Calorie count

lisahendon1

This might sound a little elementary, but if you have an excess one day and go over a bit the next will it balance out???

rileysowner

Short answer, Yes. There are people who go by a weekly calorie goal and spread it out differently each day.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

rileysowner wrote: »

Short answer, Yes. There are people who go by a weekly calorie goal and spread it out differently each day.

^^^ This. I go by my weekly rather than daily calorie goal because it gives me more flexibility from day-to-day. And I think it helps keep me from getting hung up on "having" to hit a specific number each day.

sndrd49

You have to be flexible to maintain this long term I think, but the body probably appreciates some consistency.

lisahendon1

Thank you so much for responding. I'm new to this, but I really like it a lot. It's amazing how much you eat in a day when you write it all down. It's no wonder I put on 15 lbs since August.

annabelle668

I'm usually under on calories 200-300 but by dinner I easily go over in protein and sugar.. What can I eat?! I would love some chicken,salad,avocado but that will take me way over..ideas??

rileysowner

annabelle668 wrote: »

I'm usually under on calories 200-300 but by dinner I easily go over in protein and sugar.. What can I eat?! I would love some chicken,salad,avocado but that will take me way over..ideas??

Just worry about the calories. Protein is not a bad thing to go over on, and frankly, unless you have a medical condition that requires you to worry about sugar don't worry about it. Tracking fiber would be more useful as most people don't eat enough fiber.

annabelle668

Ok, Thanks! I'm healthy just want to figure out the Science of weight loss!

rileysowner

annabelle668 wrote: »

Ok, Thanks! I'm healthy just want to figure out the Science of weight loss!

If you want more on the science of weight loss, check out The Lean Muscle Diet by Alan Aragon.

When in comes down to it, Calorie balance is the most important thing for fat loss. Macro breakdown (Carbs, Protein, Fat) doesn't directly affect fat loss, but it can help in both long term compliance to calorie goals and in performance goals especially in terms of what type of training goals.

If you are eating mostly nutritious foods, meeting your calorie goal, and getting close on macros that help you feel full and satisfied while giving you the energy to do what you want to, things should be good. It is when people have health issues that things get a little more complicated.

jaynee7283

I used to worry about daily numbers, and always FAILED because I'd go over a couple days in a row and feel depressed and end up quitting.

This time around I now look strictly at WEEKLY numbers. I know that 3500 calories equals a pound, so if I want to lose a pound a week, I need to get rid of 3500 calories for the week either through calories or calorie burn. I try to burn 500-800 calories per workout 3-4x/week, so that if I go over my daily count on food for any reason one day, I should be okay for the week. MFP has me at 1700 calories before any workouts, so even if I end up eating 2300 calories (as I did yesterday since I attended a corporate luncheon), I don't feel bad because I had had an 700-calorie workout the night before. And so far, for the last seven days, I'm at a 2000 calorie deficit thus far and still have my two biggest workouts today and tomorrow to come.

I started January 3 and have lost 10.5 pounds thus far with this new way of looking at it - and that includes quite a days where I ate more than the 1700 calories allotted.

This new outlook on how do lose weight is much healthier for me - I still eat chips and cookies and candy and all that other stuff, but I no longer feel guilty because I'm looking at it for the WEEK and as long as I'm showing a deficit, I know I'm doing okay.

FantasticRunning

Yes, I know a lot of members that have a weekly goal vs a daily goal. Also sometimes when you eat a lot one day the next you aren't very hungry.