Making sure to eat enough
DragonFaery
Posts: 9 Member
I am trying to lose weight. When I first began this journey I weighed 290 and now I am about 270. I am starting to struggle because I notice that I don't, I guess "use" all of the calories that it shows that I have left. My recommended calorie level is 1740. There are days that it shows that I have almost 1300 calories left, but it is the end of the day and I don't eat after 7pm. I log in everything that I eat and all of my exercising. I exercise about 1.5 hours in the morning before my kids get up. And then off and on all day when I get a chance to do some walking. I am new to MFP and not sure if I'm suppose to use up all of the calories or what. Thanks
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Replies
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Ideally yes, assuming that you are weighing your food. Often people think they aren't reaching their calories but they are. So if you are working out and weighing everything and coming up 400 cals short regularly, smother some stuff with peanut butter. If you aren't weighing your food, I'd be surprised if you are truly only eating 1300 and are satiated.0
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Thank you. I don't weigh my food, so I guess that is a step that I need to start doing. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, snack on almond and cashews to keep my energy going. And I'm not really hungry at all. I've been on both sides -- anorexia when I was >25 and overeating from about 35 until now. But I've always been active.0
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1300 calories left or 1300 calories that you've consumed? Are you weighing your food, measuring, or using packaging sizes as a guide? How are you calculating the calorie burn?
If you're using MFP to calculate the calories you eat, you will want to eat at least some of your exercise calories back (I go with the 50-75% eat back to account for inaccurate MFP estimates).0 -
its important to eat regularly to keep your metabolism "stoked", and to eat the minimum number of calories you should for your weight & activity, as much as it seems counter intuitive. Truly think of your metabolism like a fire; if you don't eat for a while it doesn't try to burn anything because you are not feeding it fuel. Every 3 hours is ideal minimum for metabolism, including a bedtime snack. Ideal snacks include protein, carbs and fat. I don't get obsessive about percentages personally; I just know what snacks fit into my calorie intake.
If you're limiting calories a LOT (intentionally or otherwise) and exercising, your metabolism will respond appropriately by conserving a lot of calories. And reducing your hunger. It might feel good, but it really is not ideal for weight loss.
Some of my favorite snacks are an apple with a TB of almond butter (more usable fats than peanut butter), string cheese, roasted chickpeas and of course good nutrition bars like Kind Bars and Odwalla Bars. Eat breakfast. It is important- load it up with calories and it lights your fire for the day. If you need more to meet your calories, add more almond butter or maybe a TB of olive oil to salads or veggies.
Also, 1.5 hours of exercise in the AM is a lot. What are you doing during that time?2 -
1300 calories left or 1300 calories that you've consumed? Are you weighing your food, measuring, or using packaging sizes as a guide? How are you calculating the calorie burn?
If you're using MFP to calculate the calories you eat, you will want to eat at least some of your exercise calories back (I go with the 50-75% eat back to account for inaccurate MFP estimates).
It says that what I have at the end of the day. I log in my exercising in MFP. My breakfast is normally about 200 or so calories (a piece of fruit, cashews, water). Lunch is normally about 200-400 calories. And dinner is ranges.0 -
Why are you setting a 7pm food deadline?0
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rsenor: I do about 15 minutes of stretching/yoga and then run, walk, and some strength training for the rest.0
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jandsstevenson887 wrote: »Why are you setting a 7pm food deadline?
If I don't, I will snack at night when the others in my house are doing it. I have a tendency of eating when I'm bored, etc.0 -
I have to have a good size breakfast (300-ish) so I salute you.1300 calories left or 1300 calories that you've consumed? Are you weighing your food, measuring, or using packaging sizes as a guide? How are you calculating the calorie burn?
If you're using MFP to calculate the calories you eat, you will want to eat at least some of your exercise calories back (I go with the 50-75% eat back to account for inaccurate MFP estimates).
