What if I'm short on my caloric intake?

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ryanperna
ryanperna Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For the past few days I've been burning about 800 calories in exercise. I end some days with 500-700 calories to spare. Is this bad? Will it affect my metabolism? Or should I keep this up and lose weight extra fast?

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  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    Just be careful to never net below 1200 (more, because you're a man). That's what your body needs just to survive (doing things like pumping blood, allowing you to breathe). It's dangerous to net below this amount for an extended period of time. Not only will you stop losing weight as your body tries to hold onto everything you give it, but you will most likely become sick.
  • kenzietea
    kenzietea Posts: 614 Member
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    I would eat a bit more. You should really try to come close to eating your calorie target, it gives best long term results, and who wants to be skinny and fit in the short term?
  • katcena
    katcena Posts: 326 Member
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    Losing weight extra fast is never a good thing. You need to eat back your exercise calories to fuel your muscles. There are quite a few great threads on here that you can look up and read info on this exact topic. Do some research....don't just take our answers as gospel. Take some time and look up dieting and caloric and nutritional needs. You will be much more successful in the long run. I bet someone will be ablong shortly with some links for you...these topics usually bring a few knowledgeable people out.
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Just be careful to never net below 1200 (more, because you're a man). That's what your body needs just to survive (doing things like pumping blood, allowing you to breathe). It's dangerous to net below this amount for an extended period of time. Not only will you stop losing weight as your body tries to hold onto everything you give it, but you will most likely become sick.

    I've always been told 1,200 BEFORE exercise. If your net is less than 1,200, that's fine as long as it's not WAY under every day. I consistently net below 1,200, consistently lose weight, but never consume less than 1,200.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,243 Member
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    You should shoot for at least 1500 calories as a man. Anything under that is just asking to lose muscle and plateau. Since we can't see your diary we can't really suggest what to eat, but realize there is nothing wrong with eating later in the day unless you are prone to acid reflux.

    Edit:

    Oh, as for metabolism it takes more than a few days to have any effect on it. It is only prolonged large calorie deficits that cause problems with metabolism as your body seeks to adapt to having such a large deficit for so long.

    Edit2:

    BTW great burn. What have you been doing to get that?
  • ryanperna
    ryanperna Posts: 24 Member
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    My goal is 1800, so I walk my dogs for 1/2 hr then I do interval training (with either weights or jogging). I've been hitting it hard for a week now and I can tell my metabolism is rising quickly. I'm getting hungry much more often than before. But I think I'm taking in around 2100 cals / day. But burning like 3200... So perhaps I'm ok?
  • pazzescauna1
    pazzescauna1 Posts: 43 Member
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    I'd suggest eating the amount of calories MFP recommends after your workout. Try to get to 0 as possible throughout the day. The faster you lose it, the easier you put it on. You shouldn't lose too much weight too quickly. Best of luck, Ryan!!

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