Is anyone finding it hard to eat all the daily calories?

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  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
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    I average 700-800 cals eaten per day ...period ! I can't imagine eating the ones I burn unless I turn to junk food ..I am not gonna eat a chocolate bar with no nutrition to get them ... I eat til I feel satisfied. I was too excited that I got over 1000 when I recorded a couple nights ago ...and then I had to have a pudding cup and a few almonds to get it ... Some people just don't have a big apetite....I know I end up with a lower metabolism from taking in so few ..but what can ya do ? I have lost 16 pounds since Dec 28th so I don't think it's harming me too much in the fat loss dpt.

    so you're eating 700-800 calories a day, and then NOT eating back your exercise calories?! How many calories are you netting? how is your body supposed to fuel itself on such a tiny amount of food?!

    Good grief people, you don't need to beat your body into submission - its not the enemy. Eat enough to have a moderate deficit, drink water and shake your butt at least 5 times a week. You have to fuel your body to get the results you want!!


    Yup that's what I am saying...and it's not because I set out to do it ..I eat ..whatever I make all day ...at the end I record and thats what it comes out to.. I am sitting here now wondering what to eat to bring it up a bit I think i'm around 800....I just had a pudding cup and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to get that far ..I am someone who just doesn't get hungry ...I in all honesty forget to eat unless I plan it or the kids are home so I am making them a meal and make some for me too.. I was doing doubles at work for a long time and eating once a day ..I don't know if that became a habit or what but I really just have no appetite...and I am aware that, that is why I am fat . I do try ..it's not like I have an eating disorder ... I just don't eat ...I am thinking I may try boost or some kind of shakes I can just grab and drink in place of water....drinking so much water now that i'm in here makes it even harder to eat.

    I should add I burn 500-800 cals a day or more too from exercising ..I am doing the 30 day shred ..plus an elliptical etc...I could never eat over 2000 cals unless I ate candy or take out ...I don't eat sugar ..other than a gram or so thats already in my foods ..

    .1188 Calories Remaining Goal 1370 Food 887 - Exercise 705 = Net 182

    You're basically Netting zero calories.

    I eat 2000 calories a day and trust me, I don't eat "candy" or "take out" to get there. I lift heavy weights and need my body to function correctly to get the changes I want.

    You need to make your health a priority and stop starving your body.

    Not trying to be harsh, but just being real with you. I've been at this a long time and just offering my opinion.
  • Ginger4real
    Ginger4real Posts: 162
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    :smile: That's why I'm in here ..to figure out how ...I eat good.. I mean today I had shrimp, eggs, hot wings ...I just can't eat big portions I feel full quickly ..so I add snack items like .. pudding ...almonds ..cheese or some cut up veggies ... I'm all for opinions and tips
  • PearsPeppersandPeanutButter
    PearsPeppersandPeanutButter Posts: 190
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    You will get 100 opinions saying eat them and 100 saying dont eat them!!! Sometimes I do sometimes I dont it depends on how im feeling :) Good luck with your question!!
    I agree. I eat them if I'm extraordinarily hungry that day or I may feel just fine and not eat any of the exercise earned calories. I don't really notice a difference in my weight resuciton , so I can't be too far off base.
  • crystalrenee1499
    crystalrenee1499 Posts: 1 Member
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    I don't eat any extra unless I go under 1200 total calories. My goal is 1560 I basically only add to my exercising goal if I go over which is rare. I also have a cheat day which is usually on Saturday and the funny thing is that I am becoming so accustomed to my eating habits that I normally still don't go over. I personally think going under 1200 calories is detrimental to weight loss goals.
  • SarahLynn182
    SarahLynn182 Posts: 1
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    Exactly!!!! You are burning them off for a reason :)
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
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    :smile: That's why I'm in here ..to figure out how ...I eat good.. I mean today I had shrimp, eggs, hot wings ...I just can't eat big portions I feel full quickly ..so I add snack items like .. pudding ...almonds ..cheese or some cut up veggies ... I'm all for opinions and tips

    :flowerforyou:
    It takes a while to really figure things out - look at me, I'm down 120 lbs and still learning lol!
    Look to lean meats, veges, wholegrains - as unprocessed as you can. Cook things in olive oil, eat peanut butter - all things that have beneficial qualities and happen to be high in calories. I know its backward thinking to try and add in more calories when you're trying to lose weight, but honestly in the long run you don't want to be stuck with a screwed up metabolism and only able to eat 1000 calories a day to maintain. Thats not living. You want to make sure you nourish your body with good food and create a moderate deficit between what you eat and what you burn. Creating huge deficits isn't doing anyone any favours.
  • TurtleTape
    TurtleTape Posts: 254 Member
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    I do, however it's getting easier to get to my daily goal. The first couple of weeks it seemed impossible, but this week it's been more attainable. However....I haven't been eating as "good" this week as I should be...
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Hello All!

