should I eat to all calories given to me by MFP?

Rita7Denise

I have been filling out my food journal and a couple of times, I have been under the total calorie amount given to me by MFP. Should I eat up that last 130 calories or is it ok if I don't? I am trying not to eat after supper and I am satisfied by what I eat at supper. If I grab another snack later, I will be doomed. that seems to set off my "want snacks appetite'

malibu927

Yes and no. You may not want to eat them today, but you can follow your weekly calories and may want to have extra on another day. Just make sure you aren't seriously undereating (under 1200 calories) on a regular basis.

abarbanelfried

So we're supposed to eat the calories, i.e. end with a zero balance at the end of the day?

grandmama1945

That is hard to do but don't try to find something to eat for that 25 calories you have left. Tomorrow you may go over a little.

janejellyroll

abarbanelfried wrote: »

So we're supposed to eat the calories, i.e. end with a zero balance at the end of the day?

That's how the system is designed. Going a bit over or under within an individual day is no big deal, but over time you want to ensure you're within range of your goal.

TavistockToad

look at your weekly goal, not daily.

you can be under a couple of days and over a couple as long as you hit your goal overall.

VUA21

The base calories, yes. As far as exercise calories, MFP is notorious for overestimating calories burned so most people eat back 50-75% of them.

paperpudding

abarbanelfried wrote: »

So we're supposed to eat the calories, i.e. end with a zero balance at the end of the day?

I dont think anyone expects to have exactly zero balance at end of day -and as others have said a weekly total allows for some over and some under days - but on average you should have closeish to target each day.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Normally, it's okay to be a little under or a little over. That said, if your calorie allowance is already low (read 1200 calories) and you are routinely going under that amount, you should make an effort to eat enough calories during the day. The more calories that you can eat and still lose weight means the more calories you'll get once you hit maintenance.