Calories objective!

sierra2912
sierra2912 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 22 in Getting Started
Hey guys! I just go started todao to log my food and my exercise routine. I am very happy with this app but I have one question.
I need to reach around 1300 calories to reach my goal. This is 6.16 pm and I still have 950 left. Do i have to eat these calories? Sorry for my question but I have not much experience. Thank you

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You don't have to do anything. You decide. But in order to take an informed decision, know this:
    1. To lose weight, you need to consistently eat less (fewer calories than you burn).
    2. To be able to consistently eat less than you burn, you can't consistently undereat.
    3. MFP gives you a calorie target to hit, in order for you to lose weight efficiently and healthily - at an appropriate rate for your weight, and without having to starve yourself.
    4. If you starve yourself, you get hungry, terribly hungry.
    5. If you're terribly hungry, and you have food, you eat - no matter if you want to lose weight.
    6. A few days of undereating is no big deal, and does not have any dramatic effect - neither positive (for weightloss) nor negative (starving).
    7. We can do many hard and unpleasant, even dangerous, things for a short while, as long as we feel it's worthwhile. But then we can't, and then we'll want to make up for it, and we undo what we did and then some.
    8. You have to log correctly to be sure you're taking in the calories you think you are. The database is full of incorrect or inaccurate entries, and measuring is an inaccurate method. If you need to lose weight, your tendency will be to underestimate intake and overestimate calories burnt through exercise. So, don't estimate. Weigh everything.
  • sierra2912
    sierra2912 Posts: 4 Member
    Hey thanks very much for your answers! it's helping a lot. Especially your last point about the database that is sometimes inaccurate. I will need to start weighting my food.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    let me guess, you've eaten some fruit, and tiny salad and a mouthful of plain chicken and broccoli, because that's the only 'healthy' food you can eat now you're on a 'diet'?

    are you planing on eating this way for the rest of your life? if not then you need to look at making sustainable changes and eating to your calorie goal.
  • sierra2912
    sierra2912 Posts: 4 Member
    No... I actually can tell quickly what I had today. egg+lentils and apple+almond for breakkie. Then one large salad with chicken and egg whites for lunch and a bit of smoked salmon for dinner... I actually did spend quite a lot of time at the gym today that is why I have a calorie deficit. I don't plan to eat tiny stuff for the rest of my life, hell no!!! I actually dropped 12 kilos in the last 3 months ( and I indulged quite a lot in the last months since my sister is visiting) but I started to use the app because I find it super handy to have a record + track my food. The goal for me is NOT to look skinny but to develop muscle mass and get a stronger and healthier body hence the accent on the proteins.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,098 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You don't have to do anything. You decide. But in order to take an informed decision, know this:
    1. To lose weight, you need to consistently eat less (fewer calories than you burn).
    2. To be able to consistently eat less than you burn, you can't consistently undereat.
    3. MFP gives you a calorie target to hit, in order for you to lose weight efficiently and healthily - at an appropriate rate for your weight, and without having to starve yourself.
    4. If you starve yourself, you get hungry, terribly hungry.
    5. If you're terribly hungry, and you have food, you eat - no matter if you want to lose weight.
    6. A few days of undereating is no big deal, and does not have any dramatic effect - neither positive (for weightloss) nor negative (starving).
    7. We can do many hard and unpleasant, even dangerous, things for a short while, as long as we feel it's worthwhile. But then we can't, and then we'll want to make up for it, and we undo what we did and then some.
    8. You have to log correctly to be sure you're taking in the calories you think you are. The database is full of incorrect or inaccurate entries, and measuring solids by volume is an inaccurate method. If you need to lose weight, your tendency will be to underestimate intake and overestimate calories burnt through exercise. So, don't estimate. Weigh everything.

    Fixed that for you (I don't want anyone to be confused, as weighing is is measuring -- it's measuring by weight.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    sierra2912 wrote: »
    No... I actually can tell quickly what I had today. egg+lentils and apple+almond for breakkie. Then one large salad with chicken and egg whites for lunch and a bit of smoked salmon for dinner... I actually did spend quite a lot of time at the gym today that is why I have a calorie deficit. I don't plan to eat tiny stuff for the rest of my life, hell no!!! I actually dropped 12 kilos in the last 3 months ( and I indulged quite a lot in the last months since my sister is visiting) but I started to use the app because I find it super handy to have a record + track my food. The goal for me is NOT to look skinny but to develop muscle mass and get a stronger and healthier body hence the accent on the proteins.

    It's also common for calorie burns to be overestimated. If it says you burned 500 calories weight lifting, that's a biggg overestimate. A lot of people advocate eating back 50-75% of exercise calories. I manually edit mine. It gives me like 400 calories for a tap dance class. I always drop it down to 100-200 calories based on how much I felt I worked.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You don't have to do anything. You decide. But in order to take an informed decision, know this:
    1. To lose weight, you need to consistently eat less (fewer calories than you burn).
    2. To be able to consistently eat less than you burn, you can't consistently undereat.
    3. MFP gives you a calorie target to hit, in order for you to lose weight efficiently and healthily - at an appropriate rate for your weight, and without having to starve yourself.
    4. If you starve yourself, you get hungry, terribly hungry.
    5. If you're terribly hungry, and you have food, you eat - no matter if you want to lose weight.
    6. A few days of undereating is no big deal, and does not have any dramatic effect - neither positive (for weightloss) nor negative (starving).
    7. We can do many hard and unpleasant, even dangerous, things for a short while, as long as we feel it's worthwhile. But then we can't, and then we'll want to make up for it, and we undo what we did and then some.
    8. You have to log correctly to be sure you're taking in the calories you think you are. The database is full of incorrect or inaccurate entries, and measuring solids by volume is an inaccurate method. If you need to lose weight, your tendency will be to underestimate intake and overestimate calories burnt through exercise. So, don't estimate. Weigh everything.

    Fixed that for you (I don't want anyone to be confused, as weighing is is measuring -- it's measuring by weight.
    Haha, thanks :D You are right of course!
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