My Fitness Pal

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GreatVibe
GreatVibe Posts: 87
in Motivation and Support
Hey guys!
okay so i'm confused
is it bad to be under your calorie goal?
sometimes i am under by 400,
what is a good number to be under by?
please let me know as i thought it was good to consume less calories in a day.
but then i learnt that if you consume less then one day eat more , the weight will add on quicker!
let me know, thanks !

Replies

  • elizabethwolf
    elizabethwolf Posts: 29
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    even if you're under by 1 calorie MFP will say you're eating too few calories. don't under eat because the likely hood is you'll keep it up for a week and after that overeat and gain any weight you've lost and then some
  • elizabethwolf
    elizabethwolf Posts: 29
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    my intake varies day to day, i would say try to hit the target but try to avoid going more than 100 over
  • SylentZee
    SylentZee Posts: 262
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    It only says you're eating too few if you're consuming less then 1200. I normally have 150-250 to spare.
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
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    It's a goal. You want to keep around where is recommended for energy levels and to keep your nutrients up. Try to stay around it. You are not going to hit it exactly every day, it would be unreasonable to think you are. You might a little up one day, a little down the next. I say look at the average. Are you averaging per week about what you should? If you are, then no worries. It's a long journey not a one night stand.

    Take care!

    :smile:
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    You don't have to eat EXACTLY the number of calories MFP recommends (because everything we log is an estimate anyway, who knows what you are really eating!) but it is a good idea to be around about that number - a bit above, a bit below, both are OK.

    400 cals is quite a lot to be under, especially if your goal is set as low as 1200 (like so many people, even though it's really not necessary for most).

    The key point to remember is that MFP has already worked out how many cals it takes for you to stay the same weight and has subtracted calories from that amount to give you your dailly calorie allowance. So, you don't need to make that calorie deficit any larger, and if you do, you run the risk of not getting enough nutrition to keep you feeling healthy and full of energy.

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