not eating back exercise calories/saying too low calories

sellerskennington wrote: »

Hey all!
At the end of the day, I sync my steps from FitBit into MFP. I also try to eat about 300 calories under the assigned 12,000, because I have read over and over to have a deficit when trying to loose weight. Once I click complete my entry, it says I am not eating enough. What do I do? I want to make sure I have a deficit to loose weight, and I am love to work out!
thanks in advance!

You eat more during the day, in anticipation of workouts.

First of all 1200 is a default minimum. This number is appropriate for senior and very petite ladies. If you are neither of those 2 things, then chances are you put in an aggressive weekly weight loss goal.

1200 is BEFORE exercise, because not everyone can exercise. So log your workouts & eat 50-75% of those calories too. It's 50-75% because calorie burn estimates are often generous.

Eating back exercise calories IS DESIGNED to bring you back to your original deficit. A moderate deficit helps your body support existing lean muscle mass.

If you are eating 1200 calories only and working out to burn 300 calories, your NET, is 900 calories (1200-300). And unless you're like 5', that's very likely too little. Not ideal because when the body is only afforded enough calories to sustain regular function (like breathing, moving, etc.) it regulates metabolic rate to match how much is taken in. It's called homestasis.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Holly_Wood_888 wrote: »

1200 calories I imagine you meant, not 12000
eat the 1200 everyday, then avoid eating the calories back that you earn from working out
(it will always tell you that you may not be eating enough when you are under the goal )

MFP already calcutlates a deficit before exercise, so when you don't eat those calories back you're creating an even larger deficit and not fueling your body. Eat back your exercise calories - 1200 is the default lowest minimum MFP gives so either you're already fairly small or have more than 1lb per week weight loss goal. Eating enough to sustain slow weight loss helps reduce the amount of muscle you lose while working out in a cut or deficit. Everyone will lose some muscle when in a calorie deficit and that's normal, but the goal is to maintain as much of your existing muscle mass as possible while losing fat. When you eat at a deficit, work out creating an even greater deficit, and don't eat back those calories your body is going to fuel itself from the resources it has - your muscle.

Eating so few calories and then cutting that even lower by not eating back your exercise calories also has the potential to jack up your metabolism.