Too many calories left at the end of the day, Help!

dricen
dricen Posts: 25 Member
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
I've been using MFP for a week now, and noticed many nights I'll end up with anywhere between 500-1000 calories to spare. I'm set to lose 2lb's a week with a 1600 calorie diet. But most days I'm so far below this number and just eat snacks to get it closer to 1600. Is this the right way to go about it, or should I not worry about being that much under? I exercise daily that drastically increases the amount of calories I'm supposed to eat. Please help me with this situation =)
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Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    2 big spoons of peanut butter...BAMM!!! 400 calories
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    nuts :)
  • kimibunny
    kimibunny Posts: 52
    If you aren't hungry I don't really see the point in eating them. Maybe MFP over estimated your TDEE and you happen to be below the average for your group.
  • gtwin
    gtwin Posts: 290 Member
    As long as you take in AT LEAST 1200 calories, I don't see why you should make yourself eat if you aren't hungry.

    I wish I had a 500-1000 calories left to eat at the end of the day! Lol.....
  • katcod1522
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
    yep..peanut butter..almonds...an oreo!
  • tdaddybarlow
    tdaddybarlow Posts: 673 Member
    2 big spoons of peanut butter...BAMM!!! 400 calories

    Dude!!!! I soooo needed this!
  • jovz10
    jovz10 Posts: 531 Member
    I wish I had a 500-1000 calories left to eat at the end of the day! Lol....

    me too! that's extra rice for me to have... :)
  • mleoni092708
    mleoni092708 Posts: 629 Member
    Is there some way I could buy them from you? lol

    From experience, if you don't have a heart rate monitor, you may be over calculating your workout calories. Otherwise, yep, peanut butter, almonds, etc are great.
  • dricen
    dricen Posts: 25 Member
    So what you guys are saying is that I should in fact eat to my daily cap everyday? And in that case, what if I work off 600 calories from working out, would I still need to eat 600 more calories to make up for the workout? Thanks for everyone's responses so far! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! =D
  • dricen
    dricen Posts: 25 Member
    From experience, if you don't have a heart rate monitor, you may be over calculating your workout calories. Otherwise, yep, peanut butter, almonds, etc are great.

    I generally underestimate calories. I only use the heart rate monitor from the elliptical when I'm on that to get a count of calories. However, days that I don't work out, I'm sometimes still way under my cap. So in that case, what do I do?
  • jovz10
    jovz10 Posts: 531 Member
    So what you guys are saying is that I should in fact eat to my daily cap everyday? And in that case, what if I work off 600 calories from working out, would I still need to eat 600 more calories to make up for the workout? Thanks for everyone's responses so far! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! =D

    you mentioned you just started... continue what you are doing then when you feel like something is wrong or hit plateau then change something... as far as right now, i think it is fine....
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
    As long as you take in 1200 cals per day (Thats the minimum a body needs to survive) ,don't worry about eating more cals. if you're not hungry don't eat just to use them up
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Eat more during the day. Bigger breakfasts, bigger lunches,etc.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    And no, it's not a good idea to blindly eat 1200 calories. You body often doesn't respond well to large calorie deficits, especially once you get down to lower body fats.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    From experience, if you don't have a heart rate monitor, you may be over calculating your workout calories. Otherwise, yep, peanut butter, almonds, etc are great.

    I generally underestimate calories. I only use the heart rate monitor from the elliptical when I'm on that to get a count of calories. However, days that I don't work out, I'm sometimes still way under my cap. So in that case, what do I do?

    The heart rate monitors on machines are rarely accurate. It's best to invest in a HRM with a chest strap for a more accurate calculation of your burns.

    If you know you will be working out and burning big, add more food in earlier in the day. Choose calorie dense foods like nuts, olives, avocados, full fat/non-diet versions of everything.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Plan ahead. Don't let them pile up at the end of the night if you don't like having the remainder a one big meal .
  • bhalter
    bhalter Posts: 582 Member
    Plan ahead. Don't let them pile up at the end of the night if you don't like having the remainder a one big meal .

    Ditto. I pre-plan almost every day. I plan out my family's meals at the beginning of the week, so I know what's for dinner every night. I usually plug that in and then plan out my meals/snacks accordingly for the rest of the day. I don't sweat it if I'm way under calories, as long as I have 1200 under my belt.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    If you aren't hungry, dont eat. If you aren't hungry and you ate your minimum amount of calories, then i definitely wouldnt eat your exercise calories back. Your body will let you know if you need the cals or not.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    If you aren't hungry, dont eat. If you aren't hungry and you ate your minimum amount of calories, then i definitely wouldnt eat your exercise calories back. Your body will let you know if you need the cals or not.

