Going over daily calories..

masona52

Hi all, I have been counting calories for about a month now. Some days I am completely satisfied with my calorie intake. But other days I seem completely ravenous! I am mindful of my protein intake (macros), but again, some days I am an endless pit.

My question is, for those of you that relate: Do you eat over your allowed calories and listen to your body? Or try and resist?

Lietchi

If I could trust my body to give me correct signals, I wouldn't have become obese 😉

That being said, I do vary my intake sometimes, if I'm particularly hungry, but keeping my average intake on track.

You have a margin within your calorie deficit. If you chose 1lb of weight loss per week, you have 500 calories of margin between your chosen weight loss rate and maintenance. A weight loss rate of 0.5lbs per week is 250 calories of margin, etc. So you can still go over your calorie goal and be in a calorie deficit, if you feel you need to eat more on certain days.

Hunger is very personal and very variable: it can be influenced by stress, sleep, hormones, protein intake, fiber intake, exercise (type, duration and/or intensity)... With time, you can determine if there is a certain logic to your hungry days and adopt a strategy.

making_tracks

"If I could trust my body to give me correct signals, I wouldn't have become obese".... I really resonate with this statement.

I have noticed for me that higher intensity / long endurance activities can reduce my appetite immediately afterwards but that my appetite returns with vengeance the next day. The following day, nothing I eat could make me feel full. If my body felt uncomfortable from the effort of the previous day, it could spill me into a mega carb binge.

I took some sport nutrition advice and was told that it would be better to eat differently two days before an event - not quite carb loading but definitely increase my carbohydrate over my protein intake, edging towards the top end of my calorie range. Then following the event, balance my carbs and protein (within my calorie range). Then the day after the event, to have one or two more days with a higher carb v protein intake (within my calorie range). Then, I return back to my normal higher protein (2g per kilo body weight).

This advice has worked for me so far. I have 10 lbs to go to reach goal and it is getting tough now. My physical activities include endurance road cycling - 100 mile plus events.

88olds

Where do you have your calories set? How much do you exercise? How is your plan going overall? Is your weight trending down?

Frankly, a month won’t tell you much. But everyone has to start somewhere. If you’ve started out like most people you’ve set up an aggressive plan, Losing a significant amount has two parts- eating in a calorie deficit and living with it. Folks tend to go all in on the deficit and try to beat themselves into living with it. Generally doesn’t work.

Look at your numbers back to day #1 and see how many calories you average per day. Consider setting that as your target. Try to avoid drawing red lines that you are just going to cross. It erodes confidence. The best plan is one we will actually follow so long as it results in consistent losses. Try to get any ideas about how long it will take you to get to goal out of your head. The calendar is not a weight loss tool. In the end the only thing that is important is making your goal. Good luck.