not the same calories every day.

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lynnG67
lynnG67 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, My name is Lynn. I have been watching what I eat now for the past 30 days. I have been making progress and starting to feel better. My question is... Is it a good idea to not eat the same amount of calories every day? One day I may have 1600 and the next 900. They have set my goal at 1750 cal a day. If I stall should I go back to the 1750 cal a day?

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  • dgoradia
    dgoradia Posts: 109 Member
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    Hi, My name is Lynn. I have been watching what I eat now for the past 30 days. I have been making progress and starting to feel better. My question is... Is it a good idea to not eat the same amount of calories every day? One day I may have 1600 and the next 900. They have set my goal at 1750 cal a day. If I stall should I go back to the 1750 cal a day?

    Consistency is a good thing.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Why not eat 1750? Or if you want to zig zag your calories eat 1600/1840 so you roughly average 1750 a day per week?

    I eat 1500 monday-thursday so I can eat 1800-2500 on the weekends to average 1800 cals a day per week.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    The more you fluctuate, the more your body will likely go into starvation mode. If it can't rely on you to feed it, it will try to conserve itself. Feed it regularly, feed it smaller amounts, and your metabolism won't try to conserve anything but will just burn. That's why most trainers and dieticians recommend 4-6 smaller meals spread throughout the day in relatively even amounts.

    And NEVER go below 1200 calories a day. Your metabolism will go into shut down mode and won't burn a thing. You will be defeating yourself that way. There is a reason that MFP will give you a warning when you try to "complete this entry" if you are below 1200. That should tell you something.

    Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds. But it can be one of the building blocks to weight loss success too. At least it has been for me.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    why change it when its working? Save zig zagging your calories when you hit a plateau.
  • eowynmn
    eowynmn Posts: 165 Member
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    The 900 is a flag for me. I am actually a HUGE fan of modifying daily calories and my week tends to go like this (with my target at 1600, but I exercise a lot so I eat back half my exercise calories, and aim for about 1900. I have high/low days, I eat great foods with maybe 1 cheat meal a week and maybe an extra cheat treat, exercise like my life depends on it, and the pounds have consistently come off.

    So my week could look something like this ballpark.

    Weigh in wed
    Wed 1800
    Thur2000
    Fri 1500
    Sat 2500-3000
    Sun 1600
    Mon 2000
    Tues 1500
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    I try to stay at 1500 calories a day and lose at least two pounds a week.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    Consistency is best, in my opinion.
  • lynnG67
    lynnG67 Posts: 11
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    Thanks. You have mentioned that MFP should send a message when under 1200 cal. There have been just a few days that I was under 1200 and it did not say anything.
  • lynnG67
    lynnG67 Posts: 11
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    Thank you for the your reply.
  • lynnG67
    lynnG67 Posts: 11
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    Thank you everyone for your advise. It has been very helpful.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Many trainers recommend cycling your calories depending on your workouts. 900 is too low for pretty much any day. Decide what you want to shoot for as an average. On high cal days eat 100-200 more. On low cal days eat 100-200 less. Your high cal days should correspond with workouts, and your low cal days should be rest days or low intensity days.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I never eat the same calories every day because I don't do the exact same thing every day - this is Groundhog Day :laugh:

    If I do no exercise other than a walk with my dog, I'm not gonna eat the same amount of calories as I would on a day that I run 5 miles. That's just silly talk. But eating 1700 one day and then eating 900 the next day makes no sense to me. You shouldn't eat so little. But that's just my opinion and doesn't necessarily mean much.
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
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    It's not really a *good* idea to do anything but eat to a sensible calorie deficit. Some people advocate intermittent fasting, some people advocate very-low calorie diets, some recommend eating "clean" all week and then binging on the weekends. Some eat 500 calories throughout the day, then have a huge 1000-calorie meal at night.

    Do what seems right for you. At the end of the day, food consumption is a very psychological thing, and if your heart is not in consistently eating 1800 calories (or whatever) then you will never maintain it. If eating 1400 calories every day and then having a treat day on the weekend will keep you motivated, so be it. I've learnt through helping other people that my approach is not universal, and though I feel it's "best" it may not work for everyone else.

    The key is that weekly deficit and fostering good eating habits that will eventually turn into a sensible lifestyle you're able to maintain. It's a slow process, but every step in the right direction is a mini victory.

    Best of luck.

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