I think I'm taking this too far :/

misspenny762
misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
I've been making it my goal to consume 1200 calories daily, no more, no less. (I normally eat until my food diary says I'm somewhere around 1150 since I think I'm probably underestimating.) Today I've had breakfast and lunch so far and entered in the food I was planning on taking with me to work for dinner tonight. The diary says 1230 calories. I realize this is still great and with exercise I'm still going to have quite a deficit and all that, but I won't deny it... I'm freaking out. I feel so guilty about those 30 calories, but I know I need to eat to make it through my shift. This stress has made me realize that I'm probably taking this calorie counting business too far. I should be happy with 1230 calories... right!? Am I going crazy?

Replies

  • MrsBrosco
    MrsBrosco Posts: 295
    Is your profile picture a picture of you now?
  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
    No, it's from 3 years ago. Right now I'm 5'4" and 137 pounds.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    Yes you ARE crazy! :tongue:
    At 1200 calories, you are eating at a deficit. This should always be the minimum number of calories you eat! Not less than 1200!
    But, yes, in the grand scheme of things, 30 calories is NOTHING to stress over!! Relax.. chill out... eat when you are hungry!
  • jeanineadele
    jeanineadele Posts: 114
    Maybe a little, good job sticking to it though.
  • jodie_t
    jodie_t Posts: 287 Member
    30cals ? Definitely not worth worrying about :)
    It's such a small amount you could easily make up for it tomorrow if it bothers you.
  • klmmoore
    klmmoore Posts: 98 Member
    I feel guilty going over my caleries too, but I also realized I can't starve myself. Some nights I go to bed with my stomach growling even though I consumed my 1200 caleries that day (and had a decent workout). I had to come to realize that if I got close to my goal even if I went over, I could still see results.
  • atombud
    atombud Posts: 38 Member
    Yea your crazy, 30 cal over is no big deal plus you have your exercise calories. Your pic looks great, so don't try to loose to fast otherwise you will just dissappoint yourself.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I really like seeing that "you are under your daily goal" but as long as when I hit the "complete" button and it says I will weigh less if every day were like today, I consider it a win! so relax, you are still winning!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    You need to be eating more than 1200 cals if you're exercising yourself into a deficit...
  • mbaker1169
    mbaker1169 Posts: 65 Member
    Yes! You are doing a wonderful job-- but taking it too far. On days you exercise especially do NOT feel guilty if you bnust the 1200 mark. When I first started losing weight I used to focus so hard ont he 1200 mark, even days I did not exercise. Then I did some reading and discovered I was actually supposed to eat those calories I burned. (When I got the courage to so this I was shocked that I was actually losing weight quicker!) 1200 is the total minimal that you should do or your body could react by going into starvation mode. On days you dont exercise, dont stress about those extra calories. You will be fine I promise. If you are really concerned, walk a lap around your neighborhood this evening. It wont take long to burn 30 calories at all.
    Hope this helps!! Keep up the good work, but remember to have fun with it and relax.
  • SouthernBell86
    SouthernBell86 Posts: 275 Member
    I have a lot more to lose than you do, but I personally give myself a 100 calorie window in either direction. It sounds like you are comfortable being under 50 calories, I think you should at least give yourself 50 calories over that is okay to do.

    Secondly, I agree about the calorie deficit from your exercising. If you are eating 1200 calories only, even when you burn extra calories, you are not providing your body the minimum amount of nutrients it needs to function in a day, and you could see yourself going into starvation mode soon. If your body does that, it will be almost impossible for you to lose weight without engaging in seriously harmful activity. I really think you should consider eating your exercise calories.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
    I'm pretty sure you burned those 30 calories worrying about this. So... they're gone! Poof!

    On a more serious note, 1200 is a minimum. Much less and your metabolism will start slowing down. So mangia!
  • caroeden
    caroeden Posts: 31
    most definitely! You are doing a great job at sticking with a program, but you are focusing too much on a minor detail. listen to your body. keep up the great mental focus, but redirect!
  • Annaid
    Annaid Posts: 2
    I'm the same way! usually i'm 30-80 calories under and I feel good about that but If I go one calorie over I freak! but really it's nothing to worry about if you go on a 1 mile walk those 30 calories will be gone before you know it.
  • utes09
    utes09 Posts: 561 Member
    I'm to the point now that if I have a "bad" day I remind myself that this is my life, not a quick fix diet that I will stop at any point. You will have your days that you are over, just know that you are still doing a great thing by logging your food and making great choices but don't let it consume your life.
  • joyfullone
    joyfullone Posts: 2
    I know how you feel....when I found myself counting out exactly 10 peanuts I started laughing outloud! This could really get redicuolos if you let it. The point is to realize that the "goal calories" that this machine has calculated for you could very well be off by much more than those 30 calories. So don't sweat it!! ......Just go out and "sweat" instead. :)
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
    I know how you feel....when I found myself counting out exactly 10 peanuts I started laughing outloud!

