How many are under their calorie goal?

You're a male and only eating 900 calories, why?

Add in a spoonful of nut butters.
Eat some chicken skin crisped up in the oven. Lovely with chilli powder sprinkled on.
Pork scratchings/rind
Drink a protein shake.

A grown man, exercising and only eating 900 cals a day. Something is wrong.

I am also having trouble reaching 1200 calories a day unless I purposely eat something like peanut butter. I am getting 850 or so calories a day and feeling very full. I seriously don't understand why I should just eat more to reach a number goal. I am losing about 1- 1.5 lbs. a week. Should we eat just for the sake of eating?

jacobsl221 wrote: »

I am also having trouble reaching 1200 calories a day unless I purposely eat something like peanut butter. I am getting 850 or so calories a day and feeling very full. I seriously don't understand why I should just eat more to reach a number goal. I am losing about 1- 1.5 lbs. a week. Should we eat just for the sake of eating?

Eating shouldn't just be about feeling full. Food is fuel for you body. If you don't provide enough fuel, it will take it from somewhere else. Ideally this would be fat stores, which is why we create a deficit. But if your deficit is too large your body won't be able to get enough fuel from food and fat stores and will begin to breakdown other things in your body for nutrients. Things like muscles and organs and bone.

jeshutt wrote: »

How do you feel on it? (I just ignore the 'you're not eating enough'. You can log it, it just won't appear on your news feed.)
Calorie restriction may promote good health - it improves insulin sensitivity, which in turn reduces fasting glucose concentrations and it reduces abdominal obesity. So long as you are getting enough nutrients, and you feel good, you'll be okay.

Nutrients as in vitamins and minerals? Those don't support your heart MUSCLE. Protein and fat (which have calories) are dietary requirements also. We do have fat stores but our bodies don't get 100% of what it needs from those. Your body will break down existing lean muscle mass too.

Google aggressive dieting and hair loss. That would be the body's way of saying....I can fuel a full head of hair, or I can fuel the brain.

Promoting very low calorie diets are against MFP guidelines. Very low calorie diets are often PRESCRIPTIONS from medical professionals. These diets are closely monitored. Not do-it-yourself-plans.

jacobsl221 wrote: »

I am also having trouble reaching 1200 calories a day unless I purposely eat something like peanut butter. I am getting 850 or so calories a day and feeling very full. I seriously don't understand why I should just eat more to reach a number goal. I am losing about 1- 1.5 lbs. a week. Should we eat just for the sake of eating?

You are not eating for the sake of eating. You are eating to become a healthier person. Being a healthier person is not just a number on the scale.

When we lose weight we lose fat+lean muscle mass. Fast weight loss doesn't lower your body fat % by as much as moderate paced weight loss does. A lower weight (but a higher body fat %) is not a good look. Google skinny-fat.

Hunger is not an indicator of adequate nutrition. There are anorexics who will tell you they are never hungry. Calorie dense foods: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

You're killing your lean muscle mass

At best you'll be skinny fat. It is not a good look.

BaddS4 wrote: »

I think the biggest factor for me is keep my carb count to 50 grams a day or under and foods that are low in carbs generally don't carry a lot of calories in them.. I do enjoy smart carbs like baby carrots and a sweet potato on the weekend with a 8 oz steak I eat till my body says enough then put the fork down and push the plate back.. I never go hungry.. When I need to eat I eat, it's just in smaller portions, but I'm trying to find that balance still. I have a long way to go on this journey and I'm very committed to hitting my target weight..
I really appriciate everyones input on this.. Thank you very much!!

If you are on a ketogenic diet, you need foods high in fats (fat is used as an energy source). So replace the lean proteins with a fatty proteins. Incorporate butters and oils. Add in nuts and cheeses. But as a male, you will increase muscle loss with your current plan. The increase in muscle loss will increase down regulation of metabolism, cause you to be weaker (from less muscle), can lead to gallbladder issues, and possibly cause other deficiencies (loss of hair, brittle nails, cracking skin, etc..).

BaddS4 wrote: »

Just curious how many of you are under your calorie goal or finding it hard to eat enough to reach it??
Everyday I have to make up food I haven't eaten so the app will let me close out my food log for the day..
im allowed 2200 calories a day but on a weekday I might get in 900 of them.. Unless I have 1200 minimum it gives the the "you might not be eating enough" message...
Also with all the exercise I do I can realistically eat over 3000 per day but I feel guilty if I dip into them..
Also I'm low carb, so no bread, rice, pasta or potatoes for me...

Im sûre im not the only one who's having this issue... Or am I???

LOL I never "close out my food log".

I have 1700 calories a day to eat and usually come within 200 every day. I have wiggle room in what I'm eating to go more low-cal on some options for when MFP lowers my allowance. I never eat my exercise calories unless it was a day I REALLY burned a lot and overate to compensate. To add more protein to my diet, a friend recommended Dannon's Light and Fit Greek yogurt which has about 80 calories and 12g of protein. Breakstone has a 4 oz cottage cheese that is 90 cals and 10g protein; this is a little high in sodium at 350. I also like PB on celery sticks. I've been to many dieticians in my life, and they concur with many of the posts above that eating less than 1200/day is not recommended as our bodies need fuel for energy and bodily functions. If they put someone on less than that due to upcoming surgery, etc., they would add vitamins. Wishing you the best of luck, you'll get it figured out!