Being under calorie goal bad?

tracymayo1
tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am wondering if consistently being UNDER my daily set goal is a bad thing...
I have NEVER (except I think maybe one day) been within the calorie Goal MFP/FitBit sets for me since I have been using these sites... and I am wondering if that is a bad thing that could be affecting my losses?

Replies

  • emjam99
    emjam99 Posts: 92 Member
    As long as you're not under a healthy number (typically 1200) I think you should be fine. However, it depends greatly on work outs and things like that
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    ok, well I dont as a rule workout... although in the last couple days I am making myself go out and walk...
    and I only had the MFP thingy yell at me for too few calories in a day 1 time and that was a day we were at an amusement park so there was WAY more walking than normal.
    I just assume I would lose more than my set goal if I eat less... but I am curious if there could be a problem or if I could stall because of that...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    What kind of FitBit do you have? I do trust the exercise calories I get from my FB One, which are far less generous than those I get from MFP for the same activity.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited July 2016
    I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you are fairly close to goal and are netting 1200 at least calories every day (Calories eaten - exercise). That's when MFP "yells" at you. If it has only been once, you should be fine.

    Keep in mind that losing weight too quickly results in excess lean muscle mass being lost, something you really don't want. It's better to lose slowly in a way that doesn't put stress on your body.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    How much weight have you lost and over what period of time? What was your starting weight and how tall are you?
  • hhnkhl
    hhnkhl Posts: 231 Member
    edited July 2016
    Going a day like that wouldn't hurt or a couple days...if that was the case people would be fasting less on religious days...

    Anyway short term weight loss doesn't help...most people gain it all back.
  • MiamiSeoul
    MiamiSeoul Posts: 1,809 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What kind of FitBit do you have? I do trust the exercise calories I get from my FB One, which are far less generous than those I get from MFP for the same activity.

    I find that MFP is very generous too! I typically log over for my food entries and dramatically under for my exercise calories burned. Still trying to decide between a Fitbit and Polar.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    I have a fitbit flex. And I Usually with the total calories left if gives me I dont take it into consideration at all.
    Today at lunch I walked for 27 minutes and it stated (MapMyWalk did) that I burned about 172 calories.

    I am 5ft 11"
    SW - 210
    CW - 199.6
    GW - 175 (to see how I feel from there)

    I restarted this journey I believe it was the first of June? (my diary is open - you could check for sure there) but I logged in and got my 50 consecutive days yesterday - so about 50 days total in.. and have lost 10.4lbs.

    I am hoping once I am done with TOM in a couple of days, it will show another drop... as right now I am still sitting at the same 199.6 I was on July 17 weigh in.

    I am also not sure how accurate MapMyWalk is on burns either... but again, I generally dont even look at the "extra" I get and see it more as a bonus to lose type deal - unless I am hungry....
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    tracymayo1 wrote: »
    I have a fitbit flex. And I Usually with the total calories left if gives me I dont take it into consideration at all.
    Today at lunch I walked for 27 minutes and it stated (MapMyWalk did) that I burned about 172 calories.

    I am 5ft 11"
    SW - 210
    CW - 199.6
    GW - 175 (to see how I feel from there)

    I restarted this journey I believe it was the first of June? (my diary is open - you could check for sure there) but I logged in and got my 50 consecutive days yesterday - so about 50 days total in.. and have lost 10.4lbs.

    I am hoping once I am done with TOM in a couple of days, it will show another drop... as right now I am still sitting at the same 199.6 I was on July 17 weigh in.

    I am also not sure how accurate MapMyWalk is on burns either... but again, I generally dont even look at the "extra" I get and see it more as a bonus to lose type deal - unless I am hungry....

    So about a pound every five days. Seems fine to me at that weight.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.

    Honestly, when you put in the exercise allowances and such I have no idea how much I am total under goal - but I know it is always more than 200.



  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.

    Her diary is open. She's usually under by a few hundred calories per day. However, she's lost 10 pounds in 50 days, which is not drastic at her weight.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.

    Her diary is open. She's usually under by a few hundred calories per day. However, she's lost 10 pounds in 50 days, which is not drastic at her weight.

    I think this is what gets me - I would have thought I would be showing more of a loss at this point.
    I am happy I went down - and I am going to continue, but I guess with how quickly it came of the first 3 weeks, I was hoping to at least have another couple of weeks with great losses because of the weight I am...

    I do use a scale
    I do measure liquids
    I will start to buckle down on weighing my fruit and veg more regularly

    I just thought that being SO strict with the weighing and all wouldn't kick in until I was a little closer to my goal... not still 25lbs away...
    Last time last year I was able to guesstimate on those things and I still lost... up to 10lbs away from my goal...

    This time it isn't working the same way :)
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    I am on a 1200 calorie plan. I was way under one day -- about 900 calories -- because I just wasn't hungry. The system "yelled" at me. It said in big bold orange letters that this was unhealthy & dangerous & it wasn't going to publish my results to my feed or give me my project weight after 5 weeks.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    tracymayo1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.

    Her diary is open. She's usually under by a few hundred calories per day. However, she's lost 10 pounds in 50 days, which is not drastic at her weight.

    I think this is what gets me - I would have thought I would be showing more of a loss at this point.
    I am happy I went down - and I am going to continue, but I guess with how quickly it came of the first 3 weeks, I was hoping to at least have another couple of weeks with great losses because of the weight I am...

    I do use a scale
    I do measure liquids
    I will start to buckle down on weighing my fruit and veg more regularly

    I just thought that being SO strict with the weighing and all wouldn't kick in until I was a little closer to my goal... not still 25lbs away...
    Last time last year I was able to guesstimate on those things and I still lost... up to 10lbs away from my goal...

    This time it isn't working the same way :)

    Your rate of loss is fine. If it slows down then tighten up by weighing all your food. You may also need to recalculate your calorie goal at some point using your new body weight.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    tracymayo1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    How much under? 5 calories, 50, or 500? You should be close to make sure you're getting enough energy & nutrition.

    Her diary is open. She's usually under by a few hundred calories per day. However, she's lost 10 pounds in 50 days, which is not drastic at her weight.

    I think this is what gets me - I would have thought I would be showing more of a loss at this point.
    I am happy I went down - and I am going to continue, but I guess with how quickly it came of the first 3 weeks, I was hoping to at least have another couple of weeks with great losses because of the weight I am...

    I do use a scale
    I do measure liquids
    I will start to buckle down on weighing my fruit and veg more regularly

    I just thought that being SO strict with the weighing and all wouldn't kick in until I was a little closer to my goal... not still 25lbs away...
    Last time last year I was able to guesstimate on those things and I still lost... up to 10lbs away from my goal...

    This time it isn't working the same way :)

    You're losing at a very nice rate. You honestly don't want to lose much faster, although I get the impatience, really. Losing weight too quickly involves losing muscle mass which you want to minimize as much as possible. Does it really matter how quickly you get to your goal? What will change when you do? You can't go back to eating the way you were before or the weight will come right back on....
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    yes you are all right...
    I think what I meant was I lost the weight so far in the first 2 weeks.. so I was hoping that it would continue that well for a little bit longer.
    I know it isn't linear... just 2 weeks with no movement after 2 weeks with 5lbs each sucks!

    But yes I want to do this right, and I know on average I am doing really well.

    I started the Zombies Run! app along with Mapmywalk and it is helping me to get up off the couch and walk.
    I look forward to it now - so that is a good thing!!

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