Compensating for being under calorie limit?

melaniebester

Quick question- I've been under my calorie limit all week, and now I'm desperately craving something desserty to treat myself as I haven't had anything of the sort for three weeks- can I sort of "compensate" for the days where I was under my goal by going slightly over my calorie limit today? Thanks

jspicer1

Yes! Sometimes you need to do that. If you want to go over, but keep loosing weight, make sure you put whatever you eat and total your calories for the day. If your final weight for the day is less than you are now, you will still be loosing weight. You NEED to do that occasionally!!!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

melaniebester

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

Hey, I'm 19 in just a few days- I did start using the app at 17, but never the forums. I should probably update that. I know my intake is too low, this is something I'm currently working on improving. It's not so much that I mean to eat under, it's that I work full time, study full time, and also do volunteering and I either skip meals or am too busy to think about eating much. This time around I'm working on upping my calorie intake. I also have limited cooking facilities so again, working on that (see my "quick meals" thread here).

So because my intake has been pretty low the last week or so, I'm okay to go over today and it'll average out? (I'm eyeing off a piece of cheesecake in the corner of this cafe...)

tiggerGlasgow

The short answer - yes.

The long answe - yes as long as you're still creating an overall calorie deficit over the course of the week. Going over one day (unless you're going WAY over, won't make you put on weight.

Think of calories out - calories in as a budget. Going slightly over one day isn't going to derail you totally, it might influence this weks progress depending on how much you go over by and how much under you've been recently. Allow yourself a planned indulgence. If possible get something that's pre-portioned and only get one of them (or as many people who are in your household and will be eating said treat), that way you won't be tempted to eat more. Put the treat on you diary before anything else and see if you can shave a little slack out of the budget (it's why I like stregnth training as it means I have a higher starting base for my calories and thus more slack for planned treats) here or there so you're meeting you weekly planned deficit it will balance out.

It is a good idea to have planned treats every so often as this stops the "all or nothing" mentality that means falling off of the wagon for longer periods of time.

I second what the first reponder said about eating more. There are a lot of quick easy meals you can make for not much money in limited facilites. If you keep your calorie intake too low you can damage your metabolism to the point where losing weight is VERY difficult.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

Hey, I'm 19 in just a few days- I did start using the app at 17, but never the forums. I should probably update that. I know my intake is too low, this is something I'm currently working on improving. It's not so much that I mean to eat under, it's that I work full time, study full time, and also do volunteering and I either skip meals or am too busy to think about eating much. This time around I'm working on upping my calorie intake. I also have limited cooking facilities so again, working on that (see my "quick meals" thread here).

So because my intake has been pretty low the last week or so, I'm okay to go over today and it'll average out? (I'm eyeing off a piece of cheesecake in the corner of this cafe...)

Yes, please eat a piece of cheesecake.


Planning is your friend here. Keep some bread and peanut butter and pack yourself a sandwich. That could easily run you 300-400 calories if you get good bread and you can get one of those sandwich shaped tupperware containers to slip into your purse or backpack. Cheese sticks are portable, as are packages of nuts or those cheese crackers that come in packs of 8.

Another thing you might consider is meal prep. Basically you'd invest one day per week to cooking meals for the entire week. Most will be a protein and two veggies (like salmon (maybe tofu or vegetarian protein source for you) with a couple of different marinades and then sweet potatoes and broccoli). There are tons of online tutorials for it.

eta: went and looked at your other thread. Exactly what cooking facilities do you have available? Microwave? Stovetop? Oven? Also I'd eat the pasta/potatoes over not eating anything and ending up with 600 calorie days.

melaniebester

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

Hey, I'm 19 in just a few days- I did start using the app at 17, but never the forums. I should probably update that. I know my intake is too low, this is something I'm currently working on improving. It's not so much that I mean to eat under, it's that I work full time, study full time, and also do volunteering and I either skip meals or am too busy to think about eating much. This time around I'm working on upping my calorie intake. I also have limited cooking facilities so again, working on that (see my "quick meals" thread here).

So because my intake has been pretty low the last week or so, I'm okay to go over today and it'll average out? (I'm eyeing off a piece of cheesecake in the corner of this cafe...)

Yes, please eat a piece of cheesecake.


Planning is your friend here. Keep some bread and peanut butter and pack yourself a sandwich. That could easily run you 300-400 calories if you get good bread and you can get one of those sandwich shaped tupperware containers to slip into your purse or backpack. Cheese sticks are portable, as are packages of nuts or those cheese crackers that come in packs of 8.

