Eating under calorie Goal

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kreat
kreat Posts: 136
in Food and Nutrition
Is it recommended to eat your Calorie Goals, or always staying under it? My problem is I'm not hungry all the time, so by the end of the day, I'm still 700-800 calorie low. Will I burn off more pounds that way, or will I burn more pounds the closer to my Calorie Goal?
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  • Spooney45
    Spooney45 Posts: 76
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    I have the same problem, especially eating healthy you need too much to reach the cal limit
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
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    your calorie goal already includes a deficit to lose weight at your chosen rate of loss (if not set to maintenance) eating below that regularly widens your deficit further than you may want it for healthy sustainable rate of loss.... what is your "rate of loss" set under my home > settings > update diet and fitness profile

    If you're having trouble reaching the 1500 minimum calories (as a man it's 1500, as a lady 1200) opt for health nutrient dense foods... nuts... nut butters.... avocado.... full fat milk... full fat mayonnaise / miracle whip.... skip the low-fat stuff (you can reach their 33% less fat by using 33% less of the full fat stuff and get ALL the taste)
  • sweetly_spicy
    sweetly_spicy Posts: 15 Member
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    Depends on what your weekly goal is, and how many calories total you are eating.

    If you are eating over 1500 and still 700-800 short, you'll be fine.

    If you are eating less than 1300 calories a day right now, then you will lose more if you eat the extra healthy calories.


    Remember, you can do it~!
  • mlawilm
    mlawilm Posts: 39 Member
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    If you don't enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose anything. If you arent hungry try eating things a little higher in calories but not fat (unless it's good fat). Try nuts .
  • catbox_eddie
    catbox_eddie Posts: 13
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    Yeah, eat some nuts. I love nuts, eat them all day long. Huge fan of the nuts.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Is it recommended to eat your Calorie Goals, or always staying under it? My problem is I'm not hungry all the time, so by the end of the day, I'm still 700-800 calorie low. Will I burn off more pounds that way, or will I burn more pounds the closer to my Calorie Goal?

    In theory you will lose quicker by not eating all the calories, the issue is that a large % of the loss will likely be from lean muscle if you deficit is too large. So by not eating them all you will hit your goal weight faster, but you will be a higher BF% then if you took it slower, and the slower you lose the more likely you are to keep it off. So you have to ask yourself do you want to lose weight or lose fat.
  • MinoKisses
    MinoKisses Posts: 4
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    Most likely in the long run you will steadily lose your weight by eating closer to your calorie goal. By eating under it, sooner or later you'll hit a plateau and either will have to reduce your intake more, or up it to a more natural intake for your bodies system to lose weight in a healthier way. Slow and steady wins the race because it wont shock your system into freaking out. But every body is different and if eating less than your goal is easier for you you'll still lose weight, but in the end it might not be as much as if you were to eat closer to you goal calories. Hope that helps. :)
  • kreat
    kreat Posts: 136
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    Right now, My Daily Cal Goal is 1739. But my weeky goal for losing pounds it 2 lbs/week. I'd like to still lose 2 lb / week, and don't want to platuae.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Depends on what your weekly goal is, and how many calories total you are eating.

    If you are eating over 1500 and still 700-800 short, you'll be fine.

    If you are eating less than 1300 calories a day right now, then you will lose more if you eat the extra healthy calories.


    Remember, you can do it~!

    A man should not eat less than 1500 Net (1500 plus eat back what you burn) So if the OP ate 2300 cals and still had 700 left, he should be okay, as he would net 1600 (2300-700) but it would be better to be within 100 cals of your goal.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Right now, My Daily Cal Goal is 1739. But my weeky goal for losing pounds it 2 lbs/week. I'd like to still lose 2 lb / week, and don't want to platuae.

    Here is a guide for setting proper weekly weight loss goals (2lbs/week is probably too aggressive for the amount you have to lose, and it would be likely that a good portion of the 2lbs would be from muscle if you continue):
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • kristiru
    kristiru Posts: 13 Member
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    If you're not hungry for food, add a protein shake to your diet for a week or so. That should get your closer to your calorie goal. Monitor your weight to see if that helps you lose. Keep the shake low fat and low sugar.. high protein. I like hemp protein with 30 cal Silk Almond milk and throw in a banana and ice for sweetness and consistency. Or just get some store bought shakes, there are tons to choose from.
  • OneLuckyRabbit
    OneLuckyRabbit Posts: 67 Member
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    Yeah, eat some nuts. I love nuts, eat them all day long. Huge fan of the nuts.

