eating healthy but going over calorie goal.. is this okay?

BamaGurl47

i switched out my poor eating habits for good eating habits. but i am always hungry in between meals so i snack on healthy foods like celery with pimento cheese, apples, carrots almonds cottage cheese and pears. Problem is i notice im goin going over my 1200 calorie goal easily.. Even though i snack on apples and celery i still notice afterwords im still hungry so i snack again on something else healthy.. So if these are good foods to eat does that mean its okay if i go over the calorie count if you eat healthy or not .. Just wondering if i willl still lloose weight. Thanks for the input ..

CindiBryce

How MUCH over are you eating daily? You will only lose weight at a deficit, no matter what foods you stuff in your mouth.

Missjulesdid

I'm all for snacking on vegetables and fruit but sometimes you need something with a little fat or protein to satisfy you. If you switch out one piece of fruit with a hard boiled egg or handful of nuts, you might find that it sustains you a bit more.

Also, you can go over and still lose, it just depends on how much you go over and how active you are.

Acg67

A) clean calories and unclean calories are the same for weight loss

why are you eating 1200 cals when you're 200lbs according to your sig?

C) you will still lose weight not because you're going "over" with healthy calories but because you are still in a caloric deficit

WifeMomDVM

I'd say up your calories to 1500, you'll still lose weight, and will give you some more "room" to not be so hungry. Works for me!

Oh and KUDOS to you for eating cleaner - it will make all the difference. Calories matter yes, but the QUALITY of those calories IS very important - though many will try to tell you otherwise.

deathstarclock

Also, you can go over and still lose, it just depends on how much you go over and how active you are.

That's a misleading way of putting it. In terms of the weekly balance, yes, one day going over won't hurt. A response like that will confuse the masses into over-eating unless clarified.

andrea198721

Depends on how much you exercise.... But I would try to add some things liked boiled eggs or a spoon of peanut butter... I love to snack ...but lately I've been finding things that kind of keep me from doing it as much. Good luck!

Mommawarrior

You are hungry because you aren't eating enough. 1200 calories is nothing. You need to up your calories and drink a lot of water. And you need protein....

muffintopminx

a calorie is a calorie.

if you eat more than you burn, you will not lose, no matter how "healthy" you think that calorie may be.

CindiBryce

Depends on how much you exercise.... But I would try to add some things liked boiled eggs or a spoon of peanut butter... I love to snack ...but lately I've been finding things that kind of keep me from doing it as much. Good luck!

It depends on how much she consumes AND how much she burns. Again, as long as she is at a deficit she will lose weight. And also, I advise planning meals in advance to prevent overeating.

mysticdaisy78

A tasty snack that is very satisfying is Beef Jerky.....1 oz is approx calories. 1oz may not seem like alot, but that stuff is very filling. I have to force myself to finish it

AnnaPixie

I can't really work out why everyone seems to be on 1200 cals lately?? This is not a magic number, its just the minimum anyone should eat to gain a healthy balance of foods and nutrition. You can usually eat more than that. Have you put your details in the MPF calculator for them to calculate a safe weight loss and deficit for you? Are you then eating back your exercise calories??

There is a proven method used on this site that is listed in the forums. You shouldnt feel hungry if you stick to that.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

kbwdad

Calories are calories good or bad. It's calories in / calories out. Up your calories some if you need to. Do look at what you are doing when you feel hungry. Our bodies have a way saying were hungry say while watching TV just because that what it has gotten use to. If this is the case then try changing your routine to take your mind off of it.

jb2323player

great job!

CindiBryce

great job!

Huh?

Acg67

I'd say up your calories to 1500, you'll still lose weight, and will give you some more "room" to not be so hungry. Works for me!

Oh and KUDOS to you for eating cleaner - it will make all the difference. Calories matter yes, but the QUALITY of those calories IS very important - though many will try to tell you otherwise.

are you saying 2 diets of identical macros and cals, that one that was "clean" would lose more weight vs one made up of "unclean" foods?

shydaisi

Change your goal to 1 pound loss per week...

Johnny_Castle

No it is not okay to go over calories..the whole point of this website is for you to be able to easily log your calories. Before this website I was eating very clean but I never watched my portions or calories and I never lost weight even with lots of exercise. At the end of the day the first law of thermodynamics does not exclude humans. Calories in must be less than calories out for you to lose weight.

chrisdavey

A) clean calories and unclean calories are the same for weight loss

why are you eating 1200 cals when you're 200lbs according to your sig?

C) you will still lose weight not because you're going "over" with healthy calories but because you are still in a caloric deficit

agree with this.

I'd hazard a guess that you would still lose weight eating 2000 calories

brknllama

okay a calorie is not a calorie
there are good calories like from lean protein, fruits,veggies nuts ect....
then there are empty calories like from fats oils, ect...

