Not enough calories

Ddouglas84 · January 2012

Hello everyone I just started my dies about 2 weeks ago and I have been put on a 1550 calorie diet to lose the 2 lbs a week. I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day but the calories range from 900-1100 calories. And then if i exercise the site increase the number of calories im allowed to consume. My question is if i feel full should I be exercising? The other night I did 900 calories and then exercised and it put me down to like 500 calories for the day total. I felt full still at the end of the night but feel i might be eating too few of calories to lose the weight I am wanting. Any suggustions?

karenwill2 · January 2012

you don't have to eat those exercise calories. Those are deficit calories. Yes, you should exercise. But as those calories burned are not that accurate, don't feel pressure to eat if you are not hungry.

erickirb · January 2012

You should still exercise and eat as much of those cals as you can. If you are full you don't need to eat more food, just make different food choices
As a snack have, nuts, seeds, or dehydrated fruit
Add olive oil to soups and sauces to add calories
Add avocado to salads and sandwiches
Have a glass of juice in place of a glass of water
eat nut butters on fruit when you have a piece of fruit
Switch from low fat dairy to a higher MF% (i.e. switch from skim milk to 2%, and eat full fat yogurt and cheeses)
Avoid any diet and lite foods, eat the full cal versions, they are usually healthier as well.

All of these will give you more calories if you eat them in place of what you are eating now

MaximalLife · January 2012

Hello everyone I just started my dies about 2 weeks ago and I have been put on a 1550 calorie diet to lose the 2 lbs a week. I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day but the calories range from 900-1100 calories. And then if i exercise the site increase the number of calories im allowed to consume. My question is if i feel full should I be exercising? The other night I did 900 calories and then exercised and it put me down to like 500 calories for the day total. I felt full still at the end of the night but feel i might be eating too few of calories to lose the weight I am wanting. Any suggustions?

Yes, eat more.

we did not get here because we don't know how to eat.
Losing weight in a healthy way is simple math. And when your deficit is too high, bad things happen to your body.

Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week. That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up. Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories. Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be? In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more. Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.
Be efficient. Exercise hard and eat back the calories.

The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

sunflower_yogi · January 2012

listen to your body.... if you are simply not hungry...then don't eat. but overall it's a good idea to eat at least 1/2 of the calories your earn from exercise.

erickirb · January 2012

you don't have to eat those exercise calories. Those are deficit calories. Yes, you should exercise. But as those calories burned are not that accurate, don't feel pressure to eat if you are not hungry.

and

listen to your body.... if you are simply not hungry...then don't eat. but overall it's a good idea to eat at least 1/2 of the calories your earn from exercise.

Hunger is not the best indication of your bodies nutritional requirements. Pay more attention to mood and energy levels, as these are better indicators that you may need more nutrition.

You should eat at least some of them as your 1500 calorie goal already factors a deficit in, and if you exercise your deficit becomes even larger.

sweetiepie31612 · January 2012

You should eat most, but not necessarily all of your exercise calories back. Try eating foods with more calories. I like nuts. I snack on roasted almonds, and try to eat peanut butter in at least 1 meal. And cooking with olive oil helps too. High in calorie and high in good fat.

UponThisRock · January 2012

The problems with too few calories are

1. Not getting enough micro nutrients, and

2. When progress slows, you'll have no room to adjust calories downward to get past the pleateu, and your only recourse will be to raise calories for a while to regulate your hormones, which you can be a long, frustrating process, and one thatyou don't seem to be mentally ready for

MaximalLife · January 2012

you don't have to eat those exercise calories. Those are deficit calories. Yes, you should exercise. But as those calories burned are not that accurate, don't feel pressure to eat if you are not hungry.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Good God - NOT THIS!

Yes, eat back your exercise calories.
The discipline to see your fitness program to success cuts both ways when it comes to food intake and exercise.
Eat well, eat enough but not too much - :noway:
For each one of us it's different.

