Calories: How much "over" is okay?

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krebscabbage
krebscabbage Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone! My calories goal is 1760 per day, but of course no one ever hits their mark exactly.
So.. how much over/under is still considered a good day? If I log 1800, I know that's close enough. But, 1850? 1900?
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Replies

  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
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    might be better to just look at the net average for the week in the app and see how it works out in the long run... I've had a few "over" days combined with a few "under" days this week, for example, but my average net is still around 1250 so just about right
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    That's hard to answer not knowing your maintenance calories and weekly loss goal. 1760 is different for you and me based on our goals & plan. There is no moral absolute on this, it's just a matter of how fast you lose, as described upthread.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    I second the recommendation to try averaging by week. I found it felt very artificial to try and hit a precise number every day, so I often vary by a few hundred calories day to day. So long as they week is a deficit, it’s all good.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,637 Member
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    Anything below your actual tdee for the day is still a deficit for the day. People also look at their weekly deficit.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    I roll extra calories forward unless it is just a few (like 5 or 10). In other words, I log something for tomorrow even though I ate it today. Sometimes I end up doing that 2 or 3 days before I work it out, but it means I end up averaging almost exactly on goal without ever having to worry about anything but the current day. If I let it build up and it became obvious that I couldn't catch up, then I would log the overage and move on. That hasn't happened.
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
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    I try to stay close but I figure as long as I don’t eat over maintenance, I’m just slowing myself down, not gaining.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    I roll extra calories forward unless it is just a few (like 5 or 10). In other words, I log something for tomorrow even though I ate it today. Sometimes I end up doing that 2 or 3 days before I work it out, but it means I end up averaging almost exactly on goal without ever having to worry about anything but the current day. If I let it build up and it became obvious that I couldn't catch up, then I would log the overage and move on. That hasn't happened.

    I do the same by spreading an "over" day out to make averaging for the week easier. Eat too much pizza? Pawn a couple of pieces off on tomorrow to make the two days average out.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    edited March 2018
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    When people say not eating over maintenance does that include the addition of exercise calories? Sometimes when I add my exercise calories back in I am over maintenance. Way over.
    1360= .5 loss
    1500 to 1600ish= maintenance
    Adding in exercise calories can range from 1700 to over 2000 depending on the day.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
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    newheavensearth wrote: »
    When people say not eating over maintenance does that include the addition of exercise calories? Sometimes when I add my exercise calories back in I am over maintenance. Way over.

    I'm not sure I follow. Your exercise calories should ideally come out to be a neutral if you're following the MFP system precisely - your deficit is built in before any exercise calories are subtracted or eaten back. And if you've already eaten up to maintenance or over your goal for the day (assuming you're trying to lose weight) you wouldn't want or need to eat more for your exercise calories, right?

    I was one of the people above who mentioned averaging by week - in that case, I just subtract my total exercise calories for the week from my total consumed for the week, divide by 7, and that's my daily average.

    ETA: I just saw your edit, but I'm not sure it helped. "Adding exercise calories" to me just means eating more to compensate for calories you burned in exercise. If you've already eaten up to maintenance, you don't have to eat even more if your net is at or around where you want it.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,961 Member
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    The thing is, especially if you are just beginning to log food, there is no way to know exactly how much you need for XX amount of weight loss. The calculator(s) will get you in the ball park, but it is your accuracy in record-keeping that will result in that home run.

    So keep good records! Log everything every day for a couple months and you'll have a really good idea how much to eat to obtain the results. It's an experiment we each have to run for ourselves.

    For instance, the calculators are off by 500+ calories for me. I know this because I have logged food for ten years with digital food scale, and by preparing nearly all my own meals.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
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    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    newheavensearth wrote: »
    When people say not eating over maintenance does that include the addition of exercise calories? Sometimes when I add my exercise calories back in I am over maintenance. Way over.

    I'm not sure I follow. Your exercise calories should ideally come out to be a neutral if you're following the MFP system precisely - your deficit is built in before any exercise calories are subtracted or eaten back. And if you've already eaten up to maintenance or over your goal for the day (assuming you're trying to lose weight) you wouldn't want or need to eat more for your exercise calories, right?

    I was one of the people above who mentioned averaging by week - in that case, I just subtract my total exercise calories for the week from my total consumed for the week, divide by 7, and that's my daily average.

    ETA: I just saw your edit, but I'm not sure it helped. "Adding exercise calories" to me just means eating more to compensate for calories you burned in exercise. If you've already eaten up to maintenance, you don't have to eat even more if your net is at or around where you want it.

    I'm sorry. I am extremely confused by this.

    I don't want to derail this thread. Thanks.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Ok for what?
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    edited March 2018
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    newheavensearth wrote: »
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    newheavensearth wrote: »
    When people say not eating over maintenance does that include the addition of exercise calories? Sometimes when I add my exercise calories back in I am over maintenance. Way over.

    I'm not sure I follow. Your exercise calories should ideally come out to be a neutral if you're following the MFP system precisely - your deficit is built in before any exercise calories are subtracted or eaten back. And if you've already eaten up to maintenance or over your goal for the day (assuming you're trying to lose weight) you wouldn't want or need to eat more for your exercise calories, right?

    I was one of the people above who mentioned averaging by week - in that case, I just subtract my total exercise calories for the week from my total consumed for the week, divide by 7, and that's my daily average.

    ETA: I just saw your edit, but I'm not sure it helped. "Adding exercise calories" to me just means eating more to compensate for calories you burned in exercise. If you've already eaten up to maintenance, you don't have to eat even more if your net is at or around where you want it.

    I'm sorry. I am extremely confused by this.

    I don't want to derail this thread. Thanks.

    It may make it easier to think of it this way.

    If you're telling MFP that you want to eat at maintenance, that means that no deficit is built into the goal it gives you. Therefore: Telling MFP that you want maintenance = Follow the goal MFP gives.
    • MFP will "give" you exercise calories, because the MFP goal does not consider your exercise level or activities.With that condition, if you tell MFP that you want to eat at maintenance, follow the goal that MFP gives *and* eat the extra calories from exercise.

    If you're telling MFP that you want to lose weight, that means that an appropriate deficit is built into your goal. Generally, unless you are already slim, that'll mean sedentary maintenance minus 250 calories (for half a pound), 500 calories (for a pound), or 750 calories (for 1.5 pounds) or 1000 calories (two pounds). The caveat here: It will not let you go below 1200 calories if you are female, or 1500 calories if you are male.
    • To determine your sedentary maintenance, if your goals are above 1200 or 1500 already: Add the deficit calories back to that calorie goal.
    • If your goal is at 1200 or 1500, look and see what deficit you're asking it to give you. For the sake of this exercise, then change your goal to half a pound to see the true sedentary goal, and change it back (if you really want; I feel like if you're hitting that basement without your true goal being reflected, that you're being too aggressive)
    • Again, MFP will give you exercise calories on top of that goal, because MFP does not consider exercise when determining your deficit. To find true maintenance if you exercise, add the exercise calories + deficit calories + your MFP goal.

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