Question on calorie counts ...

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Airliner
Airliner Posts: 54 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all!

I've been using the site for one week, and I find I am finishing each day between 150 and 500 calories below my goal. I have not really felt overly hungry or deprived.

Yesterday, though, I finished 804 calories below goal., and felt kind of hungry, so I rewarded myself with a bit of a spurge ... 2 eggs and three strips of bacon, plus a nightcap of a glass of 2% milk. My first really bad indulgence all week. I still finished out the day 215 calories below goal.

My question is - what do most of you experience over time with respect to your daily goal, and if you find yourself way under, do you eat just to bring yourself up closer to the goal? I do worry about losing weight too quickly, and not being sustainable as a result.

Thanks for any help you may have to offer!

Replies

  • LyndseyMcKnight7
    LyndseyMcKnight7 Posts: 88
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    Congrats on your weight loss! How many calories are you netting a day? I hear for men you should try to net at least 1400 a day. I certainly wouldn't recommend eating if you are not hungry, but maybe try adding in some good proteins, like nuts or avocado, that are higher in calories. It's really not good for you to eat too little. Good luck and I'm sure you will find something that works for you!
  • Airliner
    Airliner Posts: 54 Member
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    I am usually netting at about 1500-1600, with exercise about 150-200 calories or so of that.
  • glendeb
    glendeb Posts: 129 Member
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    I'm usually under too, but I aim to be 50-100 calories under, just as a buffer. Sometimes I may have logged a tablespoon of peanut butter, that was actually closer to 1.5 tbsps. Or my medium apple, might be a bit bigger.

    I leave a buffer as I'm trying to get away from weighing everything and using sight as my guide - I do spot check myself often though!

    Also I've read that the MFP exercise calories can be a bit high, so I'm trying to make sure I do meet my 2lbs a week goal.
  • MissLuana
    MissLuana Posts: 356
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    I completely agree with Lyndsey. Fill in the missing calories with good/healthy calories. Almonds, avocados, oranges and banannas are all good. In fact, the other day I planned to make myself a fruit salad but abandoned the idea due to it reaching almost 400 calories...lol. 1 large bananna and 1 large orange took it to 200 calories by themselves.
  • lahay99
    lahay99 Posts: 17 Member
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    I have to work hard to not go over mine!! ive been on here a week and really finding it helpful to cut down my portions and realise how many calories are in things! im aiming for around 1500 a day and pretty much use them all!

    depends what your eating i suppose, i find nuts and fruit bump mine up and i like proper food, cant live on salads alone! (i am a veggie!)

    what is your cal goal each day?? do you bump it up with eating exercised calories?
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
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    If your netting below 1200 be careful of starvation mode. IDK how many calories ur suppose to be eating or not; but try to get close to it!

    I kinda plan my day; I like to have breakfast/snack and lunch and have at least 900 calories left for afternoon & night snack plus dinner. You can replace low cal foods for higher calorie foods (instead of trying to eat a ton more, its just eating different things). Beans, Nuts, peanut butter (natural), avacodo, bananas, rice, raisins/prunes, etc r all high calorie healthy foods. On a day i had 800 something calories left I might cahnge my dinner from eating a salad to eating rice with beans and chicken and peanut butter with bananas for dessert/night snack. Just play around with your foods and eventually you will get the hang of it!

    On days I know Ill be low I eat nuts for snacks (1/4 cup is around 170calories).

    I also like to make my own popcorn as my night snack which is about 200calories for a huge bowl. On days i think i might go over then i find low calorie things to munch on--like big handful of carrots is only 35calories.

    You can also switch some things from lower calorie items to higher calorie items---like lets take salad dressing for example--some r 120 calories for 2tbls but have a low salt/sugar level. Some (most) of the low cal dressing have at least really high sodium levels, and some have really high sugar and the high sodium; so its trading out higher calories for ultimetly a healthier dressing with less sodium and less sugar (probably more fat; but idk about u im always under fat anyway).

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