What to do with left over calories?

meleileen · February 2014

Hi everyone!

I just finished week 3. For the first 2 1/2 weeks I allowed myself 1200 calories/day and worked out 3-5 days a week. I am a graduate student, teaching assistant, and a mom, so time is limited for working out. I just increased my calories to 1300 in fear of "starvation mode"....a friend recommended I do so.

Here's my problem: I have left over calories at the end of the night, sometimes as many as 400. I don't want to eat 400 at night but don't want to starve my body. Is it advisable to eat past 9pm? Maybe better meal planning is in order....? I am honestly not hungry like I was 3 weeks ago. Has anyone found that eating smaller, more frequent meals helped?

I appreciate any advice/feedback. I want to do this right.

Thank you!

WBB55 · February 2014

In three weeks you've lost 14 pounds? (1) congratulations! But (2) dear lord, please eat more. If you only have 15 or so more pounds to lose, lose it much more slowly, please. Like no more than 1 pound per week. Do you know your TDEE and BMR?

Adding 400 calories is easy, but it depends on what you're eating. Can you make your diary public so we can give you advice? LIke switching to full fat dairy is an easy thing to do. Adding nuts to a salad. Adding avocado to a sandwich. But like I said, it depends on what you're eating now.

danimalkeys · February 2014

what time of day you eat doesn't matter, Have a late night snack and try get closer to your daily goal.

4legsRbetterthan2 · February 2014

I don't know of any real proof that time of day eating really makes any difference. You can work some more calorie dense food into your day like nuts, peanut butter, and avacados to boost your numbers. How is your loss so far though, and are you logging accurately. Make sure you are weighting out portions and not just eye balling it. Sometimes we are eating alot more than we realize, so if you are not weight and measuring foods out I would try that first and make sure you diary numbers are accurate before increasing them.

eldamiano · February 2014

Eat before...

SezxyStef · February 2014

I eat chocolate or ice cream...

Meal timing doesn't matter...it's not like your body says..."oh no it's 9pm better store those calories..."

As well yes eat some food....jeez...I eat 1600 a day and still lose weight....

I wouldn't worry about starvation mode as it's a myth but I would worry about lethargy, tiredness, hair falling out and not having enough energy to play with my kids or spend time with my partner...let alone working out.

DemoraFairy · February 2014

It doesn't matter when you eat, I always eat immediately before going to bed or I get hungry and can't sleep. You do need to try to reach you goal though, so if you don't want to end up forcing yourself to eat before bed, as you say, better meal planning is in order! Just eat a bit more or add some snacks or something.

Also using MFP you're meant to eat back your exercise calories, so you end up eating 1200 + whatever you burnt off. Starvation mode doesn't really exist as such, but you definitely want to be eating enough. If you're at 1200 or 1300 cals, you should probably be eating your exercise cals back.

aelphabawest · February 2014

In three weeks you've lost 14 pounds? (1) congratulations! But (2) dear lord, please eat more. If you only have 15 or so more pounds to lose, lose it much more slowly, please. Like no more than 1 pound per week. Do you know your TDEE and BMR?

Adding 400 calories is easy, but it depends on what you're eating. Can you make your diary public so we can give you advice? LIke switching to full fat dairy is an easy thing to do. Adding nuts to a salad. Adding avocado to a sandwich. But like I said, it depends on what you're eating now.

What they said.

400 calories:
1 well deserved glass of wine at the end of the day (120 calories)
Post work out greek yogurt (140 calories), add honey and nuts for an extra 100 calories

There you go - just under 400 calories.

Francl27 · February 2014

I eat chocolate or ice cream...

Meal timing doesn't matter...it's not like your body says..."oh no it's 9pm better store those calories..."

As well yes eat some food....jeez...I eat 1600 a day and still lose weight....

This.

bobbijodmb · February 2014

Try to add those calories in earlier- plan for them. So bring fruit or veggies or sometimes I will throw in microwave popcorn, nuts, string cheese.

meleileen · February 2014

Thanks for the feedback! I think I shocked my body into losing weight so fast, it was not intentional. I was eating soooo bad before; we ordered out all the time and I snacked like crazy! Plus, I think working out has given me more energy which makes me feel better - a positive attitude makes a big difference.

I am going to purchase some healthy snack foods tomorrow like almonds, frozen yogurt, etc. Wine sounds awesome - believe it or not I drink beer on occasion (light beer).

I had to laugh at the comment about our bodies not knowing what time of day it is (hmmm....it's 9pm and she's eating, let's gain weight lol) because I am so brainwashed to think it is bad to eat at night.

My BMR is 1510 (as per bmi-calculator.net). MFP chose 1200/day calories....I thought that was kinda low.

Thank you again everyone.

MickeyBoo · February 2014

What to do with leftover calories? Enjoy them! Eat something delicious, add a bit more to your portion sizes, throw a bit of chocolate in as a evening snack

nikkylyn · February 2014

Dude if you only have 1200 calories and you have hundreds leftover. By god eat them.

SLLRunner · February 2014

Eat, and not only 1,200 calorie a day. If you are that busy, your body must be screaming for fuel. 14 pounds lost in three weeks is way too fast.

Meal timing indeed does not matter.

jacklo · February 2014

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I have a novel idea on how to use your leftover calories...drum roll, please..........

..............................use them to lose more weight!

I cannot figure out why so many people insist that you eat back your calories, or eat more than you need to. If you have all the energy you need to carry out your daily activities, and your workouts to boot, and you're getting the micronutrients you need to be healthy, I say lose weight faster. Obviously, you don't want to go crazy, but this is very subjective, depending on what your starting point is. For instance, if someone who weighs 400 pounds drops 40 pounds of body fat in the first two months, that seems reasonable to me. If, however, someone who weighs 140 pounds does the same, that could spell trouble.

On a few final notes: 1. Although there is such a thing as a starvation "response", there is no such thing as a starvation "mode" whereby your weight loss stops completely, or even more laughably, you gain weight. 2. It's not necessary to eat small meals throughout the day, despite what a lot of pundits say. Intermittent fasting shows otherwise.

Good luck!

meleileen · February 2014

I always wondered if "starvation mode" was in fact real, I understand "starvation response" (the slowing of the metabolism in response to too few calories as a way to survive).

I feel fine eating the way I do - I have not had this much energy in years! I need to stop worrying, lol.

I appreciate the responses and honest answers. And FYI, it may sound like I am losing weight fast but I not unhealthy about it....just lucky I guess

Spiderkeys · February 2014

I just pat myself on the back with left over calories, it's a sign you didn't overeat, I wouldn't eat them up if I wasn't hungry, just try not to make it happen everyday.

What to do with left over calories?

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