New here! Calorie deficit? Starving my body?

AmaRose29
AmaRose29 Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Hello everyone! I’m starting to figure out calorie deficit. So a little about myself or I should say health habits…I SOMETIMES have a small iced coffee in the morning going to work and then I usually don’t eat all day until supper. Lots of people have said that’s bad and the more stories/advice I read on here sounds like I’m starving myself🤷🏼‍♀️Even tho I’m not hungry till later in the day now. This all started when I changed my job last Feb which since then I have maintained my weight…I have no idea how many calories I eat because I never tracked that and I recently started HelloFresh meals which I love and have been filling me up but sometimes still hungry after tho depending what meal it is. So Im gonna try tracking my calories to see how much I eat which like I said if it’s when I’m working I don’t eat till supper so I can’t imagine a normal day would be that much since it’s really only 1 meal But I just looked and most of my HelloFresh meals are between 600-1000 calories…When I added my info into this app I chose lose 2lbs a week which gave me 1430 calories a day. So if I eat that many calories and it’s more than what I currently take in will I still lose weight or will I gain weight. So confused! Someone help with some information to understand!

Replies

  • PeterA2017
    PeterA2017 Posts: 1 Member
    That is not a good way to manage your diet. It will make you ill. Don't you feel a bit tired and listless during the day? Your body needs fuel to do its stuff, pump blood, neurological function, movement. You may be better off not losing weight but getting fitter, getting a bit of muscle. Those food boxes might be good for you but have a bowl of porridge with stuff for brekky. You could spend a lifetime reading about weight loss as we know. Prof Tim Spector has a lot to say who was on radio 4 the life scientific recently. BBC Sounds. It just gets more complex. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0010pv0
  • DoctorMOHSEN
    DoctorMOHSEN Posts: 53 Member
    At the end it is all about daily calories, if you can cover your goal calories weather in 6 meals or 2, it doesn't make a big difference.

    I used to make 5 small meals for my deficit since i get hungry easily, but for you you can adjust based on your daily routine or your favorable way. If you love what are you doing and being comfortable with it, consistency will be easy 😉

    Best of luck
  • Xikaiden
    Xikaiden Posts: 37 Member
    At the end of the day, Its calories in/calories out. Try to get more exercise in even if its just walking around the neighborhood for a few laps or so. The more calories you burn in a day/week will help with weight loss.

    Try to make some tweaks to meals, like no sugar ketchup, light or sugar free syrups/sauces. Cut back on Soda or switch to diet versions. Crystal light or similar flavorings for water would be fine too. And Skim or nut milks (almond/cashew) instead of regular whole milk (unless you're allergic of course)

    While I've never used the Hello Fresh service, I believe those already offer proper portion sizes...
  • BiscuitPuncher
    BiscuitPuncher Posts: 6 Member
    edited October 2021
    I have always had issues with eating. My mother used to say, "You eat like a bird." That has a lot to do with scar tissue in my esophagus from an accident long ago.

    Where my weight comes in is from sugar. I have developed bad habits of drinking a TON of calories throughout the day and then one meal at night and a small snack afterward which has more sugar.

    I would say 1k calories a day come from drinks on average and bad days where friends are over and drinks are involved plus a nice dinner out where we may get a nice shake or something, I can pack in close to 2k calories from drinks alone.

    People don't realize how much sugar is in drinks! I am slowly cutting back this last week. I also bought some diet to drink because carbonation feels good on my esophagus. Eventually, the goal is to cut out all sugar drinks over the next month.

    Edit: I meant to ask how many drinks do you have throughout the day and do you know how much sugar is in your coffee. Even a homemade iced coffee, depending on size, is close to 300 calories for a basic drink. Now make it fancier and the calories jump up. A local shop makes a nice iced coffee that is amazing, I believe the calories are around 500 for the small.

    Don't forget to add your drinks and track how much you are drinking.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    It's impossible to answer because you don't know how much you have been eating.

    Start tracking, aim for a certain goal, and stick with it for 4-8 weeks, then see what the results are. If your body feels good and you start losing at a steady, reasonable pace, then keep it up. If you don't lose at all or gain, then look closely at your tracking and calories, if you lose too fast, then add some calories.

    That's it, basic scientific method. But the only way to know what works is to track and be consistent.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    AmaRose29 wrote: »
    Hello everyone! I’m starting to figure out calorie deficit. So a little about myself or I should say health habits…I SOMETIMES have a small iced coffee in the morning going to work and then I usually don’t eat all day until supper. Lots of people have said that’s bad and the more stories/advice I read on here sounds like I’m starving myself🤷🏼‍♀️Even tho I’m not hungry till later in the day now. This all started when I changed my job last Feb which since then I have maintained my weight…I have no idea how many calories I eat because I never tracked that and I recently started HelloFresh meals which I love and have been filling me up but sometimes still hungry after tho depending what meal it is. So Im gonna try tracking my calories to see how much I eat which like I said if it’s when I’m working I don’t eat till supper so I can’t imagine a normal day would be that much since it’s really only 1 meal But I just looked and most of my HelloFresh meals are between 600-1000 calories…When I added my info into this app I chose lose 2lbs a week which gave me 1430 calories a day. So if I eat that many calories and it’s more than what I currently take in will I still lose weight or will I gain weight. So confused! Someone help with some information to understand!

    How much do you have to lose to a healthy weight?

    2 lbs weekly could be reasonable if a lot to lose - then again it could be foolishly extreme.

    Your eating method is almost Intermittent Fasting, eating in a small window so you have more calories to eat then, perhaps allowing you to have normal sized meals with others.
    No problem with that if you can handle it.

    But you should log that iced coffee if it has more than ice in it, and it probably does. Might have a lot of calories.

    That eating goal is a goal to reach, which will still be a deficit to what you burn - if your setup was accurate info.
    Since you selected weight loss goal, the eating goal is less than the burning goal.
    And that's on days your activity level matches the one you selected in MFP - meaning no exercise.
    Creating a bigger deficit isn't better.

    What is the job now?
    What is daily life after the job and on weekends, outside of exercise?
    Any exercise, type and duration and frequency?

    The amount you eat for deficit is based on the amount you burn - you didn't mention any info on that other half of the equation.
    Kinda impossible to answer your questions except in general sense of how the system needs to work.

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