Another thing you might consider is meal prep. Basically you'd invest one day per week to cooking meals for the entire week. Most will be a protein and two veggies (like salmon (maybe tofu or vegetarian protein source for you) with a couple of different marinades and then sweet potatoes and broccoli). There are tons of online tutorials for it.

eta: went and looked at your other thread. Exactly what cooking facilities do you have available? Microwave? Stovetop? Oven?

I really want to do some food prep, but as mentioned in the other post, I only have a microwave and a kettle, that's the extent of my facilities. I'm going to go and buy an electric frying pan very soon so I can make some curries and stir fries etc to freeze I'm definitely working on it... I'm also a vegetarian, so fat and protein are very difficult for me especially considering the kettle and microwave situation. I'm moving on the 22nd of November, and when I do, I'll be doing the weekly meal prep definitely. It's just making it through this in-between time right now that I'm focusing and working on.

Thank you so much for your advice, it's really nice to talk to non-judgemental people. Everyone I've tried to speak to about these sort of things is completely unhelpful, judgemental and rather horrible

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

Hey, I'm 19 in just a few days- I did start using the app at 17, but never the forums. I should probably update that. I know my intake is too low, this is something I'm currently working on improving. It's not so much that I mean to eat under, it's that I work full time, study full time, and also do volunteering and I either skip meals or am too busy to think about eating much. This time around I'm working on upping my calorie intake. I also have limited cooking facilities so again, working on that (see my "quick meals" thread here).

So because my intake has been pretty low the last week or so, I'm okay to go over today and it'll average out? (I'm eyeing off a piece of cheesecake in the corner of this cafe...)

Yes, please eat a piece of cheesecake.


Planning is your friend here. Keep some bread and peanut butter and pack yourself a sandwich. That could easily run you 300-400 calories if you get good bread and you can get one of those sandwich shaped tupperware containers to slip into your purse or backpack. Cheese sticks are portable, as are packages of nuts or those cheese crackers that come in packs of 8.

Another thing you might consider is meal prep. Basically you'd invest one day per week to cooking meals for the entire week. Most will be a protein and two veggies (like salmon (maybe tofu or vegetarian protein source for you) with a couple of different marinades and then sweet potatoes and broccoli). There are tons of online tutorials for it.

eta: went and looked at your other thread. Exactly what cooking facilities do you have available? Microwave? Stovetop? Oven?

I really want to do some food prep, but as mentioned in the other post, I only have a microwave and a kettle, that's the extent of my facilities. I'm going to go and buy an electric frying pan very soon so I can make some curries and stir fries etc to freeze I'm definitely working on it... I'm also a vegetarian, so fat and protein are very difficult for me especially considering the kettle and microwave situation. I'm moving on the 22nd of November, and when I do, I'll be doing the weekly meal prep definitely. It's just making it through this in-between time right now that I'm focusing and working on.

Thank you so much for your advice, it's really nice to talk to non-judgemental people. Everyone I've tried to speak to about these sort of things is completely unhelpful, judgemental and rather horrible

Microwave and kettle does make things difficult but you should be able to make rice and potatoes/sweet potatoes with that. I admittedly know very little about vegetarian protein options that would work with your restrictions.

I did find this:

http://greatist.com/health/surprising-healthy-microwave-recipes

And while it has some non-vegetarian meals it might give you some ideas. Some of them are vegetarian-friendly. There are probably more where that came from. Google "vegetarian microwave meals."

Good luck. I just hate to see people not eating enough food. :laugh:

melaniebester

Yes you can. However your intake is way too low in general. Eat more food. You could easily eat double what you are eating now and still lose weight. Your protein and fat are both abysmally low. You should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of weight.

Your profile quote makes it sound as if you are 17. Is that right? MFP is for users who are over 18.

Hey, I'm 19 in just a few days- I did start using the app at 17, but never the forums. I should probably update that. I know my intake is too low, this is something I'm currently working on improving. It's not so much that I mean to eat under, it's that I work full time, study full time, and also do volunteering and I either skip meals or am too busy to think about eating much. This time around I'm working on upping my calorie intake. I also have limited cooking facilities so again, working on that (see my "quick meals" thread here).

So because my intake has been pretty low the last week or so, I'm okay to go over today and it'll average out? (I'm eyeing off a piece of cheesecake in the corner of this cafe...)

Yes, please eat a piece of cheesecake.


Planning is your friend here. Keep some bread and peanut butter and pack yourself a sandwich. That could easily run you 300-400 calories if you get good bread and you can get one of those sandwich shaped tupperware containers to slip into your purse or backpack. Cheese sticks are portable, as are packages of nuts or those cheese crackers that come in packs of 8.

