calorie goal

should i try to aim to eat under my daily calorie goal and if so how many under and also do i have to eat the calories that i burn with exercise sorry if this sound like a dumb question

Replies

  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    You're going to get a lot of people warning you to eat your calories back, lest you go into "starvation mode" I can tell you from personal experience, this is not necessarily the case. I ate when I was hungry, but rarely ate all my calories back. I made sure I had plenty of lean protean available to maintain my lean body mass, and have been monitoring my % body fat and have not lost much lean mass at all.

    In the end this question is very dependent on the specifics of your situation, with only 17 lbs to lose, it may be better for you to eat calories back - 17 lbs isn't that much.
  • dawningrid
    dawningrid Posts: 7 Member
    I find that sometimes I need to eat those calories back otherwise I feel fatigue all day but I try to eat more protein and not as much carbs as suggested. I think it will depend on how fast you need to lose the weight or how you feel that day.
  • emmlou
    emmlou Posts: 15 Member
    ok so how many calories would i need to eat to stop me going into 'starvation mode'?
  • slim104
    slim104 Posts: 160
    I don't eat my exercise calories back and i don't feel fatigued or moody. I swim 5 or 6 times a week and walk about 15 miles a week. Sometimes my net is quite low but then i was 351lbs about 9 weeks ago and have now lost 41lbs. I try and eat a lot of protein and fibre and try to keep my carbs down and drink loads of water.
    So at the moment it's working for me.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    ok so how many calories would i need to eat to stop me going into 'starvation mode'?

    I don't feel qualified to give you a specific number. But here is an article on the subject from a reputable source:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/463527-how-much-to-eat-to-avoid-starvation-mode/

    Depending go the specifics of your situation, generally, you don;t want want net calories deficit greater than 1,000 (which equated to a loss is 2 lbs/week).

    I'm 5 '10, I never ate less than 1,500 cal. and when Is started I'd burn 300-500 in exercise. The last 2 months, I've significantly increased my exercise and food intake. 2,200 - 2,500 intake and 700-1000 burned. Now I am the point where I'm going to start adding calories to my diet to slow down the rate of loss.
  • emmlou
    emmlou Posts: 15 Member
    this seems all so complicated, i think i may have already have been in this mode before i started with mfp as i have a problem with eating and generally don't eat enough maybe one meal a day and a few small snacks is all i normally have the appetite for i have not lost weight for the past year bar going up or down a lb or two, which is why i joined mfp as friends keep telling me i need to eat more to lose more but i am forcing myself to eat my daily calorie goal which is why really i wanted to know if i had to 1,eat my daily calories 2, eat my extra calories from excising and 3, wot is the minimum i had to eat to keep of this starvation mode thing.