Idk if it's good or bad... just a thought...

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SaraAnne
SaraAnne Posts: 53
in Motivation and Support
OK. I don't know if this is good or bad- It's kind of me rationalizing my situation today. I went over 1000 OVER MY CALS TODAY!!! First of all: AHHHHHHHHHHH that's bad. Second- I ended up with about 2400 total calories for the day. I'm set to have 1200 per day, but sometimes it's just really hard for me to have that much self control.
Then it hit me. I'm 5'6, weigh 155, I work out 4-6 times per week, and my muscle to fat ratio is definitely more in favor of muscle than fat. Why do I feel so guilty for eating that many cals? A recommended "healthy" diet is 2000cals per day. I exercised and earned exercise cals. So in actuality, The 2400 I ate today is what I should "normally" be eating if I weren't trying to slim down...

When I look at it that way I feel less guilty, but still guilty... Any thoughts on the subject?

Replies

  • amanda2181
    amanda2181 Posts: 16
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    Check out this site...

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

    Put your info in and then click "7 day calorie cycle (zig-zag)". It tells you calories needed on a weekly cycle to keep you from hitting a plateau in weight loss.

    That said, you shouldn't feel guilty. Tomorrow is a new day!
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
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    That's a cool site!

    But I was just wondering, on MFP it recommends my calorie intake to be at 1,430. On that site it says that 1,700 is "rock bottom, extreme fat loss". So am I way too low here on MFP? Who's right?
  • AmandaJ
    AmandaJ Posts: 1,950 Member
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    That is a neat calculator, my calories were very close to what MFP recommends for me when I put my info in with no exercise. I do exercise but MFP gives me back my exercise calories so I figured that since that site doesn't know what exercise I do or how long I would use to exercise for my option.
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
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    bumping to check out the site later and see responses.... :bigsmile:
  • cnutbrown
    cnutbrown Posts: 80 Member
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    It is a great site but they estimate me at 400cal more a day then what I am set on here.....will I have a harder time losing???? :frown:
  • ohmy670
    ohmy670 Posts: 1
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    I've been having a lot of those same days.... I'm 5'-4" & about 148 right now - down a whole 3 lbs in 1 month (sad... but I'm working on it).

    If you go to the "Tools" tabe on this website & click on the BMR calculator you'll read about the calories you need just to breathe for one day.... my BMR says 1,330 for the day but I want to lose 1lb a week, so somehow my goal calories is set to 1200 calories also.... so I think the 1200 is assuming you're gaining calories from the workouts to bring your allowable calories up - otherwise, according to this website - we'd be starving.

    I do OK the days I don't drink (alcohol) at all. the days I have a glass of wine (or several) I get in trouble on my calories.... the days I want a break & have something bad for me I get in trouble (regardless of exercise).

    I'm not sure what to make of the 1200 calories - I'm having the same question. I've never had much will power, but if you're honest on the logging of food, the 1200 seems really hard most days.
    A.
  • leehatch
    leehatch Posts: 5
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    :wink: The site is cool...but it gave me a much higher cal level than I have been using (1200) and have been having trouble losing....think I will follow it for a week and see what happens....will report back....maybe others can do the same.
  • slrose
    slrose Posts: 164 Member
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    i have spent weeks eating no more then the skin of an apple
    and i hasve had days where i ate an entire ham
    i do not condone, recommend or feel safe in either

    the important thing is to listen to your boday, when it tells you what it needs
    or what it wants
    make educated nutrious decisions and to veiw food as fuel
    AND expect it to work as fuel
    for the grande machine that your body is

    eat to live
    do not live to eat

    workout to tone
    dont workout to lose

    aim for that peacful connection between mind and body where you can feel comfortable and confident taht you are giveing your body what it needs to feel AND look good
  • Chickiebabe151
    Chickiebabe151 Posts: 59
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    Check out this site...

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

    Put your info in and then click "7 day calorie cycle (zig-zag)". It tells you calories needed on a weekly cycle to keep you from hitting a plateau in weight loss.

    That said, you shouldn't feel guilty. Tomorrow is a new day!

    Thank you for sharing. That's an awesom tool.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    That's a cool site!

    But I was just wondering, on MFP it recommends my calorie intake to be at 1,430. On that site it says that 1,700 is "rock bottom, extreme fat loss". So am I way too low here on MFP? Who's right?
    Probably neither. :laugh: It's all estimates so it's really a matter of who is closer and what happens in real life. I have to say, when I was losing, MFP was closer than any other site I tried -- they all had my BMR higher. But now that I'm trying to maintain and am lifting weights, MFP has it set too low.

    I keep a spreadsheet where I play with my BMR and exercise numbers to see what my estimated loss will be. Then I adjust based on my actual loss. In my case, I always have to eat less than any formula says. I think I'm probably not burning as many calories as the formulas say and my BMR is probably lower than they estimate too.
  • Chickiebabe151
    Chickiebabe151 Posts: 59
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    :wink: The site is cool...but it gave me a much higher cal level than I have been using (1200) and have been having trouble losing....think I will follow it for a week and see what happens....will report back....maybe others can do the same.

    For everyone saying that it gave too high of a daily calorie goal, did you enter in any excersise for that day? On MFP if you enter in your goal excersise into your settings, it does not effect your daily calorie goal. I believe it is only there to remind you. Try deleting all your excersise goals and see - the daily caloric goal will remain the same.

    If you entered in any excersise on that site, it is giving you a calorie limit assuming you will be doing the exercise you say you will be doing. Try clicking on "desk job" and see what it gives you. For me, it was right on.

    About the 12oo calories, no one is supposed to go below that number. Sadly, most of us need no more than 1200 to survive and if we eat more, even with excersise we gain. I will lose at 1200 but if I slip up, which I always do I gain.

    I agree 1200 is torturous. I can't do less than 1600 without going pretty hungry. Right now I am breastfeeding so I have that luxery of doing 1600 though. You have to watch every morsal that goes into your body and eat very very small meals. It sux, but I guess if we all want to stay thin for life we better get used to it.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
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    Regarding the 1200 cals a day thing I personally have no issue eating that much. I eat a lot of salads and fruits which are low on cals but still fill me up so I guess it makes up for it. Also I eat smaller meals more often so I don't usually get the "oh im hungry" feeling. Today I actually went a little "crazy" and ate three whitecastle burgers, all while still being around 1200 cals with no problem.

    edit: I also only drink water which helps with not added cals.

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