How do people not eat all of their allotted calories?

soccerkon26

Of course eating the amount of calories provided to me by MFP is fine because that number is calculated for me to lose when eating at that calorie number. So I know that what I'm doing is still fine.

The thing that bothers me, is that I always eat back ALL of my exercise calories; and if I don't exercise, I eat all of the calories originally allotted to me.

It's frustrating because I feel that I simply eat because I can. But I feel that often times I'm eating hundreds of calories of chocolate when I should cut it in half so I have a bigger deficit to spend on the weekend. I'd like to have a weekly deficit instead of doing what I usually do...eat right at my calorie goal for most of the week and then go over one or two days during the week.

Have you ever had this problem? Any tips are appreciated

Whitezombiegirl

I'm not sure how much help I can be as I have a small appetite and always have since I was a child. But this is what I do- I eat slowly - annoyingly slowly - I usually put the plate down between bites (this is a natural thing for me- again since childhood)- so I tend to recognise when I'm full. I don't always clear my plate (even if it's logged). I know my appetite zig-zags though the week so I save the logged left overs for another day when I 'm hungrier (the cals alway work out over the week). For example - last night after dinner I was hungry again so I ate a small bowl of left over roasted veg with a small amount of feta cheese, which just hit the spot.

I eat chcocolate every day though- I always make room for that!

TavistockToad

soccerkon26 wrote: »

Of course eating the amount of calories provided to me by MFP is fine because that number is calculated for me to lose when eating at that calorie number. So I know that what I'm doing is still fine.

The thing that bothers me, is that I always eat back ALL of my exercise calories; and if I don't exercise, I eat all of the calories originally allotted to me.

It's frustrating because I feel that I simply eat because I can. But I feel that often times I'm eating hundreds of calories of chocolate when I should cut it in half so I have a bigger deficit to spend on the weekend. I'd like to have a weekly deficit instead of doing what I usually do...eat right at my calorie goal for most of the week and then go over one or two days during the week.

Have you ever had this problem? Any tips are appreciated

all you can do is try and exercise some will power through the week... its what i do, aim to 'save' 100-200 cals monday to thursday knowing that i can then enjoy pretty mcuh whatever i like at the weekend.

Unknown

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GrantNoodle

i have a huge appetite myself and can understand how you feel, although for me you just have to exercise extreme will power which is not easy all the time. also replace the chocolate with some lush whole foods so they leave you fuller for longer as chocolate is empty calories.

999tigger

Lots of people use TDEE if they wnat to eat the same calories every day, whilst others use net weekly calories so they can adjust as they go along to eat ore days than others. They are all just estimates. The biggest challenge is making sure your calorie counts are accurate so you have a better chance of having an acurate deficit.

Susieq_1994

Reduce your calorie goal slightly (by 100 calories or so) during the week, and bring it back up on the weekend? I have the same mindset, usually! Whether I'm hungry or not, I eat all the way up to the number I see in my diary. The best way for me to get around that is to lower that number temporarily! You can lower it by 100 if you set your goal manually using the "custom" option.

All the best! I do feel for you. I am trying very hard to get out of that mindset myself and I've had some success, but the above helped me in the meantime!

sygirl101

I also eat my full limit, because I see the number on the screen.

I wish I could "bank" calories in MFP sometimes. Say, "Today I'll have a 600 calorie deficit, instead of 500" and use them on Fridays or something with less guilt. If I could track that, it would be helpful.

jenniferjohnsonament

I read somewhere that if you can outlast a craving for 5 minutes..you can outlast the craving. I too have a MAJOR sweet tooth. I like salty too, but if I'm cutting back or maintaining..I can VERY easily say no to chips/pretzels. I can't always say the same for cookies and chocolate

I also have a habit I think from growing up of eating sweets after lunch AND dinner. As a adult trying to maintain a healthier lifetstyle I try to limit that to just dinner. Often I have to just outlast my craving for chocolate at lunch by keeping busy/drinking water/etc.