    That's what she said. :laugh: (Sorry. It had to be done.)
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Is it recommended to eat your Calorie Goals, or always staying under it? My problem is I'm not hungry all the time, so by the end of the day, I'm still 700-800 calorie low. Will I burn off more pounds that way, or will I burn more pounds the closer to my Calorie Goal?
    You will stifle your metabolism eventually, burning more lean body mass which will further erode metabolism.
    eat to goal assuming all your input is correct.
  • xo_morgan
    xo_morgan Posts: 298
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    Yeah, eat some nuts. I love nuts, eat them all day long. Huge fan of the nuts.

    lmao idk if im the only one w a dirty mind here that took this wrong ?:drinker:
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
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    See I don't 'get' this.

    Before I say it I just want to the OP, I am not being smart, not being *****y...just curious.

    We're all on here because we want to lose weight right? (unless maintaining)
    And that means at one stage or another we all ate TOO MANY calories?
    So how come when MFP gives you a calorie goal some people find it hard to eat all the calories?

    Surely if you're not able to eat 1500 cals a day then you're not overweight in the first place?
  • 4hotmama
    4hotmama Posts: 112 Member
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    Is it recommended to eat your Calorie Goals, or always staying under it? My problem is I'm not hungry all the time, so by the end of the day, I'm still 700-800 calorie low. Will I burn off more pounds that way, or will I burn more pounds the closer to my Calorie Goal?
    You will stifle your metabolism eventually, burning more lean body mass which will further erode metabolism.
    eat to goal assuming all your input is correct.

    Yes- eat as close to your exercise calories as possible. I plateaued to many times not doing this and did grasp this concept until later.
  • bjfmade
    bjfmade Posts: 543 Member
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    Yeah, eat some nuts. I love nuts, eat them all day long. Huge fan of the nuts.

    That's what she said. :laugh: (Sorry. It had to be done.)

    Glad someone did it!
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Strangely I rarely have any trouble reaching my calorie goal. I won't claim to eat perfectly, but I eat in moderation! I have generally stayed within 100 calories of my goal whether over or under for a year and have lost most of the weight I am trying to lose. I would personally recommend staying as close to it as possible. Fill in the calories with something healthy but higher calorie like nuts or a chunk of full fat cheese!
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
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    See I don't 'get' this.

    Before I say it I just want to the OP, I am not being smart, not being *****y...just curious.

    We're all on here because we want to lose weight right? (unless maintaining)
    And that means at one stage or another we all ate TOO MANY calories?
    So how come when MFP gives you a calorie goal some people find it hard to eat all the calories?

    Surely if you're not able to eat 1500 cals a day then you're not overweight in the first place?

    And here lies re-education...

    Those excess calories were probably from eating rubbish, high calorie density foods. Choosing healthier options including fruit and veg with (in comparison) relatively low calorie density will probably fill the individiual up on less calorific food and so it will be harder to eat "enough" calories per se. I found this when I changed my diet to cut out most rubbish except for treats and changed to a mostly veg/lean meat/low GI carbs based lifestyle and diet.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    See I don't 'get' this.

    Before I say it I just want to the OP, I am not being smart, not being *****y...just curious.

    We're all on here because we want to lose weight right? (unless maintaining)
    And that means at one stage or another we all ate TOO MANY calories?
    So how come when MFP gives you a calorie goal some people find it hard to eat all the calories?

    Surely if you're not able to eat 1500 cals a day then you're not overweight in the first place?

    I am always a bit baffled when people say they can't possibly eat enough to make it to their calorie goal. Honestly, almost everyone here recently had the exact opposite of this problem. You gain weight by exceeding your caloric needs. How can it suddenly be hard to meet your basic caloric needs for healthy metabolic function?

    Personally, I think a large part of it is mental. Maybe people are afraid to eat more, so they do a great job convincing themselves that they're stuffed and can't eat more. I think I used to do that when I was younger. For three years, in my early 20's I convinced myself that I was full on 800 calories a day. Of course, at the time, I believed eating that little was good and normal and healthy. I had no idea what TDEE or BMR were. I never consulted a dietitian. I had no clue what I was supposed to be eating, so I just ate as little as possible and thought I was doing fine. The reality was that I was starving myself and in the end, I paid the consequences of that error in judgment.

    To the OP: I took a peek at your diary, and I really don't think there is any way the calories you are eating are enough for a healthy (I'm assuming?) 33 year old man, especially since you exercise.

    I'm a 40 year old woman, and I lost over 50 pounds with ease, eating a whole heck of a lot more calories than you currently are! It came off easily and without ever hitting plateaus. Please eat! Your body will appreciate it, and you will keep losing. :-)

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