Do you eat all your calories for the day?

reggie2run
reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This may have been addressed before, but....

Most times I have about 300-500 calories remaining at the end of each day.
My total calorie allotment comes from the 1200 MFP gives me and the daily exercises I do (calorie credits, if you will), which when added together lands me at between 1800 and 2000 calories per day that I can use.
I am of the mind that having a remaining balance left over at the end of the day is a good thing as it helps you lose weight. 500 calories each day x 7 days = one pound lost per week.
But I have been reading various posts that seem to say I should be eating up to (but not over) the daily calorie allotment i receive (i.e 1800-2000 calories per day). I must have misread. Won't that just help you maintain and not lose??

Can any one clear this up for me?

Thanks.
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Replies

  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I do, mostly. My thought is this: try and NET at least your BMR (which is probably more than 1200) on days you exercise. Many will tell you to just go ahead and eat them all; many will tell you to just eat 1200/day and not eat any. Personally, I eat most of them back... some days I go over. But then I eat a LOT... I came to MFP from Weight Watchers and now it seems the weight is literally melting off while I pack away over 2000 daily. But that's me.

    Have you tried consistently eating all your exercise calories? What is your goal set to? 1lb/week? 2lbs/week?
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
    I don't eat back mine unless there is a REALLY big deficit. Am I wrong? I need to know as well....I didn't want to start a topic b/c it seems the "know-it-alls" on here point and laugh, or post stupid captions up to make fun of us who are new or misinformed. (Now I've opened up the floodgates for captions, I know, I know)
  • jaxbeck
    jaxbeck Posts: 537 Member
    I'm always under
  • ipsamet
    ipsamet Posts: 436 Member
    MFP has already built the deficit into the 1200 calories they gave you and the exercise you do is just increasing that. I eat back most (if not all, some days) of the exercise calories I get (which I track with a HRM for accuracy) and net my BMR daily. I lose 1-2lbs a week consistently.
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
    MFP has already built the deficit into the 1200 calories they gave you and the exercise you do is just increasing that. I eat back most (if not all, some days) of the exercise calories I get (which I track with a HRM for accuracy) and net my BMR daily. I lose 1-2lbs a week consistently.

    I'm so stupid, I don't know how to do that.
  • ipsamet
    ipsamet Posts: 436 Member
    MFP has already built the deficit into the 1200 calories they gave you and the exercise you do is just increasing that. I eat back most (if not all, some days) of the exercise calories I get (which I track with a HRM for accuracy) and net my BMR daily. I lose 1-2lbs a week consistently.

    I'm so stupid, I don't know how to do that.

    You don't know how to do what?
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
    eek, I'm trying to edit
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
    MFP has already built the deficit into the 1200 calories they gave you and the exercise you do is just increasing that. I eat back most (if not all, some days) of the exercise calories I get (which I track with a HRM for accuracy) and net my BMR daily. I lose 1-2lbs a week consistently.

    I'm so stupid, I don't know how to do that.

    You don't know how to do what?


    Calculate....I'm at 1380 a day, 35, f, 138 lbs 5 4"...3 times a week workout...I dunno all that deficit stuff...told ya I'm too stoooopid.
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    I'm of the opinion that exercise calories should be both realistic and eaten back. If you're truly burning 1000 cals in exercise a day and not eating those back, you'll be hospitalized for exhaustion at some point. You cannot make your body run on empty day after day.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I honestly am not hungry enough on the days I exercise to eat all the calories I get. Even when I burn 700 calories in a day, I usually don't eat more than 1,500 (and sometimes not even that) unless I go out.

    Some people make a point of it and do really well with it. I say eat if you're hungry, though.
  • sjv1966
    sjv1966 Posts: 121 Member
    You don't need to calculate anything -- MFP has already done it for you. When you signed up you said if your goal was to loose 1 lb per week or 1.5 or whatever. The calories that MFP is telling you that you have for the day take that into consideration.
  • jephry
    jephry Posts: 55 Member
    If you enter your exercise in, MFP should help you calculate and "tell" you how many calories you have left for the day. I'm usually under my 1200 cal/day allotment as well. However, once I start exercising more regularly, I'll probably eat back most of my exercise calories...cuz I get real surly when I'm hungry! haha
  • Yunnieh
    Yunnieh Posts: 89 Member
    With my exercise I usually finish off to get 1500cals per day, but I never eat them all.
  • hsk71
    hsk71 Posts: 19
    You're not stupid! We've all got to learn how to use the system - nobody comes on knowing how it all works!

