under my calorie goal!

gem_cat
gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
edited October 5 in Food and Nutrition
i don't eat a lot, i've been used to eating small portions of food and eat only when its meal time or im hungry. I EAT. but the problem is that, for the past week, my calorie intake is only at 900 - 1,100. today i even went down to 815 so i searched the fridge and had a fruit to add it up. MFP says i should eat at least 1,200 calories. i don't even get hungry, and when i do i eat but still its below 1.200. should i be worried? i dont want to go into starvation mode or something... :frown:

btw, when i exercise, i still eat the same amount of calories so i freak out when i see the calorie deficit. help!

Replies

  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    You shouldn't be comfortable so low!

    I personally was eating about 1400 calories comfortably and wasn't losing weight at all. 85 days of not losing weight because I was BELOW my calorie goal. I upped my calories to meet my goal and it started melting off ;) You should try to eat within 50-100 calories of your goal Hon :) Exercise makes me starve, I have to eat a ton of days I exercise! Your situation might be a sign that you are under-eating.
  • chrissi_k
    chrissi_k Posts: 175 Member
    I don't know how tall you are or how many calories you should eat a day. I have been told that I should eat 1400 to lose weight in a healthy way and mfp told me 1200 cal. But mfp can't know all the background I told the doctors :)

    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't believe in eating back when I just worked out so hard to burn more calories. But to each his/her own :)

    800 cal sound too low for me, do you log in what you drink too? If that happens only once in a while, I say it is ok, but eating less than 1000 cal, would be way too less for me. I did that before...I only drank for weeks, result, I damaged my body and gained the weight back as soon as I ate. You could add some snacks like nuts for in between meals to just add some calories.
  • britmavis26
    britmavis26 Posts: 10
    @chrissiekemfor yes, you log everything that goes in your mouth. you can set your calorie intake to 1400 I have it set to 1500 calories because that is what I am being told to eat.
  • gem_cat
    gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
    I don't know how tall you are or how many calories you should eat a day. I have been told that I should eat 1400 to lose weight in a healthy way and mfp told me 1200 cal. But mfp can't know all the background I told the doctors :)

    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't believe in eating back when I just worked out so hard to burn more calories. But to each his/her own :)

    800 cal sound too low for me, do you log in what you drink too? If that happens only once in a while, I say it is ok, but eating less than 1000 cal, would be way too less for me. I did that before...I only drank for weeks, result, I damaged my body and gained the weight back as soon as I ate. You could add some snacks like nuts for in between meals to just add some calories.


    i'm 5'7. and yes i put in everything, (even the mints or half a teaspoon of oil when cooking) so i get shocked at why i don't get to my calorie goal when i feel full. i don't drink any other beverage except for water, 6-10 glasses a day.
  • abbie017
    abbie017 Posts: 410
    1200 is a WHO standard for the absolute minimum a woman should eat in a day. If you go lower than that, you are putting yourself at risk for malnutrition, and you could also create a plateau for yourself since your body may hold on to the fat because it doesn't know when it will be fed again.

    Bottom line, EAT MORE.
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
    I can't see your diary to really advise you where you can add in extra calories, but unless you're incredibly short, there is no way you are eating enough. Especially when you are exercising, you need to make sure you're eating enough to fuel your body in those extra activities.

    What are you eating that is keeping you so full on so few calories? It's easy to fit in more just by letting yourself have 100 more calories each meal. So for example, have some natural nut butter with your breakfast. Use olive oil to fry and saute things on the stove. Increase your portion sizes a bit.

    Again, without seeing your diary it's hard to tell you where you can improve. Open your diary up and describe what you do for exercise & how often/for how long each week and you'll get much better responses.
  • aoede
    aoede Posts: 30 Member
    I am in a similar situation, actually. Some days I have a late breakfast and then snacks and dinner, and I have been around 800-900 for a few days in a row. Even when I eat 3 full meals I quite often come in under 1200 calories. I am still losing weight, at about 500 grams per week. I don't really buy the starvation mode thing - it shouldn't be called starvation mode at all as far as I am concerned (starving is when you have 0 body fat and your body metabolises the proteins in your organs for required energy) and I think as long as you are happy with your progress, and eating enough vitamins and minerals, you shouldn't worry. If you aren't losing, you could up your calorie intake to see if you lose more weight (which sees to work for some people), but there is no sense in eating extra food than you are comfortable with, just because MFP says you are starving, when you aren't. I also never ate back my full amount of exercise calories, by the way.
  • Alachofra15
    Alachofra15 Posts: 117 Member
    Yeah it sounds really low and you won't be helping yourself in any way with it this low. If you struggle with your appetite, you could try things that are relatively high in calories, but small in portion and healthy. Brazil nuts are great like this and help with weight loss because they are high in selenium but are relatively high in calories.
  • gem_cat
    gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
    You shouldn't be comfortable so low!

