New (maybe?) approach to calorie goal

m00tmike
m00tmike Posts: 248 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've done some searching on this approach and haven't found anything, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate post.

If a person was frustrated at not being able to hit their calorie goal could it be beneficial to change your goal to "maintenance" and then you'd know that as long as you ate less than that you would lose at least something. I think this would be more of a mental tool. Sometimes seeing that you have gone over your goal repeatedly it can be frustrating and discouraging. So it would be nice to see those green numbers on your diary. Lol. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Sure. In the end it's about the same though.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    It would work if you weren't fussed about losing weight particularly fast. I mean, if you were only 100 under each day it would take you 5 weeks to lose 1 pound.

    I'd worry about people under eating if they did that - if their mentality was 'well the more I'm under, the more weight I'll lose!' and they didn't also have a minimum that they need to eat each day. I know you said this would be for people that struggle to eat little enough so it probably wouldn't be a problem for them. Just as long as it was 'eat under this amount and over this amount'.

    Other than that I don't see why it wouldn't work if people needed that to help them mentally.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I've tried that and it didn't go so well for me...basically I kept eating very close to my goal which pretty much made me maintain. I pretty much routinely would plan on being around 500 calories less my maintenance, but I'd see that number and be like, "yeah...I can have this little bite over here and still be under my maintenance...and little bite there and I'll still be under maintenance." I usually came in a little under, but it was usually pretty negligible...50 - 100 calories or something...and really, losses were barely visible at all on the scale as anything was well within natural fluctuations.

    I found myself to be much more disciplined if I actually had my true goal displayed and just hit that goal.
  • Iamnotasenior
    Iamnotasenior Posts: 235 Member
    I have been successful in the past in losing 60 lbs. over the course of a year and kept it off for 2 years. I got married, helped raise 3 kids and put all of the weight back on. Now that the kids are grown, I am back on track finally to get that weight off again. I find that when I start to see "calorie creep", I try to pinpoint why. Is my body craving some nutrient that it is not getting enough of? Am I going through something stressful or am I anxious about something? Am I exercising more? Am I eating too little calories? All of these things can be triggers to eat more. One thing I do that actually helps me to lose weight when I plateau is to go out and eat my fill at a buffet-style restaurant complete with dessert. I only allow that one meal a couple of times a month, but it seems to help reset my metabolism when I am doing everything right and still not losing weight.
  • m00tmike
    m00tmike Posts: 248 Member
    Hmm, great points that I hadn't thought about. I was also thinking it could be nice to have a range goal. Like, don't go under this but don't go over this.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I think you would be better off setting your calories 500 below maintenance…then you would know the number you need to eat to, to be in a 500 per day deficit; however, if you over eat by say 100 calories, at least you would know that you are still in 400 calorie deficit…
  • jayjandy
    jayjandy Posts: 8
    I've tried this approach as well and it didn't work for me. I didn't lose at all. I also stopped logging in all of my exercise. I would see the extra calories and would eat them! I am better when I have a specific goal I need to hit. Now that's not to say I don't ever go over (I usually do) but its easier for me to stay closer to my intake for the day. What works for one person isn't always going to work for another so I say if it works for you, go for it. Good luck!!! :)
  • vslnrunner
    vslnrunner Posts: 164 Member
    Personally, I need a minimum to hit.
  • m00tmike
    m00tmike Posts: 248 Member
    I guess in the end it's a personal thing and whatever works the best is the best approach. But I do like the idea of at least setting it a few 100 below maintenance so you would have a cushion.

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