Nutrition goals

Should I be trying daily to reach the nutrition goals even if I'm full for the day but trying to loose weight

Replies

  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    What are you stats, and what is your daily calorie goal? Generally, as long as your calorie goal is set correctly - yes, you should be trying to hit it most days. The odd day of not hitting it isn't a big deal, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. Starving yourself won't get you there quicker, as you are more likely to end up bingeing, and undoing all your good work!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    Ideally, you should be getting close to your calorie goal most days, though it needn't be exact. Eating less on a rare day when you're not hungry is not a big deal, but persistently eating too little tends to backfire eventually. (It's also fine to eat a bit more on a rare day when you're especially hungry: Averaging out right around goal over a few days is fine. MFP may reset at midnight, but our bodies don't.)

    If you're talking about the goals for carbs, fat, protein, etc.: Those don't have a direct effect on weight loss. They're about nutrition for health, body composition (fat vs. muscle), energy level, etc. They're not unimportant, but the main reasons aren't about fat loss.

    It's calories that directly affect fat loss. Nutrition can have an indirect effect: If we get sub-ideal nutrition, we may have more cravings, so find it difficult to stick within calorie goal; or, we may have poor energy level so burn fewer calories in daily life (resting more, doing less). Those things can affect weight loss, but it's still a direct effect from calories, either eating more or burning fewer.
  • Dougf09
    Dougf09 Posts: 10 Member
    Courtscan2 wrote: »
    What are you stats, and what is your daily calorie goal? Generally, as long as your calorie goal is set correctly - yes, you should be trying to hit it most days. The odd day of not hitting it isn't a big deal, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. Starving yourself won't get you there quicker, as you are more likely to end up bingeing, and undoing all your good work!

    I agree, and you can also fall victim to muscle atrophy with an extreme deficit regularly.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 920 Member
    If you set up MFP to lose weight, the calorie goal that it gives you is already at a deficit --- that is the amount of calories you should eat - AT LEAST. It is a goal, not a limit.

    As far as meeting your macros for that --- if you are at the beginning of your weight loss journey I think it's too complicated to worry so much about your macros. Worry about how many calories you are eating --- I would say to make sure you are getting sufficient protein, but you don't have to hit your macro goal every single day.