    I personally was eating about 1400 calories comfortably and wasn't losing weight at all. 85 days of not losing weight because I was BELOW my calorie goal. I upped my calories to meet my goal and it started melting off ;) You should try to eat within 50-100 calories of your goal Hon :) Exercise makes me starve, I have to eat a ton of days I exercise! Your situation might be a sign that you are under-eating.

    thanks for the advice! its just that this is how i've been eating for the past year. a month ago i've lost 10 pounds but then got really lazy so my weight loss stopped (but never gained). thats why i decided to join mfp to gain support. im not sure if my body can handle extra calories than what i usually take! :frown:
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
    I don't know how tall you are or how many calories you should eat a day. I have been told that I should eat 1400 to lose weight in a healthy way and mfp told me 1200 cal. But mfp can't know all the background I told the doctors :)

    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't believe in eating back when I just worked out so hard to burn more calories. But to each his/her own :)

    800 cal sound too low for me, do you log in what you drink too? If that happens only once in a while, I say it is ok, but eating less than 1000 cal, would be way too less for me. I did that before...I only drank for weeks, result, I damaged my body and gained the weight back as soon as I ate. You could add some snacks like nuts for in between meals to just add some calories.

    It's not really a question of whether or not you "believe" in eating your exercise calories back, although I can see where you would get that idea. But the way MFP is designed to work is based on a mathematic formula which doesn't include exercise. So without exercise, depending on your start weight, etc, it tells you can eat 1500 (for example) a day to lose about 1lb a week. If you exercise and DON'T eat those calories back, you're putting your body at a FAR greater deficit than is healthy. So if I eat 1500 then burn off 500 through exercise and don't eat those back, I'm only really netting 1000 calories a day. I'm undereating and will continue to lose weight of course, but eventually my body will burn out and plateau.
  • gem_cat
    gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
    I can't see your diary to really advise you where you can add in extra calories, but unless you're incredibly short, there is no way you are eating enough. Especially when you are exercising, you need to make sure you're eating enough to fuel your body in those extra activities.

    What are you eating that is keeping you so full on so few calories? It's easy to fit in more just by letting yourself have 100 more calories each meal. So for example, have some natural nut butter with your breakfast. Use olive oil to fry and saute things on the stove. Increase your portion sizes a bit.

    Again, without seeing your diary it's hard to tell you where you can improve. Open your diary up and describe what you do for exercise & how often/for how long each week and you'll get much better responses.

    okay ive opened it.. i like veggies. tonight i ate mung beans with an onion. i placed everything in my recipe, even salt which doesnt have any caloric value! and i snack a lot but again, theyre veggies or fruit so i'm full. :frown:
  • chrissi_k
    chrissi_k Posts: 175 Member
    I don't know how tall you are or how many calories you should eat a day. I have been told that I should eat 1400 to lose weight in a healthy way and mfp told me 1200 cal. But mfp can't know all the background I told the doctors :)

    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't believe in eating back when I just worked out so hard to burn more calories. But to each his/her own :)

    800 cal sound too low for me, do you log in what you drink too? If that happens only once in a while, I say it is ok, but eating less than 1000 cal, would be way too less for me. I did that before...I only drank for weeks, result, I damaged my body and gained the weight back as soon as I ate. You could add some snacks like nuts for in between meals to just add some calories.

    It's not really a question of whether or not you "believe" in eating your exercise calories back, although I can see where you would get that idea. But the way MFP is designed to work is based on a mathematic formula which doesn't include exercise. So without exercise, depending on your start weight, etc, it tells you can eat 1500 (for example) a day to lose about 1lb a week. If you exercise and DON'T eat those calories back, you're putting your body at a FAR greater deficit than is healthy. So if I eat 1500 then burn off 500 through exercise and don't eat those back, I'm only really netting 1000 calories a day. I'm undereating and will continue to lose weight of course, but eventually my body will burn out and plateau.

    I know that and have read a lot about it, but since I am supervised and they told me not to eat them back I am not to. And for me it wouldn't work eating more again. Tried it, failed, gained weight...That is what I did the whole time of this year and even working out 4 times a week at least didn't help...
  • aoede
    aoede Posts: 30 Member
    If you still have body fat to burn off, you're ok. Your body burns fats to get energy. As long as you have fat reserves and are eating enough vitamins and minerals, you will be healthy.

    Remember that humans are made to build up fat reserves when food is available and to go without food for periods of time when there is none around. After you burn off all your fat, if you still aren't eating enough calories, then you will have a problem.

    I am confused though - you said you lost 10 pounds and then your weight loss stopped not long ago, but you also said you have been eating this many calories for a year. What changed to make you stop losing the weight?
  • chrissi_k
    chrissi_k Posts: 175 Member
    @chrissiekemfor yes, you log everything that goes in your mouth. you can set your calorie intake to 1400 I have it set to 1500 calories because that is what I am being told to eat.

