quick question

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mr_mitch
mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I had to up my cals because I was stupidly doing 1200, and this is too few for a guy. So I was told to gradually increase so now I'm set to 1580.

I was wondering, does it matter if you're a couple of hundred of cals under your goal, AS LONG as you've hit your goals for nutrients?

I.e... For today, I am:

4g under on total fat
2g under on sat fat
Bang on for carbs
-24 for protein (I don't mind that)
A bit under for fiber

Way under on sodium! (Does that matter?) And apparently no potassium... At all?

So if you're roughly there on everything else... Do those few cals matter too much?

Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    6g of fat would be 54 calories, so how are you several hundred calories under your goal? Can you open your diary? Something seems off, and if it's a logging error that needs to be addressed, especially when you're not showing any potassium at all in your reports.
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
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    Under on Sodium is a good thing... VERY heart smart!
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    Yeah I must admit for one of my meals I did use a generic "1 portion" entry... (Which I don't usually do)

    But I guess I was just asking in general, what the acceptable level of leeway is...
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    PS, I have just logged in 250ml of skimmed milk, 88 calories, and 0.2g of fat....


    So how does the calculation of 6g fat = 54 cals work?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Ok, if we're talking in general...

    I don't measure absolutely everything; I cook for 4 people, so I can't accurately measure how much of the oil in the pan got on my portion, and I don't count the small random bites of food my two-year-old feeds me. I usually leave around 100 calories or so to account for little things like that, food logging errors, and errors in exercise burns. I tend to eat to goal on days I do not exercise.

    I don't think being a little under is necessarily bad, but I aim to at least net my BMR.

    Since you had a wacky entry today, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If this was a consistent thing on days you are able to log accurately, then I would encourage you to eat more.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    PS, I have just logged in 250ml of skimmed milk, 88 calories, and 0.2g of fat....


    So how does the calculation of 6g fat = 54 cals work?

    9 calories per 1g of fat. 4 calories per 1g of carbs or protein.
  • skruttan44
    skruttan44 Posts: 86 Member
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    my log doesn't show potassium? it only shows cal, , fat,protein,sodium and sugar. Can I change setting for this somewhere?
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    Ok, if we're talking in general...

    I don't measure absolutely everything; I cook for 4 people, so I can't accurately measure how much of the oil in the pan got on my portion, and I don't count the small random bites of food my two-year-old feeds me. I usually leave around 100 calories or so to account for little things like that, food logging errors, and errors in exercise burns. I tend to eat to goal on days I do not exercise.

    I don't think being a little under is necessarily bad, but I aim to at least net my BMR.

    Since you had a wacky entry today, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If this was a consistent thing on days you are able to log accurately, then I would encourage you to eat more.

    ok that's good to know thank you for your answer!
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    PS, I have just logged in 250ml of skimmed milk, 88 calories, and 0.2g of fat....


    So how does the calculation of 6g fat = 54 cals work?

    9 calories per 1g of fat. 4 calories per 1g of carbs or protein.

    ok cool, that's good, I didn't know you could calculate calories in such a linear fashion!
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    my log doesn't show potassium? it only shows cal, , fat,protein,sodium and sugar. Can I change setting for this somewhere?

    you can find it if you click on reports at the top and use the drop down menu to see it
  • skruttan44
    skruttan44 Posts: 86 Member
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    thank you! :)
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
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    Sodium is an essential electrolyte. You can't be too far under either. It's required for fluid balance and nerve impulses. I used to be low in sodium, so I make sure I'm getting my target every day.
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    also, another quick point...

    when you log exercise and say it adds on 200 calories (for example) ....... presumably your fat, carbs, protein allowances do not increase to reflect this change..... so what happens there?
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    Sodium is an essential electrolyte. You can't be too far under either. It's required for fluid balance and nerve impulses. I used to be low in sodium, so I make sure I'm getting my target every day.

    well the day before (Friday - accurate logging) I only have 947 grams (?) of salt out of a possible 2700 - so I'm guessing that ain't all that great!

    incidentally I was 286 under on calories
    84 under on carbs
    and 18 under on fat that day too! :s
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
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    also, another quick point...

    when you log exercise and say it adds on 200 calories (for example) ....... presumably your fat, carbs, protein allowances do not increase to reflect this change..... so what happens there?

    When it adds your exercise calories to your daily total, it will add how much more fat, carbs, protein you can have to keep your percentages in line.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
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    Since most nutrition labels do not include potassium, I never know what my daily totals are for that.
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    also, another quick point...

    when you log exercise and say it adds on 200 calories (for example) ....... presumably your fat, carbs, protein allowances do not increase to reflect this change..... so what happens there?

    When it adds your exercise calories to your daily total, it will add how much more fat, carbs, protein you can have to keep your percentages in line.

    oh - ok cool, another new thing I have learned! :)
    Since most nutrition labels do not include potassium, I never know what my daily totals are for that.

    which is probably why potassium levels read low to nil for most days then!

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