Too few calories?

arielmorgan
arielmorgan Posts: 8
edited December 19 in Motivation and Support
I am starting to get a bit discouraged with the number on the scale. I've been holding steady at 150 lbs for about a week and a half. I can definitely tell a difference in my body/feel thinner, but the number isnt dropping & I'm anxious about it. I have not at all cheated on my diet the past week or so, am eating about 1,000 cals a day, but I am starting to think maybe this is too few? I know the whole "starvation mode" effect is a real thing, but i dont feel like im starving myself--i eat a ton of fiber & protein and rarely go to bed hungry. In fact some days I only make it to about 850 calories or so just because I dont feel hungry. Does anyone have any advice?

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Eat more.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I know the whole "starvation mode" effect is a real thing ....

    No it's not, unless you're down to something like 5% of bodyfat.
  • arielmorgan
    arielmorgan Posts: 8
    right, yeah, thats my point---that i dont think it's affecting me at this point. so thats not the problem.
  • br2012
    br2012 Posts: 52 Member
    Starvation mode is not as ridiculous as I thought. It didnt seem to make sense to me bc my kids eat very little and are thin and active, why not me? After my first 3 months on MFP and losing almost no weight on 1200 calories a day, I upped to 1600 and lost 4 lbs within a week. I am a believer .I've hit another plateau though so not sure if same deal bc I went up another 400 per day and started gaining. I think its all about finidng the sweet spot between your physical activity and food intake. Not always pure numbers depending on how active your metabolism is.
  • arielmorgan
    arielmorgan Posts: 8
    thanks! maybe ill try uping it to 1200 & see how i do...im just so scared to gain lol
  • ellk2
    ellk2 Posts: 7
    I am going through the same thing..almost word for word and close to the same weight. I look forward to seeing what others say.
  • arielmorgan
    arielmorgan Posts: 8
    bump?
  • nikic50
    nikic50 Posts: 209
    MFP has given me 1200 calories per day, but a different website that I found through posts told me I should be eating 1800 per day - I don't want to go up that drastically, but after 2 weeks on 1200 calories & working out 7 days/week (5 days of 30 DS & 2 days of 3.5 walking for 60 min.) I only lost .6!! I just hate seeing that negative red number under calories on MFP :grumble:
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    MFP has given me 1200 calories per day, but a different website that I found through posts told me I should be eating 1800 per day - I don't want to go up that drastically, but after 2 weeks on 1200 calories & working out 7 days/week (5 days of 30 DS & 2 days of 3.5 walking for 60 min.) I only lost .6!! I just hate seeing that negative red number under calories on MFP

    you can change your calorie goal under settings so you don't see the red number

    to the OP: if you up your calories you will probably gain a little water weight from the extra sodium intake. but, i can almost guarantee you that 200 extra calories will not stop you from losing weight. i used to eat 500 a day and now eat 1000-1300 a day and still lose weight. it's healthier this way :)
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    Google TDEE calculator....This will give you a more accurate number. I was in your position I was eating 1300 a day and I was gaining and loosing the same 2 lbs....I changed my number to around 1670 and have started dropping again.
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    When you go into goals choose custom and input your calories. :)
  • amara71998
    amara71998 Posts: 81 Member
    When I cut my calories to 1200 or less for a week, I didn't just stop losing, I gained. After I upped my intake to a minimum of 1350, I lost weight, and actually 5 pounds the week after. My body is different than yours, and I certainly weigh more than you do, but that's what I noticed for me. MFP even says that going below 1200 calories does not provide you with the nutrition you need every day, so I'd at least be eating 1200! Good luck!
  • amara71998
    amara71998 Posts: 81 Member
    How much did you set your goal to lose every week? When I put in 2 pounds of weight loss a week, MFP tells me I need to eat 1200 or so every day, but I dropped it to 1.5 pounds weight loss a week, I got to eat a whole lot more. At 1 pound weight loss a week I could eat about 1800 calories, so I keep it at 1.5 pounds a week. Even though I don't usually eat all of the calories it tells me I can eat, I lose weight much better with the increased calories, because I get proper nutrition! Good luck!
  • Zaetalicious
    Zaetalicious Posts: 13 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Use that. Scooby's calc says my BMR is 1466, and that I should eat 1700 a day. So I set my MFP 'goal' to 1450 and then I just eat back some of my exercise calories. Jamie Eason's calculator says I should eat 1500-1800(heavy days like leg strength training) every day, and there are a billion other calculators out there that can make it extremely confusing. Basically, if I'm hungry I eat, if I'm not hungry I don't. I don't believe in forcing yourself to eat just to hit your TDEE or whatever. Eat your BMR at the very least, and exercise, and eat more if you're hungry. 1800 is a lot of food for me, I've tried to eat that much consistently and I just can't do it, I feel like exploding by the end of the day... lol
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