Unfortunately this may never be something that come completely natural to you..you'll have to work at it!

lemonlionheart

If I want to save exercise calories for Friday night, I'll log the workout for Friday rather than today.

kindrabbit

Sounds to me like you are looking for a way to eat fewer exercise calories whilst still feeling like you are eating as much as you are 'allowed'.

What I do is go in manually and edit my exercise calories by reducing them by half. that way I can eat right up to my limit but still know I'm in a good deficit. It's no different to just leaving half your exercise calories outstanding but I like to find ways to trick myself!

syedumairtelecom

I eat a lot of cal like snacks shakes choco but idk where does all my cl goes i have started lifting daily from 2 may be it will change a little i need to gain some any advice msg me .

TavistockToad

syedumairtelecom wrote: »

I eat a lot of cal like snacks shakes choco but idk where does all my cl goes i have started lifting daily from 2 may be it will change a little i need to gain some any advice msg me .

the what now?! :huh:

cincysweetheart

Eating just because I can is what got me in this mess. Seriously. I've never been a binger or an emotional eater. And being hungry never mattered. I just ate because I liked food and it was there. I ate because I could.

I heard somewhere that your appetite exists to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition your body needs. If you are eating food that is basically "empty calories," your appetite increases in hopes that by putting in all those extra calories it will somehow get the nutrients it needs. If you feed your body healthy, nutrient dense foods the appetite gradually decreases as your body is getting what it needs with less food. I don't know if there is any actual science to that… but it makes sense to me and it seems to have worked that way for me. As I gradually started adding healthier foods to my diet… My appetite has lessened. I feel satisfied with less food. Combine this with making sure I get enough water… what happens is that those times when I "lose control" and start eating "just because I can" I get so full that I'm miserable. I feel sick. And I don't like feeling that way. And I learn a little bit each time to judge how my body feels so I can stop before it ever gets to that point.

At this point… I am only eating back a very small portion of my exercise calories maybe 1 or 2 days a week, not out of fear that I'll gain weight… and not out of deliberate deprivation so I can have a larger deficit. But because that's where I feel comfortable and satisfied. Although I don't do it for that… It "buys" me that larger deficit… so I am able to enjoy vacations and other events and I don't feel the least bit of guilt if I want to have a brownie and ice cream on Sunday nights with my family. And it hasn't stalled my weight loss in the least.

SezxyStef

I often look at my daily and weekly totals not just daily. I sometimes am under on a day and maybe over on another day but I know for the week I am on target...but what I am wondering is this how many calories are you eating in a day with exercise and without.

Why are you eating all the chocolate if you know you really don't want it? I eat chocolate every night...I weigh out a serving and through the evening I nibble at it (they are small pieces) and if they aren't gone by bed time oh well they stay in the bowl for tomorrow as it is logged anyway.

As for your weekends you could be blowing your deficit in two days so you do need to get a handle on that.

crazyjerseygirl

I just eat filling stuff. Fruit, salads, meat.
I have to practically cut sweets (I'll eat them on a special occasion) or else I binge and am still hungry.

Also, the first three days sucked hard. Day 4 was easier and within a week I wasn't even hungry.

Oh, I also pre plan most days (I tend to eat similar breakfasts and lunches during the workweek) when I am making breakfast. Just go through the fridge and pantry and plan dinner that night. Helps me see how many extra kcal I have if I feel like splurging!

hhnkhl

I am not sure. I always had a strong will and motivation with whatever I do...so this was not much an issue. I hang out with friends on weekends and weekdays all the time. Never once did I feel the urge to just eat...I stuck with my route..

AaronHardie1

Heres what I do. I don't even look at my calorie goal or my calories in my foods. I just try to eat healthily and sensibly with lots of water instead of any juices and jot it down on paper, although you could use your phone i suppose . At the very end of the day as part of my routine after I've brushed my teeth I sit down and do my food and exercise log and almost all of the time I'm under. By this point in the night even if I wanted something I either cant be bothered eating it or when i do it tastes horrible because I've just brushed my teeth. I then go to bed thus not giving me a chance to eat up that deficit.