Good Luck!

ncw89 · January 2012

Perhaps your resolution to do well at the moment is meaning that you're really focussed on doing it "right" - exercising loads, eating small quantities etc. If that's working for you, stick with it for as long as it feels right

maybe you'll find that once your body has adjusted to the exercise it'll start craving the fuel and your appetite will increase - if so, go with it, don't keep your intake so artificially low if you're starving! On the other hand, though, no point forcing food into your mouth if you're genuinely not hungry. Good luck

TAC2413 · January 2012

See how it goes for a while. if you're losing weight eating what you are currently and exercising, don't worry about it. If you're not hungry your body isn't trying to gain more calories.

HOWEVER--and this is a big however. If you aren't losing weight at all and seem to be stagnating, increasing your calories could help you lose more weight. Counter-intuitive, but it really does work. Don't forget to let yourself splurge every once in a while too. Giving your body something that it's not used to as fuel can also help increase your metabolism and boost weight loss.

Hope that this helps.

trainorgirl · January 2012

you don't have to eat those exercise calories. Those are deficit calories. Yes, you should exercise. But as those calories burned are not that accurate, don't feel pressure to eat if you are not hungry.

See.. I disagree, even though you are not hungry you still need to eat to rev up your metabolism... If your not continuing to fuel it, it will slow down thinking that it is going into starvation mode!!! the more you fuel it the fast it will become!

I count my cal burned as "bonus" calories, they play no part into my daily eating... if I burn an extra 500cals then its just a bonus i dont eat extra thinking that i "deserve" to or anything!!!

Bauer77 · January 2012

If you are full don't eat anymore. Even when I exercise, I try to stick to the initial amount I was allocated. Reason being that anything I exercise would actually being weight lost. Pretty much a 1200 calorie diet is sufficient for most dieters, sometimes higher depending on the range of obesity.

My question is if i feel full should I be exercising? Yes, as long as you do it safely, there is not much as to much exercise!
Eating the amount of calories is very important, but just as important is what types of food you are eating to get to those calories.
Stay away from salt (sodium) , especially if you are eating frozen dinners (which I recommend only eating if you have to).
Every diet comes down to burn off more than you eat. You can add me if you want, I can always use an extra ear.... its easy to give advice, just hard to follow ...hehe

monty_williams · January 2012

What are your results so far over the 2 weeks you have been dieting and following MFP? If you are right on target at 2lbs /week then stick with what you are doing for another 2 weeks and reassess your results. If that is the case then you might just be underestimating your true caloric intake. Your body is the true measure and will let you know if you are on the right track.

If you are losing more than 2 lbs/week and you aren't comfortable with that weight loss pace or you find yourself losing energy, then increase your caloric intake by 200 or so calories for 2 weeks either eating more or eating calorie dense foods as suggested above and reassess your results.

You didn't say how much you are trying to lose, but you'll probably find that you lose more easier at first and then your weight loss pace will slow down. You will need to reassess your BMR and TDEE occassionally, i.e. every 10 lbs, every 2 weeks, etc along your journey.

MyFeistyEvolution · January 2012

Hello everyone I just started my dies about 2 weeks ago and I have been put on a 1550 calorie diet to lose the 2 lbs a week. I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day but the calories range from 900-1100 calories. And then if i exercise the site increase the number of calories im allowed to consume. My question is if i feel full should I be exercising? The other night I did 900 calories and then exercised and it put me down to like 500 calories for the day total. I felt full still at the end of the night but feel i might be eating too few of calories to lose the weight I am wanting. Any suggustions?

Yes, eat more.

we did not get here because we don't know how to eat.
Losing weight in a healthy way is simple math. And when your deficit is too high, bad things happen to your body.

Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week. That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up. Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories. Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be? In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more. Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.
Be efficient. Exercise hard and eat back the calories.

The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

This.