It says that what I have at the end of the day. I log in my exercising in MFP. My breakfast is normally about 200 or so calories (a piece of fruit, cashews, water). Lunch is normally about 200-400 calories. And dinner is ranges.
Do you weigh your fruit and nuts, or just use the generic estimate in the diary for fruit, and measure out nuts etc?
The reason I asked about MFP and exercise is that MFP is pretty consistent with being incorrect as the calorie burn is a estimate and in a lot of exercises it can't tell what your effort is. IE Doing Zumba for 1hr is 900 calories (this is for me), but that's not taking into account that I wasn't going at it with as much intensity as I could, or I stopped for water several times. So I didn't really burn 900 calories, which is why I follow the theory of eating back 50-75% of the exercise calories to give some leeway in that estimate.jandsstevenson887 wrote: »Why are you setting a 7pm food deadline?
If I don't, I will snack at night when the others in my house are doing it. I have a tendency of eating when I'm bored, etc.
I would say if you legitimately have 500+ calories, to beef up your meals (ie have a piece of toast, or peanut butter with breakfast, add some extra meat or cheese with your lunch, etc) or have some after 7 snacks because you have plenty of calories left.2 -
I don't weigh anything right now. Because honestly, I didn't know about weighing them. But I will count out the pieces for the recommended serving or I will cut the serving in half. It really depends on what I am having.
I understand about the exercising. When I do stop a bit to get water from my bottle I will still do a slow walk while I am drinking it instead of stopping completely still. I put everything that I have into the exercising because I want the change.0 -
I'm 4'10 and 150 pounds....the obese catagory according to Fitness Pal. Want to loose about 30 pounds. Have been doing Fitness Pal for a week and keep getting notices that I'm not eating enough calories and therefore the program will not record my progress because I am not meeting my bodies basic nutrient and energy needs. Makes me mad!!. I used to eat 1500 calorie meals and then sleep...2 plates of pasta smothered in cheese and more cheese, Moe's Billy Bareau nachos, a 12 inch loaded pizza, tons of cheesecake, etc. Now I'm choosing to eat chicken and spinach salads and cade steamer meals. I'm satisfied with my new food choices but why won't Fitness pal record my progress? I don't want to have to add food that I don't want just to meet that 1200 calorie daily goal. What do ya'll think??1
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There's a reason you need to meet those calories. Congrats on the food choices! But an extreme caloric deficit will hurt you.0
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its important to eat regularly to keep your metabolism "stoked", and to eat the minimum number of calories you should for your weight & activity, as much as it seems counter intuitive. Truly think of your metabolism like a fire; if you don't eat for a while it doesn't try to burn anything because you are not feeding it fuel. Every 3 hours is ideal minimum for metabolism, including a bedtime snack. Ideal snacks include protein, carbs and fat. I don't get obsessive about percentages personally; I just know what snacks fit into my calorie intake.
If you're limiting calories a LOT (intentionally or otherwise) and exercising, your metabolism will respond appropriately by conserving a lot of calories. And reducing your hunger. It might feel good, but it really is not ideal for weight loss.
Some of my favorite snacks are an apple with a TB of almond butter (more usable fats than peanut butter), string cheese, roasted chickpeas and of course good nutrition bars like Kind Bars and Odwalla Bars. Eat breakfast. It is important- load it up with calories and it lights your fire for the day. If you need more to meet your calories, add more almond butter or maybe a TB of olive oil to salads or veggies.
Also, 1.5 hours of exercise in the AM is a lot. What are you doing during that time?
This is nonsense.6 -
its important to eat regularly to keep your metabolism "stoked", and to eat the minimum number of calories you should for your weight & activity, as much as it seems counter intuitive. Truly think of your metabolism like a fire; if you don't eat for a while it doesn't try to burn anything because you are not feeding it fuel. Every 3 hours is ideal minimum for metabolism, including a bedtime snack. Ideal snacks include protein, carbs and fat. I don't get obsessive about percentages personally; I just know what snacks fit into my calorie intake.
