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meeting calories

sassymc86
sassymc86 Posts: 91 Member
edited February 10 in Health and Weight Loss
Surprising myself I haven't always met my cals. Does that matter or do I have to have them all.

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    What is your calorie goal? Do you log exercise and eat those calories back.

    It doesn't matter if you meet your calorie goal every single day. But, depending on how low it is, not meeting it on a regular basis could cause problems over time.
  • callyart
    callyart Posts: 209
    I would say if you're on 1200 then you should be meeting your goal. I am doing this and I know it will cause problems if I don't eat that minimum of 1200 a day.
  • sassymc86
    sassymc86 Posts: 91 Member
    I'm having just over 1300 a day my goal is1390 so not too low, before exercise but I haven't been eating back the cals.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'm having just over 1300 a day my goal is1390 so not too low, before exercise but I haven't been eating back the cals.

    Eating under that on a regular basis could cause your body to slow your metabolism. When you habitually eat under your BMR/RMR (the number of calories your body needs for basic functions like breathing, pumping blood, etc) your body will begin to slow what processes it can, which means you will burn fewer calories at rest. Eventually, you will have to eat even less to lose.

    Just follow the MFP plan and eat more when you exercise. Don't be in a rush.
  • sassymc86
    sassymc86 Posts: 91 Member
    all been quite accidental! Thanks I will try a bit harder.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    1390 is much too low...if you're 204 lbs right now, your BMR is much higher than 1390. Using http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ as a reference, I don't know how tall you are, but if you were say about 5'4", your BMR would be 1837. That's what your body would need to keep your organs going, so you would need to NET that amount every day -- which means that if you reset your diary goal to 1837 calories and then exercised, you would absolutely need to eat those exercise calories back.

    As you lose weight, your BMR will go down and you can recalculate and eat less as you go...but you really shouldn't be starving yourself to lose weight. If you deprive your body of the nourishment it needs, you'll likely experience some serious health issues along the way...

    I know it seems scary to eat more to lose, and you may see a bit of a gain when you start eating more again, but it'll drop back off before you know it and it'll all be worth it. :)
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