Capt_Apollo

i have found that when i cut out a lot of snack foods, and started replacing them with "better" foods like fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods, i started to be able to eat more, i.e. instead of one chocolate bar, i could have like, 2-3 pieces of fruit.

Liftng4Lis

Try more protein and fats, as they keep you sated longer. Additionally, try to increase your workouts to earn more calories on the weekends.

Francl27

I keep a bigger deficit than I should to account for the times when I end up eating too much (PMS, events etc). I do the TDEE method though, so I don't eat back exercise calories. But I eat all my calories and definitely have some ice cream or chocolate if I have extra (unless I don't really want it but let's face it, that never happens).

I think the reason most people don't eat back all the exercise calories is that MFP overestimate calorie burns, so if you eat all the calories, you could end up wiping your deficit.

Laurafoxx81

Well for a few days I've been eating about 700 cal...eating healthy food (fish, fruit veg etc ) and going the gym.. will this work? I don't need to really loose weight just have baby fat & need to tone up....

shannonmaines

I used to be the same way...always eating all of my calories and it was frustrating. I recently realized I wasn't eating enough protein. I just started eating more and supplementing with shakes and not only feel full much longer and not needing to eat all of my calories but I've also been shedding weight much more quickly.

4legsRbetterthan2

I am guessing this is more of a mental thing than an "I'm hungry thing". I know for me I have a hard time leaving extra calories that day. I want to eat them even if I don't really need to.

If that is the case for you then set your goal a little lower (you can set it manually in the goals section) so you create more of a deficit durring the week. Then on the weekend you can add in extra calories to spend on whatever you weekend extra calorie needs are.

So for example, cut your daily goal by 100 calories. That would save you 500 calories M-F. On saturday you want to go out with friends for dinner and want to use the calories then. You can either mentally know you have and extra 600 (M-F calories and Sats as well), or if you want to see all the numbers working out right in MFP create a personal exercise entry called "saved up calories" and put it in your cardio diary for saturday. Don't forget your goal is 100 lower on sunday still too.

CrabNebula

I had this problem at first, but then figured it would always be best to err on the side of being a good deal under than think I had extra calories available that I didn't. Now it is sort of a problem in maintenance to get myself out of the mindset, particularly when I am trying to build muscle and it is no longer tragic if I overeat within reason.

PeachyPlum

Laurafoxx81 wrote: »

Well for a few days I've been eating about 700 cal...eating healthy food (fish, fruit veg etc ) and going the gym.. will this work? I don't need to really loose weight just have baby fat & need to tone up....

No. This is against MFP guidelines and is extremely unhealthy.

It will work to put you in the hospital, though.

SallyinIL

lemonlionheart wrote: »

If I want to save exercise calories for Friday night, I'll log the workout for Friday rather than today.

Okay, that's just brilliant.

SezxyStef

PeachyPlum wrote: »

Laurafoxx81 wrote: »

Well for a few days I've been eating about 700 cal...eating healthy food (fish, fruit veg etc ) and going the gym.. will this work? I don't need to really loose weight just have baby fat & need to tone up....

No. This is against MFP guidelines and is extremely unhealthy.

It will work to put you in the hospital, though.

x2 and you will find your hair falling out and your nails getting brittle and breaking.

Camo_xxx

How do people not eat all of their allotted calories?

simple, I make my own decisions, MFP doesn't make them for me.

Use MFP as a tool not an excuse

BABetter1

TavistockToad wrote: »

syedumairtelecom wrote: »

I eat a lot of cal like snacks shakes choco but idk where does all my cl goes i have started lifting daily from 2 may be it will change a little i need to gain some any advice msg me .

the what now?! :huh:

LOL, punctuation is your friend.

tinascar2015

I eat filling foods, too. I could fit some of that lemon meringue pie that's in the fridge into today's diary, but I won't. It isn't filling, and very sugary foods make me sleepy. Pie also doesn't provide the level of nutrition that my normal 300-calorie breakfast does. There are days when I am under by 100-200 calories, even some days without exercise. I've become accustomed to eating when I really feel like it, and some days, I just don't. This is a thing I've been wanting for a long long time. My compulsions to eat have almost completely disappeared.