When do I stop eating?

hope002
hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know, it's a silly question, but in the past few weeks it has been very dificult for me.
I set my TDEE at 1800 as per various TDEE calculators. I burn between 350-650 calories a day. That puts me up to 2150-2450 calories a day. I try to eat back at least half of my exercise calories, but it's hard, I am not hungry. Many days I have logged what I planned to eat, but at the end of the day I can't eat it all. So I end up having more calorie deficit then I log.
So here comes the question: When do I stop eating? when I am not hungry anymore or when I eat all my TDEE calories?
Thank you!
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Replies

  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
  • Machafin
    Machafin Posts: 2,988 Member
    Yes, I agree, if you aren't hungry they do not eat. I am the same way sometimes ending up 600 calories below my goal.
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
    I agree with the above poster... if you're not hungry, don't eat. Perhaps you've set your calorie goal too high?

    You don't have to worry about eating back your exercise calories, but you also don't want to lose weight too quickly because then it's likely you'll gain it all back after you stop counting calories. Stop eating when you're full, and reconsider your calorie goal if you're unable to meet it.
  • freelancejouster
    freelancejouster Posts: 478 Member
    As long as you don't net too low and you are losing weight then I would say you're fine when you're full. However, if you go by this method for a month or so and lose very little weight, I would advise eating more calorie dense items like peanut butter, almond butter, avacado, lean meats to get closer to your TDEE. and make sure you give yourself a rest day once in awhile, it prevents against injury and helps your body heal!
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    If you have you calories set as a deficit from your TDEE you are not supposed to eat back your exercise calories unless you exercise so much it causes you to net below your bmr. Your exercise is already supposed to be included in your TDEE calculation.
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    If you have you calories set as a deficit from your TDEE you are not supposed to eat back your exercise calories unless you exercise so much it causes you to net below your bmr. Your exercise is already supposed to be included in your TDEE calculation.
    I don't include my exercese in when calculating my TDEE. I set my activity level as sedentary as I have a desk job
  • cattrill
    cattrill Posts: 74 Member
    If you have you calories set as a deficit from your TDEE you are not supposed to eat back your exercise calories unless you exercise so much it causes you to net below your bmr. Your exercise is already supposed to be included in your TDEE calculation.

    ^^ this. If you are eating at MFP allocated calories, you eat back your exercise.
    TDEE - 20% or whatever already takes into account so you just eat the same amount each day
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
    It's not working for me. in the past few weeks I didn't loose anything, this week I gained .5lbs
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
    It's not working for me. in the past few weeks I didn't loose anything, this week I gained .5lbs

    Maybe reset your calorie goal and take a few weeks and don't eat back your exercise calories and see what happens. It really is all trial and error and what works for you personally.
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
    It's not working for me. in the past few weeks I didn't loose anything, this week I gained .5lbs

    Were you previously on a low calorie diet for a while?
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
    It's not working for me. in the past few weeks I didn't loose anything, this week I gained .5lbs

    Maybe reset your calorie goal and take a few weeks and don't eat back your exercise calories and see what happens. It really is all trial and error and what works for you personally.
    will try this,
    thanks
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    If you're not hungry then don't eat.

    You don't have to eat back all of your exercise calories and if what you're doing works for you right now then keep doing it. There's no hard and fast rule of what you're "supposed" to do (although some people will tell you there is). If I'm not hungry regardless of whether or not I've reached my calorie goal I don't force myself to eat just to hit a number.
    It's not working for me. in the past few weeks I didn't loose anything, this week I gained .5lbs

    Were you previously on a low calorie diet for a while?
    no, I had my TDEE at 1610, was eating back half of my exercise cals and not loosing weight.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I think you're confused about what TDEE means. It's total daily energy expenditure, which includes all the calories you burn in a day from breathing, blinking, walking brushing your teeth, digesting your food, exercise, everything. You don't change it unless you decide to sit on your butt all day. Your daily calorie goal may be what you are referring to. You also seem to be picking kind of random numbers for what your total daily calorie goal should be.

    Either let MFP set it for you (be honest with your activity level and don't set your goals too high) and eat back your exercise calories if you didn't include exercise in your activity level. Or, you can use a calculator to estimate your TDEE, eat 15% less than that every day, and don't eat back your exercise calories.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    If you are eating your TDEE, you wouldn't be losing weight, that is how many calories you burn in a day with everything you do including your exercise! I think your calculations are off somewhere, or you mean BMR.
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    I think you're confused about what TDEE means. It's total daily energy expenditure, which includes all the calories you burn in a day from breathing, blinking, walking brushing your teeth, digesting your food, exercise, everything. You don't change it unless you decide to sit on your butt all day. Your daily calorie goal may be what you are referring to. You also seem to be picking kind of random numbers for what your total daily calorie goal should be.

    Either let MFP set it for you (be honest with your activity level and don't set your goals too high) and eat back your exercise calories if you didn't include exercise in your activity level. Or, you can use a calculator to estimate your TDEE, eat 15% less than that every day, and don't eat back your exercise calories.