    I do that, wanted to know if she does it too :)
  • abbie017
    abbie017 Posts: 410
    Here's the thing. I saw McDonalds ice cream in your diary at least 3 days in a row. That's giving you 300 calories, and none of them are good for you. There is no way you're coming close to your macros and it looks like you're very, very low in protein.

    I recommend tracking your carbs, fat, and protein and trying to at least get close to the daily recommended amounts. Protein is set very, very low on here, so you should AT LEAST be hitting that number. Without adequate protein, you won't be able to build new muscle. Your body could also be feeding off your current muscle instead of fat, which is defeating the purpose of fat loss. You may get more slender, but you'll be what's known as "Skinny Fat."

    I don't want to be rude or have this come off as offensive, but you need to commit to eating healthy for this lifestyle change to work. Eating less than 1000 calories isn't healthy at all unless you're under the care of a medical professional who is prescribing a certain diet. How you're eating is depriving your body of essential nutrients and effectively starving it. Your weight loss likely stopped because your body is storing every bit of fat you have for energy because it doesn't think you're going to adequately feed it!
  • gem_cat
    gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
    If you still have body fat to burn off, you're ok. Your body burns fats to get energy. As long as you have fat reserves and are eating enough vitamins and minerals, you will be healthy.

    Remember that humans are made to build up fat reserves when food is available and to go without food for periods of time when there is none around. After you burn off all your fat, if you still aren't eating enough calories, then you will have a problem.

    I am confused though - you said you lost 10 pounds and then your weight loss stopped not long ago, but you also said you have been eating this many calories for a year. What changed to make you stop losing the weight?

    i exercised. i swam laps, do dvd workouts, use the stairs whenever possible. but after the loss, i've gotten lazy. i laid in bed and surfed the internet all day. most of the time im awake at night and asleep all day coz i was not using my energy. i started mfp 5 days ago and got shocked at how my usual food intake is below the calorie goal it said i have to consume. i started working out again last week and will only be weighing on sunday. i guess i'm just paranoid how low my intake when everybody else (most that i read in the forums) have around 1400 - 2000 cals per day.
  • flimflamfloz
    flimflamfloz Posts: 1,980 Member
    Some quick and easy fix:
    - Exercise more: if you run 30 min a day, do some weight training as well (say 3 hrs a week), surely you will feel drained after only a week of doing that. Or if you don't feel physically drained, you will feel mentally drained - attention disorder, sleepy during the day etc. Then (hopefully) this should force you to react and eat more.
    - Add a mars bar or whatever crap food you enjoy the most during your day, or even better add an energy drink. Or add bread, bread is high in cals. It is really easy to go over on your calorie count (you can do that with minimal effort by adding calorific stuff is what I mean if your diet does not provide enough cals), harder actually to stay below (which often requires a complete change of diet).
  • gem_cat
    gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
    Here's the thing. I saw McDonalds ice cream in your diary at least 3 days in a row. That's giving you 300 calories, and none of them are good for you. There is no way you're coming close to your macros and it looks like you're very, very low in protein.

    I recommend tracking your carbs, fat, and protein and trying to at least get close to the daily recommended amounts. Protein is set very, very low on here, so you should AT LEAST be hitting that number. Without adequate protein, you won't be able to build new muscle. Your body could also be feeding off your current muscle instead of fat, which is defeating the purpose of fat loss. You may get more slender, but you'll be what's known as "Skinny Fat."

    I don't want to be rude or have this come off as offensive, but you need to commit to eating healthy for this lifestyle change to work. Eating less than 1000 calories isn't healthy at all unless you're under the care of a medical professional who is prescribing a certain diet. How you're eating is depriving your body of essential nutrients and effectively starving it. Your weight loss likely stopped because your body is storing every bit of fat you have for energy because it doesn't think you're going to adequately feed it!

    it isnt offensive at all! thanks for your advice!! about the ice cream, i've been eating it on my lazy days and its hard to stop what you've been taking just like that. so if you noticed, after those 3 days i havent eaten any junk at all. i won't be eating any junk soon. :smile: about the protein, i'm working on that. so far my protein sources are from tuna and chicken i eat it daily though.. next week i'll add some more lean meat to it.:bigsmile: THANK YOU!
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
    I don't know how tall you are or how many calories you should eat a day. I have been told that I should eat 1400 to lose weight in a healthy way and mfp told me 1200 cal. But mfp can't know all the background I told the doctors :)

    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't believe in eating back when I just worked out so hard to burn more calories. But to each his/her own :)

    800 cal sound too low for me, do you log in what you drink too? If that happens only once in a while, I say it is ok, but eating less than 1000 cal, would be way too less for me. I did that before...I only drank for weeks, result, I damaged my body and gained the weight back as soon as I ate. You could add some snacks like nuts for in between meals to just add some calories.