    From what I understand, it's all calculated and based on how much you want to lose per week (when you first entered your goals). But you also need to consume enough based on your BMR (see tools) to ensure that your body doesn't go into "starvation" mode and start hanging onto fat.

    That's just my two cents worth .. use it, don't use it! :)
  • debgcook
    debgcook Posts: 64
    I eat all the calorie for the day except for my workout calorie. Unless I workout 3 times in a day then I might have something small. If you are given 1200 for the day, you eat that for they day. I wear an HRM and if I am really hungy I try to go for fruit or nuts that is all.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    It's also going to depend on how you calculate your calories burned. If you are relying on MFP estimates, they are notoriously higher than the actual amount burned. If you were eating all those back, then you might actually end up overeating because it's off.
    If you are using a heart rate monitor, that's more accurate and I would likely eat at least some of those back.

    It also depends on what your total calorie goal is. If you aim for 1200 calories a day and then burn 600, you should probably eat most of that back so your body has fuel to live.

    I personally don't in theory eat my exercise calories back per se, BUT I eat 1800 - 2000 calories a day every day and then create a deficit with my exercise.

    Hope that helps.
  • ipsamet
    ipsamet Posts: 436 Member
    Calculate....I'm at 1380 a day, 35, f, 138 lbs 5 4"...I dunno all that deficit stuff...told ya I'm too stoooopid.

    Nah, you're not! I just wasn't sure which part you were talking about :) There's nothing to figure out, really. If that's what MFP gave you, I would aim to net that every day. When you go to your home page, on your daily summary all the way on the right it says how many you've net. So after you've entered your exercise calories, you might need to eat more to net more calories. I would recommend getting a heart rate monitor to get better accuracy on the calories you're burning if you can afford it.

    Sorry if that was an over explanation, I was just trying to be clear! haha
  • whit1108
    whit1108 Posts: 94
    When i first started mfp i was never touching my excercise calories and i was eating 100 below of the calories given...I kept on hitting alot of walls and never losing weight... Then i was told to eat ALL of my calories and HALF of my excercise calories back and WOW!! HUGE difference with my body.. The weight is comming off now and i feel SO much better!! The body needs food to keep going!!
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
    If you want to eat a set amount each day, go with eating 15 - 20% less than your TDEE (without going below your BMR). That way, you already know how much you eat, and your high net calorie days will be offset with low net calorie days (calorie zigzagging could be a good thing).
  • grex1949
    grex1949 Posts: 125 Member
    For my two cents, you need to eat back your exercise credit calories at least to the point at which you net your BMR. MFP calculates the goal calories to include a deficit of no more than 1000 kcal/day, so if you don't eat those exercise calories, you are going to be over the built-in deficit, thus not eating enough.
    It's not that you will drop dead of starvation next week if you do not eat the exercise calories. But it's healthier to lose the weight and get in shape more-or-less gradually, as opposed to a "crash diet" to lose an arbitrary number of pounds by an arbitrary date in the future. Your body simply doesn't work that way. Besides, if you take it off more gradually, you are much more likely to keep it off because you will know how much you can eat and how much you need to exercise to control your weight. You are learning how to live with food without having food control you.
    So, fuel your body with enough calories to keep the furnace lit and it will pay you back by burning that excess fat at a steady level.
    You want to net your BMR, at least. That will give you a 20% calorie deficit if you are sedentary, and a 75% daily calorie deficit if you are "very active" (landscaper, construction worker, that sort of thing).
    The thing to remember is that this is not a race. Take your time. Let your body adapt to a new lifestyle; one that is sustainable for the long term. If all you allow yourself is say, 1000 calories a day, there is no way you will have the energy to work out, or in time, even get out of bed (unless you already weigh 90 pounds.) You simply need more fuel than that to get by every day. Furthermore, if your body cannot obtain the fuel it needs from what you eat and accessible fat stores, it will start taking lean muscle mass for fuel. You do not want to burn the furniture to heat the house. And, of course, no one enjoys going through life feeling deprived, hungry, crabby and generally miserable. You will likely turn to food for comfort at some point, and you can spell that "f-a-i-l-u-r-e". Don't let that happen.
    Good luck!
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Get ready for ALL kinds of opinions! Just remember that you need to experiment and find out what works for you.

    You will not starve to death if you stick with 1200. I dont care what anyone says. You wont.

    Eat if you are hungry! . If you want something not so healthy once in a while, make room for it with exercise calories. I don't mean a big binge, nasty fried food, a bag of candy, chips, etc., but maybe a single serving of something a few times a week so you don't feel deprived.