Eat higher calorie foods to help compensate.

carrie_eggo · January 2012

Eating (or netting) 500-900 calories a day is not sustainable. Remember, this is a lifestyle change. You may feel fine doing it now, at first, but eventually your body is going to start working against you in terms of fat loss. Just because it "feels" ok doesn't mean it's the right way to go about it.1550 is probably way less than you were eating before. You shouldn't have a problem getting up to that. eric and UponThisRock have given you some good advice.

Justjoshin · January 2012

robin52077 · January 2012

you don't have to eat those exercise calories. Those are deficit calories. Yes, you should exercise. But as those calories burned are not that accurate, don't feel pressure to eat if you are not hungry.

PLEASE do not listen to this.

You are under eating as it is, never mind adding exercise...eat MORE, and THEN ALSO eat at LEAST half of your exercise calories.

You calorie goal is a GOAL ....to REACH...not a number to "stay under by as much as you can"

MFP already did that part for you. It told you 1550 to lose 2 lbs a week because you need 2550 to maintain your weight.

You DO NOT CREATE THE DEFICIT by eating less or exercising more, the deficit is ALREADY there and you need to eat it all.

robin52077 · January 2012

or more simply...THIS

hottottie11 · January 2012

Hello everyone I just started my dies about 2 weeks ago and I have been put on a 1550 calorie diet to lose the 2 lbs a week. I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day but the calories range from 900-1100 calories. And then if i exercise the site increase the number of calories im allowed to consume. My question is if i feel full should I be exercising? The other night I did 900 calories and then exercised and it put me down to like 500 calories for the day total. I felt full still at the end of the night but feel i might be eating too few of calories to lose the weight I am wanting. Any suggustions?

Why are you eating soooo little and exercising so much?

Check this article out:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

sarahbear1981 · January 2012

You are going through the honeymoon phase. The same thing happened to me when I started. I wasn't hungry and it was a struggle to eat all my calories. Your body is adjusting to its new diet and your metabolism is adjusting. Soon, you will be starving. Trust me. Try adding calories to your meals like others have suggested (olive oil, nuts, pb). It will all pan out soon. Kepp exercising!!! Even if you feel full

engineman312 · January 2012

for those exercise calories, you should try and re-eat them by consuming a protein shake, or some chocolate milk. personally, i like a protein fruit smoothie after a work out, and it is usually about 400-700 calories, depending on how much i burn.

carrie_eggo · January 2012

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

^^YES,READ!!

mmmichelle8486 · January 2012

for those exercise calories, you should try and re-eat them by consuming a protein shake, or some chocolate milk. personally, i like a protein fruit smoothie after a work out, and it is usually about 400-700 calories, depending on how much i burn.

^This is what I like to see.

tigersword · January 2012

I'm sure all these people who say don't eat if you aren't hungry are the same people who will insist you have to force gallons of water down your throat whether you're thirsty or not.:huh:

Your body adjusts itself to what you do to it. If you consistently under eat, your body will adjust by eliminating muscle tissue, slowing your metabolism down hormonally, and mute hunger pangs, to make it easier to find food without being distracted. You need to retrain your body to eat enough for proper nutrition.

Ddouglas84 · January 2012

Thanks Everyone. I am trying to lose at least 40 lbs. and most of you are probably right i am just really motivated right now. However i do not exercise that often, only 3 times a week for about 30-60 minutes each. I just did the other day and came to that scenario. I normally do ceral/mike for breakfast, turkey sandwich/orange for lunch and dinner varies trying to stay under 500 calories total on dinner. But I will add some things to my foods or just not feel bad to eat something more to hit my GOAL calorie intake now. Thanks

mmmichelle8486 · January 2012

Okay, I am trying to lose between 40 and 50 lbs myself, and I am a woman, and I eat more calories than you do each day. I looked at your diary, you might also want to make sure your sodium levels aren't too high, that really affects my loss when I don't keep that number in check. Also agree with drinking your calories, I often have a shake (sometimes with whey, sometimes not) as a snack after I work out. It will help you use some of those extra calories. Calories are important, but also remember quality/nutrition. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Not enough calories

Replies

Categories