Do you consume all of your allotted calories?

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Replies

  • robinogue
    robinogue Posts: 1,117 Member
    If I'm not hungry... I don't eat them all. I listen to my body, MFP is a good guide... but I listen to my body.

    Me too, most days I don't eat all my allotted calories. If I'm not hungry I don't eat. Does it help or hinder me, I'm not sure but I am sure I'm at my UWG so I've been doing something right.
  • Thank you for your response! I have been working really hard, and gaining weight. I think it is because I am not eating enough. It makes much more sense now; when I work out, I need to eat the extra calories to keep my body burning calories effectively. :)
  • btw, your body acts more on a week to week basis, rather then a day to day way.

    for instance, yesterday i went over my calories by about 650. i'm ok with that because it was a rest day and i knew i was going to have a sick burn today (1312 calories... bring it!!). so if i spread those calories out over two days, i have an extra 662 calories for today.

    good point...
  • spiralated
    spiralated Posts: 150 Member
    funny-gifs-eat-all-the-things1.gif

    Most excellent reference.
  • I usually don't eat all my alloted calories. I try to stay at around 1250. I'm allowed like 2000. I personally think thats a bit much for me but i'm finding satifiying foods to fill me up and feed the body what it needs.
  • I am set on 1200 a day and I always go over and eat my exercise calories! 1200 cals isn't much.
  • Your body needs a certain amount of calories to function normally, aka keep your heart beating, your brain thinking clearly and all of that good stuff. When I tried to lose we isn't before, I didn't eat back my workout calories ever and I ended up in a 2-month plateau where I didn't lose a single pound.
    This time around, I'm eating the bulk of my calories and I have lost steadily and consistently since January. I am now almost 20 pounds down since my high in late-November. I know it seems like slow progress, but I didn't really try to refrain during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
    The best advice I have ever received about this was from someone who lost over 100 pounds counting calories. His advice was to eat within 100 calories of your goal, up or down. Some days you just are not very hungry, but you need to feed your body adequately and other days you are famished. It will all even out in the end.
  • HorrorChix89
    HorrorChix89 Posts: 1,229 Member
    I eat around 1200-1300 and exercise to burn nearly 500+ a day. And no I don't eat them back.

    Why you ask? Cause I only eat until I'm full. If I'm full with 600 calories then damit I ain't eating anymore
  • My alloted daily calories is set at 890. I usually eat about 550-600 of those alloted cals, but I also then burn some off by doing some exercise. :)

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  • I think that it is important to remember that when you setup your account you established a "goal" of losing 1 or 2 pounds a week. The calories that you are given is already taking that 1 or 2 pound goal into account. So if say for instance MFP recommends eating 1200 calories a day then you should over time by eating those 1200 lose your goal weight.

    I DO NOT recommend eating significantly less or more than what MFP recommends because if you eat more you won't lose the weight you had hoped to lose and if you eat less then you may put your body into starvation mode which will make losing weight MUCH harder and at worst you may damage your health by not getting sufficient nutrition.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    My alloted daily calories is set at 890. I usually eat about 550-600 of those alloted cals, but I also then burn some off by doing some exercise. :)

    Your allotted calories can't be 890...the site gives a minimum of 1200. where did you get that figure from?
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
    not to be a post thief but I was wondering.... so many people are split about weather to eat their exercise calories back or not. For those people who do eat them back how many extra calories are you burning a day with exercise? 500 - 1000? For those of you who don't eat them back or only eat some back, are you burning about this many calories or you burning less? Just a thought.......

    I have been eating close to my calorie goal, although I try to stay a little bit under to account for inaccuracies in the calorie counts in my food diary. I exercise 3 - 4 times a week, and generally burn 600 - 1,000 calories each time. So far I have been eating back about 25 - 40% of those exercise calories, and it has worked for me. Lately though it seems like my weekly weight loss is slowing down, so I am going to start eating more of those exercise calories to see if it kicks up my metabolism again.

    It seems no matter how much I read up on this it is still an individual thing - what works for one does not work for all. :grumble:
  • I've been doing this for a year now and I'm only 2lbs away from my goal. What I've learned is that women need to, at minimum, consume their allotted (before exercise) calories. You actually have to eat in order to boost your metabolism and loose weight, You should NEVER consume less than 1200 calories per day, or your body will go into starvation mode and begin storing the calories you do consume as fat. This is not a crash diet. It's a tool used to help hold you accountable and promote a healthy lifestyle. If you exercise a lot, I say reward yourself with a treat or a meal that is higher in calories than you're used to. That way you will never feel deprived. Good luck everyone.
  • I beg the differ.. you most certainly can adjust all of your settings on here..