    If only that were true. We wouldn't need to be here logging calories, now would we?
  • kimibunny
    kimibunny Posts: 52
    So what you guys are saying is that I should in fact eat to my daily cap everyday? And in that case, what if I work off 600 calories from working out, would I still need to eat 600 more calories to make up for the workout? Thanks for everyone's responses so far! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! =D
    If you aren't sick/menstruating or you're not on some sort of medication that suppresses appetite and you're not hungry, then you probably aren't hungry. Most people feel it when they aren't eating enough to support their lifestyle. If you aren't feeling extremely hungry, tired or sluggish I wouldn't worry about it so much. A lot of the numbers on MFP are based on averages, so it is very much so possible that yours aren't 100% correct. If it's really a concern for you, you can see a professional and have your BMR and other things measured, and then manually edit your MFP numbers.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    See, i would say noooooooo to this, because i think it creates bad over eating habits.
    So what you guys are saying is that I should in fact eat to my daily cap everyday? And in that case, what if I work off 600 calories from working out, would I still need to eat 600 more calories to make up for the workout? Thanks for everyone's responses so far! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! =D
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Always eat your goal calories. And exercise calories. Lost 50 pounds in 5 months, and I've been in maintenance for the last 2 months. Starting in January I'm going to start back to lose the final 20 pounds by the summer. I'm proof that this system works, as long as you follow it the way it's meant to be.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    So what you guys are saying is that I should in fact eat to my daily cap everyday? And in that case, what if I work off 600 calories from working out, would I still need to eat 600 more calories to make up for the workout? Thanks for everyone's responses so far! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! =D

    See, i would say noooooooo to this, because i think it creates bad over eating habits.

    Honoring a calorie target with a deficit factored in creates bad over eating habits?

    And the misinformation continues to spread....
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I wish I had this problem.......
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    No we are here for other reasons to. Tracking fitness, nutrients, watching sugar intake for diabetics, cutting back calories, increasing calories, etc. This girl may also be counting her calories incorrectly. What if she isnt entering her weights or sizes of food correctly? What if she isnt including all sauces, oils, drinks etc in her diet? What if she is incorrect on her calorie burning? Then she will over eat and gain fast. She needs to figure out why she is so far over and not hungry...the answer is not "just eat more".
    If you aren't hungry, dont eat. If you aren't hungry and you ate your minimum amount of calories, then i definitely wouldnt eat your exercise calories back. Your body will let you know if you need the cals or not.

    If only that were true. We wouldn't need to be here logging calories, now would we?
  • rlv2680
    rlv2680 Posts: 289 Member
    Always eat your goal calories. And exercise calories. Lost 50 pounds in 5 months, and I've been in maintenance for the last 2 months. Starting in January I'm going to start back to lose the final 20 pounds by the summer. I'm proof that this system works, as long as you follow it the way it's meant to be.
    aweome!! i love these stories:)
  • dricen
    dricen Posts: 25 Member
    As long as you take in 1200 cals per day (Thats the minimum a body needs to survive) ,don't worry about eating more cals. if you're not hungry don't eat just to use them up

    I eat dinner with my fiance and try to limit my calories for dinner in case we have a meal that might exceed a normal dinner.
  • slayerdan
    slayerdan Posts: 193
    MFP numbers are guidelines, not the gospel. Adjust as you feel the need. If you arent hungry, tired or weak...then go with it, but do keep a minimum calorie intake.
  • dricen
    dricen Posts: 25 Member
    And I'm a guy for the few of you that thought I was female =P
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    its hard to say without looking at your food diary but I have to say if you are way under even when you don't exercise you either aren't logging your food right or aren't eating enough anyway. are you having a small handful of good quality carbs with each meal. Wholegrain rice 1 cup of is 300 calories easily. rather than loading up on fats with nuts , if it were me I'd have an evening meal of wholegrain rice with some egg or tuna mixed through, put a bit of flax seed oil on top if you still need to make it up. that would be more filling. a wholegrain sandwich wiht some lean meat and salad (no butter or dressing would be another healthy snack which would easily be 300 calories.
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