Enlighten me please. How come people are closing

Options
jazee11
jazee11 Posts: 321
in Health and Weight Loss
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.
«134

Replies

  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    Options
    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
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
    Options
    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
    Aviflora Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    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
    apocalypsepwnie Posts: 373
    Options
    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
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    Options
    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
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
    Options
    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
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    Options
    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
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    Options
    I have my limit set to TDEE so I know my max.
  • windycitycupcake
    windycitycupcake Posts: 516 Member
    Options
    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
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
    Options
    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
    gibsy Posts: 112
    Options
    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
    moxleye Posts: 70 Member
    Options
    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
    lcn1220 Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    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
    mrshoneydew Posts: 253
    Options
    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
    boobunnie72 Posts: 4
    Options
    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
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Options
    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
    ellyinflight Posts: 24
    Options
    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
    flyingpurplemonkey Posts: 105 Member
    Options
    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
    MelanieSkittle Posts: 43 Member
    Options
    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
    Crumleygirl Posts: 86 Member
    Options
    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.

Categories