Under daily calorie required

sk_letsdothis

I was under my daily calorie required twice already and it hasn't even been a week. The problem is the last time I was under my daily calorie I just ate something, just to eat over the calorie required and I wasn't even hungry and it made me sick to my stomach. I know it's not good to go under what's required for your body to survive, but I don't want to force myself to eat. what to do what to do?!?!?!

meowmetta

You need to eat otherwise the weight won't go away.

ymamyma

For me, I have noticed that the days I am significantly under (more than 500) under my calorie goal, the next day is high. Not necessarily over, but right at goal. Then the next, back down, creating a roller coaster effect that my metabolism cannot appreciate. I advocate eating your calories.

Please keep in mind that while I say this, I was about 500 under today. Had I gone to sleep when I usually do, I wouldn't have felt hungry!! That's what I get for staying up until midnight.

Kimbreli

I am having a hard time with this too. Today is the closest I've been and I was still 350 under. I tried to eat a larger meal than usual at lunch, but I got too full. I think the answer (for me at least) might be some more frequent healthy snacking during the day. You aren't alone Hang in there.

bettejeanb

Actyually you need to choose healthy alternatives for your food choices. Going under your calorie limit will probably leave you feeling hungry and craving. You won't last long this way on your diet. If you want great support try transformation.com. They are very supportive and deal with the underlying problems of weight. I also use this my fitness pal to track diet and exercise. But with transformation the support is awesome. Don't take my word for it. Try it.!!!!

mamagooskie

If you have this problem repeatedly I'd try adding more full fat products to your meals so that you arent' necessarily eating more but at least meeting your minimum requirements. Use 2% milk not skim, add some butter to your toast or something else throughout the day, have a handful of nuts as a snack or a glass of juice with lunch etc etc.

That should help up your calories without making you eat more.

momhome3

Ok, I am so glad you brought this up. I am not sure why I can't 'GET-THIS'.
Let's say our goal calorie is 1200 a day.
If you go under that...like 50 to 100 to go and your day is done....
this is not good: right?
Hymmm....
Alright also, when we put exercise in this---of course the goal rises and still we don't meet the calorie goal.
So; we can't really loose weight that way then? Right?
But, isn't it what we put in our bod's? Protiens, carb's, etc...?
Please---teach me! :bigsmile:

beccabeccac

I was reading another post that talked about this a little bit. I've also had a few days where I've been under in my calories for the day, and I've either been bad and eaten a candy bar to hit that #, or I've just drank a glass of water and gone to bed. One thing that I think contributes to the confusion is how the exercise calories factor in. Yes, if you're working out hard you should really try to eat some nutritious snacks throughout the day to replenish your body and balance out the calories you're burning. If, however, most of your exercise calories are from a daily activity that's hard to quantify (for example a job where you're on your feet a lot, but not working up a sweat) some people suggested only consuming about half of those bonus calories.

The best advice I can give is at the end of the day, if you have calories left over, think about how you feel. If you truly feel hungry, then go ahead and have a (healthy) snack. If however you feel satiated, then I wouldn't worry about it.

shipleyak

Ok, I am so glad you brought this up. I am not sure why I can't 'GET-THIS'.
Let's say our goal calorie is 1200 a day.
If you go under that...like 50 to 100 to go and your day is done....
this is not good: right?
Hymmm....
Alright also, when we put exercise in this---of course the goal rises and still we don't meet the calorie goal.
So; we can't really loose weight that way then? Right?
But, isn't it what we put in our bod's? Protiens, carb's, etc...?
Please---teach me! :bigsmile:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

That thread discusses why we need to eat those calories. Basically, MFP already calculates the calories to a deficit to loose weight. When we exercise we need to consume more calories to maintain that same deficit.

recipe4success

well it depends. i have my calories set so that if i eat what MFP tells me (1850/day) i should lose 1 lb/week. So if i eat under, like i did today, i might lose a bit more than 1 lb/week. If you have it set to lose 2 lbs/week and you are still eating under...that is slightly more of a problem.

However, it is actually ideal for your metabolism to vary you calorie intake from day to day so it doesn't get used to one calorie amount. Having one day be lower and others higher is very good (assuming you don't decrease to dangerous levels).

mommafancy

Our bodies like balance. If you are always trying to eat the same amount of calories, the body gets used to it and it does not respond. I have been consistently losing 2lbs a week for 18 weeks.... I purposely roller coaster my calorie intake, to shock or confuse my body. It never knows what I am going to do, and therefore keeps the metabolism ramped up.

There have been days that I have worked out lightly and ate as much as 500 calories too much, and days that I work out hard, burn around 800 calories, yet am below my calorie intake by 500 or more.

The easiest way (for me) to do it is this:
Resting metabolism = 1570 (for me) <--- that is my calorie intake goal per day
I can burn anywhere from 450 to 900 calories in one workout (that is my bonus - I do not add it to my calorie intake goal for the day) I let that be my deficit. I also know that if I go over my allotted 1570 calories, I have a little room from my workout, so I don't worry about it too much.
On my rest days (no workouts), I splurge a little and have more than my 1570 calories.
Some days (once or twice a week but not close together), even on workout days, I will do a little intermittent fast (skip one meal), the body likes that (for weight loss purposes).

**The less carbs you put into your body, the more the body will use FAT for fuel/energy**
Veggies (get a lot), protein (.7 to 1 gram per lean body mass), fat (a little goes a long way), carbs - from fruit (less than 100 grams a day). More than 100 grams of carbs per day and you are just getting energy, along with a massive blood sugar spike, from them instead of using your own body fat for energy/fuel. Any excess in blood sugar from the carbs that your insulin producers cannot handle WILL BE stored as fat for you.

Here is my personal breakdown-
1570 calories a day =
330 calories from protein (meat, nuts, some veggies, some dairy)
300 calories from carbs (some veggies, some fruit)
940 fat (saturated fats/oils, animal fat like butter and skin)

I am losing 2lbs per week this way, while the natural energy is consistently high and I have been feeling great and sleeping very well also.

I am sure someone out there would argue against how I am doing it, but this is what works for me and it IS a healthy way.

vickiele1

Becca, I appreciate your post. I think all of us know the answer to this question. We all know when we are "hungry" "bored", etc. We need to just listen to our bodies tell us what we "need" versus "want." I know that even though I am below my "caloric goal" I am okay if at the end of the day I am not feeling the craving/hunger that I sometimes feel. I can sort it out in my own head if I am bored, thus wanting to eat, versus hungry and needing to eat. I am not too worried about the "imbalance" when I don't meet my goal, and dieting/losing weight will occur as long as I continue to eat healthy and exercise as well as get adequate rest.

vickiele1

Mommafancy, your post makes sense to me - it is pretty much what I have been doing also, only my calorie goal is less than yours. I do what seems to make sense. I know my normal food intake, I have increased my exercise routine (and keep pushing myself to do more), and so I stay within the ranges that I have set for myself. It is working for me too. I started this on June 25th and have lost 19 lbs. I'd say that is successful. The exercise is the key difference for me - making myself do the walking every morning and night and then doing the extra stuff I do on the weekends (the endless remodeling of a 100 year old house) is the bonus.

clmaiers

Today is my first day on this site. I already posted my breakfast. So, I have learned that I need to wait until the end of the day. I also know that my progress will be slow in the beginning I'm sure. I broke my foot 2 weeks ago. It is slowly healing and feeling better every day. I'm looking forward to walking normally again!