How few calories can I eat? Please help
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Arielle092
Posts: 5 Member
I am 5'6 and currently weigh 177. I started counting calories about 9 weeks ago and I am down 10 pounds.
When I first began tracking calories, I noticed that I wasn't eating much but was eating around 1800 calories per day of terrible foods lacking nutrients and packed with carbs. I used to get SO tired, I felt like a slug, I was always full, and always bloated.
Now, I eat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with honey and/or fruit for breakfast. I'm working on getting better at cooking eggs more often.
For lunch, I usually have either a double serving of 'spring mix' salad, topped with tomatoes or blueberries and my favorite poppyseed dressing. Or, I will have a few pieces of deli-sliced chicken, 1-1.5 slices of cheese, and a few spicy pickle slices.
For dinner I usually bake chicken, or salmon, and eat 4-6 ounces. I make a vegetable, and sometimes add potatoes. Occasionally I will make ground beef tacos, or fettuccine alfredo.
My family eats take-away about once per week. Not including the take-away night, I am now struggling to meet my 1,200 calorie goal. Some days, I only make it up to 800 calories.
I feel like a million dollars since starting to consistently eat this way. However, I'm concerned that I may be making a mistake I don't understand. I don't feel hungry, I don't feel tired.
I have a very sedentary lifestyle. I've spent the majority of the last 5 years sitting down literally all day long. I've recently started doing 10-15 minutes of strength training per day to build muscle and get used to excercise, and I can feel myself getting stronger. 1-2x a week I ride my stationary bike for 15 minutes at a moderate pace.
Am I seriously under-eating? If so, why don't I feel hungry? Is it because the foods I'm eating are carefully calculated to maximize nutrients?
I have been told that it's as simple as CICO, and that nothing else really matters if you're putting too much in. Perhaps my body just doesn't need more than what it's getting? Or maybe, it's because I have so much extra weight (40 pounds) that my body is living off of that?
If I feel good, and I'm meeting my needs for protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, etc., is it OK for me to continue until/unless something changes?
If anyone can help me to better understand this, I would appreciate it. The general consensus seems to be that anything under 1200 calories is cause for serious concern, but I'm not sure that's true for everyone due to how good I feel.
When I first began tracking calories, I noticed that I wasn't eating much but was eating around 1800 calories per day of terrible foods lacking nutrients and packed with carbs. I used to get SO tired, I felt like a slug, I was always full, and always bloated.
Now, I eat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with honey and/or fruit for breakfast. I'm working on getting better at cooking eggs more often.
For lunch, I usually have either a double serving of 'spring mix' salad, topped with tomatoes or blueberries and my favorite poppyseed dressing. Or, I will have a few pieces of deli-sliced chicken, 1-1.5 slices of cheese, and a few spicy pickle slices.
For dinner I usually bake chicken, or salmon, and eat 4-6 ounces. I make a vegetable, and sometimes add potatoes. Occasionally I will make ground beef tacos, or fettuccine alfredo.
My family eats take-away about once per week. Not including the take-away night, I am now struggling to meet my 1,200 calorie goal. Some days, I only make it up to 800 calories.
I feel like a million dollars since starting to consistently eat this way. However, I'm concerned that I may be making a mistake I don't understand. I don't feel hungry, I don't feel tired.
I have a very sedentary lifestyle. I've spent the majority of the last 5 years sitting down literally all day long. I've recently started doing 10-15 minutes of strength training per day to build muscle and get used to excercise, and I can feel myself getting stronger. 1-2x a week I ride my stationary bike for 15 minutes at a moderate pace.
Am I seriously under-eating? If so, why don't I feel hungry? Is it because the foods I'm eating are carefully calculated to maximize nutrients?
I have been told that it's as simple as CICO, and that nothing else really matters if you're putting too much in. Perhaps my body just doesn't need more than what it's getting? Or maybe, it's because I have so much extra weight (40 pounds) that my body is living off of that?
If I feel good, and I'm meeting my needs for protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, etc., is it OK for me to continue until/unless something changes?
If anyone can help me to better understand this, I would appreciate it. The general consensus seems to be that anything under 1200 calories is cause for serious concern, but I'm not sure that's true for everyone due to how good I feel.
4
Replies
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Eating too little can have lasting health implications, you will lose muscle mass, you can lose hair, and if puts a strain on your heart. It can also be hard to see at first because many times people report feeling great for a while, before their body starts to exhibit the strain of eating too little for a prolonged period of time.
That being said it’s possible you are eating more calories then you realize. Are you weighing all your food? If you are, and the 800 calories is accurate, it would not take much to get you up to 1200 calories or even a little more. You will still lose weight but it will be at healthier pace.
