Is it OK to go over calories slightly?

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whitehusky3
whitehusky3 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I'm new here. I've struggled with my weight since my first pregnancy and I finally decided I needed to bite the bullet and lose some weight. After trying the Paleo Diet, counting bites, Atkins, etc., I realized I need to try just writing down what I eat and counting calories. Unfortunately, I'm so used to overeating that I couldn't immediately adhere to the 1200 calorie guideline set for me, so I went out bicycling and did some other activities to raise my net calories to 1500 to compensate for that. However, I still wound up going over by 300 calories (to about 1800).

Is this normal for people starting out to be unable to jump under the guidelines immediately? Is it okay to gradually decrease the number of calories each day until we're used to the lesser amount? I really want to get under the guidelines so I can lose weight, and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks they can think of to help a new person ease into it better.

Replies

  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Remember if you want to lose a pound a week, there's a 500 calorie deficit already built in, so if you're over by say, a hundred, you will still lose, it'll just be slower.

    The past three days have been super difficult for me, really pmsing, blech. So yeah, over all three days. But I'll pull 'er back together, I'm not worried and I'm still exercising my heart out, so I'll get there.

    Don't worry about this being a transition, it really is one! Think of this as a journey, and this is just the first part, so changes won't happen all at once. You'll do fine. :-)
  • lesteidel
    lesteidel Posts: 229 Member
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    Perfectly normal,

    go slow,

    make small changes,

    and it will be a lot easier to stick to in the long run than immediately jumping to 1200 calories a day.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Are you needing friends? Volunteering, I'm pretty supportive.
  • Gr8ChangesAhead
    Gr8ChangesAhead Posts: 836 Member
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    1200 wasn't enough for Me I eat around 1450 with or without getting any exercise in, 1200 works for some and not others
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    No, you will instantly gain 10 lbs of fat.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
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    Definitely start out with small changes. Making every change right away, cutting all the calories, doing all the exercise, is exciting at first but it's easy to burn out. Start out with a 1-pound a week change for a week or two. Do 20-30 minutes of exercise. Decrease calories and/or increase your burn as you feel you can handle it.

    I occasionally go over my calories, and occasionally under. I like to look at the weeklong average to see where I'm at.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
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    Going slightly over will just mean your loss might be slower than you intend (although I find my loss to be consistent generally, whether I'm slightly under for a while or slightly over). Like you say, you are used to overeating, so ease into it and make small changes. Keep going as you are around 1800 calories, and monitor your results for say, 3-4 weeks. If you aren't losing, up your activity or lower your calories (slightly, down to say 1700 or 1600) gradually until you start getting a loss. Then keep watching your results. This gives you plenty of room to tweak what you're eating, make better choices and keep going consistently. Even if it's not 2lbs per week, a loss is a loss and gets you closer to your goal.

    Good luck!
  • ice1200s
    ice1200s Posts: 237 Member
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    One day won't hurt you, especially if you're only doing 1200 calories. I amortize an indiscretion over the rest of the week. That way, I'll still be on track when it's time to weigh in.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    It's fine to gradually decrease your calories, and it may even help you be more successful in the long run. Additionally, 1200 calories may not be optimal or necessary for you to achieve your goals. Depending on your age, height, current weight, and ultimate goal weight, you may be able to eat more calories regularly and still reach your goals without a problem.

    You may want to consider adjusting your weekly goals/activity level or looking into the TDEE method to make sure you have a solid idea of what your body's actual caloric needs are. To use myself as an example: I'm 26, 5'6", I started at 235 pounds, and I eat around 1500 calories a day plus exercise calories.

    Also keep in mind that if you're following the MFP program, your calorie goal already includes the necessary deficit for your weight loss goals. So even if you go over your calories occasionally, you're still at a deficit and eating less than you need to maintain your current weight. :smile:
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
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    I allow myself 50 calories either side of my calorie range :)
  • ssm_1972
    ssm_1972 Posts: 396 Member
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    In my opinion 5-8% of tolerance on either side is OK but try to adhere with goal set by MFP for better result !
  • whitehusky3
    whitehusky3 Posts: 9
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    Thanks so much for the responses! I feel a lot better about having gone over a bit yesterday. I really want to make this work. I have knee problems and I've been told losing weight may help a great deal with that. As it is, doctors have already been talking about surgery, and I'm hoping I can stay away from that if I can lose enough weight.

    I would welcome anyone who wanted to be friends! Any moral support would be appreciated as I go along.

    I have to admit that today, I felt like not counting calories at all and just trying to visually reduce what I eat. But I kicked that thought out and told myself if I don't keep myself accountable by tracking calories and writing down what I'm eating, I'll never lose the weight. Nothing else has worked, after all!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You're actually probably eating normally with 300 extra calories, to be honest. 1200 net is really not enough for most people, unless you're over 50 and 5" or less and never work out, pretty much. Switch to the 'lose 1 lb a week' setting, it should give you a more appropriate number (and eat your exercise calories too). I'm 35, 160 lbs, and my goal is 1600 a day. When I started at 213, for the same amount of exercise my goal would have been 2000 or something.
  • whitehusky3
    whitehusky3 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for the advice! I'm going to give that a try and see what it gives me for daily caloric intake. I think I'm doing good, but I am definitely over the 1200 calories each day since starting. I also downloaded the app for my phone so I can be sure to update things before I eat so I know ahead of time the appropriate amount I can consume, and I also found my Fitbit and synced it with my account so it'll take that into consideration as well for my calorie needs. The important thing for me besides losing weight is that I'm comfortable doing it. If I'm hungry all the time, I'm sure I'll fail, and I really need to drop the weight for my health.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    set your calorie goal to lose just 1lb a week not 2lb (if you haven't already) - it'll give you a higher number of calories to eat. The weight loss will take longer, but the fact that you're able to eat more will mean you'll have an easier time of it sticking to the plan in the long term. 95% of diets fail in the long term, and the main reason for that is they're difficult to stick to. You need to find the highest number of calories that you can eat, while still steadily losing weight, and then focus on sticking to that in the long term.

    If you're regularly going over because you're hungry, then that is a sign that the calorie goal is probably too low to begin with. If you're regularly over even though you're not hungry simply because you're in the habit of overeating... then find ways to change your habits, and most people find that kind of thing easier one step at a time. What you're aiming to do long term is learn how to enjoy eating all the foods you love while still slowly losing weight. So you don't want to be depriving yourself, but you do want to be sticking to your goal, and your goal doesn't need to be super-low to succeed... just lower than what you burn off in a day.
  • Joebob8
    Joebob8 Posts: 69 Member
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    Stick with 1800 calories and keep exercising. Your weight loss will be slow, steady, healthy and most importantly you will be able to MAINTAIN your fat loss. It sounds to me like jumping around from one extreme diet to another has done nothing for you. Try the moderation approach instead!

    I am 5'3 and used to weigh 192 pounds. I have kept around 70 pounds off for almost a decade now by making being healthy my #1 priority. No fad diets, no tricks, nothing extreme, just hard work and persistence.

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