What do you do at the end of the day if under cal?

If I'm within a couple hundred I leave it, assuming that my exercise calories may be a little high and my food calories a little low. If I'm way under, like I was today, I have a beer with dinner and dessert later:)

mnewell0293 wrote: »

joejward95 wrote: »

If I've reached the end of the day and have cals left and im not hungry I just don't eat. Don't worry, you're not going to die by being under some days, even if it is by 700 on a 1400 diet. The human body is very resilient, we're designed to be able to go for decent periods with little/no food.

Thanks - makes me feel better....I was going crazy thinking I will not lose if I am not close to my daily goal....

You thought you wouldn't lose?! Dude, if that was the case then say, children in poverty wouldn't get skinny. The less calories you eat, the more you will lose. There is no 'starvation mode' where you suddenly stop losing, or worse, start GAINING because you're not eating... the calorie goal is to ensure that you're losing weight healthily, by putting in what you need to keep up good body function at the same time. If you ate 700 calories a day you would lose, you would lose fast, and because of the extreme deficit, your body is more likely to target lean muscle mass. Hence why extreme restriction based diets should be supervised by a doctor to ensure that your body isn't going to damage itself in the process.

That's why the target calorie goal. Safe weight loss travels.

If you ate 700 calories, and maybe that was for a huge meal of chicken and salad or something... I mean, 300 calories can get me a meal too big to finish if it's the right foods, or it can be a scoop of peanut butter. You're full? Well, then just go to bed. Or treat yourself, if you'd like. Neither will hurt you.

Some days I need to consume more to get closer to a healthy caloric intake (male so I should get but do not usually get 1800 minimum). It is so easy to hit less than 1000 net calories. The key is to add protein or fat cals to make it up. NO carbs (unless fruits and veggies).

I think knowing your BMR numbers are a good tool as well. Myfitnesspal actually has one, but I used one I found on google. This helped me find out that I was putting my body into starvation mode and I stopped losing weight.

Additionally, you may want to re-evaluate your activity level when you set your goals. I had to go back and change mine to sedentary.

Either way, I care less about my calories than my carbs and sugars. Limit carbs to around 100 and sugars to as low as you can and you will lose weight by the fistfuls. Im down 24 pounds of fat and 43 to 35 inch waist in the last year. I added 5 pounds of muscle.

I tend to be short on my protein goals, so if I have a lot of extra calories and I'm hungry, I will eat some nonfat Greek yogurt. But generally, I just assume I'll make up for it with a big meal on another day (and I always do).

Enter your exercise as 1 calorie. Everything is just an estimate anyway.

joejward95 wrote: »

If I've reached the end of the day and have cals left and im not hungry I just don't eat. Don't worry, you're not going to die by being under some days, even if it is by 700 on a 1400 diet. The human body is very resilient, we're designed to be able to go for decent periods with little/no food.

MFP soooo needs a nodding emoticon.

christinev297 wrote: »

I wish I had the problem of struggling to meet my calorie goal

Me too! That sounds wonderful!

mnewell0293 wrote: »

I am finding that I am under my cal count at the end of the day...I am eating well, not hungry and not eating junk..
(new to MFP also)

At this point I go to bed.

when I'm under cal count, I go to bed looking forward to seeing a smaller number on the scale the next day. Don't eat just because you had a low cal day.

I don't eat back exercise calories so I'm pretty much always under, and I'm fine.

If I'm hungry in the evening I'll eat an apple with peanut butter, or some natural yogurt usually, but if I'm not hungry I don't eat.