Try adding a handful of nuts or avocado to your salad. Add a slice of toast to your breakfast, or add a protein shake into your afternoon. You could even add a sweet treat for dessert instead to the end of your day. A few small
Changes can add the needed calories and you will continue to lose.
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Do not rely on "feeling good" as a measure of whether you're undereating. Many of the symptoms of undereating (hair loss, gallstones, immune system damage, weakened bones, heart damage, decreased reproductive function) won't show up for months, and when they do, you can't simply turn things around quickly by eating more.
If you know you're eating between 800 and 1200 calories, you know you're not eating enough, regardless of how you feel.
Where are you getting your goals for fat and protein? MFP bases them on percentage of your daily calorie goal -- it doesn't have any backstop for the possibility that getting 20% of your calories from protein might not be enough protein for you when you're in a deep deficit, or that 30% ( I think 30% is MFP's fat default) of your calories from fat might not be enough fat for you when you're in a deep deficit. And they probably aren't. Your body needs protein and fat as building/repair materials and to facilitate certain body functions, but eating only 800 to 1200 calories a day, you're probably forcing your body to use too much of the protein and fat as energy, not leaving enough for the other functions.5 -
When you say “sedentary” do you mean “not much exercise, but I still walk around the grocery store and do regular household chores” or do you mean “I almost never walk, because walking itself is dangerous/a massive problem/impossible”?
Because “sedentary” assumes about 3000 steps a day. Whereas “disabled sedentary” can be much much lower.4 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »When you say “sedentary” do you mean “not much exercise, but I still walk around the grocery store and do regular household chores” or do you mean “I almost never walk, because walking itself is dangerous/a massive problem/impossible”?
Because “sedentary” assumes about 3000 steps a day. Whereas “disabled sedentary” can be much much lower.
I walk around normally and do household chores. Some days I take as little as 1000 steps. I live far away from everything, and I drive everywhere. If I go shopping or do other activities, it's more like 6000. I'm not disabled and I don't have any difficulty in moving about. My daily life just doesn't require any physical activity. I used to walk 10k+ steps a day for my job. Now all I do is sit.1 -
3 things I always undercounted in the beginning : salad dressing, cooking oils and not counting calories in vitamin supplements.
Take a peek just to check you aren’t undercounting. I found it hard to stick to only 2 tablespoons of dressing and unless I was steaming food.. olive oil and butter added up quickly. My supplements, fish oil etc are about 60 cals a day .. which doesn’t sound like a lot .. but put all 3 together and it’s another 250 -300 cals (ish) per day.
Sounds like you have been working hard to stay disciplined!6 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Do not rely on "feeling good" as a measure of whether you're undereating. Many of the symptoms of undereating (hair loss, gallstones, immune system damage, weakened bones, heart damage, decreased reproductive function) won't show up for months, and when they do, you can't simply turn things around quickly by eating more.
If you know you're eating between 800 and 1200 calories, you know you're not eating enough, regardless of how you feel.
Where are you getting your goals for fat and protein? MFP bases them on percentage of your daily calorie goal -- it doesn't have any backstop for the possibility that getting 20% of your calories from protein might not be enough protein for you when you're in a deep deficit, or that 30% ( I think 30% is MFP's fat default) of your calories from fat might not be enough fat for you when you're in a deep deficit. And they probably aren't. Your body needs protein and fat as building/repair materials and to facilitate certain body functions, but eating only 800 to 1200 calories a day, you're probably forcing your body to use too much of the protein and fat as energy, not leaving enough for the other functions.
Thank you for your comment. My MFP macros are 35% fat and 35% protein, IIRC. I aim to consume more protein than anything. I did not know that the negative effects of undereating could take so long to show themselves, or to reverse. I never struggle to meet my fat goal (I aim for 45-60g) but I do sometimes have difficulty getting as much protein as I want. I aim for 100g, based on .75/pound of my goal weight.0 -
Arielle092 wrote: »MargaretYakoda wrote: »When you say “sedentary” do you mean “not much exercise, but I still walk around the grocery store and do regular household chores” or do you mean “I almost never walk, because walking itself is dangerous/a massive problem/impossible”?
Because “sedentary” assumes about 3000 steps a day. Whereas “disabled sedentary” can be much much lower.
I walk around normally and do household chores. Some days I take as little as 1000 steps. I live far away from everything, and I drive everywhere. If I go shopping or do other activities, it's more like 6000. I'm not disabled and I don't have any difficulty in moving about. My daily life just doesn't require any physical activity. I used to walk 10k+ steps a day for my job. Now all I do is sit.
OK. 1000 steps is pretty low.
