Enlighten me please. How come people are closing

jazee11

out their food diaries without eating all of their assigned calories?

I tend to see the same people doing this daily.

Wouldn't you want to eat as much as possible and still lose weight? Is that just my pipe dream?

I understand there may be days when you ran around like crazy and just didn't have the time to eat. I also know that there are days when you may be feeling under the weather at times.

Except for here and there my day usually ends with going over on calories.

postrockandcats

I can't speak for everyone, but it depends on my day. If I had a day where I didn't move much, I won't eat as much. Sometimes I'm not as hungry. I can tell you I don't feel deprived!

MaryJane_8810002

out their food diaries without eating all of their assigned calories?

I tend to see the same people doing this daily.

Wouldn't you want to eat as much as possible and still lose weight? Is that just my pipe dream?

I understand there may be days when you ran around like crazy and just didn't have the time to eat. I also know that there are days when you may be feeling under the weather at times.

Except for here and there my day usually ends with going over on calories.

Honestly I am recovering from an eating disorder. One of the medications I take pretty much kills my appetite. I try to eat as much as I can but it is really hard! I am practically forcing myself to eat.

Aviflora

I honestly must have the smallest stomach in the world, because I eat 1000 calories and I'm full for the day. Like, so full I don't even consider ice cream (which, I suppose, is a good thing).

But, throughout the day I also fill up on fiber as well as protein, so it keeps me full for a much longer time. I think it really depends on the person, though.

apocalypsepwnie

I don't feel deprived. I'll eat if I'm hungry but if I'm not hungry I'm not going to force myself UNLESS I haven't eaten 1200. I don't worry about my 'net' calories and will only eat back exercise cals if I'm hungry after a training session. I'll also not worry if I'm within 100 cals of 1200 if I'm not hungry. If I'm a little under 1100 I'll have a glass of milk or a small piece of ham/chicken just to get me over.
I make notes in my diary if I am really hungry that day and will muse over what I did/ate that day and the day before and what times those things happened so I can make better choices in the future.

At the beginning I was forcing myself to try and get to 1880 but it was just too much. I was making really awesome choices and the volume of food was just way over what I could fit in. I'm sure if I was eating the way I used to I'd make my cals and more but go over on salt and fat while still being hungry. I just can't put those things in my mouth anymore knowing I'll be starving later because my blood sugar will drop off dramatically and I'll get headaches too.

Watching my weekly stats is quite amusing, without even being aware I average within 50 cals on the same day each week. And my pie charts are also pretty similar. I expect that to change now I'm going to walking on my 'off' days from training. I'll need more carbs to keep the noggin going lol.

Everyone has different reasons for staying under. My nutritionist warned me of counting calories and not to be suckered into the trap of HAVING to stay under that number every day. If I was hungry, eat the best choice I can make. If not hungry eh, just make sure I'm taking my vitamins and drinking water or try something really small just to keep my blood sugar level even. My body will tell me when I need to eat waaaay before I actually have a growling tummy or pains.

NataBost

I think there could be a lot of answers to this.

Some people may simply forget to log everything as well. I try not to look at other people's diaries as I don't know their situation, unless they have a specific question about their diet in a thread.

IslandDreamer64

I am rarely under my calories, usually over by 50-200. And so far I'm able to lose weight doing this. Some days I'm just not as hungry, or I'm less active. It's rare though.

Bob314159

Two reasons - if I expect to eat more than usual the next day I might intentionally eat less - that happens rarely, I usually just eat a very small lunch if I expect a big dinner.

Mostly though, if I get to the end of the day and don't feel hungry - there is no need to stuff my face. And I don't believe for one moment I'm going to wreck my metabolism by not eating my exercise calories. If I was eating less than 1000 every day - maybe that would be a problem,

lyttlewon

I have my limit set to TDEE so I know my max.

windycitycupcake

everybody is different, it's personal choice. if you only want to look at diaries above 1200 you can select only those people to be in your friends list, then only they will come up in your feed. i eat under 1200 calories quite often and i've learned that it really triggers and upsets some people on here. they have since deleted me from their friends list.

Gidzmo

In my case, I sometimes don't get one day closed till the next day. If I don't get home till late, the only thing I want to do is get a bite to eat and settle down for the night. The food diary can wait till the next day.

gibsy

I would prefer MFP gave us the option of selecting a calorie range rather than 1 specific goal. My range would be 1450-1850 and I'd end my day on the low end if I felt good and satisfied, but push up to the top end if my appetite is a little bigger than usual. This is how I do things generally, even though I can't program in the range I have in my head. My actual programmed goal is somewhere in the middle of that range.

I also know that I'm probably a little bit off in my estimates, especially with restaurant meals, so on days where I don't feel the urgent need to eat more, I'll err on the lower side and save those extra calories for a day when I really can't seem to satisfy my appetite.

moxleye

I don't see what the big deal is. Everyone is different, that means different thinks work for different people. Today I netted -927 calories.

lcn1220

I eat a cut off my TDEE and generally do not eat back my exercise cals since I've already factored them in. I do log my exercise cals in case I need to eat some of them back on a high burn day. Why do this? Preference really. I like eating a constant amount every day so someone like me will close out the diary with cals left over.

mrshoneydew

everybody is different, it's personal choice. if you only want to look at diaries above 1200 you can select only those people to be in your friends list, then only they will come up in your feed. i eat under 1200 calories quite often and i've learned that it really triggers and upsets some people on here. they have since deleted me from their friends list.

