories a day and continue to lose at a much more appropriate rate for someone approaching their goal weight. Do you want to lose fat or muscle? Excessively high calorie deficits = unnecessarily large amounts of lean body mass lost. It seems unlikely that what you're doing is conducive to your "overall health and maintaining a health lifestyle."
    exactly...really blows my mind when people with large amounts to lose start at stupid low calories because they like to see huge losses on the scale....where do they plan to go when their body gets use to 1100 calories...900, 800? hell lets just eat an apple and thats it for the rest of our lives.

    What needs to be done is to take a step back and think, you didnt gain this large amount of weight over night..you didnt gain it because you ate over your 1200 calorie goal you have just now set. Blows my mind why anyone would want to starve from day one and increasingly starve more.....why not eat as much as you can while maintaining a .5lb a week loss?...humm better muscle retention and more food huh weird i choose this way personally
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    11 pounds in 32 days when you are close to goal will do the exact opposite of your goal " overall health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle". When you lose at too fast a rate of loss, your body will consume muscle instead of fat, as it is the easier source for it to digest. You need to up your calories now. If the thought of that causes you distress, then I highly recommend that you see a professional for an eating disorder assessment. It can't hurt.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources

    Signs of Problematic Eating
    Recurring episodes of under- or overeating
    Preoccupation or distress regarding weight and frequent comparison to others
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
    I have read your posts. I agree that I need to eat more and I am starting to consume more calories. I probably set my goal weight a little too high. My body fat percentage, I am guessing is nowhere near where it needs to be. I am not starving myself. Like I said before in my post, I am consuming a lot of food (that doesn't have a ton of calories) throughout the day, and I am not hungry. This post will motivate me to keep working out and building lean muscle while I reach my goal weight and stay there.

    I also would expect from what I have put into my body. My blood pressure is better. My heart is healthier. I have better cardio endurance and I am stronger than when I started. I did this while losing the weight. So I know I need to start eating more calories and I am probably not the example of the perfect way to lose weight. I probably lost it in an unconventional way.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I am not starving myself.

    Based on your rate of loss, you are pretty close to starving yourself. 11 pounds at 3500 calories per pound is a 38500 calorie deficit over a span of 32 days, so a daily average deficit of 1200 calories. Unless you are currently obese, this is way, way too big of a deficit.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I am not starving myself.

    Based on your rate of loss, you are pretty close to starving yourself. 11 pounds at 3500 calories per pound is a 38500 calorie deficit over a span of 32 days, so a daily average deficit of 1200 calories. Unless you are currently obese, this is way, way too big of a deficit.

    His profile says he is male. So yeah calorie intake too low.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Not being hungry or eating a lot of low calorie food isn't really a sign you aren't starving your self.

    I could drink coke zero all day and not feel hungry. :smiley:
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I have read your posts. I agree that I need to eat more and I am starting to consume more calories. I probably set my goal weight a little too high. My body fat percentage, I am guessing is nowhere near where it needs to be. I am not starving myself. Like I said before in my post, I am consuming a lot of food (that doesn't have a ton of calories) throughout the day, and I am not hungry. This post will motivate me to keep working out and building lean muscle while I reach my goal weight and stay there.

    Losing weight more rapidly than your body can convert your fat stores to energy is unlikely to improve your body fat percentage. Lose more slowly so your body can make up the deficit mostly from fat, not from lean body mass.
    And just because you don't feel hungry doesn't mean that you're providing your body with adequate nutrients.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    You'll lose weight quicker. It may not be the best for your health or mental wellbeing though
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