Anyone besides me Starving?
cynlee1626
Posts: 23
When I made my profile, it started me at 1330 calories per day. I am famished! I have a headache. When I enter the same info on other sites, they set my calories at around 1700 - 1900 to start out.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
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Replies
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here is the best path...google harris benedict formula. its usually in metric, so you'll have to convert your weight and height into metric..centimeters and kilograms. that will give you your BMR..basal metabolic rate. after that you'll need to multiply in the 'activity' level number..there are sites that describe this. its like 1 is sedentary, 1.2 is lightly active, 1.5 or something is moderately active..etc. (not sure of the exact numbers btw)..
now once you have this..you subtract calories from there for how much weight you want to lose theoretically in a week. like 500 cals for one lb a week.
my BMR with activity level is around 1800. so if i wanted to lose lb a week i'd need to intake 1300 cals a day.0 -
If you make your food diary public we can offer more advice. I'm eating around 1200 calories a day and I'm not starving. It may be as simple as changing some of the food choices your making.0
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I'm on 1300 calories a day and sometimes have to eat a handful of peanuts to make it up to that level. What are you eating?0
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My very strong suggestion is to start out slowly. Set yourself to maintain your current weight and eat that many calories for a week, then knock off 100/day for a week, then another 100 the following week, etc. That's what I did when I started and it made all the difference in the world!!! There was no way I could eat so little right off the bat, especially given the way I used to eat (likely close to 2500 calories on average) so easing into a new way of eating was essential to my sticking with it. It worked for me and I lost weight even in the first few weeks, and more importantly I wasn't a food-obsessed starving *****y lunatic! Good Luck!0
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A good daily workout could add those extra calories back on for you. I have 1280 calories a day so I'm usually pretty stiff with my calorie spending. Often eating proteins can keep you full for longer, especially in the morning. An egg is only around 95 calories or less if you get eggbeaters. What helps me is putting in what I am going to eat before I eat it. Then I can look forward to my food without guilt while I'm chewing. Also it helps to take smaller bites and remember to drink loads of water. Don't kid yourself though...hunger means you are doing this right. It means your body has to use those fat reserves to support itself. There are tons of low calorie snacks out there too. It's all about how you spend those calories and if you have earned more by exercising.0
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I'm on 1470, and I'm satisfied...1300 and lower seems like it would be difficult. But I think the key is eating low calorie foods.
Think of it this way...one McDonald's hamburger is 600+ calories...but FIVE cups (that's a lot!) of lettuce is less than 30 calories. Hard boiled egg whites are 17. Pickles are next nothing. Most veggies are super low cal. An entire tomato is around 20 calories.
It's all about *what* you eat. Also, if you do cardio then you have the option of "eating back" your calories (MFP will give you a bonus 2-300 calories for the day or however many you worked off). Drinking lots of water also helps you feel fuller.
At the end of the day though, if none of this works, and you're still starving...you gotta eat. Your body may *need* more than MFP recommends and that's okay. But starving yourself constantly will not get you anywhere, you're much more likely to get burnt out quickly and give up completely. Good luck
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We need to see your diary to answer this properly but no, if you are eating well, you should not feel too much hunger.
Your body will get used to less food. Eat things that are high in fiber and drink plenty of water.
If planned well, you should eat every few hours so you should never get hungry.
There is an acronym halt (hungry, angry, lonely, tired)
Never allow yourself to HALT when frustrated with dieting.
If you feel hungry, fix it or you will fall off the wagon.0 -
I'm hungry too!!! I try to eat 1-2 eggs for breakfast on toast or something but it's eating so many calories I am going to limit myself to 1 eggo and a piece of fruit.
I still don't understand the whole "Net Calories" thing on this program. I am allotted 1325 calories a day ( something like that) but when I exercise it tells me I can eat more. I thought the point was to stay at or under my calorie intake?
UH! I'm also GAINING weight. I have gained 1.5 lbs the first week doing this program!! HELLO! My pants dont fit!
