Please Help! Remaining calories over 2100..

Inittowinit11
Inittowinit11 Posts: 28
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all! Okay, so I started MFP on Monday and I'm a bit lost on some things. My calorie goal is set at 1620 per day (for a 2lb weight loss per week). However, I rarely eat that many calories, in fact, I'm probabily consuming on average 1400 per day and I work out a lot (more than 2 hours per day) and on top of that I'm pretty active. For instance, yesterday I consumed 1559 calories and burned 2094 calories, with 2155 remaining calories. Then it says that my daily goal is 3714, so I have no idea what all this means..From some of the previous posts I've read it seems that I'm not supposed to have so many calories remaining, but there's no way I'm able to eat that much, so should I lessen my exercise or increase my caloric intake?

Thanks so much!

Oh and it says that I have a deficit of 1,000, but I'm not sure what that means either. :(

Replies

  • thetigerzeye
    thetigerzeye Posts: 81 Member
    So to start your goal for the base calories is the 1620. What that means is if you sat around thats how much you would need to eat.

    When you work out you burn calories (obviously lol)

    So you had 1620 MINUS your 2094 which would then be 404 calories you would need to eat extra on top of the 1620 to get you to your goal calories.

    And when it comes to deficit thats how many calories you are UNDER your goal.



    If anyone disagrees or has any better way to explain this definitely go for it ^_^

    Also if you want, you can add me as a friend ^_^
  • purroxide
    purroxide Posts: 27
    If you're not eating that many calories then you should be fine. It's not until you get down to 1200 calories a day that your body will go into starvation mode. You don't need to eat more or lessen your exercise. Maybe just double & triple check your inputs to make sure all of your stats are correct?
  • JulesGC
    JulesGC Posts: 9
    Hi there! It can be a bit confusing to begin with! Tiger's eye says it all. I have discovered that you can set your own goals. Dont be afraid to check out all the tags at the top of the page. I think there is also a help button! Good luck!!!
  • paced2day
    paced2day Posts: 55
    I totally know what's going on. I danced professionally so I saw this a lot- gals burning 2000+ calories everyday dancing 40 hours a week, eating edamame and wheat flour and keeping the exact same weight. No weight loss. You know what else-- I could always predict who would get injured. Classic 'starvation mode'. You have to feed the body often so your body trusts that it will get the nutrition it needs to do the amount of activity you require of it. Don't underestimate the machine- its main goal is not to look like a centerfold. Work with the machine by reminding it often that you are going to be giving it the right fuel it needs as often as it needs it. Your workouts will feel better and your body will know it doesn't need to hold onto the fat its saving because of your neglect- then it will trust that you are going to give it what it really needs. Up your calories yes, but eat often is more important. Add protein to your diet especially on the days you work out-- protein bars, post workout protein drinks, peanut butter- and then give it what it really needs in the way of nutrition like tons of fruits and vegetables. If you have to work out a little less so you have TIME to eat, do that till you have better habits. Support the body in its goals and it will support you in yours. Good Luck!
  • AnneMelody
    AnneMelody Posts: 51 Member
    I know it is hard to get your head around, but Yes you either have to cut back on exercise a little bit, or increase your calories, so that your Net reading is at 1200 cals. This is because if you are burning far more cals than you are eating your body has a deficit, and basically your tank is running on empty! Check out your BMR on the tools, that will tell you what your body needs to just function ie,just breath and blink, If you are not feeding your body enough to do that, it will think you are in need of storing every little calorie you eat, thus effectively stopping any weight loss! I hope my rambling has helped you a little bt on your journey, Good luck
  • Inittowinit11
    Inittowinit11 Posts: 28
    Thanks! This has helped me so much. On day two, I felt so weak, drained, and had a horrible headache but I couldn't really understand why so I figured I wasn't eating enough, so I uped my caloric intake. All this is important for me to understand because in the past I've had some eating issues where I would just go long periods of eating nothing, but thank God I've realized that that wasn't the way to go. I do try to eat every 2 - 2 1/2 hours but with my busy schedule sometimes I miss out on snacks in between meals or meals all together. So, I'm going to have to get my mind right on this calorie thing because in prior years food was kind of the enemy for me, now I'm going to have to treat it as a friend. lol. Thanks again for the responses!
  • paced2day
    paced2day Posts: 55
    Thinking about food the right way is a big change, but totally do-able. I've seen this done the right way and I've seen it done the wrong way. Your head in the right place will be your biggest answer. I'm excited to see where you go from hear!!! Adventures!
  • oxHayleyxo
    oxHayleyxo Posts: 4
    Hi,

    Just because it says you have that remaining left to eat doesn't mean you have to eat it...
    I burn 1800 naturally in a day, I only eat 1200 as a goal this will mean weight loss. After working out I have about 700 calories remaining each day, this is good, this will equal weight loss; you should burn more than you consume.
    There are people on here saying I burn 1800 a day and eat 1800 a day why am I not losing weight... I hope the above explains why.
    Good luck...
  • an25drea
    an25drea Posts: 6
    I totally dig "KIND" bars and they average between 170-200 calories. Also Shape magazine for the past few months has had a drop10 pounds meal plan that include quick healthy meals and snacks to mix it up, and help you out with your calorie goal! My favorite I picked up so far is 0% fage plain tsp of peanut butter, tsp of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon with sliced apples...kinda thought it sounded gross but tried it and love it!! hope this helps a bit :)
  • Inittowinit11
    Inittowinit11 Posts: 28
    I'll look into that! Thanks alot. And I'll definitely try the peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, and apples - I'm always looking for healthy snacks.
  • jmfail
    jmfail Posts: 1
    Hi, I'm new to this site too. Just trying to wrap my brain around this whole deficit calorie tactic. I'm on the 1200 calorie goal and I usually burn between 700-1100 calories a day. I obviously always thought that you needed a caloric deficit (burn) from intake. But now I usually end up with alot (I mean alot) of calories remaining. It's impossible for me to eat back all of the exercise calories. And it still does not make sense to me. I've only been doing this site for 2 weeks and I have yet to weigh myself. So to be clear, are you supposed to eat back all of the calories you burn? This seems to defeat the purpose of exercise and the notion of burning calories. And yes I've read the other blog posts about this topic. Just hoping someone could shed some light on this for me.

    Thanks!
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