Why is it important to eat all your cals?

24Susanm

Please can somebody tell me why i need to eat all my cals, I have 1520 cals to play with but this is more than i have ever eaten and am worried, that i will put weight on. I want to loose 15lbs. I would welcome any advice. Thank you.

jim180155

I tried pulling up your diary to see what you're eating and why you might be having so much trouble hitting 1520 calories, but your diary is locked. And then the obvious hit me -- you're two feet tall.

JesterMFP

Please can somebody tell me why i need to eat all my cals, I have 1520 cals to play with but this is more than i have ever eaten and am worried, that i will put weight on. I want to loose 15lbs. I would welcome any advice. Thank you.

If that is more than you have ever eaten, and you have got to the position where you have 15 lbs to lose, then I would be very concerned and it might be worth a visit to the doctor to see what might be underlying that.

chargraves

Please understand that my question comes from a place of pure curiosity with no malice intended. But if you were eating less than 1520 before how did you become overweight? What is your current height and weight and were you actually measuring and logging your food in the past to know that you were eating under 1520 calories and gaining weight? The short answer to your question is that yes you should try eating at the level MFP has set for you. Most people lose at a deficit unless they have an underlying health issues.

24Susanm

You have me,,, i am a Hobbit. no i dont have a problem eating the cals i am worried that i will put weight on if i eat over 1530 cals. i still have it in my head that you need to eat less to loose, I really dont need any help in putting weight on. I have that nailed, Its taking it off i have the problem with.

GeapetCore

I agree with Jester - if you did not eat that many calories before and put weight on, something could be wrong.

But one thing I have learned over the past 46 years on this planet, with nearly all of them being overweight, is that I used to eat more than I thought I did. I would somehow "forget" snacks and only track the meals, or forget to track that my meal had a sauce or was fried. I would recommend that somebody close to you - friend or family member track along with you on what you are eating to see if you are making any mistakes. Have you historically measured and weighed everything? I'm very sad to see how little cheese I get for a service and that is surely not what I was eating in the past as a serving.

But first step might be a doc visit.

Good luck!

zeal26

Please understand that my question comes from a place of pure curiosity with no malice intended. But if you were eating less than 1520 before how did you become overweight? What is your current height and weight and were you actually measuring and logging your food in the past to know that you were eating under 1520 calories and gaining weight? The short answer to your question is that yes you should try eating at the level MFP has set for you. Most people lose at a deficit unless they have an underlying health issues.

All of this. Did you just mean that you have never eaten this much during past attempts at losing weight?

90to20

You don't need to eat 8000 cals to be overweight. I gained more weight when I started eating less than 1000 cals a day than when I was eating 1600 cals a day. It's important to eat most of your food cals (before net) so that you are not starving yourself, and it does not cause you to gain weight later when you do eat more cals. Also, you might already have, or might develop an eating disorder. Maybe try talking to your doctor about what's best for you, or do some research on your own based on your height, age, gendre, weight, etc.

Don't listen to the people who are questioning how much you ate and how much you want to lose...they don't understand where you're coming from.

Good luck!

midwestspitfire

This, for one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1092172-living-with-obesity-at-700-calories-per-day?hl=700+calories

90to20

This, for one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1092172-living-with-obesity-at-700-calories-per-day?hl=700+calories

A+

chargraves

You have me,,, i am a Hobbit. no i dont have a problem eating the cals i am worried that i will put weight on if i eat over 1530 cals. i still have it in my head that you need to eat less to loose, I really dont need any help in putting weight on. I have that nailed, Its taking it off i have the problem with.

If it helps I am in my 50s also. 5'5", 198 lbs and MFP has me set at 1640 calories for a 1 lb per week loss. I am actually losing between 1.5 -3.5 a week and plan to manually set my daily calorie target higher since I am losing too fast for my own comfort level.

Boogage

Your body needs a certain amount of calories to run properly. If you don't eat enough then your body will feel starved and hang onto every calorie you consume. If you don't eat enough for a while you will get grouchy because you're tired and bad things will start happening because of poor nutrition such as bleeding gums, bloating and even hair turning white. Then if you carry on down that path you'll find you spend all your day sleeping or just fighting to stay awake and I guess after that you end up in the hospital. I'm speaking from experience but luckily managed to sort myself out before I ended up in hospital. I also found that I ended up skinny fat as I had no energy to work out which is what changes your body so I have flabby thighs and tum but the rest of me is very boney and I was likened to a prisoner of war because my face was awfully thin and my ribs and other bones were so prominent-not an attractive label. Food should be used to keep you healthy and it should be enjoyed. Try to eat healthily and enjoy treats in moderation.

JesterMFP

You have me,,, i am a Hobbit. no i dont have a problem eating the cals i am worried that i will put weight on if i eat over 1530 cals. i still have it in my head that you need to eat less to loose, I really dont need any help in putting weight on. I have that nailed, Its taking it off i have the problem with.

You do need to "eat less to lose", but that means you need to eat less than the total number of calories you're burning in a day. It doesn't mean you have to eat as little as possible and be as restrictive as possible and feel like you're "on a diet" to lose. Most people have no idea how much they're really eating, so they think they have to eat tiny little amounts to lose any weight, when in reality, they just have to be mindful and aware of what they are eating and make sure to get a little bit less than their body is burning in the whole day.

Start with tracking your food accurately and honestly, and meet the goal MFP as set for you, and see how you get on. If you don't lose, then there are adjustments you can make, and calculations you can make, and lots of people on these boards that can advise you, but keep it simple and start with what MFP sets for you.

dpakers

I'm under my calories everyday. I'm on 1200 calories, when you burn calories you earn more to eat. I have lost 13 pounds so far.

Unknown

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SezxyStef

To fuel your body to put it in an easy to understand statement

Your goal should be to eat the maximum number of calories and still lose weight.

I personally eat anywhere between 1700-1900 calories a day and lose weight easy enough.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

You have me,,, i am a Hobbit. no i dont have a problem eating the cals i am worried that i will put weight on if i eat over 1530 cals. i still have it in my head that you need to eat less to loose, I really dont need any help in putting weight on. I have that nailed, Its taking it off i have the problem with.

I love this answer! This is the mind game we play that makes feeling in control of our body so difficult!

It's a numbers game. I needed to hear about other members making it work and then have faith in the process. For me, I just had patience and logged everything every day. You can do this.

If you want to send a FR I can help point you to some good resources. You may get done in this thread anyway though. I may not get back today but will by tomorrow for sure.

Eat to avoid binging. Eat to help maintain muscle, and eat because when you lose weight you want your new habits to be sustainable so you can maintain your weight forever:)

jrmcnair1

I believe the best way to lose weight, is to fuel your body with decent food up to, or near your calorie limit while also increasing your activity level. It is important to not send your body signals that food is scarce, which as others have posted will cause it to slow your metabolism, especially if you are cutting calories over a long period of time (which is why some people recommend going past your calorie limit once a week or so). Be realistic with your expectations (i.e. 1 or 2 lbs a week) and if you honestly track your food consumption, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Good luck!

Maryanne1923

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LifterDave

My answer will be simple. If you have plugged in your numbers and goals honestly, then MFP has given you the optimum calories for you to lose weight and be healthy. The key is to honestly enter what you eat and pay attention that you do not exceed the limitations given for your carbs, fats and protein. I have found it to be quite easy to reach the carb limit if I do not watch myself. And if I do, I know that for the rest of the day I will be eating protein. That has only happened to me after eating pizza though. Measure your food if you need to, and certainly learn how to estimate how much you have for a portion. Do this and eat your calories, you will be ok.