<--- Norma and frustrated !0 -
That's because 1300 is a very low calorie amount, and could be borderline dangerous.0
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A good daily workout could add those extra calories back on for you. I have 1280 calories a day so I'm usually pretty stiff with my calorie spending. Often eating proteins can keep you full for longer, especially in the morning. An egg is only around 95 calories or less if you get eggbeaters. What helps me is putting in what I am going to eat before I eat it. Then I can look forward to my food without guilt while I'm chewing. Also it helps to take smaller bites and remember to drink loads of water. Don't kid yourself though...hunger means you are doing this right. It means your body has to use those fat reserves to support itself. There are tons of low calorie snacks out there too. It's all about how you spend those calories and if you have earned more by exercising.
This. Without my workouts and the ability to eat my exercise calories back, I'd go completely berserk. 1200 calories a day isn't enough to keep a chipmunk fed.0 -
The MFP calorie goal is designed to make you lose weight EVEN IF YOU DON'T EXERCISE. If you DO exercise, you need to eat more on top of that 1330 goal. Other sites tend to give you a calorie goal and then tell you to exercise to create your deficit. MFP builds in the deficit for you. Think of it this way, when you put your info in on MFP, even if you tell it you plan to exercise 3, 4, 5 times a week, MFP says 'yeah right, I'll believe that when I see it. How about you just eat 1330 calories and then let me know if you actually get off your butt today'. So then when you do get off your butt, you need to log that exercise in the exercise section, and MFP will be like 'dang, are you serious? You REALLY exercised? Wow, I didn't see that coming. Okay, well since I told you to eat 1330 b/c I thought you weren't going to exercise, now that you DID exercise, you have earned a snack'. MFP will give you an estimate of the calories you may have burned during your activity and it will add those calories onto your 1330 goal for the day. So if you burned about 500 calories during your activity, your new goal for the day will be 1830. A lot more like those other sites, huh? That's b/c those other sites take exercise into account BEFORE you do it. MFP doesn't take it into account until AFTER you have proved that you got off your butt today. LOL
My goal without exercise is 1390, but I routinely burn 400-600 per day through exercise so I get to actually eat closer to 1800-2000 and still consistently lose weight. If I'm not able to exercise on a given day, I stick closer to that 1390 'lazy' goal that MFP gives, but when I do my workouts I add back those exercise calories and eat more.
If you want to be more accurate about the calories burned during exercise, you might consider investing in a heart rate monitor with a chest strap. A lot of people on this site really like Polar FT4 and Polar FT7. You program in your info and wear it while you workout, and it gives you a really good estimate of the calories you've burned during your workout. It's still an estimate, but it's much better than MFP b/c it actually takes your effort into account.0 -
It set me at 1200 calories, which in my opinion is far too low. I reset it to 1500 and will review it in about 4 weeks to see if that is working for me.
I would recommend something like porridge for breakfast as it is slow release. Snack on soya yoghurt or soya dessert as they contain protein so make you feel fuller for longer. Eat lots of veg to fill up the gaps :happy:0 -
Thanks everyone! Excellent advice! I'm embarrassed to make my diary public
. I am weening myself off of Regular Dr. Pepper at the rate of 2 cans per day vs. the previous 4 per day. If I go cold turkey, I have severe headaches and withdrawal. I'm not looking to lose weight fast. I figure I gradually put it on and if it takes me a year to lose 30 pounds, that is okay. I'll just keep inching along.
This morning I had Special K (1 cup with 2/3 cup milk) and was still hungry afterwards. I need to start tracking my exercise.0 -
Special K cereal doesn't do it for me either.
In fact, I ditched cereal altogether.
Try eating something more substantial like a vegetable omlette w/ sliced tomatoes for breakfast.
I am 6 feet tall and get quite a few more calories than most, but I'm still hungry a lot.
My newest strategy is to divide my calories more evenly, make healthy, nutritious choices and not overeat.0 -
Thanks everyone! Excellent advice! I'm embarrassed to make my diary public. I am weening myself off of Regular Dr. Pepper at the rate of 2 cans per day vs. the previous 4 per day. If I go cold turkey, I have severe headaches and withdrawal. I'm not looking to lose weight fast. I figure I gradually put it on and if it takes me a year to lose 30 pounds, that is okay. I'll just keep inching along.