If you're limiting calories a LOT (intentionally or otherwise) and exercising, your metabolism will respond appropriately by conserving a lot of calories. And reducing your hunger. It might feel good, but it really is not ideal for weight loss.
Some of my favorite snacks are an apple with a TB of almond butter (more usable fats than peanut butter), string cheese, roasted chickpeas and of course good nutrition bars like Kind Bars and Odwalla Bars. Eat breakfast. It is important- load it up with calories and it lights your fire for the day. If you need more to meet your calories, add more almond butter or maybe a TB of olive oil to salads or veggies.
Also, 1.5 hours of exercise in the AM is a lot. What are you doing during that time?
This is not true. I would ignore it. You don't need to "stoke" your metabolism. And if a fire runs out of fuel it doesn't stop trying to burn anything. It just goes out. But your metabolism isn't like a fire anyway.
Meal timing does not matter either. You don't need to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going. If you want to eat it that's good if not then don't. I did wonder about the no eating after 7. While that is not necessary I do understand if it helps you with a snacking problem. But you should be getting as close to your calorie goal as possible and you should be eating back some exercise calories. 50-75% is a good place to start. You might plan an evening snack and add some calories that way, but not if it will derail you. Try to add some calories through the day, maybe use full fat products instead of fat free or add some nuts or avocado. Or have a treat that you like. I think the best thing about MFP is you can eat foods you like whenever you want as long as it fits in your calorie goal. That is what will help you learn how to eat without being overweight.
Congrats on your loss so far. You are doing great.5 -
Make sure you are eating at least 1000 calories a day if you are counting your calories. i count my carbs instead make healthy choices either way0
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Yes, if you're not weighing your food you could be eating more than you think (in this case, I hope you are). But you are also losing weight. You don't NEED to weigh your food at the very moment if you are losing at an appropriate rate. You have the data...What is your average weekly loss? If you're set to lose 2 lbs per week, and you're losing around that...ta da! You're eating more than you think, and probably somewhere close to the calories MFP gives you. If you're losing too fast, then yes you are under eating. If you're losing too slowly...food scale. It's all in the data.7
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Is your calorie level of 1740 with or without your exercise? There are a lot of factors in play here. How did you set up your account, ie activity level, stats, how much do you want to lose per week, etc? How are you determining your calorie burn from exercise? If your calorie level is 1740 and you have 1300 left that means you are only eating 440. Is this right?0
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I'm 4'10 and 150 pounds....the obese catagory according to Fitness Pal. Want to loose about 30 pounds. Have been doing Fitness Pal for a week and keep getting notices that I'm not eating enough calories and therefore the program will not record my progress because I am not meeting my bodies basic nutrient and energy needs. Makes me mad!!. I used to eat 1500 calorie meals and then sleep...2 plates of pasta smothered in cheese and more cheese, Moe's Billy Bareau nachos, a 12 inch loaded pizza, tons of cheesecake, etc. Now I'm choosing to eat chicken and spinach salads and cade steamer meals. I'm satisfied with my new food choices but why won't Fitness pal record my progress? I don't want to have to add food that I don't want just to meet that 1200 calorie daily goal. What do ya'll think??
It won't close if you are eating under 1000 calories. It's extremely difficult to get appropriate nutrition on that little intake. I realize you aren't as tall as some, but you still need to get enough fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc that is hard to do on such a low calorie intake.
As for the OP, most of what you are getting here is good advice. Weighing your food will give you better accuracy, which in turn will help you feel more comfortable with eating a bit more. With the extra workouts, it is a good idea to eat at least 50% of those back, just because you want to be eating enough to support those workouts. If you start noticing fatigue, or difficulties concentrating, or are losing more than 2lbs/week (on average, there will be higher and lower weeks) after the first two weeks then you are not eating enough. You will settle into a nice balance with a few growing pains.1 -
There's no reason to stop eating after 7pm. Eat at any time you like, as long as you have the calories left
Get a food scale, weigh all of your solid food.
