How important is it to keep under certain goals?

TheRealKingTony

Hey there. So I've been doing this and I noticed something with my numbers.

My suggested base calorie goal is moderately high at 2,950... with my daily workout this usually goes up another 500-800.

I never get anywhere close to that number. Most days I end with 1000+ calories left til my goal. However my sodium number is super tough to keep under. I'm wondering how big of a deal it is to go slightly over?

There are times when I have plenty of calories left, I'm well under my fat/protein/carbs numbers, and I'm hungry... but I avoid eating because I'm afraid of my sodium number.

A second number of interest is my sugar number.... sometimes this gets up there because I eat a LOT of fruit. I hear a lot about natural sugar vs. processed sugar so what's the deal here? Usually only over by 5 at most on this one.

Ready2Rock206

If you're using MFP's #s think of protein and fiber as minimum numbers.

If you have a heath issue track sodium and sugar - otherwise don't really worry about it. Except just know if you have a high sodium day you may retain some water that will show on the scale. Whole foods will be a lot lower in sodium than processed foods.

TheRealKingTony

Thanks for the helpful info!

Swiftdogs

Fat is also a minimum. The calorie number is the only critical one to stay under to lose weight. You shouldn't be consistently under my too much to avoid losing muscle. But you're a big guy and have a lot to work with. (Could I borrow your extra calories for a day? )

TheRealKingTony

Seems I need to do more research into all of these numbers and what not! Thanks!

Haha on workout days I get enough for like 3 people!!