Do you consume all of your allotted calories?

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  • kellymlevingston
    kellymlevingston Posts: 1
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    i eat my 1200 calories aday but i dont eat the extra from exercise i feel if i do then the exercise isnt worth it
  • kak2m4
    kak2m4 Posts: 167 Member
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    I try to, some days it's more difficult to do so, other days (like yesterday) I can go over easily. 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter and whole, natural almonds are my go-to snacks when I need to bump up my calorie intake for the day.
  • tabbyjl
    tabbyjl Posts: 6
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    I find this hard too! I have a large number of calories per day to eat to start out with and then exercise adds more so it says I should be eating 2000-2500 at times, can never seem to do anything close to it but I'm always eating and like good food too all day. I find adding a protein shake once throughout the day ie before or after a workout actually helps boost the calorie count though
  • lohitverma
    lohitverma Posts: 161 Member
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    Yes...I am always mystified by people who find it hard to eat 1200, 1500, even 2000 calories. I eat all my exercise calories back and I still want more. 1200 is nothing!
    Echo that! :)
  • sdennis2003
    sdennis2003 Posts: 1
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    I am right there with you...
    I am struggling to get my calories... and NEVER get the exercise calories back. I started tracking calories because I thought I was getting too many, but after tracking what I am eating I was getting less than 900 a day. I am over weight, but obviously not because I get too many calories. Right now I am eating a small meal every 2 hours. I am STUFFED most of the time and I am still struggling to get 1250 calories in a day. Because while trying to lose weight I am trying to heal my body from a recent sickness I am trying to do high protein low carb, mostly non processed and ALOT of rabbit food :) I have been at it 4 weeks and have lost 6 pounds total. I feel like it is moving SLLLOOOOW! I have tried to up my calories, but how do I do this without eating junk? (rabbit food has very few calories)
  • msjamartin
    msjamartin Posts: 148
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    I've lost 194lbs in 2 years...I've done this by eating in a calorie range not by limiting my calories to a specific number. I don't use the excersice calorie plan on MFP per se. Since I started this well before I joined MFP, I've simply stuck with what worked. I adjusted my macros to be a 40/30/30 balance and I eat between 1200-1600 calories every day. I burn bewteen 1000-1500 calories a day. I know I would not have lost the weight if I had a higher calorie count that eating all my exercise calories would allow but I also know that 1200 is not enough for the amount of calories I'm burning. I try and choose whole/real foods and prepare them myself and limit the over processed/high sodium/filler loaded low cal stuff out there. Fresh veggies, fruits lean meats, low sodium frozen and canned items (like tomatoes and beans for chili's), nuts, dried fruits, etc are what I eat for the most part. I throw in a proten bar or oatmeal at times as well.

    I really recommend finding a range and adapting your foods to how you will eat forever with simply portion control. Don't over think food (or under think like we all did to gain). Find a way to adapt to livable, real life habit so once you hit maintance you simply adjust your portions up slightly of the same foods you have been eating to lose.
  • Churble
    Churble Posts: 85 Member
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    I eat all of my regularly allotted calories and I try to eat back at least half of those earned from exercise.
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
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    I don't eat them all during the week, but I tend to make up for it by drinking a fair few of them at the weekend.

    Hah this definitely is the same for me.

    I normally have no problems eating 1200 calories. You shouldn't eat less than that because your body will go into starvation mode and you will stop losing weight. Focus on eating healthy calories like almond butter, quinoa, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, other beans, etc. I try to stay under my calorie goal because when I drink (I'm a senior in college), it's a lot of calories, so it's better for me to stay under to actually lose weight.

    When I workout I typically burn 300-450 calories.

    Losing weight is a slow process. It's dangerous to lose more than 2 lbs per week, unless maybe you've just started dieting and you have a lot of water weight that's lost from big changes in diet/exercise. One pound is 3500 calories, so to lose a pound, you have to have a deficit of 3500 calories at the end of the week.

    Your goal calories - your exercise calories - your resting calorie burn = -500 per day,
    totaling -3500 in a week. This will lose you one pound.

    the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest!! I highly recommend getting up to the full amount of calories every day, myfitnesspal knows what they are talking about.

    Feel free to check out my food diary to see how I manage to use all my calories every day. Some days aren't so good, like yesterday when I had a slice of pizza hah! Still was under my cals but not in a healthy way! But most days I try to stay healthy all day and stay around my calorie goal.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
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    The concept of not eating all the calories I'm allowed doesn't even occur to me. The only reason I leave <5 on the table is because I haven't found anything that's 1 calorie.

    However, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm a pig.

