Mfp recommends too many calories
elliemae1981
Posts: 33 Member
Not sure what to do. Mfp has be set at 1,560 calories a day. If I eat under 1,000 it says I,m eating to little and refuses to register. So I have been forcing myself to eat to 1,000 or hust over to get mfp to friggin register even though I'm not hungry for anymore food. I feel this is also why I'm losing weight. Just stuck for almost 2 weeks at the same weight and I'm majorly frustreated. Should I just ignore mfp recommendations and just finish my diary with the below 1,000 calories even though they won't register my progress?
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elliemae1981 wrote: »Not sure what to do. Mfp has be set at 1,560 calories a day. If I eat under 1,000 it says I,m eating to little and refuses to register. So I have been forcing myself to eat to 1,000 or hust over to get mfp to friggin register even though I'm not hungry for anymore food. I feel this is also why I'm losing weight. Just stuck for almost 2 weeks at the same weight and I'm majorly frustreated. Should I just ignore mfp recommendations and just finish my diary with the below 1,000 calories even though they won't register my progress?
I'd recommend that you should eat a more reasonable calorie goal. 1000 calories isn't enough for most people and I have yet to see really anyone achieve the body they wanted with such a calorie goal.
What are your stats and what is your workout plan if any?11 -
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I work 9 to 5 take care of my disabled mother and I'm raising my brother's 3 children. I work as a home health aide so I'm always lifing and on the move. I'm just not hungry enough to eat at least 1,000 calories everyday. I'm too tired and too stressed to eat that much. My highest weight was 290 and I'm now stuck at 202 and I'm frustrated. My calorie goal is 1,560 but that is just way to much especially since right now I have to force myself to eat to 1,000 just to shut up mfp even when I'm not hungry.3
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elliemae1981 wrote: »I work 9 to 5 take care of my disabled mother and I'm raising my brother's 3 children. I work as a home health aide so I'm always lifing and on the move. I'm just not hungry enough to eat at least 1,000 calories everyday. I'm too tired and too stressed to eat that much. My highest weight was 290 and I'm now stuck at 202 and I'm frustrated. My calorie goal is 1,560 but that is just way to much especially since right now I have to force myself to eat to 1,000 just to shut up mfp even when I'm not hungry.
So you are a fairly active person and aggressively cutting calories. I am not surprised your body is exhausted and tired. You aren't fueling it with adequate nutrition. If you are struggling to get calories, I'd recommend reading the below thread.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
When you have prolong periods of calories suppression, your body will downregulate functions to burn less calories, which gives you less room for error. So if you have binges or miscalculations, you will unlikely lose weight. If it's been a long time, I'd recommend a diet break for your sanity and then come back with a smaller deficit. You'd be amazed at what it can do for your mental and physical health.18 -
If you entered your height/weight/activity level (before exercise) and goals correctly, I'd go with 1560 per day as the app recommends. Most people need at least 1000 just for the body to function, and usually 1200 is the bare minimum assuming you move throughout the day.
If you're really eating that little and haven't lost any weight, I'd recommend a food scale, and weighing your food to make sure you're actually consuming what you think you are. 50 calories off here and there throughout the day and it's very easy to go from a calorie deficit to a surplus without realizing it. Especially when we're talking such low calorie levels.5 -
Also, if you think you are eating 1000 calories but "not hungry" for more, I'd ask how / if you are carefully measuring your portions.
Very very often I see people who believe they are hitting a very low calorie target, but are logging food based on guesstimating how big a portion they ate of any one thing. That glass of milk is "probably" 8 oz, that was "probably" 1/4 cup of oats, that piece of chicken was "probably" 3 oz. I'm sure I put less than 2 tbsp of dressing on my salad or sour cream on my burrito. LOL No. You'd be surprised how often people who think they're doing everything right turn out to be eating twice as much as they think.
If you are not already doing so, measure your portions, especially when just starting out. It's amazing how our eyes and our judgement deceive us.
FWIW lots of people here will demand that you measure your portions with a scale. I use a scale (I like the accuracy, but in the end I've found it's easier than measuring volumes) but I personally don't think a scale is absolutely necessary. If you don't have a scale, use measuring cups / spoons to start. Huge improvement over eyeballing.
Also, just my two cents, but speaking from experience of being overweight and/or obese for a lot of my life, I don't think that "being hungry" is actually a great indicator of whether I need to eat or not. I get both false positives (think I'm hungry, but I know I'm well fed) and false negatives (don't think I'm hungry, have a scary body crash a couple of hours later that could have been prevented with a half a cheese sandwich). Our bodies are not necessarily as smart as people think.18 -
Are you extremely petite or bedridden? I'm not sure why you feel you need to eat less than 1,000 calories.
I get that we all want weight loss.....yesterday. But aggressive weight loss will have a big price tag for many people. Some of the issues.....lean muscle loss (your heart is a muscle) hair loss, brittle nails, etc.
1200 (before exercise) is a minimum to help you get all the nutrients you need. My Fitness Pal wants you safe & healthy.
