Not hitting target calories

acorsaut89

Thank you for the responses. I should have expanded on my post a little bit better- I don't feel that I am binge eating because I am somewhat hungry. I am just not necessary making the right food choices because I have the calories available. For example- instead of having some string cheese I chose to have a serving of some pumpkin candy things we had in the house because I had the calories available. I will continue on trying to stick with the limit I have set for myself and if there are extras at the end of the day i will only eat if I am hungry.

Have you ever considered having your BMR and TDEE done? I am not sure if this is available in your area, but you can have it done - here it's something called a Bod Pod but basically it will give you a read out on your true body fat and BMR which will give you a truer idea of what you should be consuming because every body is different and MFP may or may not have your exact needs down.

Just an idea . . .

_Terrapin_

Honestly this has been of no help whatsoever. Everyone is contradicting the others comments.

Well the thread was from October of '13. Think the OP is still waiting for responses?

Llamapants86

Honestly this has been of no help whatsoever. Everyone is contradicting the others comments.

Yeah there are a lot of different things floating around on what will get you to drop fat. I think part of the problem is people don't realise that what works for them might not work for others. Personal preferences (ei. Eating lots of little meals) get mixed up with what is actually required (calorie deficit).
It doesn't help when you get a zealot in a thread.

My advice is to look at tickers, and find something that allows you to get you deficit, feel good and not hungry. There are a lot of ways to do that, you just got to find one that works for you.

martinel2099

OP, it's ok in my opinion not to hit your calorie goal perfectly if you're only off by a 100 or 200 calories. However remember that fitness pal is already setting you at a deficit so you are allowed to eat those calories alotted to you. Here's an idea, consider taking the 100 or 200 saved per day and have a nice night out at the end of the week where you can drink wine, have a beer, maybe have a few fried wings or an ice cream and etc. If you saved 200 calories monday through friday that's 1,000 calories.

The best diet that exists out there is the one where you count calories and eat like a normal person the rest of your life.

SLLRunner

Honestly this has been of no help whatsoever. Everyone is contradicting the others comments.

Welcome. It's not much help, is it, with all the different opinions?

Llamapants said it best- look at people who've lost a lot of weight and then, if their diaries are open, look at them. People will have different calories goals depending on their activity level.It is important to come as close as you can to those target goals, but its' okay if you don't hit them every single day.

Weight loss is about calories in/calories out because your body does not distinguish which ones help/don't help you lose weight. However, the type of food you eat is about energy, satiation, and fueling your body so that you can continue with your activity level. If your body is well fueled with foods that meet your macros, or come darned close to it, you will probably be able to keep your activity level up.

While no food is good or bad, and weight loss is calories in/out, food choices are important. For example, if I have a choice between equal calories in oreos or steel cut oats for breakfast, each of those choices will give me a different energy result. With the oreos, by mid morning I will be starving with low energy. . However, with the oatmeal, I will stay full for quite awhile and I feel pretty well fueled.

I do think it's pretty darned important to make an effort to eat enough and to come as close as you can to your target calories.