Do I need to eat my calorie limit to loose weight?

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I'm just new & with exercising & food intake I'm still 478 calories remaining to take. Do I need to eat all to loose weight? As in slimming classes you must eat all daily allowance to loose

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  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    No, you do not. Not eating those calories will just create a deficit if one isn't already set up according to the goals you set. You will still lose weight either way by eating at a calorie deficit.
  • PinkDeerBoy
    PinkDeerBoy Posts: 89 Member
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    If you are still hungry and want to eat them, but if not, don't stress it. As long as you eat under your limit you should lose weight. A generally suggestion I see around here is not to eat under 1,200 cals though.
    Are you weighing your food, by the way?
  • slp51
    slp51 Posts: 201 Member
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    Not sure if you're aware, but MFP won't allow you to close out your daily diary if you have consumed less than 1,000 calories. And ditto what everyone else said: less calories in, more calories out = loss of fat which = loss of weight.
  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    I found starting out that I could easily come way under my set goals. I wouldn't worry about it but I wouldn't recomend taking advantage of that fact either. Eventually the margins will get tighter and your ability to manage your "budget" will become crucial to success. Use this time to work on setting goals and meeting them as precisely as you can.
  • kirstyxmelrose
    kirstyxmelrose Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks after I posted that I found a blog on here answering my question. Not really weighing but giving a good guesstimate so probs best not to eat my left over calories
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I'm just new & with exercising & food intake I'm still 478 calories remaining to take. Do I need to eat all to loose weight? As in slimming classes you must eat all daily allowance to loose

    You don't need to eat all the calories to lose weight, but you do require proper nutrition to be healthy. That is why there is a minimum.
  • rushfive
    rushfive Posts: 603 Member
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    Thanks after I posted that I found a blog on here answering my question. Not really weighing but giving a good guesstimate so probs best not to eat my left over calories

    Yes,
    If you are just estimating, then do not worry about the left over calories.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Eat a minimum of 1200 a day, and try to meet your protein goal. The protein will help you retain muscle mass while eating at a deficit.

    Beyond that, don't force yourself to eat just to meet the calorie goals.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I'm just new & with exercising & food intake I'm still 478 calories remaining to take. Do I need to eat all to loose weight? As in slimming classes you must eat all daily allowance to loose

    You just need to eat less calories than you burn off to lose fat. The reason the classes told you to eat all the calories is to make sure that you get proper nutrition and aren't losing too quickly. Losing too quickly sounds nice, but isn't. It can lead to loss of muscle and bone, nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails and general diet burnout, which could lead to overeating to compensate. Slow and steady wins the race.

    Best of luck to you!