Under Your Calorie Count

Can you still lose weight when you are under your Calorie count for the day?
My count is at 1,200 a day but find myself eating around 980 or less. But there are days especially the weekends out with friends I tend to eat more. It's NFL time and when you are out with friends it's hard to know how many calories you are taking in.

I've always wondered the same thing too.....cause u know it's hard to have the EXACT number of calories you're suppose to have every single day!

Hi bulady and starz - it's OK to be over or under a little bit, especially if it "comes out in the wash" by compensating for it another day. Your calorie limit is a daily goal, but it takes a few days to lose a significant amount of weight (fat) so if you average out the days and it comes to your daily limit you are right on track!

Thank you, Erik!

It is important to not go too far below on a regular basis because it will put your body into "starvation" mode and you will hold onto everything and sabotage the process.

Be sure you eat something every few hours and when your calories are going to be that low make sure every one counts. Don't eat any empty calories when your intake is that low, make sure they are packed with nutrition and good stuff your body needs.

Also on days you work out it is important to keep your calories up a bit. Even at the five hundred deficit per day to loose a pound a week you would still be above 980 I would think. I don't worry when I drop below a day here or there, but you should try to not make a habit of it or your metabolism will slow down.

I know myself though on days I am eating a lot of fruits and veggies (low cal) it's harder to reach my daily calorie requirements as well at times. That's when I have a slice of cheese or some yogurt or something a bit higher in calories but still nutritious as a snack :)

Hope that helps :)
Good luck!
Christin

Thanks to the both of you on that. I will keep that in mind. It really helps to keep a log of what you eat and its nice to know if we go out to dinner I can eat a bigger portion if I have the calories to spare. I tend to eat bigger at lunch since it's the busy part of the day. When I get home and work my part-time job it's usually around 7pm when I eat so I tend to eat a smaller portion but healthy foods because it's bedtime around 9pm for me.

I am new to this site and new to my new eating life style. Today is my 7th day and I am down 7lbs. I have over 100 lbs to loose and realize that it is not going to happen quickly. According to this site I should be consuming 1327 calories(according to the biggest loser site I should have a caloric intake of over 1800 cal.) ...my caloric intake has been low..day1-840, day2-719, day3-1039, day4-652, day5-727, day6-481 and today 390 with one meal to go. Day 3 I tried getting my calorie count up, but left me feeling overfull and elevated my blood sugar. (am type2 diabetic)
With the calories I am consuming, it is not leaving me feeling hungry and my blood sugars are controlled. I am also doing a 30 minute cardio workout daily and plan to increase it when I get accustomed to the workout.

My calorie intake should be 1330, but I just can't seem to get to it. I usually end around the 800 to 1000 mark. I eat well and do a cardio and conditioning workout everyday. I just can't seem to do it. I don't feel hungry most of the time and when I do, I eat more. I too would like more information about this topic.

I've decided since I have many days not reaching my limit so be it. I have other days I will get close meaning 25 or 30 calories left. I feel just as long as I'm eating good and plenty of it then I should be ok.....I have started watching my fat intake as well. The only means of execrise I have is walking on my treadmill with my 3lbs weights but I have started working on some crunches and man do I hate those. I'm hoping they we get easier the more I do them.

Thanks Erik for that. I keep track of what I eat everyday by writing it down and also how many calories I burn by walking on the treadmill. I have lost 5 lbs so far and have another 20 to lose.

Hi I am new to this site but am very hopeful in finding help here. I have been dieting for a year now and at first the pounds just melted off. I am exercising and watching what I eat and that worked at first but now I am not losing ANYTHING. I did exactly what you mention above I sabotaged myself I barely ate for weeks on end and now have no metabolism how do I get my body back to losing the weight again so far I have lost 99 lbs and since August cannot break the 100 lbs I need to lose at least another 80 lbs and its just not budging please help any advice will truly be a blessing. Thanks in advance
Tammy

HI I am new to this site also, I will be perfectly honest with you I have just started to try and monitor my calorie intake and I am struggling to keep it under 1,000 calories per day!! What are you guys eating that keeps your calorie intake that low (700 or below) and still fill like you are full????? I am starving at 1,000 calories per day????

sherrig how much are you trying to lose? I dont think 1000 a day is enough.. I have found that 1200 a day is perfect for me. It even allows me a yogurt after dinner.

