Serious question about calorie goals...

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24

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  • SimplyShanRunning
    SimplyShanRunning Posts: 885 Member
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    Rather than post YAY or GOOD JOB, I post math problems. Then they don't really know if it's support or admonishment. And hey, math!
    I like math...

    I don't

    Me neither

    I detest it!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    I almost never comment on my friends' diaries unless they ask specifically for me to look at them and give feedback.

    I would rather provide feedback and support on the lifestyle choices they are making regarding food and fitness than on a specific day's food intake.
  • suzan40
    suzan40 Posts: 16
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    hi i seem to be well under my cal goal and this is partly due to exercise {which i wont stop!} but its sometimes hard to find the weight or food is the diary section that and i generally dont eat alot unless eating out, not sure what the answer is really?
    but a well done is great to hear!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    i don't give yays for people undereating. I inquire about why they didn't eat more and encourage them to go about this journey in a healthy manner. good point!!
  • suzan40
    suzan40 Posts: 16
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    yuo look amazing in that photo!
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    I don't usually comment on those. I gives YAYs and Good Jobs for workout updates and weigh ins.
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
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    My thought is they're adults and they know how to make their own choices, so don't worry about it. I'm not their stomach, but I just assume they didn't eat more because they aren't hungry unless they specifically say that they're having a problem with an ED. I rarely comment on food diaries anyways because I just feel that what they eat is not for me to critique....unless I'm telling them how tasty it looks.
  • KendaVSG
    KendaVSG Posts: 147
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    I think it is important to remember that we all have our own ways of managing our health. There isn't any right way or wrong way and just because someone does it differently than you, doesn't mean you should judge them for it. I think it is more important to be supportive of each other than to criticize their choices.

    Well stated!
  • KimR87
    KimR87 Posts: 295 Member
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    im always under my calorie goals and its actually hard for me to eat up to them. For anyone who looks at my diary I am eating and if I were hungry id eat more. I've been having the problem today where i'm planning my meals and not even getting 1200 calories I actually went and had some chocolate and im eating something bad for lunch just to try and make it up to my calorie goal.
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
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    My thought is they're adults and they know how to make their own choices, so don't worry about it. I'm not their stomach, but I just assume they didn't eat more because they aren't hungry unless they specifically say that they're having a problem with an ED. I rarely comment on food diaries anyways because I just feel that what they eat is not for me to critique....unless I'm telling them how tasty it looks.

    This ^^ Best answer in the whole thread, if they are already very small/lean/petite or low bf% then it irks me to see it consistently happening, but if they are a healthy weight trying to lean out, or are quite far from goals still, there isn't anything to be said, they aren't in danger of harming themselves because their body quite simply has reserves of energy still... now if they are a healthy weight and constantly under eating as well as having 0% nutritional food in their diary, I'd probably PM them to see if they are okay.
  • healthy_KT
    healthy_KT Posts: 57 Member
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    As I'm sure other people have said, some calorie goals are really high. I always try to eat above 1200 but my calorie goal is 1500 and once I exercise sometimes it can go as high as 2,000. It's hard to reach that unless I eat something unhealthy or eat when I'm not really hungry. I think as long as the person is listening to their bodies and you can see that the person is eating enough then they're doing the right thing for them.

    You also have to remember that for some people it's hard to log and face what they've eaten so the fact that they even finished their food log for the day and had the courage to show it to their friends is enough to deserve a congratulations.
  • Zsquared
    Zsquared Posts: 54
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    Rather than post YAY or GOOD JOB, I post math problems. Then they don't really know if it's support or admonishment. And hey, math!

    I literally laughed out loud. Very Jack Handy of you!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    im always under my calorie goals and its actually hard for me to eat up to them. For anyone who looks at my diary I am eating and if I were hungry id eat more. I've been having the problem today where i'm planning my meals and not even getting 1200 calories I actually went and had some chocolate and im eating something bad for lunch just to try and make it up to my calorie goal.

    You should never have to do this. 2 eggs cooked in 1/2 tbsp olive oil isn't super filling but it's 200 calories...add an ounce of cheese and you're at 300 calories.

    1 cup of milk is 80 for skim and 150 for whole milk..blend with a banana and 2 tbsp peanut butter and you're at 380-450 calories.

    2 oz nuts is 160 calories.

    You don't HAVE to eat unhealthily to reach ANY reasonable calorie target.
  • jskaggs1971
    jskaggs1971 Posts: 371 Member
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    I'm another one of those people who doesn't always eat up to my calorie goals. As a big dude, my current "goal" is 1840 net calories a day. On a day when I go for a good bike ride and burn 1000+ calories, there's no way I'm going to eat 2800+ calories a day. I'm just not hungry enough.

