Question about calories

Courtney
Courtney Posts: 20
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Is it bad to have calories left over at the end of the day? I have around 200 left but I really couldn't eat anything else, will this affect the results? I really don't know.

Replies

  • Courtney
    Courtney Posts: 20
    Is it bad to have calories left over at the end of the day? I have around 200 left but I really couldn't eat anything else, will this affect the results? I really don't know.
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
    I almost always have anywhere from 200 to even 500 left every day, and I've still managed to lose 18 pounds in the last 9 weeks. So I wouldn't worry if I were you.
  • Courtney
    Courtney Posts: 20
    Ok thank you very much. I just wasn't sure. And congrats on your 18 lb loss!:happy:
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
    Thanks! And good luck with your weight loss! I'm sure you'll do just great here!
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
    well, here's the deal, if your body still feels like it's receiving a healthy amount of fuel then leaving calories on the table won't hurt you. The problem in that instance is this a) everyone's body is different, so what may work for someone else, might not for you. So asking if it's ok is not a great way to tell if it will work for you. And b) By not eating the right amount now, it makes it harder in the future for you to do so when you get closer to you maintenance weight. I.E. the less excess fat you have, the smaller your margin for error will be, so 200 calories now might be acceptable, but it's a bad habit to get into because later, when the scale stops moving and you can't figure out why, well...that's probably why.

    here is my newbie link that links to 4 other posts that have very good info in them. Give them a peruse, it goes in depth into calories, deficits, and how our body processes food.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

    best luck to you.

    Banks
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Well...it can be very bad to have too many calories left over, as that might mean you're not giving your body enough "fuel" to live.

    MFP calculates for you how many calories you need to eat in order to lose a set amount of weight. That means, a daily deficit has already been built in for you.

    An example:

    If you need, say 2500 calories a day to maintain your weight, but you cut back to 1800 calories a day, then you have a daily deficit of 700 calories. That means you should lose a little over a pound a week (it takes 3500 calories to gain or lose a pound).

    Now, if you cut back even further, you could lose more but you could also be doing harm to your body by not giving it enough nutrients or energy to keep going. This means that if this is happening, your body will eventually go into "survival" or "starvation" mode--it will decide that it isn't getting enough to eat and will become determine to store every single ounce of food you eat to make sure that the body continues to function.

    you have a very small amount to lose, so you should be looking at a very small daily deficit. Too much of one, and you will find that you won't be able to lose any, you will also begin to feel sluggish and tired.

    Does that help?

    If you give us more information, there are many that can offer more advice and tips.

    Like, how many calories a day are you eating? What is you weight loss goal? Etc.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    LOL--see. others have already added! Banks' post is great--I highly suggest you read it.
  • Courtney
    Courtney Posts: 20
    Well yesterday, when I posted, it said I should get 1,486 calories( up from 1,300 because of excersize), and I consumed 1,289 and really couldn't eat anything more. So, do I consume the rest of the calories even if I'm not hungry or not? Thanks for your help everyone!
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Well yesterday, when I posted, it said I should get 1,486 calories( up from 1,300 because of excersize), and I consumed 1,289 and really couldn't eat anything more. So, do I consume the rest of the calories even if I'm not hungry or not? Thanks for your help everyone!

    I would. Because you are below what you should have eaten even without adding excercise. If you are stuffed at the end of the day, you should try adding more snacks to your day or make earlier meals larger. Something lots of us do if we're really stuck though, if have a glass of milk or juice in the evening. there are lots of calories in there, and you won't feel like you're gorging yourself.
  • Courtney
    Courtney Posts: 20
    Ok thanks. That's a good idea that never occurred to me. I really appreciate everyone's help, I'm new to MFP. Thanks
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