Its not as important how much you eat, its more important what you eat, there are foods that actually help you lose weight by actually speeding up your metabolism and curbing your hunger

brknllama

I'd say up your calories to 1500, you'll still lose weight, and will give you some more "room" to not be so hungry. Works for me!

Oh and KUDOS to you for eating cleaner - it will make all the difference. Calories matter yes, but the QUALITY of those calories IS very important - though many will try to tell you otherwise.

are you saying 2 diets of identical macros and cals, that one that was "clean" would lose more weight vs one made up of "unclean" foods?

yes that is what she is saying not all calories are created equal

Acg67

okay a calorie is not a calorie
there are good calories like from lean protein, fruits,veggies nuts ect....
then there are empty calories like from fats oils, ect...

Its not as important how much you eat, its more important what you eat, there are foods that actually help you lose weight by actually speeding up your metabolism and curbing your hunger

please stop...

yeah all oils have zero benefits, and please what are these magical metabolism boosting foods that would actually have any significant effect on weight loss?

Acg67

I'd say up your calories to 1500, you'll still lose weight, and will give you some more "room" to not be so hungry. Works for me!

Oh and KUDOS to you for eating cleaner - it will make all the difference. Calories matter yes, but the QUALITY of those calories IS very important - though many will try to tell you otherwise.

are you saying 2 diets of identical macros and cals, that one that was "clean" would lose more weight vs one made up of "unclean" foods?

yes that is what she is saying not all calories are created equal

please substantiate your claim then

BamaGurl47

i appreciate everyones comments .. it has been helpful..I have been over my calorie intake by 100 calories last few days .. I guess its best i up my calorie intake to 1500 instead so i dont find it a struggle and not feel so guilty ... I think the idea of eating protiens like 1oz of beef jerky is a good idea I will definatly add that to my diet ..

agthorn

If you take in more calories than you expend, then no it doesn't matter if they're 'clean' foods or twinkies - you will not lose weight.

However, since you are ~200lbs and only have a goal of 1200, I'm guessing you told MFP that you wanted to lose two pounds a week and therefore already have a 1000 calorie deficit per day below what it would take to maintain your weight. So if you are "over" goal by 100 calories, you still have a 900 calorie deficit per day and will still lose weight.

I would change your goal to 1-1.5lbs per week and then meet it.

chrisdavey

If you take in more calories than you expend, then no it doesn't matter if they're 'clean' foods or twinkies - you will not lose weight.

However, since you are ~200lbs and only have a goal of 1200, I'm guessing you told MFP that you wanted to lose two pounds a week and therefore already have a 1000 calorie deficit per day below what it would take to maintain your weight. So if you are "over" goal by 100 calories, you still have a 900 calorie deficit per day and will still lose weight.

I would change your goal to 1-1.5lbs per week and then meet it.

minimum!

I would think TDEE or maintenance cals would be close to 3000 than 2200.

agthorn

If you take in more calories than you expend, then no it doesn't matter if they're 'clean' foods or twinkies - you will not lose weight.

However, since you are ~200lbs and only have a goal of 1200, I'm guessing you told MFP that you wanted to lose two pounds a week and therefore already have a 1000 calorie deficit per day below what it would take to maintain your weight. So if you are "over" goal by 100 calories, you still have a 900 calorie deficit per day and will still lose weight.

I would change your goal to 1-1.5lbs per week and then meet it.

minimum!

I would think TDEE or maintenance cals would be close to 3000 than 2200.

I dunno, I used the BMR calculator on this site and unless she's super tall, a 202 lb 44 year old woman comes up with a BMR of about 1600 (another site calculated it at 1640) - so if she's sedentary or lightly active that comes out right around 2000-2200 for maintenance. If she's been yo-yo dieting for a long time she may have slowed her metabolism a tad.

Either way, setting a smaller goal and increasing calories is a good idea.

moxleymama6

Workout more to "earn" your snacks!

Espressocycle

You will be a fat person with a very healthy diet. You will feel better and probably be healthier, but you won't lose weight.

fatty2fabby

are you sure you're hungry and not just thirsty?

subela

I upped my calories for the same reason to 1450. Instead of losing 1lb of week, I'm losing on average 1.25/wk. Listen to your body, you are doing this for the long haul, so better to eat more and be satisfied and eat good nutritious foods. I think 1200 calories is hard to managed, especially when you are new to this as it is most likely more than half of what you were eating before. I also eat most of my exercise calories.
I have always been one of those "health food nuts" and ate a very healthy diet, but became more sedentary with age and ate more than my body required, yes, and gained weight. MFP keeps me accountable.