Hunger is not a good indicator of adequate nutrition. Increase calorie dense foods (nuts, nut butter, avocado) small servings....lots of nutrition.6 -
you need to fuel yourself more. your way too active to thrive on 1000 calories a day. No wonder your not losing weight. There are plenty of things you can add to your diet that will help you reach your daily goal and still be healthy for you.2
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I'm thinking I'm also just to stressed, tired and exhausted. Taking care of everyone and everything. Just reaching my goal weight is important but is just an impossible feat2
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elliemae1981 wrote: »I'm thinking I'm also just to stressed, tired and exhausted. Taking care of everyone and everything. Just reaching my goal weight is important but is just an impossible feat
You can drink calories; look at fairlife chocolate milk. But low calorie diets increase tiredness and exhaustion. I am sorry that you are stressed, but what you are doing is making it worse, not better.17 -
elliemae1981 wrote: »I'm thinking I'm also just to stressed, tired and exhausted. Taking care of everyone and everything. Just reaching my goal weight is important but is just an impossible feat
It is not impossible- but I think with the way you are approaching it is. You really need to eat more, take a look at the link @PsuLemon put into the thread, and do a lot of reading. You may find you are not be accurate with logging, or that you need to find new ways to add calories. I have lost over 40lbs using MFP recommended calories, and even if it seems like less calories = faster weight loss, it is potentially dangerous, not sustainable, and may lead to weight regain. It seems like you are very stressed right now- maybe a diet break like was suggested may help, mentally and physically.2 -
The way you're talking about this is weirdly externally focused. MFP is a calculator; it's not telling you to do anything or forcing you to do anything. It takes the data you input and spits out a number. It's also programmed to give you error messages if you're under a certain number. That's all that MFP can do. Everything else is up to you -- the numbers you input in the beginning, how you measure your intake every day, and what you do with the error messages a computer program shows you.
I also find it odd that your solution to "maybe 1560 is too many calories" is "fine, I'll eat under 1000 calories." There's a lot of room between those two numbers. The fact that you're giving an external calculator a lot of control over what you do, plus the fact that you're drastically undereating, points to what could be an unhealthy relationship with food and weight. If you were me, I'd think about working on my approach to caring for myself rather than just focusing on the number on the scale, because it doesn't sound like you are taking the time to care for your own needs as much as you should. (I think this is absolutely understandable, given what you've shared about your current situation. I just think you're also very important too and deserve some care). I think that might serve you well in the long term.16 -
How quickly did you lose that 90lbs? 2 weeks is not a stall. You need to eat more full stop. It's not the apps fault you are undereating.6
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Yep crash dieting is stressful and will leave you tired and exhausted.elliemae1981 wrote: »I'm thinking I'm also just to stressed, tired and exhausted.
So maybe don't crash diet?
Take a break at maintenance, be kind to yourself and then refocus.
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elliemae1981 wrote: »Not sure what to do. Mfp has be set at 1,560 calories a day. If I eat under 1,000 it says I,m eating to little and refuses to register. So I have been forcing myself to eat to 1,000 or hust over to get mfp to friggin register even though I'm not hungry for anymore food. I feel this is also why I'm losing weight. Just stuck for almost 2 weeks at the same weight and I'm majorly frustreated. Should I just ignore mfp recommendations and just finish my diary with the below 1,000 calories even though they won't register my progress?
I hear you! My health took a dramatic turn for the worse, stress at work and then medical leave left me not interested in eating. I did pity eat with junk food when I had to eat something.
Now that I am following MFP there are many days that I stuggle to hit my target of 1460, I am ofter 200-300 calories shy (this is not counting my exercise which I do not add back in). What I found was that I had been eating poorly, and not nearly enough for so long that my body had just kinda gotten used to it.
The trick that worked for me was finding a quick snack that I ate even when I wasn't hungry. Things like almonds, cheese, and premade protien balls. I am still struggling with hunger signals (I often don't have them) but I believe I am eating a healthy amount now, and am feeling better. It might be something to try.3 -
Dear, I highly recommend that you eat at least the 1,560 calories recommended by MFP.
1000 calories is too little for an active girl your size. Regardless of what society, media, and the doctors want you to believe, 202 lbs is probably a very healthy weight for you, and you don't need to lose anymore.
Buy yourself some pretty new clothes, and learn to love and accept yourself just the way you are. Everyone else will too.11 -
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MFP doesn't recommend too much, you're eating too little. If you can't eat more in volume, use more calorie dense foods. It's very likely that your run down and tired feeling is due at least in part to eating so little. Take care of your body so it can take care of you.8
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Alatariel75 wrote: »MFP doesn't recommend too much, you're eating too little. If you can't eat more in volume, use more calorie dense foods. It's very likely that your run down and tired feeling is due at least in part to eating so little. Take care of your body so it can take care of you.
This.0 -
^ This part is actually right.7freshflowers wrote: »Dear, I highly recommend that you eat at least the 1,560 calories recommended by MFP.
