Calorie goal issue - beginner

If you set MFP up to lose weight and with 1600 it looks like you have then the calorie goal is the level at which you should lose weight (0.5-2 pounds a week). You don't have to eat them but can and should still lose. Try completing your diary every day - if you're too far under MFP will tell you

masoompna wrote: »

Hey all !
I just started my weight loss journey it's my 9th day . I am having a bit of an issue with calorie goals . Fitness pal app gives me 1600 calories as my weight is 250 lbs , when I log my diary at the end of the day almost everyday I have some 300 calories left. I try not to eat after 7 pm so is it ok to leave those calories out or should I eat something like nuts or a glass of milk etc to get that goal .

Congrats on starting your journey. Yep. It is okay to leave some cals. The goal is to stay under. Not way under, as the person above said. But, if you are not hungry, no reason to eat. My understanding is that the calorie goal given by MFP has you eating at a deficit. So if you eat exactly 1600 per day, you will still be able to lose weight. However, it is sometimes difficult to be accurate when logging food. Especially, if we don't weigh and measure everything. So it is a good idea to leave yourself a little cushion of 200 calories or so in case you make a mistake in logging.

Best of luck going forward:-)

rileysowner wrote: »

Ideally you want get to your goal. As others have stated, part of this is learning how to do so. Another part is doing so accurately. Usually when people start out, their logging is not very accurate because of not measuring correctly or using inaccurate database entries.

Just a note, if you are stopping eating at 7 because you think eating after 7 will slow your fat loss, that is a myth. The only way eating after a certain time affects fat loss is if it results in eating over ones calories, which for some people by eating late triggering their previous habit to mindlessly eat at night. However, if you measure and log what you eat so you don't go over your calorie goal, then it doesn't matter when or how frequently you eat through the day or night. Your body keeps burning calorie even when you are asleep. For others, there are issues with night time reflux which can be made worse by eating too late. If that is the issue, continue to stop at 7.

^^^ this

it's really important to be as accurate as possible when counting calories, most people will underestimate their intake and that can lead to having a deficit in reporting, but maybe not in reality, slowing progress. Some people overestimate their intake and actually end up eating too little, which sounds not so bad in theory, but has negative affects as well. especially if it leads to feeling deprived.

you'll know if you have any of these tendencies just from sticking with what you're doing for 3-4 weeks and noting your progress. if you're not losing, you're likely underestimating. if you're losing too quickly, you're likely over estimating. if you're lucky, you've hit the sweet spot naturally.

i would advise investing ($10-$15) in a food scale and logging what you're eating measured in grams. even if you don't do it forever it gives you a better jumping off point in portion control. for funsies, ask an mfp about the first time they weighed peanut butter or pasta and watch them cry.

masoompna wrote: »

Thank you everyone, so amazed to find such insightful replies, I am struggling with the logging calories, sometimes my cholesterol is over sometimes sugar. I do measure and weigh my food items so that's good. My 1600 calories are with the deficit. I will try my best to eat them all up .

To start just focus on calories. Dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on blood cholesterol, and unless you have a medical reason to monitor sugar, you can ignore it as well. Simply cutting back from the calories you used to eat reduces both of those from what you were eating before starting here. Other that calories, the two other things you might want to pay attention to are protein and fiber, but to start getting your calorie goal is the vital thing as that is where fat loss comes from. Protein and fiber, and for that matter fat, often help people feel fuller so they can more easily continue to comply with their calorie goal.