This morning I had Special K (1 cup with 2/3 cup milk) and was still hungry afterwards. I need to start tracking my exercise.
You're drinking all your calories! No wonder you're hungry! You're not getting enough nutrients with the amount of calories you're consuming...I would definitely start off with more calories until you get off the soda (or switch to diet). Then you can decrease them again. Also, protein, fat and fiber are all important in keeping you feeling fuller longer.0 -
Caloric restriction just doesn't work well for some people when also continuing to eat "normal" foods. That's one of the many reasons I moved to low carb/paleo like eating, I take in well over what MFP says I should but am never hungry and am loosing weight still, and more importantly loosing fat. Sometimes the scale doesn't move for weeks at a time, but the clothes keep getting looser.0
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My very strong suggestion is to start out slowly. Set yourself to maintain your current weight and eat that many calories for a week, then knock off 100/day for a week, then another 100 the following week, etc. That's what I did when I started and it made all the difference in the world!!! There was no way I could eat so little right off the bat, especially given the way I used to eat (likely close to 2500 calories on average) so easing into a new way of eating was essential to my sticking with it. It worked for me and I lost weight even in the first few weeks, and more importantly I wasn't a food-obsessed starving *****y lunatic! Good Luck!
This is great advice. I usually go over my calorie target about 500-1000 depending on the day, but it's still way better than I used to eat! I just gradually try to get closer and closer to my target, and I'm still able to lose this way.0 -
Also look to set you goal to 1 lb per week to 1.5lb per week. People tend to under eat their goal anyways because they like green.0
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I'm not saying soda is evil and you can't ever have any, but you are basically "wasting" 300 calories a day on soda. Meaning 300 calories of real, nutritious food that you aren't getting. I would say you should eat 1200-1300 calories a day of real food, plus your soda - then you can continue weaning yourself off of it.
The headaches and withdrawal are probably just from caffeine - have you tried an alternate source of caffeine, like diet soda, coffee, tea?0 -
I, too, felt that way at first. I took a serious look at what I was eating. I just plain gave up some foods that their calories were not worth it for me. I replaced others for versions with lower calories. And I work out at least 30 minutes everyday to help me stay under calorie. I feel much more confident now.0
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I'm hungry too!!! I try to eat 1-2 eggs for breakfast on toast or something but it's eating so many calories I am going to limit myself to 1 eggo and a piece of fruit.
I still don't understand the whole "Net Calories" thing on this program. I am allotted 1325 calories a day ( something like that) but when I exercise it tells me I can eat more. I thought the point was to stay at or under my calorie intake?
UH! I'm also GAINING weight. I have gained 1.5 lbs the first week doing this program!! HELLO! My pants dont fit!
<--- Norma and frustrated !
I highly recommend eating your exercise calories back. I had the same problem and was reluctant to eat more but when I finally did I start losing again!0 -
I am set at 1200 calories. I'm rarely hungry. When I am I drink a huge glass of water or green tea and than If I am still hungry I eat. I dont think feeling "starved" will help you. Eat if you want to eat. But just make the right choice. Veggies, Almonds, yogurt, all things that arent high in calorie. (among other things)0
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Yes, I am hungry all the time. MFP has me on 1200 but when I consulted 2 of my endo doctors they said based on my age, metabolism, and inability to do strenuous exercise, I can eat no more then 1000 calories. I closed my diary due to much criticism. I would consult with a professional or a dietician.0
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Thanks everyone! Excellent advice! I'm embarrassed to make my diary public. I am weening myself off of Regular Dr. Pepper at the rate of 2 cans per day vs. the previous 4 per day. If I go cold turkey, I have severe headaches and withdrawal. I'm not looking to lose weight fast. I figure I gradually put it on and if it takes me a year to lose 30 pounds, that is okay. I'll just keep inching along.
