I feel guilty. I went over my calorie limit by 22.

hoffmanchristina
hoffmanchristina Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been actively tracking my food and sticking to my calorie goal for 50 days. Today is the first day I have gone over my limit, currently 1490. I know my martial arts class is in an hour and I burn about 320 calories (polar loop) and I walk my dog for 2 to 4 miles every night for the last 12 days and will tonight provided Detroit isn't flooded. (I don't track dog walking calories.) I know that I will have a net difference, but I'm still upset that I went over. I've lost 20.6 lbs in 50 days and feel great.

My loop estimates the calories burned in a 24 hour period between 2700 and 3200 with the average around 2900 a day. So is a limit of 1490 too little intake even though that is what myfitnesspal calculated? I adjust every week to take in weight loss.

Replies

  • betomxl
    betomxl Posts: 10
    22 calories is nothing to worry about :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    There are bumps in the road. It happens.

    If you're busy fretting over yesterday, you won't have time to decide what you want for today and tomorrow.

    Yesterday is over. My you can't uneat that food. Be done with that. Deal with today. :)
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Your MFP number does not include exercise calories. You should be eating a portion of those back. And yes, imo, you are eating too little if you are really that active and only eating 1490.

    As for the 22 over, look at your weekly numbers. You may have gone over by 22 today, but you've probably been under your calories slightly on other days which will offset the 22. Going over one day isn't going to mess anything up, unless you went so far over that you obliterated your deficit for the week completely, which would leave you in maintenance for the week, or ate that and then some, which would show a gain. 22 calories isn't going to do that.
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    Nothing to be done about it now.

    Take it in stride and do better tomorrow.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I am over goal at least once a week, by a lot more than 22 cals, and I'm still losing. :smile: You have nothing to worry about. Especially with exercise yet to be done, and with your daily estimated cals burned averaging 2900 a day?? You could (and probably SHOULD) eat 2000+ cals a day and still lose quite well.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
    If it's stressing you out that much, walk an extra 5 minutes.

    You do realize that when you log your calories, the counts are just estimates, right? No one can know the EXACT number of calories they per day and your daily log is probably at least 10% more or less than you think it is. As for today, you are worrying about the number of calories in three almonds.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    The figures you are following religiously are not 100% accurate. BMR, TDEE, MFP's suggested targets, exercise calories, and nutritional information on food packaging are all approximations. In this context, worrying about falling short by 22 calories is not something you should be obsessing about :) Focus on good actions, making those good actions into good habits, and focus on overall trends, and you are on a pretty good path :)
  • marie3221
    marie3221 Posts: 77 Member
    I would not lose sleep over 22 cals if I were you. Do 2 minutes of jumping jacks and there you go! Burnt off 22 cals.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,308 Member
    22 calories over is such a small surplus - I think you are totally worrying about nothing OP.

    Much better looking at your calories on a weekly basis IMO - some days are over, some under - but if the weekly total is round about your goal then you are doing fine.

    You can eat little bit less tomorrow if you want to - but myself I would just consider 22 over to be close enough and not change anything the next day.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    Welp sorry, you just messed up your hole week and are going to gain 5 lbs of pure fat.
  • Holla4mom
    Holla4mom Posts: 587 Member
    What is your basal metabolic rate? I'm new here, but from what I've read ou just wan tto make sure you don't eat less than that.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    You'll be alright. There are days where I'm over by 4-500 and it doesn't make a difference in the long run. It all should balance out with the amount you exercise and how much you consume the rest of the week.
  • nicailyzee
    nicailyzee Posts: 183 Member
    You are going to be okay last week I went over by about 500+ in one day at a water park and that piece of funnel cake that I tried for the first time was awesome! Life is toooooo short to be so hard on yourself. This is a journey of calculations and nothing here is perfect. If you are looking for perfection that is a bigger issue. You are doing well and will continue to do so, GOOD LUCK on this journey and take a little time to forgive yourself!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I have been actively tracking my food and sticking to my calorie goal for 50 days. Today is the first day I have gone over my limit, currently 1490. I know my martial arts class is in an hour and I burn about 320 calories (polar loop) and I walk my dog for 2 to 4 miles every night for the last 12 days and will tonight provided Detroit isn't flooded. (I don't track dog walking calories.) I know that I will have a net difference, but I'm still upset that I went over. I've lost 20.6 lbs in 50 days and feel great.

    My loop estimates the calories burned in a 24 hour period between 2700 and 3200 with the average around 2900 a day. So is a limit of 1490 too little intake even though that is what myfitnesspal calculated? I adjust every week to take in weight loss.

    Srsly...your estimated maintenance calories are around 2700 - 3200 calories and you're worried about going over by a measly 22 calories over 1490? C'mon....

    BTW, I'm sure you're over or under by that much and more on a regular basis considering the inherent inaccuracies of calorie counting. Maybe take a step back here...
  • Edwardshar
    Edwardshar Posts: 271 Member
    all the calories on the packages are estimates anyway, if you are getting within 50 you could possibly be under or over every day. It is just a guide. Going over a 1000 would be something to worry about. :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    If you are worried/guilty over 22 calories, perhaps you should re-evaluate your relationship with food/calories.


    In reality, going over a few times over the long term will amount to practically nothing. 22 calories is less than a drop in the bucket.
  • cebiginalaska
    cebiginalaska Posts: 280 Member
    LOL :laugh: 22 is nothing. Just stick with it and quit stressing :smokin:

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  • cebiginalaska
    cebiginalaska Posts: 280 Member
    My loop estimates the calories burned in a 24 hour period between 2700 and 3200 with the average around 2900 a day. So is a limit of 1490 too little intake even though that is what myfitnesspal calculated? I adjust every week to take in weight loss.

    1490 is too little. MFP is designed to eat back calories that you burn so if you burn 300 calories, you are supposed to eat it back.
    Calories Consumed (Food) - Calories Burned (Exercise) = Net Calories. This means that if you exercise, you will be able to eat more for that day. For example, if your Net Calorie goal is 2000 calories, one way to meet that goal is to eat 2,500 calories of food, but then burn 500 calories through exercise.

    Think of your Net Calories like a daily budget of calories to spend. You spend them by eating, and you earn more calories to eat by exercising.
    source: http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/12031-what-are-net-calories

    I think that you should read this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 and try it out for a couple weeks. If your average burn is 2900 you should be eating at least 2030 calories a day. 2900 - 30% (870) = 2030
  • amandarawr06
    amandarawr06 Posts: 251 Member
    Welp sorry, you just messed up your hole week and are going to gain 5 lbs of pure fat.

    ^ yep!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    by 22 and you're stressing? oh for pete's sake....you do realize that every single calorie calculation of every kind is an estimate, and you've probably been over, or under by a couple of hundred calories more than once and didn't even know it? And you know what.....it didn't matter!!!!! Don't worry so much about the day to day. Worry about trends and longer term numbers. You're doing fine. Relax.
  • cece5300
    cece5300 Posts: 48
    22 calories lol. I'm sure due to inaccuracies we are all a little off in our calories. Some days I go over by almost 200 and in the long run it doesn't matter. It's a lifestyle change, not a race to the low calorie finish line. I'm sure it won't have an affect on your progress!

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