Another thing you might consider is meal prep. Basically you'd invest one day per week to cooking meals for the entire week. Most will be a protein and two veggies (like salmon (maybe tofu or vegetarian protein source for you) with a couple of different marinades and then sweet potatoes and broccoli). There are tons of online tutorials for it.

eta: went and looked at your other thread. Exactly what cooking facilities do you have available? Microwave? Stovetop? Oven?

I really want to do some food prep, but as mentioned in the other post, I only have a microwave and a kettle, that's the extent of my facilities. I'm going to go and buy an electric frying pan very soon so I can make some curries and stir fries etc to freeze I'm definitely working on it... I'm also a vegetarian, so fat and protein are very difficult for me especially considering the kettle and microwave situation. I'm moving on the 22nd of November, and when I do, I'll be doing the weekly meal prep definitely. It's just making it through this in-between time right now that I'm focusing and working on.

Thank you so much for your advice, it's really nice to talk to non-judgemental people. Everyone I've tried to speak to about these sort of things is completely unhelpful, judgemental and rather horrible

Microwave and kettle does make things difficult but you should be able to make rice and potatoes/sweet potatoes with that. I admittedly know very little about vegetarian protein options that would work with your restrictions.

I did find this:

http://greatist.com/health/surprising-healthy-microwave-recipes

And while it has some non-vegetarian meals it might give you some ideas. Some of them are vegetarian-friendly. There are probably more where that came from. Google "vegetarian microwave meals."

Good luck. I just hate to see people not eating enough food. :laugh:

I totally understand, and I do want to hit my 1200 daily target every day, or get very close. Hence why I'm not doing much exercise at the moment. My job involves 8 hours of standing/general moseying about every day so I think that's enough for now.

cw106

great.todays. cheat thread disguised as compensation!
knock yourself out.

GingerLolita

Plenty of people go by weekly, not daily, calories, so I don't see anything wrong with this! Although if you are limited to 1200 calories/day, that's truly a minimum and you should consume this.

melaniebester

great.todays. cheat thread disguised as compensation!
knock yourself out.

Go have a look at my diary and then talk to me about cheating, buddy. I don't do cheating. What I do do, is ask questions I genuinely don't know the answers to, like this one, asking about whether calories are more suited to weekly averages or daily ones. Please take the negativity elsewhere.

brianpperkins

I'd recommend you take an emotional step back and look up what a "cheat day" is before jumping down somebody's throat.

After looking at your diary, there are about three days of near healthy caloric intake levels since late July (that is just looking at the calories, not assessing if you've accurately logged or hit macros worth a damn). There are many more days of sub-500 calorie total intakes than there are 1100+ days. The under 300 calories consumed, over 600 logged as burn day really jumps out at me.

You are undereating. It is not as though you are even close most days or weeks. Looking back, this is a trend for at least the past year ... there are simply too many under 500 calorie consumed, negative net calorie days logged in that time frame for me to change the report to look any further back in history.

You now have a choice ... either continue your current method which is unhealthy or start giving your body what it needs to function properly and begin down a healthy path. I recommend the latter of the two options.

melaniebester

It's fine. I didn't eat the cheesecake anyway. Felt too guilty after realising it was classed as cheating my diet. Did some zumba instead.

jrline

don't wait too long or that one thing you are craving will be a lot more. I eat any and everything I just watch my quantity.

melaniebester

don't wait too long or that one thing you are craving will be a lot more. I eat any and everything I just watch my quantity.

I'm not craving it any more, I had a cup of tea and I'm fine now. Thanks for your kindness and concern

juliet3455

When you pick up your new Kitchen appliance add a small kitchen scale and a small crock pot/rice cooker to your list.

Throw in some veggies, beans, ( or alternate protein source ) etc and a little rice and you have a meal ready to serve.
Can also be used to make small chilli's which are decent.
We use them when we go on ski trips to grab a quick snack in the Hotel rather than the $20.00 dollar Fat Burger they serve.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It's fine. I didn't eat the cheesecake anyway. Felt too guilty after realising it was classed as cheating my diet. Did some zumba instead.

It would be much healthier in this context to eat the cheesecake than to not eat it. Think of eating 600-700 calories as cheating your body out of the nutrition it needs. At least cheesecake has some protein and fat.

365andstillalive

It's fine. I didn't eat the cheesecake anyway. Felt too guilty after realising it was classed as cheating my diet. Did some zumba instead.

No food is inherently bad for you -- are some foods high in sugar? Sure. Are some foods high in fat? Yeah. But they all have calories, which you need, and dietary fat is actually good for you. Your body needs it to properly function. You need to form a healthy relationship with all food -- not just the leafy greens.

