Eating for the sake of reaching net goal.

cannonsky

So I've been in a pensive mood this evening and was wondering about the idea of eating for the sake for reaching your net goal. Let's say, for instance, that you've planned out your meals (snacks included) but for whatever reason (maintenance working in your apartment for an hour changing ONE smoke alarm pushed your yoga session WAY back) you didn't get a chance to eat a meal at the time you regularly would. By the time you can eat it's almost time for your next meal. Do you still eat it so that you can meet your net goal? Or do you just skip the meal and leave a calorie remainder? Should you make sure that you are at least eating 1200 calories (consuming)? Or should you make sure your net is at least 1200 no matter what?

What say you, MFP?

Julz2586

I dont think i would eat for the sake of reaching the goal...

if i've missed a meal because of being too busy i'm not going to eat twice as much for meal just to make up for it.

Cold_Steel

I just eat if I am hungry... Don't eat when I am not.

michellelhartwig

I dont think i would eat for the sake of reaching the goal...

if i've missed a meal because of being too busy i'm not going to eat twice as much for meal just to make up for it.

AGREED!!! :flowerforyou:

douglasmobbs

Over eating or under eating for one day will make little difference unless it starts to change you general habits.

heybales

I know my body needs it, even if at the moment it doesn't feel like it does.

It gets fed. It needs to workout tomorrow well. And it needs to recover from today well.

neverstray

I always eat up to my net no matter what. I think you're getting all around poor advice. Just because people do it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. You're supposed to always eat up to your net in a 24 hour period. That's the whole point of the whole thing. But, I'm not an expert. I've just read a ton about how this all works. It's important to feed your body, whether you're hungry or not.

Pandalicious

I think if I missed a meal I would be so hungry for my next meal that I would inevitably eat more at the next meal.

k011185

Being well below my calories almost never happens to me, haha, usually fighting the opposite! But when it does, unless I am genuinely hungry, I don't eat them.
Every time I have, it ends up being something unhealthy, or I make myself feel ill by forcing something down.

Now if that was something that happened every other day, I would try and do something about it.

meshashesha2012

I just eat if I am hungry... Don't eat when I am not.

this. the days i undereat and the days i overeat all balance out to where i need to be to lose 1-2 pounds per week

Meg_78

I have to cause i'm trying to gain. If something happens that throws my meal times off i might need to change it up a bit, and take somthing smaller with a higher cal count, but still healthy, like nuts etc. Last night i was left with 700 Cals to fill after dinner, i just had a very low cal day (lots of veges, less carbs than usual) so i had to add a gainer shake that i have for emergency's, plus some food. I find if i dont fill it, i get hungry in the night. I can struggle to fill it on exercise days though, but i still eat back everything and try not to go more than 100 cals under my reccomended intake, i lost 3 lbs in a week going too much under, and now i'm tring to put that back.

BaconMD

I just eat if I am hungry... Don't eat when I am not.

This is what I did and it got me to over 330lbs, so there's more to it than that, at least for some people.

jching29

I never try to eat just to catch up to the 1200. It's kind of boring, honestly, and I think food should always be thoroughly enjoyed...eating just to consume seems so terribly boring.

cannonsky

It's not so much a matter of being worried I'll eat the wrong things; I plan my food out days in advance giving myself a variety of food (and little treats). It's also not really a hunger issue; I eat roughly every 2 1/2- 3 hours.. which makes it so I don't really stuff my face... and I just occasionally feel hungry (if a meal was a little smaller). The issue is more in the fact that my net goal is set at 1250 right now and I'm not sure if I should go under 1200 calories.. which I would if I missed a meal. I had trouble with my mood and energy level when I was eating less (not eating back work out calories)... which is why I'm slowly raising my calorie intake

cannonsky

no one else?

Cold_Steel

I just eat if I am hungry... Don't eat when I am not.

This is what I did and it got me to over 330lbs, so there's more to it than that, at least for some people.

Well staying within your numbers...

My point was if you are not hungry dont eat. Its about making the right choices. You didnt get to 330 by eating lean and vegetables when you were hungry... So yeah,,..

RachVR6

I think I would eat more calorie dense foods in my next meal or up my portion a bit. Not overstuff myself but if I could throw in a handful of nuts or avocado or something that would give me a calorie boost, I would.


Though personally a missed breakfast or something usually results in me eating gross foods because I have loads of calories to consume. Do as I say, not as I do.

sleepytexan

Here's one of my old posts from a similar topic:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
--

There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people wount walking across a parking lot as exercise.

Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

blessings.

CalJur

I just eat if I am hungry... Don't eat when I am not.

Spot on. Eat when you are hungry but don't make it a habit to eat below 1200 calories a day. Missing this mark every so often is fine but it should be a realistic target if not higher.

cannonsky

I think I would eat more calorie dense foods in my next meal or up my portion a bit. Not overstuff myself but if I could throw in a handful of nuts or avocado or something that would give me a calorie boost, I would.


Though personally a missed breakfast or something usually results in me eating gross foods because I have loads of calories to consume. Do as I say, not as I do.

I would do that too.. that's why i started planning my meals. So I wouldn't be just eating whatever I could... I would simply be eating what I planned... just closer together than usual.