Over on calories but nutritionally better.... Advice?

Sasha1417
Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

I am now following the Abs Diet which I had collecting dust for over six years. I love the book and the food is nutritionally sound. It's just learning to eat better not depriving myself at all and the best part is that my entire family can do it and learn to make better choices with me.

Anyways, today was my first day and I'm following week one....I've been satisfied the entire day but I'm over by like 20 calories. I walked over 7 miles today sordid get a good burn going which is what gave me enough room to eat all these good calories...many of you have answered me this before, but I counted my calories and it didn't work.... I ate real crappy but I was within my calories...now I am eating super duper nutritious foods.

My question is will I lose weight if I go over like this all the time? I know the food is a ton better than I have been eating and I am walking everyday. But the yoyo weight gain I have had in the last two months has been depressing (granted I know I messed up royally every weekend for the last five weeks now) but I'm back on track. My diary should be open for you guys to review.

Please let me know if you've had experience with this kind of change.... I am really stuck and I think dwelling on this a lot, but I'm tired of being fat! I want to be back to my old self and it has been ssooooooo hard to get to the new healthy me. HELP! Need encouragement....
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Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    20 calories/day will impact your weight loss goals by half an ounce per week. Assuming every other estimate and assumption is exactly right (ha ha).
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    Sorry, opened it up now... Go at it.
  • danielrh66
    danielrh66 Posts: 4 Member
    I would say cut your carbs to less than 100. Fat and protein intake look fine.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    20 calories is nothing, it looks good so far! I'd increase your protein and decrease your carbs some though, but I don't know that 'diet'.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
    I would say cut your carbs to less than 100. Fat and protein intake look fine.

    WARNING! Do not listen to the above post. Eat as many carbs as you want as long as you meet the requirements for fat and protein. :)
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    I would say cut your carbs to less than 100. Fat and protein intake look fine.

    WARNING! Do not listen to the above post. Eat as many carbs as you want as long as you meet the requirements for fat and protein. :)

    I was thinking just that.....not to be rude but only because I do walk 7 miles
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
    I would say cut your carbs to less than 100. Fat and protein intake look fine.

    WARNING! Do not listen to the above post. Eat as many carbs as you want as long as you meet the requirements for fat and protein. :)

    I was thinking just that.....not to be rude but only because I do walk 7 miles

    Carbs are energy. Unless you are diabetic you shouldn't worry about them.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I think it's better to eat a little more of healthy food than less of unhealthy food. 20 calories is really a negligible amount to be over anyways, and if you're eating under maintenance amount you will still lose!

    you can lose doing it either way, but I think you'll feel better if you are eating better!
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?
  • Hunnib23
    Hunnib23 Posts: 61 Member
    I am not familiar with the Abs Diet either, but I think your diary looks good. 20 calories is not going to hurt you. If you really want to cut them out though, the only thing I can think of, (just going off today) is maybe switching the milk (and I am not saying there is anything wrong with milk) to Almond milk. Even the full flavor vanillla is 90 calories. I switched for other reasons. But you are eating healthy. It's not like you are going over because of too many chocolate bars. =)

    I also agree with GymGypsy about the carbs. You need them to use as energy.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?

    Any advice on this?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    My question is will I lose weight if I go over like this all the time?

    Nope.

    Especially because - I'll bet you dollars to donuts - you are overestimating your walking burn.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    My question is will I lose weight if I go over like this all the time?

    Nope.

    Especially because - I'll bet you dollars to donuts - you are overestimating your walking burn.

    About my walking burn, I'm underestimating.... I don't log what MFP suggests. I walk 7 to 8 miles daily pushing a stroller with a 30 lb toddler at 4.0 mph and the occassional jog (still getting used to it and embarrissingly sall amount of time) I wear a pedometer and it gave me a number of 650 I still only log 600. I also see various online plug ins and they also gave me the same number, about 100 calories per mile.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    You owe me donuts. :wink:

    Good luck!
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    You owe me donuts. :wink:

    Good luck!


    Lol okay.....
  • notnikkisixx
    notnikkisixx Posts: 375 Member
    many of you have answered me this before, but I counted my calories and it didn't work....

    I can only assume that the reason this didn't work is that you either:

    A. Didn't try it for long enough

    or

    B. Weren't correctly counting calories (a food scale is an ABSOLUTE must for this!)
    My question is will I lose weight if I go over like this all the time? I know the food is a ton better than I have been eating and I am walking everyday. But the yoyo weight gain I have had in the last two months has been depressing (granted I know I messed up royally every weekend for the last five weeks now) but I'm back on track. My diary should be open for you guys to review.

    The simple truth is that the only way to lose weight is to follow a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter where your calories come from, as long as you're operating at a deficit. TRUE, that healthier foods will make you feel better, but they won't affect your weight loss.

