Confused

Suly09

This may be long. I have seen many people saying you can eat whatever as long as it is within your calories for the day. Ok, if I want a treat I will have it as long as it fits my macros BUT wouldn't this be bad because although were losing weight our body fat percentage could still be high? Also, if my calories are 1200 a day and I lose 10 pounds I know my calories will change but how much lower can they go? I do not think I could eat less than 1200 a day and feel full.

deannalfisher

what is your current weight and goal weight? unless you are extremely small or sedentary that is typically a fairly aggressive calorie deficit

you can eat what you want if it fits your calories, but you need to look at what satiates you - i plan fun stuff into my calories once a day but i eat 80% nutritious calories - sweet potatos, rice, barley, lean meats etc

janejellyroll

If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

stacimarie1015

As you get smaller your body uses less energy. You will not go under 1200, you'll just have a smaller deficit and lose a little slower.

Example: Lets assume at current stats you use 1900 cals per day. Eating 1200-1300, you lose a little over 1 pound per week on average. Maybe in 3 months time you body only uses 1700 cals per day because you have lost some weight. Then eating 1200-1300, you'd lose a little slower than 1 pound per week.

As to your first question: the content of the food you eat does not directly impact your fat % of your body. Eating at a deficit causes you to lose fat (and muscle). By eating decent levels of protein and doing strength training, you can help to maintain your muscle mass so that most of what you lose IS fat. The key to eating what you want is you also have to factor in how foods make you feel. I could eat 1200 cals of cake for breakfast but be hungry again in 3-4 hours. So I don't do that. Instead I have smaller amounts of sweet treats here & there, but not so much that it takes up the bulk of my calories.

quiksylver296

I'm not sure I understand. But...

Dietary fat does not equal body fat. Excess calories equals body fat.

JMcGee2018

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand. But...

Dietary fat does not equal body fat. Excess calories equals body fat.

Also, lack of exercise can lead to "skinny fat," AKA a high bf% on a person with a normal or low BMI. Have the candy bar if you want it and it fits into your calorie goal, but remember that deficits alone won't get you the toned, healthy body you want at the end of your journey, just a smaller one.

Suly09

I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125

Suly09

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.

quiksylver296

Suly09 wrote: »

I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125

Do you even lift?

janejellyroll

Suly09 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.

When MFP asked how many pounds you wanted to lose per week, which option did you select?

Suly09

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Suly09 wrote: »

I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125

Do you even lift?

What do you mean? Lol.

I used to and I did lose weight faster then but I haven't gotten back to it in over a year.

Suly09

janejellyroll wrote: »

Suly09 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.

When MFP asked how many pounds you wanted to lose per week, which option did you select?

I selected 2 but at the end it said if I ate 1200 calories a day I would lose in average .05 pounds a week. I guess I was too short and overweight for the goal that I was trying to reach so it gave me a more realistic .05 per week. So far it has been working.

deannalfisher

it just means that 2lbs a week is too aggressive for what you have to lose - 2lbs a week is a 7000cal deficit over the week, which for females would potentially mean going below 1200cal which is not recommended because of nutritional deficencies