Do you HAVE to eat all of the calories you're allowed?

amelialosesit
amelialosesit Posts: 12 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Before when I tried dieting I'd try and do the generic 1,200 calories a day that I read everywhere, and on MFP I'm allowed a lot more, which is great! Except, I'm all full and I have calories left. I see some people fill up those other calories by eating more stuff, but I'm wondering if you HAVE to? Thanks for your help. (:

Replies

  • amelialosesit
    amelialosesit Posts: 12 Member
    Bump
  • theblackbirdtree
    theblackbirdtree Posts: 168
    Great question!
    All of the literature I read state that consistently undereating is actually not bad for your body. Your organs seem to run better a little lighter than what's expected. After all, the human body sustained itself on days of famine and hunting days of feasting and overindulging. Even today, we're wired to overeat when we get the chance for survival reasons (who knows when the next famine will hit? Is essentially what your body is asking.)

    Today, we consistently have food choices so famine is out of the question (not for everyone, but for most). If you were to eat less for an extended period of time with a high deficit (amount of calories left over for the day), you'll lose weight for sure. The issue comes when you begin to get an appetite and eat more. Your body isn't used to this, and so it stores it as additional fat stores. Trouble! Here's where people yo-yo in weight.
    It's up to you. The main thing I've begun to understand is that eating consistently the same amount of food is a lot easier than spending 6 months fasting and 6 months indulging.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I don't. I got heavy not listening to my body. Now I listen carefully. And weight loss really is just math.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I posted a similar question on not eating all my MFP calories and feeling woozy, sense of malaise and low energy.

    I ate more today and voila' I feel tons better. Went out for a 30 minute walk whereas yesterday I was exhausted and so low on energy. Not doing the 1200 thing again.

    P.S. I would also feel satiated at around 1000-1200 but someone suggested I eat a handful of nuts, increase protein throughout the day and I did. It made a difference in how I feel today.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    You don't HAVE to do anything.
    Personally, I have no interest in eating a very low calorie diet, I'd rather stick to a moderate deficit and exercise regularly, and these two things together have worked very well for me.
    I think it is wise to eat enough good food to give your body the energy it needs to keep you healthy and feeling great. If you can do that on a very low calorie amount for a long period of time - maybe that is right for you. Many people report that cutting calories too drastically is hard to stick to so you "diet" enthusiastically for a while and then run out of energy (sometimes literally) and lose momentum and interest and stop losing weight.
    It's up to you to decide what works for your body - quick fix or long term change. And when you've decided that, then you need to experiment to work out how many calories suit you.

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