    It's not really a question of whether or not you "believe" in eating your exercise calories back, although I can see where you would get that idea. But the way MFP is designed to work is based on a mathematic formula which doesn't include exercise. So without exercise, depending on your start weight, etc, it tells you can eat 1500 (for example) a day to lose about 1lb a week. If you exercise and DON'T eat those calories back, you're putting your body at a FAR greater deficit than is healthy. So if I eat 1500 then burn off 500 through exercise and don't eat those back, I'm only really netting 1000 calories a day. I'm undereating and will continue to lose weight of course, but eventually my body will burn out and plateau.

    I know that and have read a lot about it, but since I am supervised and they told me not to eat them back I am not to. And for me it wouldn't work eating more again. Tried it, failed, gained weight...That is what I did the whole time of this year and even working out 4 times a week at least didn't help...

    I'm glad you specified that you are being supervised. I see a lot of people who just say "don't eat them back - I don't and I lose weight!". Like of course you lose weight, you're still leaving a calorie deficit and any calorie deficit will help you lose weight. It's all the other damage to your body that you don't want...so being supervised by a doctor or dietician makes all the difference because someone is monitoring you diet and your exercise and making sure you're not short on anything! Good job :) I personally have always eaten my exercise calories back, at least 75% of them. Usually leaving me about 50-100 calories of my daily goal, which was 1530 (before exercise) when I was losing weight. I'm in maintenance now and find if I don't eat those calories back, I keep dropping and it just looks unhealthy on me.

    Vainblacksheep - I took a look through the last week or so of your diary and here are my suggestions. Try aiming to eat 300-400 calories per meal. That's not too far off from what you do now, and can be accomplished a number of ways. Using olive oil or butter to saute things in, like I've previously mentioned. Adding a bit more protein in your meals will help. You could even have something like a glass of milk to help get those extra calories in. Start tracking MORE than just calories. This could help you pin point why you always feel "full" even when you aren't eating enough. You should try tracking carb, protein, fat, sodium & sugar. Too much sodium, for example, will make you feel bloated and potentially gassy, which could make you feel like not eating anymore.
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
    Here's the thing. I saw McDonalds ice cream in your diary at least 3 days in a row. That's giving you 300 calories, and none of them are good for you. There is no way you're coming close to your macros and it looks like you're very, very low in protein.

    I recommend tracking your carbs, fat, and protein and trying to at least get close to the daily recommended amounts. Protein is set very, very low on here, so you should AT LEAST be hitting that number. Without adequate protein, you won't be able to build new muscle. Your body could also be feeding off your current muscle instead of fat, which is defeating the purpose of fat loss. You may get more slender, but you'll be what's known as "Skinny Fat."

    I don't want to be rude or have this come off as offensive, but you need to commit to eating healthy for this lifestyle change to work. Eating less than 1000 calories isn't healthy at all unless you're under the care of a medical professional who is prescribing a certain diet. How you're eating is depriving your body of essential nutrients and effectively starving it. Your weight loss likely stopped because your body is storing every bit of fat you have for energy because it doesn't think you're going to adequately feed it!

    Totally agree with this! ^^
  • cclark1203
    cclark1203 Posts: 244 Member
    You really need to try to fit in more calories during the day. You are putting yourself at risk to your body long term. It might not show up now but it will down the road. Try gradually adding some calories into your day, like maybe 25-50 so it's not so drastic. By not feeding your body the calories and proteins it needs just for organ functions it sounds like it has slowed down to make up for the lack of calories to burn. I didn't look at your diary yet but try for your health's sake to get it increased a little bit.

    I just looked at your diary, I would suggest taking your highest calorie day so far and trying to add 1 more thing into it, preferably a high protein item to at least get more calories (I know there is ice cream in there but.). If you can afford it, buy some good quality protein powder and start having a protein shake in the morning and as a snack in the evening. That will give you a lot more protein, very important for muscle preservation. If you lose weight without adequate protein intake your body will use your muscle for fuel too!
  • aoede
    aoede Posts: 30 Member
    If you lose weight without adequate protein intake your body will use your muscle for fuel too!

    No, it won't. Your body can take energy from amino acids which make up proteins, which are available in your muscles and organs, like your heart, but will only do so when there is no glucose (blood sugar), glycogen (stored in the liver) or fat left. You only take muscle for fuel when you are literally starving - when you have not eaten for weeks. Eating extra protein to help in the repair and growth of muscles used in exercise is a completely different issue to them being burned by the body as fuel.

    Having said that, the dairy for the last couple of days isn't so bad. Before that it looked terrible - skipping meals and eating Maccas icecream instead. The last few days you have been doing better.
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