Calorie Goal: Hit it or don't?

KharismaticKayteh

When you see the goal that MFP has set for you, do you consider your goal to be a minimum or a limit? As in do you try to reach that goal and then stop for the day, or do you avoid reaching the goal (but come as close to it as you can)? I mean to ask about YOUR personal preference, not so much about how it's supposed to work (I suspect the prior, but I don't imagine the majority of users considers their goal in that way).

I'm personally considering coming a bit below my goal - not because my present goal would not work for me, but I seem to often enough go a little too high (whereas if I aim instead for 1400 and end up having 175 more than I originally intended, I'm just under my *actual* goal of 1600, rather than 175 over it).

However, I also don't know how many calories are worth alarm/better discipline. I see some people get really upset with themselves for going just 100 over (which I don't think is a huge deal), and I don't get bothered by my actions until I go 200 to 300 over or more.

Anyway, I'm primarily interested in your answers to the subject question, but please feel free to share your thoughts on the other points I made when I digressed a bit. =P.

DsAdvocate

I hit it if I'm hungry, I don't if I'm not hungry. I try to watch my weekly caloric intake so that if one day I'm super hangry I can go over while still remaining at or under my weekly goal.

shadowofender

I try to hit it, but I've never gotten it exact. I'm fine with a swing of about 50 calories either way usually.

KharismaticKayteh

DsAdvocate wrote: »

I hit it if I'm hungry, I don't if I'm not hungry. I try to watch my weekly caloric intake so that if one day I'm super hangry I can go over while still remaining at or under my weekly goal.

Do you ever happen to have a not-very-hungry day during which your calories would be *too* low? And if you do, do you force yourself to snack on something so you get a healthier amount of calories, or do you just let it go and feel confident your appetite will balance out throughout the week?

abatonfan

I like to look at my diet from a weekly perspective and have set my calorie goal to maintenance (1820 calories) and typically eat 250-500 calories under per day. At a bare minimum, I 100% should net more than 1200 calories on average for the week; if I know that I risk netting below 1200 for the week, I will increase my calories consumed until I meet 1200 (even if it means eating above my maintenance calories for the day). Netting 1300-1570 for the week is my goal. Unless I am purposefully eating at maintenance for that week, I avoid netting an average of 1820 calories or higher.

girlviernes

I consider it a limit because of an accountability challenge I'm doing. I do try to get close to it since a) I like to eat.

KharismaticKayteh

abatonfan wrote: »

I like to look at my diet from a weekly perspective and have set my calorie goal to maintenance (1820 calories) and typically eat 250-500 calories under per day. At a bare minimum, I 100% should net more than 1200 calories on average for the week; if I know that I risk netting below 1200 for the week, I will increase my calories consumed until I meet 1200 (even if it means eating above my maintenance calories for the day). Netting 1300-1570 for the week is my goal. Unless I am purposefully eating at maintenance for that week, I avoid netting an average of 1820 calories or higher.

If I'm understanding correctly (I'm sorry, I'm not terribly active within the community here and have a vague understanding of maintenance days and the like), your goal is somewhat broad - the bare minimum acceptable to you is the bare minimum the site recommends, so that you can get enough nutrition to function properly, and your extreme maximum is your maintenance (which is the maximum a person can consume without gaining weight, if I understand).

lemurcat12

I try to get close without going over. I figure there's always some margin of error, so don't really sweat it so long as I'm close on either side, but I dislike the red (on calories, not really on other stuff), it's true. When my calories were lower I added 50 calories and tried to be between the original goal and +50, however.

higgins8283801

I'm a weekly counter.

I add up what I eat, subtract my BMR and burns and divide it by 3500.

If it's a loss, I'm happy. This wee I am scheduled to have a loss of 0.2 even though I went over two days.
I don't really care what I do daily, as long as a I net a loss.

abatonfan

KharismaticKayteh wrote: »

abatonfan wrote: »

I like to look at my diet from a weekly perspective and have set my calorie goal to maintenance (1820 calories) and typically eat 250-500 calories under per day. At a bare minimum, I 100% should net more than 1200 calories on average for the week; if I know that I risk netting below 1200 for the week, I will increase my calories consumed until I meet 1200 (even if it means eating above my maintenance calories for the day). Netting 1300-1570 for the week is my goal. Unless I am purposefully eating at maintenance for that week, I avoid netting an average of 1820 calories or higher.

If I'm understanding correctly (I'm sorry, I'm not terribly active within the community here and have a vague understanding of maintenance days and the like), your goal is somewhat broad - the bare minimum acceptable to you is the bare minimum the site recommends, so that you can get enough nutrition to function properly, and your extreme maximum is your maintenance (which is the maximum a person can consume without gaining weight, if I understand).

Yup. I find tracking my calories that way allows for more variation in my diet and prevents me from having the "well, I screwed this day up -I might as well binge on everything" attitude on days where I go over my preferred calorie goal.

Christine_72

I try and stay 100ish under to make up for possible calorie counting errors

SingRunTing

I use "The Price is Right" method: get as close as you can without going over.

SingRunTing

Sorry, double post

BWBTrish

For me it is "around" that number. Hitting my macros is more important.
When i am hungry i eat more. And some days i eat less. Is not a minimum or maximum for me.

When my body asks/needs more nutrition i will get more nutrition, specially noticeable after some lifting.

Liftng4Lis

Close to is good for me.

DsAdvocate

KharismaticKayteh wrote: »

Do you ever happen to have a not-very-hungry day during which your calories would be *too* low? And if you do, do you force yourself to snack on something so you get a healthier amount of calories, or do you just let it go and feel confident your appetite will balance out throughout the week?

Yes. I don't force myself to eat but I might have something tasty that I don't normally have like ice cream or Crispers or alcohol. If I'm not hungry though I just don't eat and it either ends up balancing out or it doesn't. I don't really care, I'm fat enough that occasionally eating too few calories probably won't hurt (loss is set to 1lb/week). I've gained about 20lbs since I stopped logging last year and I'm trying to lose that and a bit more. I pay attention to my macros as I'm chronically way too low on protein.

Listen to your body and work with it. Also listen to what other people are doing. I'm back here for the second time and am by no means a nutritional expert...

KharismaticKayteh

I'm actually really happy to hear all this feedback. . Makes me feel like I should be a little less anal about my calories and eat a little more freely (while still maintaining control and keeping a limit, of course).

KharismaticKayteh

Uhhh. If you have a hard time guessing what my not-at-all offensive censored word was, I meant it as a synonym to "uptight", but instead the site seems to think I'm talking about what some might refer to as sodomy.

Christine_72

KharismaticKayteh wrote: »

Uhhh. If you have a hard time guessing what my not-at-all offensive censored word was, I meant it as a synonym to "uptight", but instead the site seems to think I'm talking about what some might refer to as sodomy.

lol I got it