    I did this when I was counting out crackers the other day... a bunch of them were broken (end of the box), so I was trying to put them back together to see if I was actually taking 10 crackers or not. Neurotic much?

    Misspenny, I agree with what a lot other others say... if your *net* calories are less than 1200 you're at risk of the whole "starvation mode" issue coming up, and I worry that your net intake might be below 1000 daily if you're only eating 1150 on average. If your feeling good, awesome, but keep in mind that it's your *net* calories that count, not how many you've eaten in total.
  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
    My net calories are WAY below 1200. I must be doing something wrong? Everyone keeps saying you don't HAVE to eat your exercise calories so I thought eating 1200 was fine. Frankly I don't see how keeping my net at 1200 is even possible, I don't have the appetite for it. Ugh all this math is so confusing! Just when I thought I'd been doing great!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Don't forget... You actually have a pretty big "cushion" to play with before you could actually gain weight, depending on what your weight loss goal is. If you're set to lose 2 lbs/week, your deficit is 1,000 built in - this means that you would gave to go over that 1200 by *1000* calories to not have any kind of deficit for the day. Going over by 20 or 30 or even 100 a day might slow your weight loss a little (since it reduces your deficit a little) but it isn't going to make you start gaining weight.

    Since you're at 1200/day, I'd suggest double checking what your actual deficit is - go to your goals page and look up your "Daily Calorie Deficit" - the reason you should check is that MFP won't suggest you eat below 1200, so even if you pick 2 lbs/week loss, it won't give you the full 1,000 calorie/day deficit if it means your daily calorie consumption would fall below 1200.

    Whatever that number is, is your cushion each day, and you shouldn't sweat it if you're going over just a little. My personal goal is to be within 50 calories of my goal, plus at least half of my exercise calories.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    My net calories are WAY below 1200. I must be doing something wrong? Everyone keeps saying you don't HAVE to eat your exercise calories so I thought eating 1200 was fine. Frankly I don't see how keeping my net at 1200 is even possible, I don't have the appetite for it. Ugh all this math is so confusing! Just when I thought I'd been doing great!

    Personally I think it makes sense to eat your exercise calories (most of them) - MFP already builds in your deficit - eating your exercise calories will still leave you with the deficit you need to lose your goal as setup with MFP. It's not considered healthy to lose more than 2 lbs/week, especially if you're not grossly overweight. (You said you were 137, which is not *that* heavy - Really, your goal should probably be 1 pound per week, in which case MFP would give you more than 1200/day to eat (before exercise). I'm assuming your goal is 2 lbs/week since you're at 1200 cal/day... sorry if I'm wrong.

    Here are some posts that explain why you should eat your exercise calories. Some people will disagree on this, but many people (myself included) successfully lose weight while still eating most of their exercise calories, as long as they are tracking food and exercise honestly.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108362-eating-to-fuel-your-body-very-long

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    This link explains how you can be not losing weight despite eating a really low calorie count - which is essentially what you are doing by eating only 1200 and not eating back any exercise calories:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • disneybuff323
    disneybuff323 Posts: 21
    Hey girl its ok to have those thirty extra calories. What you should do is park your car farther away and walk to the door and take steps, not an elevator if there is one. You'll burn them doing simple things like that!
  • menjivas
    menjivas Posts: 124 Member
    My net calories are WAY below 1200. I must be doing something wrong? Everyone keeps saying you don't HAVE to eat your exercise calories so I thought eating 1200 was fine. Frankly I don't see how keeping my net at 1200 is even possible, I don't have the appetite for it. Ugh all this math is so confusing! Just when I thought I'd been doing great!

    Whoa! If you are exercising on a regular basis, you need to be eating more than 1200 calories. You should be eating the 1200 calories and then a portion of your exercise calories. If not, your body will go into starvation mode. Once it hits starvation mode, your body will take whatever you are eating and turn it into fat (and store it). At that point, you will be gaining weight and not losing it.

    I used to do that exact same thing as you, and for a whole year I did not lose a pound. It wasn't until I got into this site and started reading more about nutrition that I realized what I was doing. Once I started eating more than 1200 calories (and my exercise calories), I lost the weight.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    Agreed.... For the first 4 weeks or so, I was eating only 1200 calories. I lost a few lbs. But, then for about 2 weeks, I was losing and gaining the same 2lbs. I finally increased my calorie intake to 1400 and started to lose weight again!
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