    From Calories - Carbs-Fat- Cholestrol ect...

    For those who don't know that you CAN adjust your Goals like, allowed cals, fat, carbs, cholesterol, sugar ... Go to MY HOME> GOALS> CHANGE GOALS. When you pull this page up it will allow you to put in your desired numbers for each catagory.

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  • :smile:
    Large deficits are unhealthy, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
    In many cases you'll lose lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS your metabolic rate, making weight loss harder.
    These crash diets work well for a season -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so
    few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories
    more slowly -- and you gain weight.:noway:
    Be smart.
    Exercise well both cardio and resistance, and eat back the calories.
    The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.
    [/quote]


    I agree with this but I also know how it is to have that little voice inside your head sayin less is better. I'm working on shutting that little voice up and have been eating back the majority of my exercise calorie which is usually close to an extra 800 calories. I'm not saying to stuff yourself till you feel sick but there are plenty of snacks that give you healthy calories. I personally like hummas and pretzel crisp and jello with a little cool whip. One gives me a salty snack and the other lets me have some sweets. In the end you have to do what is comfortable for you and find a balance that works for you. GOOD LUCK and welsome MFP
  • Depends on the day. Sometimes I'm super close to going over, and then I have days like yesterday where I am under by about 300+.
  • Hi, my name is Rhonda and I am also having problems getting in all my calories. Not sure yet how to work in the calories without going over my fats. Any suggestions would be appreciated. :smile:
  • I usually come close to my allotted 1200 calories....Sometimes I will eat back some of my exercise calories, but never all of them.
  • I use exercise to buy me more leeway in the amount or type of food I consume during the day. As an example, I'm heading to a Superbowl party on Sunday afternoon so I'll try to burn as much calories as I can at the gym Sunday morning. I'll still try to remain under my calorie limit but will hopefully enjoy a couple of beers and some snacks.

    But realize I'm totally new to this and will hopefully continue to see results. BTW I admire those of you maintaining a 1200 or less calorie limit.
  • It is important that you are nourishing your body every two to three hours (all hours that you are awake) with balanced, delicious meals and snacks.The idea is that by having small, frequent meals, your body never has the chance to go into starvation mode and your body's metabolism kick into overdrive. You must balance all meal with protien, carbs, fats, & lots of water. Maintain small portion size and balance this out with regular exercise. If you do this then calorie counting is not as big an issue. Your healthy food choices will limit your calorie intake and your exercise will burn excess calories.

    In the end, most days MFP will show that you still have not reached your daily calorie goal and that is ok because you know that you have eaten all of your required nutritients. Your body is actually burning some of the excess energy (fat) that it has stored. This is what you are trying to achieve.
  • i eat my 1200 calories aday but i dont eat the extra from exercise i feel if i do then the exercise isnt worth it
  • kak2m4
    kak2m4 Posts: 167 Member
    I try to, some days it's more difficult to do so, other days (like yesterday) I can go over easily. 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter and whole, natural almonds are my go-to snacks when I need to bump up my calorie intake for the day.
  • I find this hard too! I have a large number of calories per day to eat to start out with and then exercise adds more so it says I should be eating 2000-2500 at times, can never seem to do anything close to it but I'm always eating and like good food too all day. I find adding a protein shake once throughout the day ie before or after a workout actually helps boost the calorie count though
  • lohitverma
    lohitverma Posts: 161 Member
    Yes...I am always mystified by people who find it hard to eat 1200, 1500, even 2000 calories. I eat all my exercise calories back and I still want more. 1200 is nothing!
    Echo that! :)
  • I am right there with you...
    I am struggling to get my calories... and NEVER get the exercise calories back. I started tracking calories because I thought I was getting too many, but after tracking what I am eating I was getting less than 900 a day. I am over weight, but obviously not because I get too many calories. Right now I am eating a small meal every 2 hours. I am STUFFED most of the time and I am still struggling to get 1250 calories in a day. Because while trying to lose weight I am trying to heal my body from a recent sickness I am trying to do high protein low carb, mostly non processed and ALOT of rabbit food :) I have been at it 4 weeks and have lost 6 pounds total. I feel like it is moving SLLLOOOOW! I have tried to up my calories, but how do I do this without eating junk? (rabbit food has very few calories)
  • I've lost 194lbs in 2 years...I've done this by eating in a calorie range not by limiting my calories to a specific number. I don't use the excersice calorie plan on MFP per se. Since I started this well before I joined MFP, I've simply stuck with what worked. I adjusted my macros to be a 40/30/30 balance and I eat between 1200-1600 calories every day. I burn bewteen 1000-1500 calories a day. I know I would not have lost the weight if I had a higher calorie count that eating all my exercise calories would allow but I also know that 1200 is not enough for the amount of calories I'm burning. I try and choose whole/real foods and prepare them myself and limit the over processed/high sodium/filler loaded low cal stuff out there. Fresh veggies, fruits lean meats, low sodium frozen and canned items (like tomatoes and beans for chili's), nuts, dried fruits, etc are what I eat for the most part. I throw in a proten bar or oatmeal at times as well.