Sherrig, most days I either have 1 cup of cornflakes with a small amount of skim milk, or 1 cup of oatmeal with 1/4 cup of berries for breakfast...then I have 1/2 cup of sugar free jello for a snack...lunch is usually a frozen diet entree(I try to stick with the lower calorie ones for lunch they come anywhere from 160-300 calories per entree) and dinner is usually 1-2 cups of spinach(raw) with a squeeze of lemon or 2 tbsp of no fat italian dressing and a frozen diet entree, I like weight watchers and lean gourmet, they are very filling. If I feel like a night time snack I head for the celery and carrot sticks. Also remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day, it not only keeps you hydrated but also curbs your appetite.

I agree that your goal should not be eating the fewest amount of calories as you can and still be satisfied. You have to find what is right for you to either maintain or lose. It is different for everyone. I am usually well under the goal set for myself, but not on purpose. I love fresh vegetables and that helps. I eat yogurt and fruit mainly although I have recently found the Nabisco 100 calorie snacks and that has helped the snacking part of me! I eat a low calorie frozen dinner early in the day and do my aerobics in the morning and pilates at night. I am fairly active during the day also. Today was the first morning aerobics and I have been hungry all day long. I have burned about the same calories as I've taken in and it has still been more than normal. I hope this isn't a trend! LOL! Anyway, I think to jump start your body to losing again, you will have to up your calorie intake for a few days to let your body decide that you don't need to be in the starvation mode any longer and it can let some of it go.

Well I am only 5'1 I weigh 147 lbs and want to be back in a size 4 or 5 before I get married I figure for my weight and body size I have to stay at 1,000 calories if I want to lose any weight. My biggest problem is I can't eat a mass amount of veggies that are hard on your digestive system. I have had surgery to remove crohn's disease affected areas but still have to be careful not to set it off.
I am going to the gym and taking aerobics and kickboxing and if I can't make the class I get on the treed mill for 45 minutes and 20 minutes on the nautilus equipment. The calorie intake suggestions here say I have to stay under 1200 calories?? Do you guys think that is too low??

Hello, I am new to this site. I am a male weighing in at 343. The site's calculations state I should eat 3200 calories to maintain my weight. So, I have decided that 2500 calories per day is my goal for sensible weight loss. Does this seem to be in line to you? My average intake over the last week has been about 2100 calories. Is this good?

Hi Sherrig
I am only 5'2 and I started off at 165 the first time got down to 145 then went back up to 150 and said "wait a minute I"m not going back". Then I started doing the Calorie counting with this site and I stay between 1000-1325 and I am dropping consistently. I had a week where I gained, but it was muscle because I didn't change my calories and this week I have dropped again. I think your range is pretty good because it sounds like we are right about the same place in regards to size/weight.

From Dec 7 until today I have dropped 12 pounds, and a couple of pants sizes. Keep with it, you'll know as you go a little more if it's working for you.

christins73 thanks for the input I thought 1200 calories sounded about right, I hope after this first week I won't feel like I am starving!!! I have actually already lost 2 lbs this week! I just need to find more things I can eat without blowing my calorie max for the day. I get extremely bored with eating the same thing everyday.
And I don't care for plain veggies.

congratulations on you weight loss! keep the good work up and definitely keep me up to date on your progress you are definitely motivation for me since we seem to be around the same size and I am a little older than you but not much.

I have recently added aerobics to my workout and I find that I am hungrier. I ate close to my target yesterday and I am headed in that direction today also. I have been working out for a couple of weeks and have lost 1.5 inches around my waist and 2 inches on my hips. I feel like staying around 1200 calories is good. Many people here say going over or staying under periodically is ok. I just wouldn't stay way under for very long. It is boring sticking to the same old thing day after day. I plan my meals and spread the calories out throughout the day. That seems to help me keep from being hungry.

Well it was nice that no one seemed to have an answer for me I was hoping that someone in this forum would be able to help