Do you always aim for your recommended number of calories?

Grumbers

I'm probably very lucky compared to some. I'm currently on a setting of trying to lose 2lb per week. This allows me 2040 calories a day. I also exercise quite intensely 5 days a week, so on those days I usually have about 2700 calories to play with.

I can eat quite happily and fill nicely full up on around 2000-2200 calories, often leaving me a good 600-700 calories below my daily recommendation.

What do people recommend/have experienced?

I don't want to eat if I'm not hungry and I'm comfortably full. However I don't want my body to go in to some kind of shock mode by feeding myself to little.

Let's be honest at 2000-2100 calories a day, i'm not starving myself!

Thanks in advance for comments/thoughts.

Francl27

Wow that seems high for someone who only wants to lose 52 lbs. But yeah I wouldn't worry about it, maybe I'd exercise less though, it's pretty wasted if you're going to burn through muscles anyway because of a huge deficit..

Grumbers

You mean you think the Calories is too high?

I suppose as I'm 6ft 5 and 18st 5 currently, it will be higher than If I was 5ft 10...

anthonyflores982

My target is 1977...i rarely come close to that, however i do hit my protein targets and definitely am not hungry. as long as I hit my macro and micro nutrients I think I'll be fine.

WhisperAnne

I'm focused on maintaining weight, work out twice a week and MFP says I can eat 1750 calories a day. But that seems to high to me..so I aim for 1300-1400.


Lucky you for being so dedicated to working out and being able to eat so much!:bigsmile:

paleojoe

At your height, weight, age and training frequency (depending on how you train and if you really train 5 days per week), you would drop fat at 3000 calories per day.. IMO.

gringuitica

I'm no expert, but it seems your calorie goal may actually be low for your height. I think what Francl27 was trying to say is that such a significant calorie deficit – eating 600-700 calories under your daily goal (so, say 4,500 cals a week) + being at a 2 lb per week deficit (another 7,000 calories a week) – won't just burn fat; it'll cause muscle loss. Or rather, more muscle loss than is unavoidable during weight loss. So she was suggesting working out a little less so you don't burn quite so much, so you can eat less without losing so much muscle. I think.

That's an idea, but another one is to calculate your TDEE and eat at -20% (or -15%). TDEE already accounts for your exercise/activity level, so you eat to the same goal everyday (you don't eat back your exercise calories because they're already calculated into your goal; more at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) But even still, it looks like your TDEE -20% still gets you to at least 3,000 recommended calories a day...

... Which brings me to my next suggestion: eat calorie-dense foods. There are lots of goodies out there, like nut butters, avocados, cheese, bacon (don't drain the fat), ice cream. Because yes, it is important to meet your calorie goals, especially when you're already at a 7,000-calorie deficit. Food isn't just about feeling full; it's about fueling your body with what it needs to be strong and healthy. (Doubly so, as you're so active.) And if your TDEE really is around 3,800 calories a day, you're currently eating at an 1,800-calorie deficit, which will not be good for your long-term health.

Edited for bad math.

Grumbers

Cheers for the feedback and detailed explanation guys.

Seems I really do need to be hitting my daily targets as a minimum.

Whilst I do exercise 5 times a week at an average of 45 minutes per session and at medium to high intensity (soccer, spinning, medium distance runs), my daily job is desk based, so i'm really sedentary most of the time. Also the exercise I do is mostly CV work, with no real dedicate weight training at the moment. Obviously Spinning and Metafit do focus on core muscle, it's not the same as lifting.

I think a key point as mentioned above is "how" I get the calories up. Instinctively you think well I need to add another 500 calories, reach for the cake/chocolate. It's clearly going to be better for me if I aim for healthy high calorie foods. Very good point. Thanks.

A point you made grinuitica regards exercise/food.... Logically (or illogically more likely) I think I'll maintain muscle/general tone if I exercise more and make up the food deficit by eating. However it seems you're suggesting exercise less and eat less. I would have thought this would promote weight loss in a more "flabby" way, if that makes sense?

Thanks for the detailed comments all.

gringuitica

No, sorry if I was unclear. I definitely was not suggesting to exercise less and eat less. What I was suggesting is to maintain your exercise levels and eat more. Be sure to accurately calculate your protein and fat goals (see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets). Sufficient protein will help you retain as much muscle mass as possible.

If you go the TDEE route, don't choose sedentary. With what you've described, you're probably at the moderate activity level. Try that for a few weeks (not days or one week, but several weeks on end) and see how the weight loss goes. You can adjust your goals up or down, after you've maintained a healthy baseline for a month or so. Make sure you're meeting the protein & fat macros you calculated above.

If you go the MFP route, you can choose sedentary but do be sure to eat back most, if not all of your exercise calories. If you can afford it, get an HRM so you know how much you're actually burning; machines & the MFP calculator usually overestimate. Meet your protein and fat macros. Commit to eating all or almost all of your calorie goal for at least a month. After several weeks, you can adjust up or down.

The goal here is two-fold: the first, most important goal, is to make sure you're fueling your body with enough (calories) of the right fuels (% protein, % fat, % carbs). The second is to stick with one method for a few weeks, so you get a better picture of what works for you and get into a good routine. This is important because one week's tiny gain or plateau or massive loss does not a failure/success make. It's easy to reassess later, and eat more or less to lose slower or faster.

gringuitica

Also, there is nothing wrong with reaching for the cake or chocolate if you've met your macro goals and are under your daily calories. In fact, that sounds just about right. Bon appétit! :drinker:

Grumbers

Great! Thanks for your very detailed and concise comments.

For now, I'm aiming to stick with the MFP figures, ensure I'm hitting it or as close as and see how that goes. I've only been at this 2 weeks seriously but already dropped almost 7lb which I fully accept is too much. I'm not one of these people who thinks the more I drop (quickly) the better.

On your suggestion, I've just had 3 chocolates! Hoorah!

gringuitica

Haha, excellent! Enjoy that chocolate.

Grumbers

and a mince pie..... #Christmas!