I really want to encourage you to speak to a doctor because if you're already eating too low and writing off high caloric options because you feel like it would be "cheating" and instead, decided to compensate by burning MORE calories when you were already not eating enough these are pretty classic signs of disordered eating. If you don't reach out to a medical professional now, I worry that 6 months from now I'll be seeing posts from you wondering why you're losing your hair, why your toenail fell off, why it feels like your heart is beating out of your chest...

melaniebester

I'm confused because I have some people telling me that eating these foods would be "Cheating" and others telling me I should be. I am working towards that 1200, that's becoming more visible in my diary, the totals are slowly going up.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I'm confused because I have some people telling me that eating these foods would be "Cheating" and others telling me I should be. I am working towards that 1200, that's becoming more visible in my diary, the totals are slowly going up.

I think you are getting hung up on the word and not understanding the context. Many people use the term "cheat day" or "cheat meal" for the practice of having one planned higher calorie day or meal per week. It can also be called a spike day. It's not meant to be a bad thing.

brianpperkins

I'm confused because I have some people telling me that eating these foods would be "Cheating" and others telling me I should be. I am working towards that 1200, that's becoming more visible in my diary, the totals are slowly going up.

610, 456, 565, 988, 711, 672, 1089 ... That's your last week of caloric intake by day. It averages to 727 calories per day. One day is not totals going up. In fact, that last day is just intake without the Zumba you performed and didn't log so your net for that last day is lower than the 1089 reflected.

Your diary and the actions indicated in your posts show unhealthy behaviors. Seek help. The year's worth of evidence in your diary makes it clear you need it.

365andstillalive

If you are never going to eat cheesecake ever again in your life, then cut it out now. But losing weight, and keeping weight off, is about developing a healthy relationship with food, learning portion control, and realizing the power you have over the food you eat.

I haven't cut anything from my diet, I've just learned that a bowl of chips is enough instead of eating the whole bag, that buying a mini pie for myself probably isn't something I should do on the regular, and that blizzards have a hell of a lot of calories and fat in them, so while I love them, I really should get the small.

We're concerned because you're not developing that healthy relationship -- instead, you're restricting your intake to the point that you can and will make yourself sick.

brianpperkins

The OP is at 511 calories so far today with over 30% of those from a single latte. Macros are virtually non existent. She has not yet logged yesterday's Zumba.

Actions speak loudly.

stacyjh1979

I'm confused because I have some people telling me that eating these foods would be "Cheating" and others telling me I should be. I am working towards that 1200, that's becoming more visible in my diary, the totals are slowly going up.

MFP gives 1200 calories as its lowest calorie option for a reason. You need food (aka energy) to perform day to day tasks and be healthy. If you are not eating enough calories your body will suffer over time. You will lose muscle mass, hair will fall out, etc like a previous person said. I agree with the poster who said you are perhaps getting too caught up on the wording. You only need a deficit of 3500 cal/week to lose one pound. If you are averaging 700 cal/day you are eating a much lower than a 3500 cal/week deficit. In your case you are certainly not "cheating" you are eating calories that your body needs. Could the calories come in a healthier form? Yes but it's one food, one day, out of one week of your life. It's not even a blip on the radar. You could eat the cheesecake and still be at a higher than suggested deficit for the week. If you eat super low calories and then choose to exercise on top of it you are making the deficit higher yet. Your body needs food and nutrition. It's also healthy and ok to have a treat now and then.

melaniebester

The OP is at 511 calories so far today with over 30% of those from a single latte. Macros are virtually non existent. She has not yet logged yesterday's Zumba.

Actions speak loudly.

Yes, "she" is. She is also in Australia where she is working 9 hours a day with a 30 minute break. I ate a salad roll as you can see in my diary, and I'm currently enjoying falafel with vegetables. I also didn't do zumba yesterday, nor today. I do my diary accurately, and I always add in exercise. Thanks.

acorsaut89

Absolutely - it's more than ok and should be encouraged once in a while.

However . . . when you say you've eaten "under" your calories for the week, have you really? Here's why I ask: one day you logged that you 0.13 of a navel orange . . . how do you know you have eaten 0.13 of an orange? 0.5 maybe, or 0.75 yes. But 0.13? I doubt it.

That leads me to think you may or may not be accurate logging your calories. Your breakfast consists of coffee or two pumpkin feta wraps? This rollercoaster you're sending your body on may be contributing to your craving.