    I really recommend finding a range and adapting your foods to how you will eat forever with simply portion control. Don't over think food (or under think like we all did to gain). Find a way to adapt to livable, real life habit so once you hit maintance you simply adjust your portions up slightly of the same foods you have been eating to lose.
  • Churble
    Churble Posts: 85 Member
    I eat all of my regularly allotted calories and I try to eat back at least half of those earned from exercise.
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
    I don't eat them all during the week, but I tend to make up for it by drinking a fair few of them at the weekend.

    Hah this definitely is the same for me.

    I normally have no problems eating 1200 calories. You shouldn't eat less than that because your body will go into starvation mode and you will stop losing weight. Focus on eating healthy calories like almond butter, quinoa, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, other beans, etc. I try to stay under my calorie goal because when I drink (I'm a senior in college), it's a lot of calories, so it's better for me to stay under to actually lose weight.

    When I workout I typically burn 300-450 calories.

    Losing weight is a slow process. It's dangerous to lose more than 2 lbs per week, unless maybe you've just started dieting and you have a lot of water weight that's lost from big changes in diet/exercise. One pound is 3500 calories, so to lose a pound, you have to have a deficit of 3500 calories at the end of the week.

    Your goal calories - your exercise calories - your resting calorie burn = -500 per day,
    totaling -3500 in a week. This will lose you one pound.

    the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest!! I highly recommend getting up to the full amount of calories every day, myfitnesspal knows what they are talking about.

    Feel free to check out my food diary to see how I manage to use all my calories every day. Some days aren't so good, like yesterday when I had a slice of pizza hah! Still was under my cals but not in a healthy way! But most days I try to stay healthy all day and stay around my calorie goal.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
    The concept of not eating all the calories I'm allowed doesn't even occur to me. The only reason I leave <5 on the table is because I haven't found anything that's 1 calorie.

    However, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm a pig.

    This. I love me some calories.
    Although I like it when I accidentally hit 0 or +1/-1 at the end of the day. If I have to go 50 over to get protein in, I'll do it. If I have to stay under 50 to keep sugar/carbs down, I'll do that, but it's not nearly as fun. :-P
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    What? Did we suddenly forget how to eat?:laugh:
    Just eat.
    If you are like me, you did not get fat not knowing how to eat.
    So, yes, eat your calories.
    MFP calculates our total daily calorie intake WITHOUT exercise to lose 1 pound or so per week.
    And after we log exercises, our daily calorie limit increases.
    Why?
    Because MFP telling us to eat our exercise calories in addition to our daily calorie goals.
    Eating a McD cheeseburger is better than not eating to goal, because you will stifle progress not eating enough.
    Large deficits are unhealthy, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
    In many cases you'll lose lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS your metabolic rate, making weight loss harder.
    These crash diets work well for a season -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so
    few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories
    more slowly -- and you gain weight.:noway:
    Be smart.
    Exercise well both cardio and resistance, and eat back the calories.
    The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.

    good post :smile: :smile:

    If you do a lot of exercise you have to make sure you eat enough back so that you are not below 1200 net / more than 1000 day deficit as going too low is not a healthy way to lose.

    i eat to mine most days, if i am over a little / under a little i dont worry too much as it usually balances out over the week.