how do you know if your eating enough calories??

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tarakay84
tarakay84 Posts: 69
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I'm new to MFP. But its telling me I'm not eating enough calories?? I'm eating anywhere b/t 900 and 1200. I exercise atleast every other day and usually eat a lil more those days.

I've lost 20 # since January 1st. So its working. But am I eating enough?

Also am I suppose to eat back the calories I burn? That doesn't seem right to me?

Thx in advance!

Replies

  • AshleyNicole0710
    AshleyNicole0710 Posts: 48
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    im a little intrigued myself.... hope someone can give us some good answers!!
  • rhondam86
    rhondam86 Posts: 3
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    yeah i am lost on that one also
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    Yes! Eat back your exercise calories. Your body needs calories to function normally. MFP already gives you a deficit, so even if you eat back those calories you will still lose. There are better explanations on here, just search for them on here. Good luck!
  • charliedingus
    charliedingus Posts: 13
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    that amount of calories is going to be well below your basal metabolic rate. you are creating a vast caloric deficiency, but you're also increasing your risk for broader nutritional deficiencies by under-eating.
  • lynner22
    lynner22 Posts: 21 Member
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    Well you should never eat under 1200 calories! I was doing that at first, and losing as well. BUT you WILL hit a plateau and it is due to not eating enough.
    Also, you should eat back your exercise calories! Especially if you are on a 1200 cal diet. When you work out your body will need more fuel. Give it what it wants!!
    Congrats on the loss so far :)
  • jrusso28
    jrusso28 Posts: 249 Member
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    Your not eating enough.
    Your supposed to eat all your allotted calories each day.

    There are hundreds of posts explaining why, and the details of starvation mode, etc.
    I will spare you those details here. You can search the boards and you will find tons of info.

    But basically, if your taking in less than 1200 calories a day its not healthy.
    Your supposed to eat your exercise calories back.
  • AZDizzy
    AZDizzy Posts: 434 Member
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    Hiya,
    The way I understand it (and I'm relatively new) is that you set up MFP to maintain, lose .5, 1, 1.5 or 2 lbs per week. Then MFP automatically subtracts those amount of calories per day from the amount of calories needed to breathe, digest food and operate normally for the day (for instance, I'm set to 2lbs per week, so it subtracts automatically 1000 calories a day for me to lose 2 lbs a week). So, if I exercise (say 500 calories burned a day), that puts me at 1500 calorie deficit a day...unhealthy. So, in order to do this the right way (and not start losing hair!), I eat back as many of my exercise calories a day as I can.

    So, if you eat 900-1200 calories a day and then burn a few hundred, you're definitely not eating enough. I am stalled, but have been eating back almost all my exercise calories trying to get going again.
  • raylenebrooks
    raylenebrooks Posts: 137 Member
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    I must say it doesn't make sense really to me either and I know everyone is different but I was on 1200 from mfp and just upped mine to 1600 this week the scale is moving faster already . I am willing to experiment as I am on a long journey but it is hard as what works for some may or may not work. Good Luck

    PS I was not hungry on the 1200 but after reading so many post decided to try upping mine
  • formeandmyhusband
    formeandmyhusband Posts: 3
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    Hi,

    My doctor advised me today that perhaps I'm not eating enough as well......so she told me to take the number (pounds) I "want" to weigh, multipy by ten and that number is the amount of calories to consume, daily, in order to lose weight. I have to lower that number for me because my excercise abilities are extremely limited....hope this helps.
  • Aphreal
    Aphreal Posts: 103
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    Nope, not eating enough. Plus what people fail to remember that if you loose weight at 900calories a day, your maintenance weight will also be lower. Eat as much as you can now (and still loose) and you will be able to eat more on maintenance. Who wants to be suck with celery and tofu for the rest of their lives just to maintain.
  • mmarcy11
    mmarcy11 Posts: 38 Member
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    This guy explains it so well!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories?page=9#posts-6705313
  • tarakay84
    tarakay84 Posts: 69
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    Thanks for all the replies.

    After posting this i read some other post. seems to be that the general consenses is that i should eat at least 1200 calories and eat back the calories i burn!

    Thanks!
  • ahinski
    ahinski Posts: 200 Member
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    Unless you are a very petite, small child, eating anything less than 1200 calories is not healthy and could really screw up your metabolism. I bet if you eat exactly the number of calories (okay not exactly, but within 100 calories one way or the other) of what MFP recommends your weight loss will improve (you may gain a little at first, but just watch how fast you lose it and then some).

    For me, eating under 1200 calories worked (because when you're starving your body, you will definitely lose weight) but I had a higher percentage body fat than I do now (because I was burning more muscle than fat) and the weight loss was very slow (and painful).

    EDIT: Okay... just saw your post. Glad you get it. And good luck :)

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