I'll just leave this here. It shows how using a scale is more accurate than measuring cups. And if it's more accurate than measuring cups, imagine how much more accurate it is over just eyeballing and guessing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpHykP6e_Uk 2 -
I'm 4'10 and 150 pounds....the obese catagory according to Fitness Pal. Want to loose about 30 pounds. Have been doing Fitness Pal for a week and keep getting notices that I'm not eating enough calories and therefore the program will not record my progress because I am not meeting my bodies basic nutrient and energy needs. Makes me mad!!. I used to eat 1500 calorie meals and then sleep...2 plates of pasta smothered in cheese and more cheese, Moe's Billy Bareau nachos, a 12 inch loaded pizza, tons of cheesecake, etc. Now I'm choosing to eat chicken and spinach salads and cade steamer meals. I'm satisfied with my new food choices but why won't Fitness pal record my progress? I don't want to have to add food that I don't want just to meet that 1200 calorie daily goal. What do ya'll think??
Add the food. There are a lot of side effects that come with prolonged undereating: muscle loss, fatigue, brittle nails, hair loss, irregular/stopped menstrual cycles, organ shutdown, and so on.0 -
I am trying to lose weight. When I first began this journey I weighed 290 and now I am about 270. I am starting to struggle because I notice that I don't, I guess "use" all of the calories that it shows that I have left. My recommended calorie level is 1740. There are days that it shows that I have almost 1300 calories left, but it is the end of the day and I don't eat after 7pm. I log in everything that I eat and all of my exercising. I exercise about 1.5 hours in the morning before my kids get up. And then off and on all day when I get a chance to do some walking. I am new to MFP and not sure if I'm suppose to use up all of the calories or what. Thanks
How is your weight loss going with the way you're eating right now? Are you losing as much as you're trying to? Too fast? Too slowly?0 -
I'm 4'10 and 150 pounds....the obese catagory according to Fitness Pal. Want to loose about 30 pounds. Have been doing Fitness Pal for a week and keep getting notices that I'm not eating enough calories and therefore the program will not record my progress because I am not meeting my bodies basic nutrient and energy needs. Makes me mad!!. I used to eat 1500 calorie meals and then sleep...2 plates of pasta smothered in cheese and more cheese, Moe's Billy Bareau nachos, a 12 inch loaded pizza, tons of cheesecake, etc. Now I'm choosing to eat chicken and spinach salads and cade steamer meals. I'm satisfied with my new food choices but why won't Fitness pal record my progress? I don't want to have to add food that I don't want just to meet that 1200 calorie daily goal. What do ya'll think??
It's frustrating I know, apparently ac according to MFP short people shouldn't lose weight.0 -
I'm 4'10 and 150 pounds....the obese catagory according to Fitness Pal. Want to loose about 30 pounds. Have been doing Fitness Pal for a week and keep getting notices that I'm not eating enough calories and therefore the program will not record my progress because I am not meeting my bodies basic nutrient and energy needs. Makes me mad!!. I used to eat 1500 calorie meals and then sleep...2 plates of pasta smothered in cheese and more cheese, Moe's Billy Bareau nachos, a 12 inch loaded pizza, tons of cheesecake, etc. Now I'm choosing to eat chicken and spinach salads and cade steamer meals. I'm satisfied with my new food choices but why won't Fitness pal record my progress? I don't want to have to add food that I don't want just to meet that 1200 calorie daily goal. What do ya'll think??
I feel you .I'm 147cm,which i believe is 4'8 and i stay under 1000cal. because 1200 is unrealistic if i want to lose weight. I stopped caring about the daily completion , but every now and then i quick add calories using the quick tools menu, to see the 5 week forecast.0 -
This is not true. I would ignore it. You don't need to "stoke" your metabolism. And if a fire runs out of fuel it doesn't stop trying to burn anything. It just goes out. But your metabolism isn't like a fire anyway.
