Am I eating enough calories?

olenakagui
olenakagui Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'1 (155 cm) and I weight about 150 pounds (68 kilos). My goal is 120 pounds (54) kilos by June. I run 3 kilometers (1.85 miles) five days a week, it usually takes me 17 - 23 minutes and I am trying to increase distance over time.

I've been eating around 1100 calories a day - I use a food scale, always hit (or go over) my protein goals and stay below fat, sugar, etc. I'm also very careful to get all my vitamin goals (using vitamins when I don't reach them with normal food).

I have a small frame and I eat regularly (5 times a day) with plenty of buckwheat, rice, beans, chicken, veggies and fruit. I avoid alcohol, processed foods, egg yolks, minced beef and pork. I regularly eat small amounts of very dark chocolate. For breakfast I eat eat hemp protein and chia seeds on top of a full breakfast.

Sometimes I need to eat more than I normally would to reach 1,000 calories because I know anything less is unhealthy. I also drink a bunch of water and coffee with a tiny bit of milk. If I feel hungry, I eat veggies or nuts.

All that said, is it okay that I am eating an average of 1,100 calories? I've read that it's unhealthy to eat less than 1,200 but I don't like the idea of forcing myself to eat more when I'm not hungry. So far I've lost 5 kilos in 5 weeks.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Where did you get your goal of 1,100 calories?

    For your weight and activity level, it seems a bit low.
  • olenakagui
    olenakagui Posts: 4 Member
    The app set my goal to under 1,200 so I try to leave some extra in case I'm weighing things wrong or get hungry unexpectedly.

    I guess my question is, if I feel great and I'm not going out of my way to not eat when I'm hungry is 1,100 ok?
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    I'm just under 5 feet and need to drop 20 lbs.. I eat about that and workout.. I feel great and it works well for me. I know later I will have to up my workouts to keep dropping weight and NOT drop my cals. more..

    but if it works for you.. should be good. Just keep an eye out for how you are feeling. I'm never hungry at 1100 calories.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    olenakagui wrote: »
    The app set my goal to under 1,200 so I try to leave some extra in case I'm weighing things wrong or get hungry unexpectedly.

    I guess my question is, if I feel great and I'm not going out of my way to not eat when I'm hungry is 1,100 ok?

    1,200 is the absolute lowest that MFP will give someone. It's also on the assumption that you will eat back the calories burned through exercise and it doesn't sound like you're doing that.

    Instead of regularly eating less than 1,200 in case you weigh things wrong, why not focus on weighing foods accurately?

  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    Are you eating back at least half of your exercise calories? Or strictly sticking to under 1200 calories? It sounds a little bit low to me, but I'm also against forcing yourself to eat if you aren't hungry.
    I started at 180 pounds, eating 1200 calories. Now I'm at 160 lb ( 5' 4" ) and I do four 6-mile walks a week. I recently went up to 1330 calories + half my exercise calories and am still losing about a pound a week, give or take. Even though my doctor mandated when to increase my calories (when I came out of the 'obese' BMI range), I knew it was time- my body was hungrier and I was ready to eat more.

    I'd say listen to your body and if you start feeling fatigued, headachy, hungry, or just really grouchy, you probably need to eat more.
  • kaitlinteeter
    kaitlinteeter Posts: 13 Member
    I am 5'1" and have lost about 25lbs eating at 1275 cal/ day with daily exercise. I think you have some wiggle room and just see how you feel when you do your exercise. If it's really tough to maintain the distance, you might need some more calories to fuel your muscles, etc.

    .... And everything I just typed sounds similar to Elizabeth... but I don't want to delete my hard work typing :-)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    im 5'2 and eat between 14-1500cals/ day and lose consistently.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Losing 1 kilo a week with your weight loss goal means you are probably losing more muscle than average. The body can only burn so much fat per pound in a day and then starts taking from muscle and organs.
    The good nutrition will not fully negate the effect of eating too few calories to support your bodies need.

    A loss of .5 kilo, dropping to .25 kilo, would be much more appropriate.

    Eat 1200 minimum and 50-75% of your exercise calories. This may need adjusting to achieve the loss you have set.

    I went from 130-105 eating 1200 plus 125-175 of my 200cal hourly calorie burn.

    It may take you a little longer to lose the weight, but you will have a healthier, stronger, more attractive body if you step it back a little.

    Cheers, h.
  • DeadLift5
    DeadLift5 Posts: 16 Member
    You may not be hungry, but how is your strength? How's your mood? Energy level? Sleeping?

    There's lots of ways to determine a too large calorie deficit. Not just hunger.
  • olenakagui
    olenakagui Posts: 4 Member
    DeadLift5 wrote: »
    You may not be hungry, but how is your strength? How's your mood? Energy level? Sleeping?

    There's lots of ways to determine a too large calorie deficit. Not just hunger.

    I sleep perfectly, I use an app that detects disruptions and it's usually 85% - 95% for 8.5 hours a night.

    I'm much more energetic than I was before I started my diet and my mood hasn't changed.

    I don't eat calories from running back but it's only about 300 calories anyway. I've started been eating 1,150 - 1,250 but the extra calories come from either hemp protein, chia seeds ot similar protein bombs.

    Thanks for your feedback everyone :)
  • MrsWarrior
    MrsWarrior Posts: 26 Member
    I'm also 5'1" and currently weigh about 176 pounds. MFP has me on 1270 calories a day.
    I don't really work out, just walk the dog.

    And i really have to start paying attention to what i eat.
    Lately it's been pretty unhealthy and I want to lose weight so that's not that handy ;)

    Maybe we can turn this tread into a support group, maybe check in everyday to keep each other on track.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Smaller women do sometimes need less calories than typically recommended.

    BUT 2 lbs a week is VERY aggressive weight loss for how little you have to lose. You are risking muscle mass loss and stress injuries running without fueling properly. You should eat enough to stabilize your weight loss at more like 1 lb (1/2 kilo) per week. It is way harder to rebuild lost muscle than it is too avoid losing the muscle you already have.

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