If there is nothing preventing you from increasing that to minimum 3000 steps daily by taking a short walk, or adding a little more time to your stationary bike, then that’s the first thing I would change.
Being that sedentary brings problems beyond weight gain, or difficulty with weight loss.
I like to binge watch Greys Anatomy when on my recumbent elliptical. Sometimes I do longer, but one episode = a decent level of movement. You can go easy and not a million miles a minute if that helps you boost your steps. Especially at first.2 -
Safari_Gal_ wrote: »3 things I always undercounted in the beginning : salad dressing, cooking oils and not counting calories in vitamin supplements.
Take a peek just to check you aren’t undercounting. I found it hard to stick to only 2 tablespoons of dressing and unless I was steaming food.. olive oil and butter added up quickly. My supplements, fish oil etc are about 60 cals a day .. which doesn’t sound like a lot .. but put all 3 together and it’s another 250 -300 cals (ish) per day.
Sounds like you have been working hard to stay disciplined!
Thank you for your advice and encouragement! I definitely use more than 2 tbsp of dressing. I use 4, and I do steam my veggies but I also add butter. I also like to use olive or avocado oil when cooking, but I measure everything carefully. I am working hard to keep track and stick to my goals. I will look into what supplements I can add to boost my calorie intake, as I'm sure that would help.2 -
I'd suggest using a TDEE calculator similar to this one, but there are tons:
https://tdeecalculator.net/
That will just be a good way to check what your daily intake calorie goal should be- I'd use 'sedentary' as your lifestyle.
As other's have said, be sure you are tracking calories you're eating properly and as accurately as possible. If you're using dressing or butter, etc, don't estimate that you put 'about 2tbls' on...actually get a tablespoon out and measure it.
But yeah, at your weight/height I can't imagine that 1200 calories would be nearly enough. My TDEE (5'3"/116lbs is 1600 so...) and I am also sedentary. I log any intentional activity that I do and eat those calories back (I'm in maintenance right now).1 -
I am 5'6" and weigh a little bit less than you (about 168 at present). I've been working down from the low 200s. My TDEE is rather high because I am very active and a breastfeeding mom, but my BMR is estimated just under 1500, so still well over the 1200 you're eating. I think the recommendation to try a TDEE calculator, just to get a rough estimate, might be a good one. I do have experience with increased fatigue from undereating, and it took a while for it to hit, but when it did it was a doozy. I'd rather lose weight more slowly and have high energy levels.
How is your weight loss in MFP configured right now? 1.5 lbs or 2lbs/week might be a little too aggressive. My diet has also settled into being fairly high in fat, and after some adjustments I'm doing well on the protein front too. But once I hit my minimum targets I just let the rest of the calories come from whatever I want. Ironically, I eat more "treat" type foods now than I did before I started tracking carefully. I just weigh them and the scale trends down about how I'd expect.
I do eat things like nuts, nut butters, avocado, and full-fat dairy products (though I eat lowfat cottage cheese to hit that protein goal, and I like the brand so it doesn't feel like a deprivation to choose the lowfat option there.)2 -
Arielle092 wrote: »Safari_Gal_ wrote: »3 things I always undercounted in the beginning : salad dressing, cooking oils and not counting calories in vitamin supplements.
Take a peek just to check you aren’t undercounting. I found it hard to stick to only 2 tablespoons of dressing and unless I was steaming food.. olive oil and butter added up quickly. My supplements, fish oil etc are about 60 cals a day .. which doesn’t sound like a lot .. but put all 3 together and it’s another 250 -300 cals (ish) per day.
Sounds like you have been working hard to stay disciplined!
Thank you for your advice and encouragement! I definitely use more than 2 tbsp of dressing. I use 4, and I do steam my veggies but I also add butter. I also like to use olive or avocado oil when cooking, but I measure everything carefully. I am working hard to keep track and stick to my goals. I will look into what supplements I can add to boost my calorie intake, as I'm sure that would help.
One of the better habits I switched out years ago was going from dressing on my salad to dressing on the side.
It takes a while to get used to, but I can’t eat salad any other way now.2 -
My take on this would be What are your real life results??
According to your OP, just over 1 lb per week ( 10 in 9 weeks)
This seems a reasonable pace for a starting weight of 177.
So, regardless of the numbers on paper, what you are doing is working well.
In all probability you are eating more than you think..does this matter?
I would say No, since your real life results are on track.
I see 2 options, both reasonable
1. Tighten your logging to find out how much you are really eating and continue eating that amount, since it correlates to on target real life results
2. Accept your logging is loose and you are really eating more than you think, continue eating that amount, since it correlates to on target real life results
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