Meal timing does not matter either. You don't need to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going. If you want to eat it that's good if not then don't. I did wonder about the no eating after 7. While that is not necessary I do understand if it helps you with a snacking problem. But you should be getting as close to your calorie goal as possible and you should be eating back some exercise calories. 50-75% is a good place to start. You might plan an evening snack and add some calories that way, but not if it will derail you. Try to add some calories through the day, maybe use full fat products instead of fat free or add some nuts or avocado. Or have a treat that you like. I think the best thing about MFP is you can eat foods you like whenever you want as long as it fits in your calorie goal. That is what will help you learn how to eat without being overweight.
Congrats on your loss so far. You are doing great.
I'm so glad you posted this reply. Misinformation like that post drives me crazy and it needs to be put in check immediately. There is way too much of this bull on the internet. No wonder people get confused.0 -
Thank you. I don't weigh my food, so I guess that is a step that I need to start doing. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, snack on almond and cashews to keep my energy going. And I'm not really hungry at all. I've been on both sides -- anorexia when I was >25 and overeating from about 35 until now. But I've always been active.
You snack on almonds and cashews and don't weigh them? I guarantee you're eating all your calories. Those things alone are extremely calorie dense. One serving is typically 5 or 6 nuts.1 -
arditarose wrote: »Yes, if you're not weighing your food you could be eating more than you think (in this case, I hope you are). But you are also losing weight. You don't NEED to weigh your food at the very moment if you are losing at an appropriate rate. You have the data...What is your average weekly loss? If you're set to lose 2 lbs per week, and you're losing around that...ta da! You're eating more than you think, and probably somewhere close to the calories MFP gives you. If you're losing too fast, then yes you are under eating. If you're losing too slowly...food scale. It's all in the data.
My average right now is about 2 - 2.5 lbs a week.1 -
Is your calorie level of 1740 with or without your exercise? There are a lot of factors in play here. How did you set up your account, ie activity level, stats, how much do you want to lose per week, etc? How are you determining your calorie burn from exercise? If your calorie level is 1740 and you have 1300 left that means you are only eating 440. Is this right?
The 1740 is the starting amount without figuring in what I burn through the exercise. My activity level is lightly-active. I am a SAHM/homeschool mom. So there are times that I am running around constantly and other times that I really have nothing to do. I set my level to losing 2 lbs a week. I calculate the calorie burns by logging in my exercising here on MFP. I workout at home without any machines, etc.0 -
RoseTheWarrior wrote: »Thank you. I don't weigh my food, so I guess that is a step that I need to start doing. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, snack on almond and cashews to keep my energy going. And I'm not really hungry at all. I've been on both sides -- anorexia when I was >25 and overeating from about 35 until now. But I've always been active.
You snack on almonds and cashews and don't weigh them? I guarantee you're eating all your calories. Those things alone are extremely calorie dense. One serving is typically 5 or 6 nuts.
The whole almonds (unsalted) that we get says that a "Serving size" is 1/4 cup. I normally cut that in half and have it as a snack. I also drink about 4 (16.9oz) bottles of water a day.0 -
If you snack on nuts and dont weigh them you are playing with fire. Just a small amount can be 50-100 calories. Depending on your deficit a few slip ups in a week may slow or even halt progress. Measuring cups are for liquids - scales are for solids.1
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Thank you. I don't weigh my food, so I guess that is a step that I need to start doing. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, snack on almond and cashews to keep my energy going. And I'm not really hungry at all. I've been on both sides -- anorexia when I was >25 and overeating from about 35 until now. But I've always been active.
If you don't weigh all your solid food (as opposed to liquid), I can almost guarantee you that your eating significantly more than you think. Also, if you're eating back your exercise calories, keep in mind that MFP is very generous with the amount of calories it gives you for exercise. I wouldn't eat back more than half.
And, as others have said, a calorie is a calorie. It doesn't make a difference what time of the day you eat it.1
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