Net Calories? Starvation Mode? Just a quick question for y

chelsealiz8
chelsealiz8 Posts: 17
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
OK I'm a bit confused by the net calories. Let me give you my typical day and you tell me if this sounds right to you...

I usually eat about 1350 calories a day (my goal is 1200 net) and then I usually burn, let's say 300 a day with my work out which would put me at a net of 1050.

is this OK? It feels healthy, I feel full and fine, I am seeing results, but I don't want to risk not nourishing my body enough OR eating too many cals.

On the days I don't work out I try to keep it RIGHT at 1200 or within 50 cals of 1200.

If someone could explain the specifics of the NET cals I'd appreciate it!! :)

Replies

  • ♚SuperHeather♚
    ♚SuperHeather♚ Posts: 118
    Working out or not. You should always eat 1200 Calories. Once you go below you go into starvation mode.
  • Lizzgeorge77
    Lizzgeorge77 Posts: 52 Member
    Any time you consume even one calorie less than 1200 a day, MFP will tell you to be careful that you are at risk of going into "starvation mode." Your net calorie intake doesn't matter at all for that purpose. I generally ignore that warning since I only occassionally dip below 1200 calories consumed - and when I do it's usually because I ate 3000 calories the day before so I am fairly certain I have no risk of starving myself.

    It's OK to have a very low net calorie figure - MPF will never warn you about that. If you consume 1500 calories and burn 1000 calories at the gym, your net calorie intake will be only 500. No problem. But if you only consume 1199 calories, MFP will warn you to eat more regardless of whether you worked out or not - because the starvation risk is based on calories consumed - not net calories.
  • Nikkiairforcewife
    Nikkiairforcewife Posts: 164 Member
    I recommend Fat2Fitradio.com You can listen to their free Podcasts as well. Best advice anyone ever gave me was to listen to them and to record what I eat. So that's what I'm doing, and it's working.

    I think you're eating too little. You'll probably get that from Fat2Fit radio as well. You can also go to their site directly and email them questions.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
    Some people would say that is not ok, but I think it is ok. As long as you are able to exercise, and don't feel hungry, and (sorry to be gross, having normal bathroom activity) then you are not in starvation mode. If you are under-eating calories though, make sure your calories are good ones like fruits, vegestable, whole grains, lean protein. If low calories, none should be junk. If you stop losing weight though, then adjust calories up. I do just about the same thing, I eat anywhere from 1200-2000 calories a day, but I exercise 500-1000 calories a day. I am happy with a daily net of 1,000, but I don't care so much about any individual day, I look at each week in total. I feel great, I can spend 2-3 hours a day exercising without actual fatigue, and I have been steadily losing weight at a healthy pace. Add me as a friend if you want to see my diary :)
  • 1FineFaye84
    1FineFaye84 Posts: 46 Member
    Really? Then why does it say that you have a goal of 1200--makes it seem bad when you go over. Congradualates you when you are under the goal.. I'm guessing this is just to get you to work out? But then aren't you supposed to consume back some of those calories?
  • AlisonMacKay
    AlisonMacKay Posts: 112
    I believe that "starvation mode" isn't something that happens over night. If you do it one day or even a couple days your body isn't in starvation mode. I would try not to do everyday but if you need some extra cals try eating some almonds or something with high cals but good fat.
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
    Ideally: You want to eat a net of 1200 calories every day. That means eating 1500 calories when you burn 300, or even eating 2000 calories if you burn 800 working out.

    Reality:
    Not every day is going to be 'perfect'.
    And not every food you log will be an accurate calorie count. Often people under-estimate how much food they're eating and over-estimate how many cals they burned through exercise (largely due to the over-estimation of machines and this website).

    So basically you shouldn't fret it if you're a little under or a little over.

    Also: It takes around 21 days of constant undereating for the metabolism to slow and the body to go into 'starvation mode'.
    As long as you fit some days of higher calorie consumption in there (which usually happens by accident anyway) you won't starve.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    Oh, the things I would do with 150 extra exercise calories!!! A beer comes first to mind.
  • carolinewhitworth
    carolinewhitworth Posts: 14 Member
    i don't get this either, my job in in a bar and sometimes work 8 hours straight. today was 6 hours of constant walking and i did aquacise for 45 mins too so a total calorie burn of over 1500 calories so my net intake today was only 225 calories? there is not enough hours in the day to then eat up to my 1000-1200 calorie per day target!

    so now what?!
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
    I recommend Fat2Fitradio.com You can listen to their free Podcasts as well. Best advice anyone ever gave me was to listen to them and to record what I eat. So that's what I'm doing, and it's working.