This is so interesting. I don't understand why this is.
When I gained all my weight in the winter, I wasn't eating much more than I do now. I eat about 1,200 daily give or take. I was probably eating about 1,500 before, yet I gained 30 pounds! Why would I eat more when it's obvious I have a harder time losing weight than others? If someone is only eating that much, then working it all off, I could understand.
But people need to realize that different people have different calorie intake needs and not be so judgmental unless they see that something is very wrong (like one item logged in a daily food diary).

boobunnie72

I agree ~ sometimes I'm just not hungry enough for the ..even 1200 I'm being allowed ~ I drink TONS of water and that usually fills me up..especially when my tummie is growling...and yet I'm still not feeling hungry ~ maybe it's just a mental thing

justal313

I am attempting to come within 75 calories of my NET without going over. I do this so that when something isn't measured or estimated correctly I don't stress it. Today I am 150 under but I'm done for the day as I'm really not hungry and it's quarter till 11

ellyinflight

If I'm way under, it usually means I had a migraine for the day and spent it all in bed sleeping. Otherwise I'm quite often maybe 200 over or under my 1200 limit, but it's only because I listen to my body. I eat when I am hungry. I'm not going to just eat for the sake of eating just to obsessively reach a calorie limit number each day (which means nothing, as the amount of calories you need to lose weight changes every single day based on your activities and even small things like whether you woke up early and got sunlight in your eyes, which boosts the metabolism). I love eating, I love food, but I refuse try to cram in as much food as possible just because I can. That doesn't seem like a healthy or sustainable lifestyle to me. Listening to your body should always be the first step of healthy weightloss or fitness.

flyingpurplemonkey

If I'm not hungry, I'm not going to force myself to eat. I try to make sure I am close to my goal most days and my macros are relatively decent, but if I have exercise calories left, and I'm not hungry, I don't eat just to eat. That's what got me here in the first place.

MelanieSkittle

I usually guess my calories throughout the day, and log them after dinner. Usually I'm on target (1300-1500 is my goal), but sometimes I'm under. I don't worry about it since I'm already full from dinner. I'm not going to force feed myself to get in some extra calories, but I'm also not under intentionally.

Crumleygirl

Hi, you should add me. I eat to fill myself. I sleep late a lot of the time. So Sometimes I have a banana for breakfast and sometimes I add cereal with that. I try to go to the gym daily and use two or three machines. Therefore I burn a lot of calories every night and I try to have some left over so I can lose weight. I like having extra calories and I always keep myself full. That's the main priority here. Some people eat back their exercise calories, I don't use all of mine but most of them.

cersela

On days I'm not as hungry I eat less, in case there are days where I am hungrier and eat more. By the end of the week it evens out.

maroonmango211

Simply put especially after learning more about my body I eat when I'm hungry I don't when I'm not. Some days I fill up my calories other days its hard to eat enough to hit the 1200 mark even. I think some people love to eat more than others as well. I learned early on I actually don't love food as much as I thought I did, it is fuel and if the tank feels full I have no feeling of need to add more.

kellicci

Ever since I heard that all those food labels we rely on were allowed to be off by up to 20% I decided it's better safe than sorry. Plus I don't weigh my food I just use measuring cups so I probably under estimate. Add those two thing together and when I eat exactly my goal and eat back my exercise calories...my results suffer. So I leave my self a little buffer. I probably am getting closer to my goal than it seems.

Music4Hym777

I am in the it will all even out camp too. I dont generally worry about it. I also will put a note in the diary if it is way off and there is not a clear reason why (like eating out)

scarlettesong

I am attempting to come within 75 calories of my NET without going over. I do this so that when something isn't measured or estimated correctly I don't stress it. Today I am 150 under but I'm done for the day as I'm really not hungry and it's quarter till 11

^^This

I want to get close, but I try my best not to go over. I try to enter my food as I eat it and keep my lunch and dinner to 300-400 calories. This way I know I'm not going over. If I see 800 calories to go at supper time, that means I can eat normally and be 200-300 calories under, or can allow myself a cookie. Either way.

I also use water. Hungry? Drink some water first. Wait 30 mins. Drink more water. Wait another 30 minutes. Still hungry? Eat. Spacing out my food like that also means I've eaten less by the end of the day.

BarbWhite09

Well there are about 7000 different reasons people could be closing their diaries while being below their calories...eating disorders...sick...stress...exercise...burned dinner...lunch sucked...dropped breakfast on the floor...no time...want me to go on? Not sure why you're so concerned about others diary. If you don't approve of their intake then delete them...easy peasy!

kairisika

I aim to be near but never above my goal, so that i lose at the rate I have set, or slightly faster.

But I also log my exercise, and the calculator generally overestimates calories burned. So I take that into account when I am considering eating more because I have burned some. I do aim to net my goal, but I consider that the extra calories allotted from workouts are too many extra calories, so I don't eat all of them.
I do a good bit of rock climbing, and especially long-distance hiking. I know for certain that I don't burn an extra 3000 calories on an easy day hike. So whenever I do pretty much anything out in the mountains, my diary would show that I netted few or even negative calories. Rather than try to calculate to MFP's wonky numbers, I just assume I can use a few more calories on mountain days, but nowhere near what it estimates.
Obviously you haven't been looking at my diary, but others may have similar reasons.

And, of course, I'm really working on learning to listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry and not eat when I am not. So if I don't feel hungry on a day, I try to not keep eating even if I could have more calories.

laurenleighlugo

It motivates me to see that I have a lot of remaining calories.

capnwo85

If you feel satiated, why would you force yourself to eat more? if you're close, you'll be aiiiight.

Crochetluvr

I don't know either. It happens a lot. I don't get why people don't simply adjust their numbers since they aren't following what MFP gives them. I see a lot of people with over 900 or more calories left over...without exercise. If someone wants to eat 1200 calories a day, that's fine but why have your diary saying you are supposed to be eating more than 2000 when you never do? I don't know whether to congratulate them or ask them whats wrong.