Lots of calories left at end of the day :/

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emilyedmonds2017
emilyedmonds2017 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've already put my dinner, pudding and after dinner snacks into my diary (along with all the other food I've eaten today), However, I still have 734 calories remaining (I've done 30DS and cycled to work 704 exercise calories).

Total calories = 1270
Exercise = 704
Net Calories = 566

I don't know what to do with all those calories? I'm not hungry, so don't want to eat for the sake of eating.

I don't always like to eat all of my exercise calories, as I do like to have a buffer in case I have over estimated my exercise calories or underestimated my food calories.

is this going to have any negative effects on weight loss goals, or will it be ok?

Any advise will be welcomed.

Emily
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Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    you should NET 1200 minimum. you may not be hungry but its still very important to eat adequate amounts. hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway. as for that buffer you mentioned, i highly doubt you need one of 700 calories. maybe 100 or 200 is reasonable

    it wont negatively affect your weight loss, but it is going to negatively affect your general health, up those cals
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    It will not have a negative effect on your weight loss, quite the opposite. However, it may have a negative effect on you; people who are not eating enough tend to feel run down and grumpy. If it happens once in a while then oh well, if you are doing it consistantly then you probably should think about trying to increase your intake. Tryt o incorperate some calorie dense foods into your meals and start early in the day if you know you are going to exercise later, you do not have ot wait until after you have burned the calories off to start making up for them (as long as you don't punk out of your workout!). Some ideas: eat a little peanut butter, add some avacado to sandwiches or salads, eat some nuts with your snacks, use full fat dairy products, use a little oil or butter in your cooking.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    You could bank them for a different day of the week if you love to eat all the food. Works for me
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Exercise equipment and gadgets tend to record calories burn on the high end. Eat back about half and see if it works for you. If you don't eat enough, your body will not get the proper amount of nutrients and over time your workouts and metabolism will suffer. Aim for hitting your macros (carbs, fat, protein). It also might help you to focus on meeting your calories by the week instead of the day.
  • sarah2954
    sarah2954 Posts: 291 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.

    not always, if I go for a long run it can take me several hours to get hungry sometimes but I can feel my body running out of energy before that and know I need to eat something
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.

    Constantly eating too little can mess with your hunger hormones and make you feel not hungry, even though you are chronically undereating.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
    hunger is basically all mental, your body becomes accustomed to how much/when to eat based off of your previous eating habits. plus there is also the fact of calorie density of certain foods. you could eat 500 calories of broccoli and be completely stuffed, or like 4 tablespoons of peanut butter for the same calorie count which is hardly a meal and still be starving

    what the above poster mentioned, the feeling of low energy, is the real indicator, but it usually comes after long periods of not eating/eating too little
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    You need to eat to stay healthy. Hunger alone is not a good indicator as you could be perfectly full but not meeting your MACROS for the day. MACROS = Protein, fat and carb goals, and you need all of these.

    For example, you can get pretty full eating just broccoli all day, and I don't think anyone would argue that brocolli isn't good for you. However, if you only ate broccoli you would not be getting in your recommended amounts of protein and fats to help your body function normally.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.

    The hormones that control our hunger signals can be knocked out of whack by a lot of factors (including exercise and prolonged undereating). You have to also look at things like mood, energy levels, gym performance, healthy skin, nails, and hair, etc.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
    I was a bit confused by that too. If you're nor hungry, why eat? Hunger is the body's signal that you are running low on fuel.
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
    I was a bit confused by that too. If you're nor hungry, why eat? Hunger is the body's signal that you are running low on fuel.

    Like he said a few posts up... If you're chronically undereating, your hunger signals will become out of whack. Better to go off of whether you feel drained or not.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
    I was a bit confused by that too. If you're nor hungry, why eat? Hunger is the body's signal that you are running low on fuel.

    because hunger cues can be thrown out of whack or turned down by eating to little...that is why people who are actually starving aren't in a constant state of hunger...