    I think you're eating too little. You'll probably get that from Fat2Fit radio as well. You can also go to their site directly and email them questions.


    I looooove fat2fit radio!
  • abow29
    abow29 Posts: 14
    I would totally load up on protein as much as you can. Now I know that it will be hard if not impossible to eat 800-1000 cals worth of protein, but it will def help in avoiding the "starvation mode."
  • carolinewhitworth
    carolinewhitworth Posts: 14 Member
    cool thanks for the tip....atkins diet here i come lol!
  • Theselast50lbs
    Theselast50lbs Posts: 37
    this post was very helpful to me :smile: Thanks for sharing!
  • kiesh82
    kiesh82 Posts: 131 Member
    I don't worry about net at this point. I just make sure I consume @ least 1200 cals.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    First, Fat2Fit is a great resource. Second, below is a good thread on why you should eat 1200 calories and yes, that means net calories. Will you go into starvation mode, NO but will your body be malnurished and deprived, hell yea. Does anyone really think you can get all the vitamins, proteins, fats and carbs that your body needs on 1200 calories or less?

    The bigger question I ask, why would you want to only eat 1200 calories if you can eat 1600 - 2000 with the same results and probably, better results? For all those who believe, eating less calories and exercising more is the best way to lose weight, you are only fooling yourself. If you don't believe me, below is one girls success story (nerd fitness link). Also, I have added a link to a thread I started that coorelates body fat to amount of calories.

    Lastly, for all those who say it's very hard to eat 1200 calories or more, you just need to rework your diet and preplan. More than likely you are telling yourself you are not hungry when you truely am. Or you are trying to eat a lot of low calories substitutes rather than the real deal. Heck, I eat 1200 calories before lunch. If you are one of those people who has eaten like a squirrel for years, it may take some training to get your true caloric needs.



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/311640-confused-about-the-magic-1200


    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/282320-caloric-intake-body-fat
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    i don't get this either, my job in in a bar and sometimes work 8 hours straight. today was 6 hours of constant walking and i did aquacise for 45 mins too so a total calorie burn of over 1500 calories so my net intake today was only 225 calories? there is not enough hours in the day to then eat up to my 1000-1200 calorie per day target!

    so now what?!


    There is a very simple plan for this, pre planning. First, do your have your profile set up to be lightly active instead of sedentary since you are on your feet? Also, do you have an exercise routine? If so, you can use the average amount of calories burned to eat those back throughout the day? So if your goal is 1200 calories and your average 400 calories burned, you should be eating 1600 calories in a day.

    If you still have trouble eating that, you eat higher calorie foods or cook your food in olive oil.
  • mscoco10
    mscoco10 Posts: 527 Member
    I'm still a little confused b/c i'm supposed to get 1270 cals a day. On days i do hard cardio i earn 436 extra cals. No way i'm eating 1270 plus and 436. I just try not to go lower than 100/200 under 1270. There are days that i go over but not more than once a week. I think if your overweight or obese there's no way a few days under 1200 cals will put you into starvation mode.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I'm still a little confused b/c i'm supposed to get 1270 cals a day. On days i do hard cardio i earn 436 extra cals. No way i'm eating 1270 plus and 436. I just try not to go lower than 100/200 under 1270. There are days that i go over but not more than once a week. I think if your overweight or obese there's no way a few days under 1200 cals will put you into starvation mode.

    It won't put you into starvation mode, but there is a chance, your body will try to hold onto the food it has. Also keep in mind, the average person requires more than 1200 calories (and that is with a deficit). Keep in mind that MFP is a dumb system where it only looks at the factors you put in. So do yourself a favor and preplan. If you know you burn 400 calories in a workout, try to eat an extra few hundred calories throughout the day. I can guarentee you, that at some point, if you continue to under-eat you will plateau. I have seen it a ton of times.
  • evesacks
    evesacks Posts: 94 Member
    I'd say be guided by your appetite. It seems unlikely that you'd go into "starvation mode" just because net calories are less than 1200. However I agree with the comments to eat more protein. As you get closer to your target weight it becomes more important to have 1200 net calories.
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