    You are right, I don't know much about TDEE and I may have used this term incorrectly in my posts.
    I used this site to calculate my TDEE: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ , it sais
    "Based on your information your details, the TDEE calculator puts your daily calorie requirement at 2484" if I take 15% off it's 2111. MFP puts me at 1610 and with my exercise comes up to 2110-2210.
    if I eat about 1800-1900 cals a day I am not hungry for more and it doesn't matter how much I exercise. Actually the more I exercise less hungry I am.
  • Craigamears
    Craigamears Posts: 65 Member
    You are right, I don't know much about TDEE and I may have used this term incorrectly in my posts.
    I used this site to calculate my TDEE: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ , it sais
    "Based on your information your details, the TDEE calculator puts your daily calorie requirement at 2484" if I take 15% off it's 2111. MFP puts me at 1610 and with my exercise comes up to 2110-2210.
    if I eat about 1800-1900 cals a day I am not hungry for more and it doesn't matter how much I exercise. Actually the more I exercise less hungry I am.
    You are double dipping. Your TDEE is 2484. You don't take 15% off of that and tell MFP you want to lose weight. You should either enter your 2111 into MFP and claim zero pound weightloss or use 2484 and let MFP back it back based upon your weightloss goal(.5 lbs per week = 250 cals/day =2234 ) which is in the neighborhood of what you wanted to lose.
  • hope002
    hope002 Posts: 1,066 Member
    You are right, I don't know much about TDEE and I may have used this term incorrectly in my posts.
    I used this site to calculate my TDEE: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ , it sais
    "Based on your information your details, the TDEE calculator puts your daily calorie requirement at 2484" if I take 15% off it's 2111. MFP puts me at 1610 and with my exercise comes up to 2110-2210.
    if I eat about 1800-1900 cals a day I am not hungry for more and it doesn't matter how much I exercise. Actually the more I exercise less hungry I am.
    You are double dipping. Your TDEE is 2484. You don't take 15% off of that and tell MFP you want to lose weight. You should either enter your 2111 into MFP and claim zero pound weightloss or use 2484 and let MFP back it back based upon your weightloss goal(.5 lbs per week = 250 cals/day =2234 ) which is in the neighborhood of what you wanted to lose.

    Oh no, I don't enter any calorie numbers in MFP, just my height, weight, activity level and to loose 1 lbs a week.
    Both MFP and TDEE calculators (I used 2 diff ones) tell me I need to eat around 2110 calories. I kindoff figured how to calculate now, thanks for help.
    My problem is I can't eat that much.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    You are right, I don't know much about TDEE and I may have used this term incorrectly in my posts.
    I used this site to calculate my TDEE: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ , it sais
    "Based on your information your details, the TDEE calculator puts your daily calorie requirement at 2484" if I take 15% off it's 2111. MFP puts me at 1610 and with my exercise comes up to 2110-2210.
    if I eat about 1800-1900 cals a day I am not hungry for more and it doesn't matter how much I exercise. Actually the more I exercise less hungry I am.
    You are double dipping. Your TDEE is 2484. You don't take 15% off of that and tell MFP you want to lose weight. You should either enter your 2111 into MFP and claim zero pound weightloss or use 2484 and let MFP back it back based upon your weightloss goal(.5 lbs per week = 250 cals/day =2234 ) which is in the neighborhood of what you wanted to lose.

    Oh no, I don't enter any calorie numbers in MFP, just my height, weight, activity level and to loose 1 lbs a week.
    Both MFP and TDEE calculators (I used 2 diff ones) tell me I need to eat around 2110 calories. I kindoff figured how to calculate now, thanks for help.
    My problem is I can't eat that much.

    When you get close answers, you know you're entering your numbers right. I would try and hit your daily goal if you can. If you're not hungry, try adding some caloricly dense food items when you are hungry. You can add avocados, nuts, cook with olive oil, olives, etc. Or have a cookie or two. :laugh:
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    you stop eating when you puke all over cause you ate too much. PIG!
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Meh. Nevermind! I think I just confused myself! :tongue:
  • moseler
    moseler Posts: 224 Member
    Wait... if you are basing your diet on your TDEE... you should NOT be eating back your exercise calories. The TDEE includes your Daily Exercise in the number. Don't eat if you're not hungry.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Exercise less. You are calorically impoverished and it is pertinacious to try to continue burning so much and leave your intake so unexceptional.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    If you are basing this on TDEE, then why are you itemizing exercise separately? That doesn't make sense. Aim to eat about TDEE-20% if yuo're trying to lose weight. If you're consistently under that significantly, then you need to make a real effort to reprogram your hunger signals.
  • OlyOtis
    OlyOtis Posts: 70 Member
    I'm not a physician, but I wouldn't suggest stopping eating until officially declared dead. It might otherwise lead to the same result.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    i don't get this. The whole idea with TDEE is that you figure in your activity level so you don't have to worry about eating back exercise calories. I have mine set at 2239. I can eat up to that to maintain, or under that to lose.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    If it's after 8 p.m. I don't eat because I get reflux. Before that any calories are fair game though if I'm not hungry I pretty much don't eat the exercise calories back.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Exercise less. You are calorically impoverished and it is pertinacious to try to continue burning so much and leave your intake so unexceptional.

    your vocabulary excites me :drinker:
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Exercise less. You are calorically impoverished and it is pertinacious to try to continue burning so much and leave your intake so unexceptional.

    your vocabulary excites me :drinker:
    If there is one physical attribute bulkier than her calves and glutes, it's her robust brain.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Exercise less. You are calorically impoverished and it is pertinacious to try to continue burning so much and leave your intake so unexceptional.

    your vocabulary excites me :drinker:
    If there is one physical attribute bulkier than her calves and glutes, it's her robust brain.

    Brains are awesome. Everybody should have one.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if you are not hungry don't eat = agree...

    If you did a TDEE calculator then you should not be eating bacak your excercise calories becuase this has your excercise built in. So if maintenance TDEE is 2500 and you want to eat at 500 deficit just eat 2000 cals a day ....

    or am I missing something...

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