From my personal experience (so NOT suggesting you do this, but just as some information you can consider), you need to eat more. I am not, not, not, not hinting at starvation mode but when you NET 900 calories, or less, in a day you can start affecting vital organ function causing damage over time. It won't happen in 2 weeks, but it will happen over time. I'm not saying you need to eat more to lose weight, I'm saying you need to eat more to survive and your body needs adequate fuel. Your car won't work without gas right? Sure you can turn it on with a little bit of gas, but you won't get very far.

Before you think in terms of treating yourself or cheating, I think to start with basic meal planning and preparation because it seems like (and maybe this isn't totally true, so don't jump at me) you eat a lot of pre-made food, and not a lot of food you need to cook. With meal planning and spreading your calories, you might not lose quickly but your body like consistency and it functions best on consistency (minus working out - when you shake it up, your body doesn't know what to do and you can actually burn more that way).

Also - if you're feeling "guilty" over one piece of cheesecake, I'd really speak to a professional. I had an unhealthy relationship with food, only mine was that I ate my feelings and ate portions way too big for me. With a previous poster pointing out that you averaged ~700 calories/day over the last week . . . I'd say you're either not logging everything you eat because you don't want to think you ate it OR you don't want others to see it - neither of which is healthy or if you're logging everything then you need to eat more food. It's really not good and you're only 19 now, sure but in maybe 7 - 10 years from now, you may want to have a family and doing damage now to your body that's irreversable will cause that many more complications in pregnancy. I know someone who suffered from an ED in her teenage years; she had 5 miscarriages and 2 still births before she had her daughter AND her daughter was born at 27 weeks. I'm not trying to lecture you, but you only get one body and one shot at it - if you ruin it now, another one is not coming along. Take care of the one you get!

kmbrooks15

I have to agree with everyone...you're not eating enough. At least pack yourself a sandwich to take to work with you. You can scarf down a sandwich in half an hour. Peanut butter and sugarfree jelly or peanut butter and banana (yummy!) would give you a good protein source. Your body needs a certain number of calories just to function (breathing, heart beating, etc., burns calories). Without sufficient calories, you can suffer damage to your body over time. Case in point: Karen Carpenter, the singer. She died of a heart condition at a young age that was brought on by a long-time battle with anorexia.

I realize that work makes it hard, believe me. I'm a single mom to two teenagers, one of whom has major disabilities. Between finding time to work, exercise, take care of my kids, etc., it can be tough. But I make sure I get up a few minutes early to pack a sandwich, some yogurt, a piece of fruit, and some carrot chips or slices of tomato. Protein bars can be a good filler, as well as protein shakes made with unsweetened almond milk. There are quick and easy and portable options available, you just have to get creative and be dedicated to preparing those things for yourself. I have an insulated lunch bag and put everything in there with an ice pack. It stays nice and cold all day. It's required me to plan ahead a bit, but you can do it if you commit to it.

We are all concerned about your intake and hope you'll make some efforts to increase it for your own health and safety. I know it's tempting to just deny yourself so you lose faster, but it tends to backfire badly in the form of major regaining of weight when normal eating resumes. Better to find a way to eat normal calorie intake and watch portions. I find that by choosing healthier foods and watching portions, I can actually eat quite a lot of food and still meet my goal. In only a month and a half, I've gone from size 16 jeans to size 12, and I'm averaging about 1500 calories a day. You can do this, too; you just need to plan ahead a bit.

jfboomer

It may have already been mentioned, or you may be familiar with it, but I am going to throw this out there:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I still go back and review this post occasionally. Lots of good information here.

laurie04427

Yep you're fine to do that. I ate like 3000 calories one day recently (1500 over calorie budget or so) but behaved somewhat the rest of the time, lost a half a pound today. It evens out generally.

brianpperkins

The OP is at 511 calories so far today with over 30% of those from a single latte. Macros are virtually non existent. She has not yet logged yesterday's Zumba.

Actions speak loudly.

Yes, "she" is. She is also in Australia where she is working 9 hours a day with a 30 minute break. I ate a salad roll as you can see in my diary, and I'm currently enjoying falafel with vegetables. I also didn't do zumba yesterday, nor today. I do my diary accurately, and I always add in exercise. Thanks.

"Mon 09/08/14 08:45 AM
It's fine. I didn't eat the cheesecake anyway. Felt too guilty after realising it was classed as cheating my diet. Did some zumba instead."

Which of the two contradictory statements is the truth? Both are from you in the span of 25 hours.

You're eating too little. What you're eating lacks needed nutrition. This isn't a you've been undereating for a week situation ... the pattern shows for at least a year. Yesterday, you claimed you felt guilty about food so you exercised, then the next day claimed you didn't exercise (see the quotes of your earlier posts included here).

Do you not see how unhealthy and disordered your behaviors are or do you see and ignore them?