    I'm new to the mfp and I was surprised that we get extra calories to use when we work out. I'm a little worried that I can't eat the 700 plus calories that are left for the day as I don't really get hungry after 7:00pm. With all the water and fiber than I'm consuming, I'm just not that hungry. What should I do? Does it really matter? Help!:huh:
    If you are getting good results with what you are eating, then stick with it. If you stop getting results, or start having issues with fatigue/sleeplessness/whatever, then up your calorie intake. If you are eating healthy, eating your full recommended calorie intake can be hard (I know a lot of people don't understand this, but it's typically due to their including very calorie-dense foods in their diet). I.E. if you are eating all veggies/turkey/brown rice, then eating e.g. 1800 calories in a day is HARD. If you start running into issues and need to hit that target, add some more calorie-dense stuff. Relatively healthy calorie dense foods include cottage cheese, nuts/peanut butter, protein shakes, and pasta/cereal.
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Well, my boyfriend used to be a personal trainer and I asked him about this and he said it was ridiculous to eat the calories you lose because it would defeat the purpose. And I agree. This thing of mfp giving you extra calories when you burn them is just weird. Think about it - why would you try and burn all of these calories to then get them back? Doesn't make much sense, does it?

    I believe MFP created your calories based on no exercise at all. SO if you burn extra calories during exercise it will creat a faster weight loss. So eating back the calories helps you stay on target for their original weight loss plan.
    But there is nothing that says if you don't want to eat them back you have to. If you are satisfied and not at all hungry, who would want to? Some of us really really want to eat them. :o)
  • Yasmine91
    Yasmine91 Posts: 599 Member
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    I do :P
  • foshemar
    foshemar Posts: 2
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    I do, and it is mentally hard for me to eat the calories that I burned by exercising, I have read that you need to eat all the calories or your body will go into "starvation" mode. I hope they are right, but I did loose six pounds last week. We will see this week!
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
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    That's y I drunk mine.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    You will get 100 opinions saying eat them and 100 saying dont eat them!!!
    WRONG!
    There are no opinions that matter - only what this site is actually set up for.
    MFP expects you to eat them, and if you do not, you are following some other program apart from the MFP recommendations.
    That's not opinion but fact.
    The confusion is wrought by those NOT following the MFP prescribed program of safe, healthy weight loss.
    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.
    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.
    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.
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    It's all a numbers game. If you set your deficit at 2 lbs per week (1000 calories per day) and you're sitting at 1200 as you goal before exercise and then you burn 700 and you don't eat those calories then you have a net caloric intake of 500 calories and that's not enough. So the correct answer is ...it depends on what you answered for how many pounds per week you want to lose.

    Another way to look at it is.

    You set your calorie intake to lose 0 lbs per week. Then you workout everyday and burn 500 calories a day. That equals 3500 calories burned per week or 1 lb of fat loss. So the right answer is different for everyone.
  • TriforceRaven
    TriforceRaven Posts: 115 Member
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    I have trouble eating my 1320 everyday xD So yes. I have that problem too. So I just don't eat them.
  • tracybarnes1
    tracybarnes1 Posts: 54 Member
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    add me! You are gonna get some harsh comments...but I am and have been in the same boat!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Well, my boyfriend used to be a personal trainer and I asked him about this and he said it was ridiculous to eat the calories you lose because it would defeat the purpose. And I agree. This thing of mfp giving you extra calories when you burn them is just weird. Think about it - why would you try and burn all of these calories to then get them back? Doesn't make much sense, does it?

    Because MFP doesn't count your exercise until you actually do it and log it. MFP sets you low so that if you did not exercise, you will still lose x amount per week, whatever you told it you wanted to lose when you set up your goals. Most people here pick 2 pounds per week because who doesn't want to lose that much? So MFP sets you to 1,200 which is less than BMR for most people. Ask your boyfriend if he thinks anyone should eat less than their BMR.
  • gregorboy
    gregorboy Posts: 2 Member
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    Listen to what your body tells you. Some workout days I can get within the calorie range (including the extras), some days I can't - I just don't feel hungry. I also know that I needed to adjust my daily calorie intake UP because I quickly plateaued at the base 1200 cal level. My body started going into protection mode with high energy workouts and low cal intake. When I added 300 calories to my daily budget, the weight started dropping off again and my energy levels and stamina returned to normal. Again, the best advice anyone can give you is to listen to what your body is telling you. Everyone handles calories a little bit differently than from everyone else.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    You will get 100 opinions saying eat them and 100 saying dont eat them!!!
    WRONG!
    There are no opinions that matter - only what this site is actually set up for.
    MFP expects you to eat them, and if you do not, you are following some other program apart from the MFP recommendations.
    That's not opinion but fact.
    The confusion is wrought by those NOT following the MFP prescribed program of safe, healthy weight loss.
    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.
    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.
    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.

    and as you know maximal, MFP is wrong about the 1200 calorie a day thing for most people.
    A whole different issue; argue your point with them or set up your own program.
    As for eating back exercise calories, MFP is set up for members to eat them back no if's an's or but's.

    Agree - disagree - irrelevant.
    This is how it's set up.
  • sparkie51
    sparkie51 Posts: 98 Member
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    On a funny note-Check that your height is correct because when I first started on MFP my daily calories were over 2000. After a few days I was never approaching that amount and I thought it was high. I checked my stats and found out that my height was in as 8'4'' LOL No wonder I could eat like a NY Giant. I am now at about 1300 and many days especially with exercise I have about 200-400 left over. It has made for a nice steady weight loss.

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