This morning I had Special K (1 cup with 2/3 cup milk) and was still hungry afterwards. I need to start tracking my exercise.
your headaches are from the caffeine. I am caffeine free and once you make it past the first week, the headaches will stop. I rarely get headaches now at all. If you are "starving" you are not eating enough protein and fiber. I eat 1061 per day and do not eat burned calories back and I am never hungry.0 -
You just need to eat more low calorie food. Try not to focus on the calorie intake, but rather on the healthy intake. eat more fruits and veggies. Stock up on it. High protein, chicken and eggs. Ditch the breads, they turn to sugar and that's bad. Snack on nuts. Drink lots of water. It helps to make you feel full too. Good luck!0
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I, too, felt that way at first. I took a serious look at what I was eating. I just plain gave up some foods that their calories were not worth it for me. I replaced others for versions with lower calories. And I work out at least 30 minutes everyday to help me stay under calorie. I feel much more confident now.
This is great advice.
In addition to this, I think it takes at least two weeks to adjust to a lower calorie eating plan. I was doing this religiously last year up until August - I've counted in my head since then and logged on here and there. Of course now I'm up a few lbs and I'm going strict again and I'm back at the initial two week time frame where I have to retrain my stomach to be full with four 300 calorie meals.
Also - the 300 calories you are using with soda would basically eliminate an entire meal which is substantial when you are counting. Use the previous posters advice on the soda as well - but when you are able to eliminate those, you will free up some food calories which will be a relief.0 -
Thanks everyone! Excellent advice! I'm embarrassed to make my diary public. I am weening myself off of Regular Dr. Pepper at the rate of 2 cans per day vs. the previous 4 per day. If I go cold turkey, I have severe headaches and withdrawal. I'm not looking to lose weight fast. I figure I gradually put it on and if it takes me a year to lose 30 pounds, that is okay. I'll just keep inching along.
This morning I had Special K (1 cup with 2/3 cup milk) and was still hungry afterwards. I need to start tracking my exercise.
Have you tried the Dr Pepper 10? It only has 10 calories per can but it tastes like the regular! And eating more than 2/3 cup of cereal for breakfast is perfectly ok. Most experts recommend a bigger breakfast anyway, you just have to make adjustments throughout the rest of the day. Also, don't be afraid to eat at your BMR or higher. You're not in a rush you might as well make smaller, more long term adjustments. 0 -
Hey Good luck!
I struggled with pop addiction when I was in my teens and now I only drink water and wine. Anyhow, I enjoyed the fizz of pop and didn't really care for the sweetness. So I swapped out Pellegrino and Perrier (Sparkling Water) for Dr. Pepper/Coke etc. This really helped me and today I don't get cravings for pop EVER. EVER. So if you like the "fizz" in pop, try swapping out 1 dr. pepper for a sparkling water (it's calorie freeee)0 -
I'm allowed 1200 a day and I feel good. I do the small snack throughout the day (pack of 6 lance peanut crackers 180 cal for example) those are pretty filling. I do fruit too, It's all about feeling full without eating the bad stuff...hoped that helped a little0
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The MFP calorie goal is designed to make you lose weight EVEN IF YOU DON'T EXERCISE. If you DO exercise, you need to eat more on top of that 1330 goal. Other sites tend to give you a calorie goal and then tell you to exercise to create your deficit. MFP builds in the deficit for you. Think of it this way, when you put your info in on MFP, even if you tell it you plan to exercise 3, 4, 5 times a week, MFP says 'yeah right, I'll believe that when I see it. How about you just eat 1330 calories and then let me know if you actually get off your butt today'. So then when you do get off your butt, you need to log that exercise in the exercise section, and MFP will be like 'dang, are you serious? You REALLY exercised? Wow, I didn't see that coming. Okay, well since I told you to eat 1330 b/c I thought you weren't going to exercise, now that you DID exercise, you have earned a snack'. MFP will give you an estimate of the calories you may have burned during your activity and it will add those calories onto your 1330 goal for the day. So if you burned about 500 calories during your activity, your new goal for the day will be 1830. A lot more like those other sites, huh? That's b/c those other sites take exercise into account BEFORE you do it. MFP doesn't take it into account until AFTER you have proved that you got off your butt today. LOL
My goal without exercise is 1390, but I routinely burn 400-600 per day through exercise so I get to actually eat closer to 1800-2000 and still consistently lose weight. If I'm not able to exercise on a given day, I stick closer to that 1390 'lazy' goal that MFP gives, but when I do my workouts I add back those exercise calories and eat more.
Best explanation of how it all works ever.0
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