    Even if you plan on eating the calories later it can cause issues for you the next couple days.

    The one day I ate 1195 calories ...one day...I paid for 3 days...I was tired, lethargic and my workouts were not as good as I really didn't have the energy...it wasn't until the 3rd day I started to feel like myself.

    Try high calorie foods like ice cream...or chocolate.
  • sarah2954
    sarah2954 Posts: 291 Member
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    Wow, thanks for all the replies. How does one know when they can rely on their natural hunger signals?

    I ask because I've recently given up grains, refined sugars, and all processed foods. Generally, I feel really well. Lots of energy, skin looks way better. But, I'm never hungry. I run daily and haven't hit 1200 in over a week now.

    I will likely add some grains back in, but wanted to see how removing them affected my body.

    FYI, my diary is closed because I don't want unsolicited messages that I'm eating too little.

    ETA: I mean 1200 gross, let alone net. So I'm concerned. But I feel fine. I'm 5'2" and currently 134 lbs
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,952 Member
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    I sometimes move the exercise onto a different day that I eat too much - I figure it balanced through the week (I never go more than 7 days though).
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    If you are not hungry, than I question the accuracy of your numbers. Do you weigh your food? Use measuring cups and spoons? Your exercise calories look high too. How are you estimating them?
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    hunger is a terrible indicator of when/how much to eat anyway.


    Isn't that like the only indicator? Not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering if you can explain what you mean.
    I was a bit confused by that too. If you're nor hungry, why eat? Hunger is the body's signal that you are running low on fuel.



    The one day I ate 1195 calories ...one day...I paid for 3 days...I was tired, lethargic and my workouts were not as good as I really didn't have the energy...it wasn't until the 3rd day I started to feel like myself.

    Try high calorie foods like ice cream...or chocolate.
    I too went way low a couple of days thinking "oh yeah I am going to lose big weight tomorrow" Not only did I not lose weight but I felt really sick and could not even workout. I learned my lesson and now try to hit close to my goal. I feel great and actually lost more weight faster this way.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Wow, thanks for all the replies. How does one know when they can rely on their natural hunger signals?

    I ask because I've recently given up grains, refined sugars, and all processed foods. Generally, I feel really well. Lots of energy, skin looks way better. But, I'm never hungry. I run daily and haven't hit 1200 in over a week now.

    I will likely add some grains back in, but wanted to see how removing them affected my body.

    FYI, my diary is closed because I don't want unsolicited messages that I'm eating too little.

    ETA: I mean 1200 gross, let alone net. So I'm concerned. But I feel fine. I'm 5'2" and currently 134 lbs

    The answer is that you really won't know whether or not you can trust your hunger signals until after it comes back to bite you (if it does).

    I went a couple of months exercising on 1200-1400 calories a day and not eating exercise calories back. I told everyone who asked that I was "fine" and I really did believe that I was okay. But I was hangry, moody, depressed, stressed out, phoning in my workouts, and just generally not okay. But I couldn't see it until finally my weight was doing weird things and I switched to a plan that increased my calories (and found MFP with these great message boards).

    Is 1200 calories okay for some people? Yes. But I would really encourage anyone to take a look at their macros (are you hitting your protein and fat goals?) and their micros (getting enough calclum, iron, potassium, vitamins, etc?) and make sure they're eating enough BEFORE you get to the point where it starts to affect you.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    Have a cocoa smoothie :smooched: throw some almond milk, a scoop of protein powder, a tablespoon of cocoa, a package of stevia, maybe even a table spoon of peanut butter, and TADA a super awesome milkshake.
  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    If it's just one day, I wouldn't worry about it. Saturday I was under 1200 calories and way under my calories goal. (I was working on a project and didn't stop to eat lunch) After supper I wasn't hungry and didn't force myself to eat anything. Yesterday I was over my 1600 calories goal by a large amount. (It was my birthday and a fellowship at church) Between the two days the balance out.

    If it were consistent in lots of calories left, I would look at higher calorie foods to eat.

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