Newbie with a few questions...

pinkita

Hi all, I just joined 2 days ago and have some questions:

1. I'm 5'5-1/2" should I enter my height as 5'5" or round up to 5'6"? Or does it even matter?

2. Do I have to eat ALL my calories/fat grams/etc? I have almost 200 calories remaining, and am "short" 31 grams of fat. That seems like so much. Can you eat less than your daily calorie limit and still lose weight?

3. Similar to question #2, do you have to eat the extra calories you get from exercise?

Thank you!

LesliePierceRN

studies have shown that people who don't have enough fat in their diet are at higher risk for stroke.. but let me qualify that by saying no one advocates adding in saturated fats.. toss some nuts or olive oil in your diet. You really are better off with it in your diet than without.

LesliePierceRN

And yes, eat your exercise calories. It really helps with weight loss. If you don't you'll stall your progress.

litljoy2001

I never eat all my calories back but I do try and eat some it really depends on how many I burn that day, what I try and pay attention to is my net calories as long as im between 500 and 900 calories net for the day im ok..that has been working for me I have lost 35 lbs in five months so really you need to find what works for you and stick with it

amberaz

Fat is absolutely essential to a healthy diet. I eat, on average, 50-70 grams of fat per day. For reference, I am 5'3" and weigh 111 lbs. Fat does all kinds of good things for your body, your skin, your hair, etc. Maybe most importantly, when it comes to keeping your calories low, fat help you to feel full and satisfied for longer. Make sure to add some good fat though, not just whatever has the highest fat content. My favorites are avocado, natural peanut butter and almonds to increase your fat intake.

acave9406

Everybody is different. I never heard of eating your calories back till I joined this site. I stuck with eating 1200 everyday and saw no progress I started eating some of my calories back and i've lost 4 pounds so far. You have to find what works for you! Good luck!!

pinkita

Hi amberaz,

If you don't mind me asking, are you doing a low-carb plan?

pinkita

Oh, and what do you guys think about the height thing? I'm 5'5-1/2" and am wondering if I should enter 5'5" or round up to 5'6." Or does that not matter?

Thanks all!

kbizzleoo

If it was me I would probably round down. but I really don't have any good reason. For a female healthy target weight would be around 136 pounds for a height of 5'5" ...and 140 for a height of 5'6"

of course you also have to take into account your body composition (do you have a healthy amount of body fat and muscle at your "healthy" weight)?

So... I'm not sure what adjustments MFP will make for your recommended calories based on your height - but perhaps type both in - if one gives you more calories and you are comfortable with that - go for it and see if it works for a while.

RCKT82

IMO:

I feel your cal intake and macro nutrients goals should be used as a guideline only. as long as you're pretty consistent on being within range you'll be fine. I think it's nearly impossible to really know a concrete number since everyone's lifestyle is different and everyone's body is unique. The BMR equations along with macro nutrient calculations are great for a general guide line. But listen to your body and make sure to have your regular physicals to keep your health in check. Other than that I wouldn't scrutinize over matching numbers exactly. Nutrition and exercise isn't an exact science but it is very beneficial to stay away from the extremes of cutting anything out completely.

aclark41

i love avocado! its a great way to up your calories in a good way...however, i tend to go a little overboard, sometimes eating 1 to 1.5 entire avocados in a day...i'm trying to cut down on cheese and its a great replacement...i think there can be too much of a good thing...

pinkita

Thanks guys. I guess I just got overwhelmed since my daily goal for fat is 64 grams, and my daily calorie goal is 1710. Is my math right if I calculate that as 576 calories? I guess I need to start buying avocados and nuts again--I had pretty much stopped eating them since starting my weight loss journey. I've been using olive oil a lot more, but that doesn't have much fat (to my surprise).

Also, I'm shocked by how much sodium I'm consuming! Sodium seems to be in EVERYTHING!

Thanks again for your tips!

amanda_mh

Thanks guys. I guess I just got overwhelmed since my daily goal for fat is 64 grams, and my daily calorie goal is 1710. Is my math right if I calculate that as 576 calories? I guess I need to start buying avocados and nuts again--I had pretty much stopped eating them since starting my weight loss journey. I've been using olive oil a lot more, but that doesn't have much fat (to my surprise).

Also, I'm shocked by how much sodium I'm consuming! Sodium seems to be in EVERYTHING!

Thanks again for your tips!

I was stunned by my sodium intake as well, when I first started. It's really forced me to embrace my inner cook . I buy lots of hunts no salt added tomato sauce and make my own sauces and to really examine everything else that I eat. You'll be amazed at how great you feel when that number is down--no more bloated feeling