What is the best thing to do when under calories?

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FeelingLessChubby
FeelingLessChubby Posts: 152 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm after some advice on calorie intake please :o)

I am consistently now eating under my calories, I don't feel hungry and I hardly have any cravings, and I'm really pleased about that! The weight has slightly budged, I weighed myself 5 days ago and I'd lost 4lbs up to that point, I may have lost maybe one more by now. Nice and steady.

On days when I exercise I have an even bigger calorie deficit, as I'm allowed to eat my calories back.

What is the best thing to do in this case? I have read a lot of advice on here, and many people have said that their weightloss has stopped, and they have been advised to eat back their exercise calories to make it move again.

I'm not hungry, and in the past what has made me put weight on was precisely that - eating when I wasn't hungry.

If anyone looks at my diary today I'd like to clarify - I know I didn't log any dinner, but this is because my lunch ended up so huge, it was enough for two portions. So I logged it at lunchtime as if I ate it all, and then I just ate the rest later. So I didn't skip any meals today.

What is the right thing to do in the case of being under calories?

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  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    If you are too low on calories then I would suggest some high calorie foods that are simple. A tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, or some coconut oil into your cooking. A scoop of protein powder or some fruit might help.

    Are diary seems okay but what isn't healthy is the macro (carbs, proteins and fats) split. This is why I don't like MFP's calorie calculator. It's difficult to track things like this so I use others. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    Try this video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDANtU4LUkc&feature=youtu.be

    Really helped me!
  • FeelingLessChubby
    FeelingLessChubby Posts: 152 Member
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    Thank you - I tend to focus on the calories rather than carbs, proteins and fats, I'm not yet as proficient at keeping an eye on these as I'm still learning how to handle the calories. Those three things are very uneven on a daily basis for me.
  • kspannu82
    kspannu82 Posts: 13 Member
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    Two points:

    - Try and eat at least the calories allowed (not the net figure,just the initial figure allowed). For example, if your allowed calories count is 1500 and you do exercise which earns you another 400 calories, try and at least 1500 if not the whole 1900 ... I always try and eat the initial daily figure and sometimes eat some part of the earned calories.
    Reason: If I don't eat a minimum amount of calories, metabolism will slow and you will burn lesser calories even during running/exercise. Plus, your body might not get the required nutrients.

    - Indirectly it will affect your motivation at some point, as you might start to resent the calories counting. So if you have enough calories to spare, make yourself a healthy dessert or something similar. It will make you feel good and not harm your weight loss.

    I follow both principles above and they both work for me very well.
  • anniemarianas
    anniemarianas Posts: 49
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    You seem to be eating pretty healthily and being under your calorie intake some days in ok, just as is being over. You should aim for your goal though, and if you're under the goal at the end of the day treat yourself - i like nuts and dark chocolate, it's my way of telling myself good job for sticking to healthy eating :)
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    As long as I eat my protein macro IDGAF, but if I have some wiggle room I'll eat some ice cream or something. I dropped my carbs, so usually I don't have that wiggle room by the end of the day.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    Macros are important for people who work out and know what body re-composition is. You can lose weight just by counting calories, but most often times it just makes people skinny fat by the end of it.
  • FeelingLessChubby
    FeelingLessChubby Posts: 152 Member
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    Two points:

    - Try and eat at least the calories allowed (not the net figure,just the initial figure allowed). For example, if your allowed calories count is 1500 and you do exercise which earns you another 400 calories, try and at least 1500 if not the whole 1900 ... I always try and eat the initial daily figure and sometimes eat some part of the earned calories.
    Reason: If I don't eat a minimum amount of calories, metabolism will slow and you will burn lesser calories even during running/exercise. Plus, your body might not get the required nutrients.

    - Indirectly it will affect your motivation at some point, as you might start to resent the calories counting. So if you have enough calories to spare, make yourself a healthy dessert or something similar. It will make you feel good and not harm your weight loss.

    I follow both principles above and they both work for me very well.

    This makes sense, thank you, I shall aim for that. Pesky metabolism...

    I do wonder whether I'll resent the calorie counting at some point, at the moment I find it really motivational and I can't imagine stopping anytime soon!
  • FeelingLessChubby
    FeelingLessChubby Posts: 152 Member
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    i like nuts and dark chocolate, it's my way of telling myself good job for sticking to healthy eating :)

    I like nuts and dark chocolate too, will introduce treats, although to be honest I'm not craving sweets at all - strange for me, as I was born with what I think is at least a triple sweet tooth of a normal person ha ha

    Yesterday and the day before I had a little handful of chocolate covered raisins, literally no more than 10 raisins, and I felt perfectly satisfied sweet-wise. It's amazing what happens when eating habits change!
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    You can add high quality fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts and avocados. Goat cheese is also good. I like to use EVOO with lemon and garlic, but you can make all sorts of concoctions.

    In the end, I am not so sure that I agree with the deficit plan here. If you have less than 40 pounds (18-19kg or so), I would just start eating the amount of calories that you need to be for the weight goal you have. If you have a lot more to lose make a few goals.

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