Can't meet calorie goal?

sydniemccormick743
sydniemccormick743 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
I just got back from a study abroad and lost 20 pounds in 2 months without watching calories. Host family just always made healthy, good portioned food, and I did walk a good amount too. So I've decided to keep it going now that I'm back. Put in all my stats and at a 2 pound per week loss, MFP has me at a little over 1400 calories a day. Not bad at all. The problem, I went through and added all my meals and I'm not even breaking 1000, but I'm also eating until I'm full (and maybe then some). I've checked and I'm meeting all my macros. Basically haven't eaten anything but Tons of fruit, vegetables, and fish, and I always eat until I'm no longer full. Today for example I ate a mahi mahi filet, a baby avocado, some mozarella pearls, a hard boiled egg, and some radishes for lunch. And an hour and a half later I'm still pretty full. My question is this: am I going to go into starvation mode or risk gaining or plateauing because of my low calories?

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Do you weigh everything on a food scale? I would buy a food scale, weigh everything, and then input it into your food diary to insure you are eating the amount of calories you think you are. THEN, if you are still under calories, add some yummies in your day - chocolate, a serving of ice cream, etc.

    Starvation mode is not a thing. Think of the people in concentration camps, or anorexics. If starvation mode was a thing, they would not have been skeletal.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Unless you're weighing and measuring everything I can almost guarantee you're eating more than you think. Please search"starvation mode" and you'll find several threads on this exact topic
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    you said you selected 2lbs a week

    what is your current weight and overall goal - 2lbs a week might be too aggressive (i.e. is good if you have 75-100+lbs to lose) otherwise, you may need to adjust it

    if you aren't hitting your calorie goals (1400cal) then you can't be meeting your macros...because macros when added together = calories
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    Are you using a food scale to weigh everything out?
  • sydniemccormick743
    sydniemccormick743 Posts: 2 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    you said you selected 2lbs a week

    what is your current weight and overall goal - 2lbs a week might be too aggressive (i.e. is good if you have 75-100+lbs to lose) otherwise, you may need to adjust it

    if you aren't hitting your calorie goals (1400cal) then you can't be meeting your macros...because macros when added together = calories

    Current weight 210, overall goal 130. MFP is showing I'm hitting my macros that's why I assumed I was
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    you might be hitting it percentage wise, but not overall requirements - to calculate calories from macros

    (g in Protein*4)+(g in Carbs*4) +(g in Fat*9) = calories
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    sydniemccormick743 wrote: »
    I just got back from a study abroad and lost 20 pounds in 2 months without watching calories. Host family just always made healthy, good portioned food, and I did walk a good amount too. So I've decided to keep it going now that I'm back. Put in all my stats and at a 2 pound per week loss, MFP has me at a little over 1400 calories a day. Not bad at all. The problem, I went through and added all my meals and I'm not even breaking 1000, but I'm also eating until I'm full (and maybe then some). I've checked and I'm meeting all my macros. Basically haven't eaten anything but Tons of fruit, vegetables, and fish, and I always eat until I'm no longer full. Today for example I ate a mahi mahi filet, a baby avocado, some mozarella pearls, a hard boiled egg, and some radishes for lunch. And an hour and a half later I'm still pretty full. My question is this: am I going to go into starvation mode or risk gaining or plateauing because of my low calories?

    If you've hit all your macros, then you haven't hit your calorie goal. That just doesn't make sense.
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