Confused

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This may be long. I have seen many people saying you can eat whatever as long as it is within your calories for the day. Ok, if I want a treat I will have it as long as it fits my macros BUT wouldn't this be bad because although were losing weight our body fat percentage could still be high? Also, if my calories are 1200 a day and I lose 10 pounds I know my calories will change but how much lower can they go? I do not think I could eat less than 1200 a day and feel full.

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  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    what is your current weight and goal weight? unless you are extremely small or sedentary that is typically a fairly aggressive calorie deficit

    you can eat what you want if it fits your calories, but you need to look at what satiates you - i plan fun stuff into my calories once a day but i eat 80% nutritious calories - sweet potatos, rice, barley, lean meats etc
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

    As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I'm not sure I understand. But...

    Dietary fat does not equal body fat. Excess calories equals body fat.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    I'm not sure I understand. But...

    Dietary fat does not equal body fat. Excess calories equals body fat.

    Also, lack of exercise can lead to "skinny fat," AKA a high bf% on a person with a normal or low BMI. Have the candy bar if you want it and it fits into your calorie goal, but remember that deficits alone won't get you the toned, healthy body you want at the end of your journey, just a smaller one.
  • Suly09
    Suly09 Posts: 88 Member
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    I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
    I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125
  • Suly09
    Suly09 Posts: 88 Member
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    If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

    As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

    It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Suly09 wrote: »
    I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
    I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125

    Do you even lift? ;)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Suly09 wrote: »
    If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

    As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

    It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.

    When MFP asked how many pounds you wanted to lose per week, which option did you select?
  • Suly09
    Suly09 Posts: 88 Member
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    Suly09 wrote: »
    I eat something not so great once a day too. For lunch I will usually have black beans and ground turkey or chicken. The dessert I have after is not that great... flavored coffee..chocolate..cookie.. but it fits my calories.
    I am 5ft and weigh 148.4...goal weight is 125

    Do you even lift? ;)

    What do you mean? Lol.

    I used to and I did lose weight faster then but I haven't gotten back to it in over a year.
  • Suly09
    Suly09 Posts: 88 Member
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    Suly09 wrote: »
    If your current goal is 1,200, that could be a sign that your goal is too aggressive.

    As far as your other question, having a treat won't -- in and of itself -- lead to someone having more body fat. So it wouldn't be "bad" to have a treat if it fits within your calorie goals for the day.

    It may be too aggressive because I am always hungry at the end of the day. I eat back my exercise calories most days and that helps but I do not always exercise so I do not always have those extra calories to munch on.

    When MFP asked how many pounds you wanted to lose per week, which option did you select?

    I selected 2 but at the end it said if I ate 1200 calories a day I would lose in average .05 pounds a week. I guess I was too short and overweight for the goal that I was trying to reach so it gave me a more realistic .05 per week. So far it has been working.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    it just means that 2lbs a week is too aggressive for what you have to lose - 2lbs a week is a 7000cal deficit over the week, which for females would potentially mean going below 1200cal which is not recommended because of nutritional deficencies