Calories

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Happy3Mommy
Happy3Mommy Posts: 26
in Fitness and Exercise
I have to eat 1660 calories a day. What do I do when I get 1660 calories then go work off 600 of them. Do I have to go back and eat 600 more calories to make me back up to 1660 or do I do nothing?

Replies

  • kioga86
    kioga86 Posts: 126 Member
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    Three thoughts popped into my head:
    1) You don't HAVE to eat 1660 a day, do you? The minimum intake of calories per day, according to MFP, is 1200.
    2) Great job burning 600 calories in exercise!
    3) If you are hungry, eat the calories you burn. If you're not hungry, don't worry about it!

    Good luck!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    if 1660 is your recommended amount, and you exercise 600 more, you should replace some or all of those as there is already a deficit built in
  • lfondots
    lfondots Posts: 216 Member
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    I would say try to eat close to your calories. Of course make sure they are 'good' calories also. If you are under some that is fine also but don't leave a big difference all the time. Good luck and the trick is to find the right things to eat.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Your calorie goal is set to a specific number because that's what the MFP formula determines to be your ideal number of calories to get you to lose your desired amount of weight. It's the amount of calories you need to eat, that's why it's your goal. You can eat less, you can eat more, but neither of those is more optimal for weight loss.

    Meet your calorie goal, eat your exercise calories. This system works, you will see your desired results. Eating less doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose weight faster.
  • sarahmckinley
    sarahmckinley Posts: 23 Member
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    I have issues with this some days too--especially if I had a super big workout. I try really hard to eat back half of what I burned; if I don't, I find that I am a bottomless pit the next day and feel super crummy (even more sore than I would normally be). If I don't work out, I shoot for the 1200 side of things...there are days that I feel like I'm force feeding myself to get there, and other days that I can't get enough. I'm finding that the more consistant I am (i.e. trying to eat back some of the calories and make it at least to 1200-1400 on non-workout days) with my intake, the less variation I have with the hunger thing.

    Hope that helps!
  • sarahmckinley
    sarahmckinley Posts: 23 Member
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    to clarify--when I said I "shoot for the 1200 side of things" I meant I let myself be on that side if I'm not hungry--if I'm hungry, I eat every last one of my 1550 and my exercise calories!

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