I Feel Bad If I Don't Have a Calorie Deficit

ParanSkies

Does anyone else have this problem? I know that eating too little will slow down your metabolism, but I feel really unhappy with myself if I don't see that I have a calorie deficit from the minimum 1200 calories. At 4 feet 10 and 126 pounds (my goal is 100-110), I really don't need a lot of calories to begin with so even if I eat just 1200 calories a day, wouldn't that be an extremely slow weight loss?

And also, I hear that you're actually supposed to EAT BACK your exercise calories? I know it's probably good for you, but it just makes me feel like any exercise I did goes down the drain in waste if I eat back what I lost

Topher1978

You need the food. Eat back your exercise calories. It has been much much better for me that way!!

iamkarent

But you have to remember ...by eating the 1200...you are at a deficit!!!!

1200 is your target ...that is already set lower then your daily burn to have you lose weight.

JenSkinLaPierre

You have to change things up sometimes... your BMR at 126 lbs is roughly 1260 calories. That's how many calories your body requires to simply lay in bed all day. That doesn't take into account getting out of bed, going about your day, walking to the store, cleaning, cooking, working, etc. etc. Have you tried eating your BMR + exercise calories for a week and see what happens? If you eat those exercise calories back on the days you exercise, but 1260ish on the days you don't exercise, it will be a good way to shake things up with different calorie intake each day.

ParanSkies

You have to change things up sometimes... your BMR at 126 lbs is roughly 1260 calories. That's how many calories your body requires to simply lay in bed all day. That doesn't take into account getting out of bed, going about your day, walking to the store, cleaning, cooking, working, etc. etc. Have you tried eating your BMR + exercise calories for a week and see what happens? If you eat those exercise calories back on the days you exercise, but 1260ish on the days you don't exercise, it will be a good way to shake things up with different calorie intake each day.

I live quite the inactive lifestyle though... I pretty much go to school, come home and sit in front of the computer for the rest of the day unless I go exercise (around 4 times a week). If I ate my BMR + exercise calories back, wouldn't that pretty much amount to a minuscule weight loss?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You have to change things up sometimes... your BMR at 126 lbs is roughly 1260 calories. That's how many calories your body requires to simply lay in bed all day. That doesn't take into account getting out of bed, going about your day, walking to the store, cleaning, cooking, working, etc. etc. Have you tried eating your BMR + exercise calories for a week and see what happens? If you eat those exercise calories back on the days you exercise, but 1260ish on the days you don't exercise, it will be a good way to shake things up with different calorie intake each day.

I live quite the inactive lifestyle though... I pretty much go to school, come home and sit in front of the computer for the rest of the day unless I go exercise (around 4 times a week). If I ate my BMR + exercise calories back, wouldn't that pretty much amount to a minuscule weight loss?

You shouldn't be losing quickly because you're so small already. You want to try for about half a pound per week. And yes, eat your BMR plus exercise calories. At 1200 you're already at a deficit and eating below your BMR, so if you go even lower you're not doing yourself any favors. I'm pretty sedentary, 5'4" 130 lbs and I lose weight if I eat less than 1630 (my sedentary TDEE). Figure out what your TDEE is; that is your maintenance calories. As long as you eat less than that you'll lose weight.

KeithRaven

Yes, I want to be lower than my calorie target each day.

ubermensch13

You are small, your weight loss will be slower anyway. BMR has nothing to do with activity, it is how many calories you already burn even if you stayed in bed all day. The fact you are moving around at all means you are burning more than 1260 normally.

Plus, if you are scared of eating, there might be a more psychological issue going on, have you spoke to a doctor about this?

Bobby__Clerici

But you have to remember ...by eating the 1200...you are at a deficit!!!!

1200 is your target ...that is already set lower then your daily burn to have you lose weight.

^^^^^^
THIS
And I totally feel you.
It just does not feel right - especially when some of us, with the best intentions, have stifled our own progress eating too little.
Don;t do it.

ParanSkies

You are small, your weight loss will be slower anyway. BMR has nothing to do with activity, it is how many calories you already burn even if you stayed in bed all day. The fact you are moving around at all means you are burning more than 1260 normally.

Plus, if you are scared of eating, there might be a more psychological issue going on, have you spoke to a doctor about this?

I guess I just thought that even if I got out of bed a little, I wouldn't really be losing a LOT more than 1260 a day. I thought my petiteness would make it extra hard for me to lose weight and in turn, I should eat even less. Seeing these posts though, I am starting to realize that eating 1200 calories isn't setting me back at all.

As for being "scared of eating", I definitely do not have anything so serious that I need to talk to a doctor about! I've always loved eating but I'm very determined to stick to a healthy diet and control my portions in order to reach my goals xD It's the first time in my life that I've ever lost more than two or three pounds and I want to keep at it.

ParanSkies

And I totally feel you.
It just does not feel right - especially when some of us, with the best intentions, have stifled our own progress eating too little.
Don;t do it.

Thank you for your reply
I wish my body would just listen to my commands and use up my fat stores more quickly! xD
But I definitely do not want to stifle my own progress by eating too much... and I now realize, eating too LITTLE.

acogg

Men lose differently than women. Most of the "eat more-weigh less" crowd are men. They can lose 30 lbs. in a month by increasing food and working out. Women aren't built that way. We aren't muscular and therefore we don't naturally have the calorie burn from muscle.

That said, yes, as to your original question of guilt. I do feel bad if I my newsfeed doesn't report a lower than goal report to my MFP friends. I feel like I am not inspiring them or am failing them. That's probably another difference in the man/woman thing. Women approach it differently than men.