    See your Dr. for a checkup and ask her/him how many calories you should eat per day, for YOU. Try it and see how it works.

    I've done both. In my experience, I did NOT lose weight while eating most of my exercise calories back. I am now back to 1200-1400 per day (suggested by my Dr.), period, and the pounds are coming off, I still have energy and I'm very active. I think the key is to make sure you exercise daily, eat healthy food and snacks and maybe a 200 or so over your recommended intake. I've lost 33 pounds, I rarely get hungry, but I do eat the right things. (most days) I'm also short and small boned. I think that the 1200 cals a day & exercise calories is too much for me, obviously. I checked on what my maintenance calories will be when I reach goal weight and it's less than 1200!

    Yesterday I had a deficit of over 1,000 and I actually woke up hungry, but that's rare for me. I have a hard time convincing myself that by 8:30pm, if I have a deficit and I'm not hungry, that I should stuff myself so I don't have a deficit.

    Read up on this in the forums and see what people have learned from experience. Try some, ignore some, do what works for you and don't worry about the millions of opinions out there, including mine!
  • knittingbandmom
    knittingbandmom Posts: 190 Member
    When i first started mfp i was never touching my excercise calories and i was eating 100 below of the calories given...I kept on hitting alot of walls and never losing weight... Then i was told to eat ALL of my calories and HALF of my excercise calories back and WOW!! HUGE difference with my body.. The weight is comming off now and i feel SO much better!! The body needs food to keep going!!

    I had the same experience. I was confused about the exercise calories too until I went in and played with my settings. What I found is that when I put I want to lose 1.5 pounds per week, have a sedentary job, and exercise 6 days per week my calorie amount is 1200. If I put the same thing with NO exercise my calorie amount is still 1200. So, I figure the 1200 is my base. If I consume 1200 calories with no exercise I should lose 1.5 pounds per week. When I exercise and eat some or most of those exercise bonus calories the weight comes off and I feel so much better. Hope this helps.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I eat all my calories, exercise calories included! This is what works for me!
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,162 Member
    In the morning lol well, over 50% of them anyways
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    That 500 calorie deficit is from the calories your body burns up... I am fairly sure that your body burns a LOT more than 1200 calories just by sitting around, let alone when you exercise. 1200 is a really low number, are you sure that's what you should have your goal set to?? Did you fill in all your info (height weight age etc) ?

    To answer your question, yes I eat all my calories. I have my goal set to have a small deficit (Less than a 200 calorie deficit) which is 1800 and I eat all my exercise calories on top of that.
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
    Depends on the day - Some days I am over, some I am under - I just go with it and MFP helps me monitor what I am eating...
  • mlc323
    mlc323 Posts: 7
    There should never be a point where you are below 1200 FOOD calories/day. Activity calories aside, you should be consuming 1200 calories of food for you body to not start catabolizing muscle rather than using fat for energy. A deficit from exercise is ALWAYS good, but under no circumstances should you be eating less than 1200 FOOD calories/day. You will never boost your metabolism if your body is constantly starving for energy.

    High protein/fiber, moderate GOOD carbs (avoid processed sugars and AVOID chemical-filled artifical additives), and healthy fats will easily allow you to hit your 1200 calorie/allotment and still continue to lose weight. Health studies by the NIH and the Mayo Clinic (among MANY others) advise you to not go below 1200 calories if you are looking for successful long term weight loss.

    If you are eating less than 1200 kcals/day your body will eventually go into a food frenzy and you'll binge. It's not about diet, it's about lifestyle changes. :)
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    This may have been addressed before, but....

    That's why there is a SEARCH feature.
  • MikeyD1280
    MikeyD1280 Posts: 5,257
    wow... I just joined up and I am averaging going over my calories by 500-900. I am NOT trying to lose weight, but to gain it and MFP is recommending me to take in over 3000 calories, I been taking in 3500-3900 so far. I actually use the food diary to help me with my course of action. I am actually going for a zigzag carb diet. (BTW) eating less doesn't help burn fat, higher metabolism helps burn fat, in order to do that, you actually have to eat spread out throughout the day, not just 3 meals to put your metabolism in hot mode.
    if you put your metabolism in a hot zone, you will achieve your calorie intake. experimenting with different foods will help you feel full and stay in your target calorie zone.
    I am not over stuffing either, I can actually consume more calories, but since I am on a new ZigZag diet, I am logging my intake
  • jfields42
    jfields42 Posts: 27
    I try not to go over my calories and get my protein in. But, if I'm under and I feel fine then I won't eat the rest of the calories. I know my body and I know when I need to eat.

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