    This. I love me some calories.
    Although I like it when I accidentally hit 0 or +1/-1 at the end of the day. If I have to go 50 over to get protein in, I'll do it. If I have to stay under 50 to keep sugar/carbs down, I'll do that, but it's not nearly as fun. :-P
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    What? Did we suddenly forget how to eat?:laugh:
    Just eat.
    If you are like me, you did not get fat not knowing how to eat.
    So, yes, eat your calories.
    MFP calculates our total daily calorie intake WITHOUT exercise to lose 1 pound or so per week.
    And after we log exercises, our daily calorie limit increases.
    Why?
    Because MFP telling us to eat our exercise calories in addition to our daily calorie goals.
    Eating a McD cheeseburger is better than not eating to goal, because you will stifle progress not eating enough.
    Large deficits are unhealthy, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
    In many cases you'll lose lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS your metabolic rate, making weight loss harder.
    These crash diets work well for a season -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so
    few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories
    more slowly -- and you gain weight.:noway:
    Be smart.
    Exercise well both cardio and resistance, and eat back the calories.
    The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.

    good post :smile: :smile:

    If you do a lot of exercise you have to make sure you eat enough back so that you are not below 1200 net / more than 1000 day deficit as going too low is not a healthy way to lose.

    i eat to mine most days, if i am over a little / under a little i dont worry too much as it usually balances out over the week.
  • SexyCook
    SexyCook Posts: 2,253 Member
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    I try to eat up to 75% of my calories more....Depending on my appetite...This does not work for all...I use to do 1200 that I was allotted before exercise and loss once I got to no movement on the scale..I increased based on that..You will have to play around with it to see what works for you...
  • Mandarz
    Mandarz Posts: 50 Member
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    I feel like such a slacker! my caloric goals are set to 1700 to lose .5-1 pound a week... I currently dont burn a very high number of calories from excersize ( 98-350 ish ) and often dont eat them all back, I have been weighing my food, wow talk about portion distortion! and its been a real wake up for me... i cut down on processed foods, grains/starches, and animal protein... while trying to eat more whole and raw foods- healthy fats etc... i have only been on MFP just over a month and lost 6 pounds, which is more then i thought i would!!!
    I have lost 43 since my heaviest and one of my biggest triumphs was having a baby in the middle of that loss without gaining everything back!
    SO, it all depends on hunger or boredom for me.. im really trying hard to not eat out of boredom anymore...
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I beg the differ.. you most certainly can adjust all of your settings on here..

    From Calories - Carbs-Fat- Cholestrol ect...

    For those who don't know that you CAN adjust your Goals like, allowed cals, fat, carbs, cholesterol, sugar ... Go to MY HOME> GOALS> CHANGE GOALS. When you pull this page up it will allow you to put in your desired numbers for each catagory.

    :)15714177.png

    Ah, so you meant your chosen calories not "alloted" - I get you now.
  • KahuNZ
    KahuNZ Posts: 401 Member
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    What? Did we suddenly forget how to eat?:laugh:
    Just eat.
    If you are like me, you did not get fat not knowing how to eat.
    So, yes, eat your calories.
    MFP calculates our total daily calorie intake WITHOUT exercise to lose 1 pound or so per week.
    And after we log exercises, our daily calorie limit increases.
    Why?
    Because MFP telling us to eat our exercise calories in addition to our daily calorie goals.
    Eating a McD cheeseburger is better than not eating to goal, because you will stifle progress not eating enough.
    Large deficits are unhealthy, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
    In many cases you'll lose lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS your metabolic rate, making weight loss harder.
    These crash diets work well for a season -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so
    few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories
    more slowly -- and you gain weight.:noway:
    Be smart.
    Exercise well both cardio and resistance, and eat back the calories.
    The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.

    Well said! Eat healthy and within the guidelines and you should lose weight
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I originally had my calorie goal set for weight loss and ate all of my calories. Once I got to goal weight, I set it to maintain, and I eat all of my calories. If I go significantly under or over one day, I make it up later in the week.
  • kiwilaurie
    kiwilaurie Posts: 41 Member
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    Yes...I am always mystified by people who find it hard to eat 1200, 1500, even 2000 calories. I eat all my exercise calories back and I still want more. 1200 is nothing!

    Totally agreed! I have 1200 cals + 200 for breastfeeding and could happily eat 50% more again. In fact, I exercise just so I can eat more! Getting fit is just a bonus side-effect. :-)
  • jessicataylor2
    jessicataylor2 Posts: 150
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    Yes...I am always mystified by people who find it hard to eat 1200, 1500, even 2000 calories. I eat all my exercise calories back and I still want more. 1200 is nothing!

    That's exactly how I am! I make sure that I work out simply because I'm still starving and want more food
  • PepperRocks
    PepperRocks Posts: 48
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    I eat more then what is allocated by MFP (1200), then burn some exercising. I ensure that net is < 1200.

    13692425.png
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  • Marinita1967
    Marinita1967 Posts: 4
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    It's a never ending debate really. I spoke to my Dr about this..and I asked him if I should be replacing the calories I burn. his answer: Eat if you're hungry..don't worry about the deficit. Somedays you'll exceed the calorie count and other days you won't achieve it.
    That made me feel good considering i burn about 1000 calories per day........so moral of the story...eat the calories if you're hungry..just be mindful of what you eat.....don't forget to treat yourself every now and then.
  • PepperRocks
    PepperRocks Posts: 48
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    Yes...I am always mystified by people who find it hard to eat 1200, 1500, even 2000 calories. I eat all my exercise calories back and I still want more. 1200 is nothing!

    Totally agreed! I have 1200 cals + 200 for breastfeeding and could happily eat 50% more again. In fact, I exercise just so I can eat more! Getting fit is just a bonus side-effect. :-)

    This. How on earth eating 1200 is difficult! Just how?

    13692425.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

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