1000 calories is too little for an active girl your size.
^ This part is so completely wrong in so many ways.7freshflowers wrote: »Regardless of what society, media, and the doctors want you to believe, 202 lbs is probably a very healthy weight for you, and you don't need to lose anymore.
Buy yourself some pretty new clothes, and learn to love and accept yourself just the way you are. Everyone else will too.14 -
Add some higher calorie foods or use some olive oil or butter to cook with. It isn't healthy to go below 1,000 calories. It would suck if your hair started falling out or worse.0
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Eat healthy foods that are higher in calories. Think stuff like avocado and nuts and potatoes etc. Healthy but high in calories that way you won't FEEL stuffed but you will reach your calories. Just google search health, high calorie foods....2
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Wiggymommy wrote: »Eat healthy foods that are higher in calories. Think stuff like avocado and nuts and potatoes etc. Healthy but high in calories that way you won't FEEL stuffed but you will reach your calories. Just google search health, high calorie foods....
Yep, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, dried fruit, granola, full fat Greek yogurt, real butter, olive oil, Nutella
It's actually pretty easy to get in more calories, you just need to chose calorie dense options.
Op, if you're truly eating that few of calories every day, it's just adding to the run down feeling and it's also going to start doing real damage to your health. You can't take care of others, if you don't take care of yourself first.0 -
Or Snickers. Always room for Snickers*
*Not serious. Okay, maybe a bit serious because everyone can handle a bar of chocolate even if not hungry amiright?4 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »Wiggymommy wrote: »Eat healthy foods that are higher in calories. Think stuff like avocado and nuts and potatoes etc. Healthy but high in calories that way you won't FEEL stuffed but you will reach your calories. Just google search health, high calorie foods....
Yep, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, dried fruit, granola, full fat Greek yogurt, real butter, olive oil, Nutella It's actually pretty easy to get in more calories, you just need to chose calorie dense options.
Op, if you're truly eating that few of calories every day, it's just adding to the run down feeling and it's also going to start doing real damage to your health. You can't take care of others, if you don't take care of yourself first.
So much the bolded. Eating too few calories and not taking care of yourself, particularly in times of stress, can really exacerbate issues. You are tired and worn out, understandably, and your body is telling you that you need more fuel. Find a way to eat the minimum 1200 cals if you can't get all the way to 1560 at first, but even that is too low for someone of your size and activity level. Work on ways to be more accurate with your logging, incorporate some calorie dense foods that you enjoy (full fat dairy, cook with oil, avocado, nuts and cheese, even ice cream!) and be patient. What you'll likely fine is the weight will come off slowly but you will have more energy, more motivation to keep going, you will sleep better.... it will be better for you and for those you take care of.
Oh and I have such respect for full time caregivers. Good luck!
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I'm thinking I'm also just to stressed, tired and exhausted. Taking care of everyone and everything. EXCEPT YOUR SELF!
low calorie diets increase tiredness and exhaustion. I am sorry that you are stressed, but what you are doing is making it worse, not better.
it doesn't sound like you are taking the time to care for your own needs as much as you should. (I think this is absolutely understandable, given what you've shared about your current situation. I just think you're also very important too and deserve some care). I think that might serve you well in the long term.
Yep crash dieting is stressful and will leave you tired and exhausted.
So maybe don't crash diet?
Take a break at maintenance, be kind to yourself and then refocus.
Some thoughts just needed to be repeated.
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You're getting good tips about not over-restricting.
Based on your repeated mentions of stress, though, I think you may need other types of help as well. Can someone help you with your responsibilities so you can have a break from caregiving at least once or twice a week? Can you see a psychologist or therapist to help you deal with the stress?0 -
I wish I had that. It's a trait with the women in my mothers side of the family, we care for our own and sacrifice ourselves in the process. My brother has custody of all 3 kids and him and the kids and my mother live with me. He works 12 and 16 hour shifts so were both just feel like dropping most days. The main stressor is the kids so called mom who almost killed the youngest child last Wednesday during a visit. She is a drug addict and even though she was supposed to be monitored she managed to get heroin into her aunts home and my 16 month old nephew got it and swallowed the entire contents of the bag. He had to be revived with narcan and had a iv drip of narcan for 12 hours. We have been dealing with her stupidity for a very long time and its what is causing the most stress in our family. I'm hoping that the court doesn't keep dragging this on and sends her to prison before the holidays because it's just too much stress on the kids and the rest of our family. It has left the kids in fear of her, caused my mother to have a stroke, my brother to lose great jobs because he has had to take time off because the kids were put in danger all because child services refused to revoke her rights. Its just a big mess. Good news is that the man who took the case this time is a homicide prosecutor and the reason he took this is because my nephew almost died and he saw that she was getting away with everything she has done without any punishment so the prosecutor is going for a very long prison term. So there is hope that my niece and nephews can stop living in fear that their mom is going to hurt them. I know this sounds like a soap opera drama but this is how our lives have been.2
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