Meeting goal calorie intake

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AmberM6912
AmberM6912 Posts: 79
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

I'm new to this and until this site I always thought eat less + work out more = lose weight.

Here's my question. I've been reading a lot about meeting your goals on calorie intake and I'm a little confused. Sorry if this is repetitive of other's posts, but I can't find the exact answers I'm looking for by searching the boards.

MFP has my goal at 1200 calories a day. Now that I have gotten used to eating healthier and smaller portions, I am having trouble meeting that goal. And that's before I have a workout that sets me farther behind. So here's the question. Do I need to have a total of 1200 calories AFTER my workout subtracts them? If so, I feel like I would be eating all day. I've kept my eating pretty clean so most of the things I eat don't have a lot of calories in them. Also, I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (I've heard that forever) but I am NOT a morning person. Forcing myself to eat a banana and yogurt is about all I can do in the mornings.

Also, I've seen that people who are stuck on a plateau (which I seem to be) increase their calories to lose weight. How does this work? It seems to go against everything that I have heard about losing weight.

HELP! Any advice on how to meet my calorie goals and whether or not I am doing this right?

Replies

  • ladybugz_247
    ladybugz_247 Posts: 120
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    Hi well from what I know @ 1200 calories our bodies are losing weight even without the exercise. Now when you do burn calories we are allowed to eat that much more. Why? because if you eat too little your body will go into starvation mode and turn everything you eat into fat. Eating more when you workout won't hurt you because you already burned those extra calories you consumed with your workout. Hope that kinda helps.. I was confused with this too..
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    Most will say that you should net 1200 calories, but I think if you're not hungry, as long as you eat 1200 calories, you should be ok (if your net isn't something like 500). The answer isn't the same for everyone, so it will take some experimenting to get results.

    I tend to keep my net between 1050-1200, but I don't burn a lot of calories exercising. I eat smaller meals all day long, so it is like snacking all day. It keeps the metabolism running in high gear.

    Also, about the increasing calories to lose weight. If you consistently eat less your body may think there is not enough food around. Your body will hang on to fat harder thinking it may need to live off the energy. Increasing the calories tells your body there's nothing to worry about and it doesn't have to hold on to the fat for energy.
  • nikkit321
    nikkit321 Posts: 1,485 Member
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    Opening your food diary would be helpful so that comments could be more specific.

    Yes, you need to net 1200 calories so that you avoid starvation mode (although it does take several days of consistently being under 1200 to hit this level). Try including nuts, and always including protein with your snacks. Like an apple and a handful of cashews/almonds; cheese and carrots, peanut butter and celery. If you eat "normal" but watch portions, you'll hit your daily calorie need.

    I'll let someone else address zig-zagging calories as I don't know very much about it. Good luck!
  • Spayrroe
    Spayrroe Posts: 210 Member
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    Your body is intelligent from the point of view that it's all about self preservation. It doesn't understand that there is food available, and you're just not eating it, but knows when you're not consuming enough for it to feel secure. It'll start hoarding everything it can when it feels in danger so it has something to burn from later. Unfortunately, when your body has to start consuming parts of itself for fuel for basic metabolic function, it'll go for the muscle first. Muscle has more protein in it which your internal organs need to function and it's a slower burning fuel for your body.

    In short, I don't think you actually have to net your goal (especially if you're using MFP's data base for your burn numbers since I've always found it to be WAY off), but I would say make sure to get in at least 1200 cals gross. You do have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, but you have to do it the right way.

    Good luck! I hope I helped :)
  • nab22
    nab22 Posts: 168
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    I think only a nutritionist can truly tell you how many calories to eat. That said, I think everyone on here agrees that you have to eat at least 1200 calories a day (before subtracting exercise) to avoid having your body think you're starving.

    No one can seem to agree on whether or not to eat your exercise calories back though.

    You'll get all sorts of opinions on here, but for most people it ends up being trial and error. Probably mostly because people overestimate calories burned from working out, underestimate calories from food, etc. Good luck!
  • AmberM6912
    AmberM6912 Posts: 79
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    I have just started using a HRM and I love it. It definitely encourages me to work harder and burn a few more calories than I did before. I don't feel like I'm starving, I eat when I'm hungry and snack when I feel like I need to. I'm extremely busy so I don't have a lot of time to sit and think about food so luckily boredom eating isn't a big problem for me most of the time. I just feel like forcing myself to eat can't be that great either...

    I opened my food diary so specific comments can be made!

    Thanks
  • Spayrroe
    Spayrroe Posts: 210 Member
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    Opening your food diary would be helpful so that comments could be more specific.

    Yes, you need to net 1200 calories so that you avoid starvation mode (although it does take several days of consistently being under 1200 to hit this level). Try including nuts, and always including protein with your snacks. Like an apple and a handful of cashews/almonds; cheese and carrots, peanut butter and celery. If you eat "normal" but watch portions, you'll hit your daily calorie need.

    I'll let someone else address zig-zagging calories as I don't know very much about it. Good luck!

    Okay, not bashing at all. I think what you said is really sound. The only think I want to address is the "takes several days" and starvation mode. That's a myth. I'm not a morning person either, so usually I'll eat like a banana and a hard boiled egg in the morning on the way to the gym as my 'breakfast' because I don't eat much in the morning (and working out on a full stomach is not my favorite), but I make sure to eat something. Your metabolism will take a dive from going any extended period with no fuel because your body starts thinking it needs to conserve. That's why they recommend eating five or six small meals a day vs. 3 big ones. It keeps your metabolism burning things up because it doesn't feel threatened. So please don't lure yourself into thinking "well, to jump start my weight loss I'll just eat like 900 cals Monday and Tuesday, and then the rest of the week try to come closer to my actual calorie goal because it creates a bigger deficit and it takes the body days to go into starvation mode".

    Also, I recommend a nutritionist as well. If there is a Giant super center near you, the one here has a nutritionist on staff in the store. The appointment costs you $20, but at the end of it you get a $20 Giant gift card, so it's like free.

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