Missing my calorie number (on the low side)
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rbkeeping
Posts: 11 Member
I'm set up for 30C, 120P and 67F, resulting in 1200 calories. I always stay under the carb limit and generally make my protein goal. On days when I fall short on fat, I consequently come in under 1200 calories. If you've ever done this, you know how MFP scolds you for not eating enough. So, question is, is there really any danger in eating less than <1200 calories a day (official minimum for a man)? I'm guessing the conventional wisdom is that one loses muscle, but is this risk enough to justify trying choke down a teaspoon of butter at the end of the day to get my calrie number up?
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I don’t believe there is a risk as long as you’re not actually hungry AND have ample bodyfat.
I think it’s natural to have reduced hunger once you are able to access stores fat for energy because that alone is taking care of your needs.
Getting enough protein is very smart. Especially on reduced calories for exactly the reason you mentioned.
I had that kind of reduced hunger for several months when I first started but as soon as I got a little bit closer to a healthy body fat my hunger increased and made eating at a deficit much more challenging.
I think our bodies are smarter than any calorie calculator. Listen to it and I think you’ll be just fine.3 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I don’t believe there is a risk as long as you’re not actually hungry AND have ample bodyfat.
I think it’s natural to have reduced hunger once you are able to access stores fat for energy because that alone is taking care of your needs.
Getting enough protein is very smart. Especially on reduced calories for exactly the reason you mentioned.
I had that kind of reduced hunger for several months when I first started but as soon as I got a little bit closer to a healthy body fat my hunger increased and made eating at a deficit much more challenging.
I think our bodies are smarter than any calorie calculator. Listen to it and I think you’ll be just fine.
Yup, that's happening to me, right now, and to my H as well. The (really good) trick is to carry on eating "the Right Stuff" when those hunger feelings return...1 -
As long as you are getting adequate protein, muscle loss will be minimal. I believe that some muscle loss is inevitable when losing weight, but the effects will be minimized by keeping the protein levels up. I regularly have days where I cannot close my diary because I haven't eaten enough - I also have days where I want to eat ALL the calories - basically, I just listen to my body and eat accordingly (within reason, of course).1
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I'm set up for 30C, 120P and 67F, resulting in 1200 calories. I always stay under the carb limit and generally make my protein goal. On days when I fall short on fat, I consequently come in under 1200 calories. If you've ever done this, you know how MFP scolds you for not eating enough. So, question is, is there really any danger in eating less than <1200 calories a day (official minimum for a man)? I'm guessing the conventional wisdom is that one loses muscle, but is this risk enough to justify trying choke down a teaspoon of butter at the end of the day to get my calrie number up?
1500 is the minimum for a male1 -
Hmmm, I've read that MFP's minimum for a male is 1500. Not 1200. I might be wrong about that. I know as a female, the lowest it ever auto dropped my calorie intake was to 1200.
My opinion is there is no "danger" in having a day here and there that is below the suggested amount of calories so long as you do not deny yourself of food on days you are hungrier. It should all balance out over the longer term. If all you're talking about really... is the 35 or so calories that are in a teaspoon of butter, nah...no big deal. I would guess there are more unintentional calorie intake errors in most people's food diary (including mine) that are more significant than a teaspoon of butter.
Keep in mind if you have MFP set up as designed and for weight loss, the number of calories it provides to eat daily is already a deficit based on averages and your input. Chronically being significantly less than the deficit provided is problematic IMO. There is significant research indicating severe restriction does not work long term. I'm in the camp of believing it's not how quickly one loses their weight that matters but rather what they learn along the way and how long they keep the weight off. I digress....
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Planning ahead can help you sneak in a little bit more fat/protein to make sure you get enough calories. It's easy to add a little more fats here and there to bump it up if you plan: cooking in a little bit more fats, adding a couple tbsp of cream to a dish or hot beverage, mayo, cheese, avocado, fatty sauces (like salad dressing) and, if you have the carbs, nuts. I prelog my day every day the night before. I know exactly what's going on the next day and that I have enough protein and carbs. No butter chomping required. Unless you are my 6 year-old, who asks for butter slices.
Even if you aren't hungry right now, this is a good strategy to keep in the wings for when your appetite returns.
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I would guess there are more unintentional calorie intake errors in most people's food diary (including mine)
This was my thought exactly.....we could be routinely off on our calorie counts by a bit just due to our own errors or errors in the food log items someone added that we used....1 -
I sympathize. I've been having a similar issue (averaging 800 kcals/daily for a month.)
At first, I thought it was fine temporarily but got concerned as the weeks passed.
I'm doing a bit better, but have found I can only hit protein and cals above 1000 if I skip all veggies.
If I have the fiber-filling veggies, I'm short on call and occasionally protein.
I'm trying for every other day, as my body is telling me it wants those veggies and I have plenty of fat stores. Still making protein a priority, but sometimes need to do a shake to get there.
Sorry that's not super helpful advice to correct it, but at least you know you're not alone?0 -
I found it hard to hit calories if I was eating Boneless Chicken Breast or Pork Loin as my protein. All I had to do was switch to Ground Beef and Ribeye and then there is no problem getting the calories in. For me anyway. I do love my red meat!! and Bacon!0
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I'm set up for 30C, 120P and 67F, resulting in 1200 calories. I always stay under the carb limit and generally make my protein goal. On days when I fall short on fat, I consequently come in under 1200 calories. If you've ever done this, you know how MFP scolds you for not eating enough. So, question is, is there really any danger in eating less than <1200 calories a day (official minimum for a man)? I'm guessing the conventional wisdom is that one loses muscle, but is this risk enough to justify trying choke down a teaspoon of butter at the end of the day to get my calrie number up?
I follow a keto way of eating, so that level of fat seems light to me. I'm used to seeing target fat grams higher than target protein grams. Are you subscribing to a particular way of eating, or just going for low carb overall? For me, as long as I'm eating fattier cuts of meat, the protein, the fat and calories tend to work out. Fat is what keeps me satiated.
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The 67 fat grams is the outcome of a 10c/40p/50f percent split. Fat grams are low now, but will certainly get higher as I approach goal.drnriordan wrote: »I'm set up for 30C, 120P and 67F, resulting in 1200 calories. I always stay under the carb limit and generally make my protein goal. On days when I fall short on fat, I consequently come in under 1200 calories. If you've ever done this, you know how MFP scolds you for not eating enough. So, question is, is there really any danger in eating less than <1200 calories a day (official minimum for a man)? I'm guessing the conventional wisdom is that one loses muscle, but is this risk enough to justify trying choke down a teaspoon of butter at the end of the day to get my calrie number up?
I follow a keto way of eating, so that level of fat seems light to me. I'm used to seeing target fat grams higher than target protein grams. Are you subscribing to a particular way of eating, or just going for low carb overall? For me, as long as I'm eating fattier cuts of meat, the protein, the fat and calories tend to work out. Fat is what keeps me satiated.0 -
On keto, it's advisable to have a higher protein intake to reduce the loss of lean mass (fat free mass/FFM). What makes the diet ketogenic is just the restriction or minimal intake of digestible carbs. Resistance training helps with ensuring that you're not just losing all over mass (fat and fat free mass)
http://caloriesproper.com/protein-ketosis-and-lean-mass/
And a more recent review on keto:
http://sci-fit.net/2017/ketogenic-diet-fat-muscle-performance/1