    One of my goals for my whole "getting back into shape" thing is to retrain my brain to listen to my stomach, eat when I'm hungry, and not eat when I'm not. So, if I'm under my calorie limit for the day and not hungry, I don't bother. On the other hand, if I'm under my limit and hungry, I eat.

    For me, that's one of the big parts of the whole weight management puzzle -- learning to tell the difference between hunger that means "body needs fuel" and hunger that means "brain is bored." I can't do that if I'm making myself eat when I'm not hungry.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I think it is important to remember that we all have our own ways of managing our health. There isn't any right way or wrong way and just because someone does it differently than you, doesn't mean you should judge them for it. I think it is more important to be supportive of each other than to criticize their choices.

    yes and no. i don't think people realize the impact that eating disorders can have mentally AND physically. If they're too enwrapped in losing weight using any means possible then someone should say something. They may not know, they might be in denial, or they might be screaming out for help (if their diary is public). I choose to point it out and let them decide after telling them about the potential dangers of not eating enough.
  • AwesomelyAmber
    AwesomelyAmber Posts: 1,617 Member
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    yuo look amazing in that photo!

    If you mean ME... Holy thanks! I was so excited to wear that dress!!!!
  • noeys
    noeys Posts: 56
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    I know Im in the minority here, but I personally do not eat to my net of 1200 anymore, because I did that for 3 weeks and didnt lose a single pound. So saying that someone isnt doing a good job, or whatever cause their net is lower than what you think it should be isnt really accurate. It works for some people to eat their net up, and it doesnt work for others. That doesnt mean they arent doing well.

    I personally dont comment on diary's, and only occasionally comment on workouts because honestly I dont have enough time to go through and post 100 times a day. I post if people talk about things I have input on, but other than that, I stay quiet.
  • AwesomelyAmber
    AwesomelyAmber Posts: 1,617 Member
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    :heart: :heart: I absolutely love the feedback that I have gotten on this post! It just further proves to me that we (even tho we are all strangers to each other) really do care about how each person is doing on their journey! And shows how much support there really is! Thank you everyone! I valued all of your answers even tho they weren't all the same! :heart: :heart:
    I am totally in the RIGHT place!
  • nonstopfeisty
    nonstopfeisty Posts: 187 Member
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    We all comment with YAYs and GOOD FOR YOUs when our friends' status shows that they were under their calorie goal... is that really a good thing? Personally, I write "YAY and GOOD JOB" because each person's goals and such are different and if you are under then you aren't over eating and generally that is a good thing. BUT for instance MY calorie goal is 1200 before exercise cals... if I eat under my calorie goal it doesn't mean that I am doing 'well'... it means that I am not eating ENOUGH. So....thoughts on this??? Just a case of the mid-day curiousities :tongue:

    I don't always get a chance to comment but, I do try to look at their diaries for two reasons. If I look at a friends diary and see that they are starving themselves, I'll want to say something to them to encourage better eating. If I see that they are eating a lot of crap, again I'll want to point that out to them so that they will make better choices. I'll even offer a few suggestions. I think it's important to be involved in your friends diaries because that is where we are held accountable for our choices and could mean the difference between success and failure. It's easy to say good job or way to go when we don't know what the other person is really doing. But, it makes the praise hollow and insincere. We make our diaries public so that we have that accountability. We want to know if there is something we are doing wrong or something we could do better. It's then that we really feel like we are part of a group and that someone cares whether or not we succeed.
  • nonstopfeisty
    nonstopfeisty Posts: 187 Member
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    I'm another one of those people who doesn't always eat up to my calorie goals. As a big dude, my current "goal" is 1840 net calories a day. On a day when I go for a good bike ride and burn 1000+ calories, there's no way I'm going to eat 2800+ calories a day. I'm just not hungry enough.

    One of my goals for my whole "getting back into shape" thing is to retrain my brain to listen to my stomach, eat when I'm hungry, and not eat when I'm not. So, if I'm under my calorie limit for the day and not hungry, I don't bother. On the other hand, if I'm under my limit and hungry, I eat.

    For me, that's one of the big parts of the whole weight management puzzle -- learning to tell the difference between hunger that means "body needs fuel" and hunger that means "brain is bored." I can't do that if I'm making myself eat when I'm not hungry.

    The way I understand it is you base your caloric intake with the calorie goal before exercise. So, if your daily calorie goal is 1840 then that is the number of calories you should eat on a daily basis. You are not supposed to eat the calories you burn unless you are aiming to maintain your weight.

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