    If you are going to go over on calories, do something to compensate. Today, for example, you were only over by 20. So do a minute of jumping jacks and you'll be fine!
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    "Once our nutrient needs are met, we don’t get extra credit for eating more nutritious food!" -Eric Helms.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    many of you have answered me this before, but I counted my calories and it didn't work....

    I can only assume that the reason this didn't work is that you either:

    A. Didn't try it for long enough

    or

    B. Weren't correctly counting calories (a food scale is an ABSOLUTE must for this!)
    My question is will I lose weight if I go over like this all the time? I know the food is a ton better than I have been eating and I am walking everyday. But the yoyo weight gain I have had in the last two months has been depressing (granted I know I messed up royally every weekend for the last five weeks now) but I'm back on track. My diary should be open for you guys to review.

    The simple truth is that the only way to lose weight is to follow a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter where your calories come from, as long as you're operating at a deficit. TRUE, that healthier foods will make you feel better, but they won't affect your weight loss.

    If you are going to go over on calories, do something to compensate. Today, for example, you were only over by 20. So do a minute of jumping jacks and you'll be fine!

    I was really good and I weighed all my food, I lost six lbs and then began binging on the weekends. I am also always doing something, I'm home with my kids and I'm always cleaning something lol. So I'm not staying still. Crossing my finger and praying dr strength to keep on chugging.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    So the problem wasn't counting calories, the problem was that you didn't follow through.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,243 Member
    Pretty much everyone underestimates how much they eat and overestimates how much energy they use......
  • staplebug
    staplebug Posts: 189
    dude. 20 calories is 2 extra minutes of medium-high intensity exercise. But be sure you are not underestimating the rest of your foods for the day. If your 20 extra calories is actually 100, then you may have trouble taking it off as fast as you like.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    The extra 20 calories over you ate won't make you gain weight. But just because all your calories came from nutritious sources doesn't mean you'll lose weight, either. You'll stick around the same weight.

    Actually, you'll probably still gain weight because you can bet your patootie that you're overestimating your calories burned during exercise by more than just 50. It's not your fault, there's just no truly accurate way to judge so all the estimates given to you are just going to be wrong. A better solution is to assume half of what you're told.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?

    Because 1200 calories is a deficit for virtually everyone. A bigger deficit is not necessarily better. It may be "impeding your goals" but your goals may not be reasonable either.
  • alishacupcake
    alishacupcake Posts: 419 Member
    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?

    Because 1200 calories is a deficit for virtually everyone. A bigger deficit is not necessarily better. It may be "impeding your goals" but your goals may not be reasonable either.

    +1
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Depends. How much is your goal of 1800 less than your TDEE?
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    Think of the calorie goal like a game of horseshoes, not a race finish line. You want to end up pretty close - but 20 calories over or under...you're probably getting more variation just due to estimation / nutrition label error here.

    Don't sweat 20 calories!
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    Depends. How much is your goal of 1800 less than your TDEE?

    MFP says 1200 is my daily but I walk almost 8 miles daily....like 7.8 miles daily so when I log it it gives me a huge deficit to fill in. When I asked before, ppl onMFP said eat the calories you workout back....so I did....

    None if us on this site is perfect so I get the underestimating over estimating issues, but I weigh, measure, and track very accurately. I plug in what's on the label and that is how I get my numbers. As far as the exercise, why is everyone beating me down lol...I walk at a 4.0 mph pace with a 30lb toddler in a stroller for 7.8 miles five days a week. I plug it in to all kinds of calculators and my pedometer /hr monitor give me a range of 650-700. So I log in 600 calories..I've just started in August for my fifteenth attempt in six years and yes I want it gone fast but reality has finally hit and I realize it will take time to get this off. Anyways, I'm here for support hoping ppl who have succeeded can guide me.

    About follow thru....yes I have a problem with it like thousands of MFP users do, but I'm still learning and still trying to get it done.... So here I am asking for advice..... Thank you...
  • tmt2003
    tmt2003 Posts: 176 Member
    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa

    This.

    Everything here. also- is there any particular reason you are walking 7+ miles a day? You might benfit more from 3-4 miles of alternating jogging/walking... by 7/8 miles- you probably need to up the intensity rather than the distance.. interval jogging would be the first guess.. or make the toddler hold bricks.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa

    This.

    Everything here. also- is there any particular reason you are walking 7+ miles a day? You might benfit more from 3-4 miles of alternating jogging/walking... by 7/8 miles- you probably need to up the intensity rather than the distance.. interval jogging would be the first guess.. or make the toddler hold bricks.

    I'm basically speed walking following my son to school on his bike while pushing my daughter. Started out as a need cuz the car broke down but now I love it and my kids do too. Just this week my friend and I started trying to jog at intervals but we are just getting a bit at a time to get it going, we are newbies and outta breath after the first minute.

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