I'm new to all this calorie counting. Question...

novemberclothing

So, it says that I should be eating 1500 calories if I plan on losing 2 lbs. a week. I've been doing pretty well with this. I am no stranger to exercise. In fact, I excercise at some level every single day. However, the intensity of the exercise varies. I do have a question though...

On some days I eat 1200 calories, while on others, I eat upwards of 3000 (haha.) After offsetting the amount of calories I burn by exercise, I usually end up right about my target calorie intake. Is the fluctuation in the calories I take in each day going to matter? Or is the math the math and it doesn't make much difference?

I know it may seem kinda petty, but I don't want it to affect my metabolism negatively or anything. I'm really serious about dropping this weight and I want to do it in the healthiest and most efficient way possible. Thanks in advance.

ranewell

actually, I have read a lot of people do this zig zagging to boost their metabolism an it works for them! If it works for you and your body, go for it!

Keefypoos

it would seem to be Zig Zaging, a technique of varing the calories consumed so the body dosn't get stuck in a plateau

MB_Positif

A lot of people will say this is ok because it's something called zig zagging calories. I've never done it because I think if I gave myself days to eat like crazy, old habits would creep up. I personally prefer to try as close to my calorie goal as possible! Good luck!

MB_Positif

also...on the days you eat like 3000, is it healthy or just a free for all because that will have some effect.

supertracylynn

When you first start here, it should say "the more you exercise, the more you can eat".

Therefore, if you're not exercising, stick with your 1500 limit. If you do hit it, go ahead and eat back your "exercise calories". If you don't eat more than 1200 calories, it'll tell you you're in danger of being in "starvation mode". Fear not, it's full of sh^t.

Some people zig-zag calories, some eat frequent small "meals".

For myself, about 200 cals every few hours works really well. But that's me and everyone is different.
:bigsmile:

Jemmuno

For me on days that I work out more and burn more calories I eat more, and on days that i'm not working out very hard or not at all I eat less. As long as I watch what I eat and its not all fats and sugars, and its mostly fruit, vegetables, and protein I don't feel bad at all for eating more calories. Also, I haven't had problems losing weight at all by doing this. I hope that helps.

RNewton4269

Zig zagging the calories like that will actually be good for you. It will change up your body enough so you may not plateau for a while. Good luck to you! Sounds like you are right on track....

meggonkgonk

Fluctuation is actually really natural for your body and if I'm understanding your question correctly, the way you are eating is in correlation to how MFP intends for you to eat.

The goal MFP sets you is in Net calories, meaning 1500 calories is what you should be eating on a day with limited activity outside your day-to-day activity (this is based on what you selected in your profile). When you do activity above and beyond that, you should be eating more to fuel this additional activity (even, and especially, if you are losing). So on a day when you do more activity than normal (an intentional workout as opposed to just general activity) you should eat 1500+what you burn through exercise.

Fluctuations in both the Total amount of calories you consume, and in the Net number you consume are both good for your body- Changes in total should accomodate fueling your activity, and changes in Net keep your metabolism active.

123456654321

Math is math. If your weekly averages out, it should be alright as far as weight loss goes. I would just be concerned that 1200 days are too low energy wise. Men typically need a minimum of about 1500 calories to function properly and if you are exercising....you need more then that. I imagine if you do this for too long, you would begin to feel pretty drained. Idk, for sure though.

novemberclothing

Umm..It's not typically the healthiest of foods at times. haha. Good question. I'm not big into anything sweet and I don't eat too unhealthy. Although, fried foods after a great night out are my kryptonite. That's about as unhealthy as it gets for me. Hmm... I do ingest a lot of protein in my diet and going by what MFP says about the amount of nutrients i should be eating, I'm not doing too bad.

What kind of effects are we talking about? I'm really out of the loop when it comes to fitness and eating correctly. it's all new to me. So that poses a new question: even if I'm staying around my calorie intake per day, eating certain foods would be counter productive to my weight loss goals?

I always assumed that eating unhealthy foods meant you were taking in more calories, naturally because those foods would be higher in calories. I never thought the balance in nutrition would also need to be taken in account as long as you were hitting you recomended amounts daily.

withchaco

Eating insufficient protein and fiber is an obvious one. Insufficient protein (should be aiming for 1g per lean body weight in pounds) can lead to greater muscle loss than fat loss, while insufficient fiber leads to less satiety, which in turn can lead to more cravings... oh, and constipation.

Balanced nutrition means you're enabling your body to properly carry out its duties. Fat burning is one of those duties

You're doing great so far though, it sounds like. If you've gotten yourself used to making sure the calorie totals add up right, now may be the time to take the next step and pay attention to the nutrient balance.