Food habits are weird....

[Cici22 27]

So when my boyfriend is not around I eat good, I do my three meals a day and stick to my calorie goal. The days he is off, Sunday and Monday, I go over my calories by sometimes 200-400 colories.... It's like I can't helped it.... My calorie allowance is 1,400 a day.

[Krystal7k 243]

Omg I have the same problem when my husband is off I eat more

[Cici22 27]

Omg I have the same problem when my husband is off I eat more

I wonder why?.... It's so puzzling !!!

[Krystal7k 243]

I wonder why?.... It's so puzzling !!!

He didnt want me to have the surgery so I guess I try to eat normaly around him

[DLCoggin 1,788]

It is not realistic or sustainable to hit a specific calorie goal every day of the world. And who would want to? Life is full of special moments and occasions and they often involve an increase in calories. You have to allow yourself those moments. It's part of life and more importantly, part of living and enjoying your life! And it's absolutely nothing to worry about if you manage your calories by "The Law of Averages".

Let's play "what if" for a minute. What if you changed your weekday calorie goal to 1280 calories? About a 9% decrease. Five days a week. Now add 3400 calories for weekends. And you'll hit your average daily calorie goal of 1400, every single time. Will you hit that 1280 calories every single day? Almost certainly not. There will be days when you're over, and days when you're under. And when (not if) those days occur, you make minor adjustments to your goal, up or down, for a day or two and you're right back on track with your average. Realistic. Sustainable. You're in control. You're enjoying your life. Your confidence will soar. Life is meant to be good!

Your post gives me the impression that you're maintaining a food log. If you are, good for you! If you aren't, starting one will change your life. My Fitness Pal is highly recommended. You can read some great comments from loggers in the thread "Food Logs Discussion". Commit to logging and you will be amazed!! You're gonna love the new you!!

[Cici22 27]

It is not realistic or sustainable to hit a specific calorie goal every day of the world. And who would want to? Life is full of special moments and occasions and they often involve an increase in calories. You have to allow yourself those moments. It's part of life and more importantly' date=' part of living and enjoying your life! And it's absolutely nothing to worry about if you manage your calories by "The Law of Averages".

Let's play "what if" for a minute. What if you changed your weekday calorie goal to 1280 calories? About a 9% decrease. Five days a week. Now add 3400 calories for weekends. And you'll hit your average daily calorie goal of 1400, every single time. Will you hit that 1280 calories every single day? Almost certainly not. There will be days when you're over, and days when you're under. And when (not if) those days occur, you make minor adjustments to your goal, up or down, for a day or two and you're right back on track with your average. Realistic. Sustainable. You're in control. You're enjoying your life. Your confidence will soar. Life is meant to be good!

Your post gives me the impression that you're maintaining a food log. If you are, good for you! If you aren't, starting one will change your life. My Fitness Pal is highly recommended. You can read some great comments from loggers in the thread "Food Logs Discussion". Commit to logging and you will be amazed!! You're gonna love the new you!![/quote']

I am using fitness pal, from day one. That's how I know I have a pattern.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

I am using fitness pal, from day one. That's how I know I have a pattern.

I thought so! You can usually spot a logger - specific numbers and it's not "I think", it's "I know". Drop 30-40 calories a meal during the week and you're on track!

[bakawaka 108]

So what is a good daily calorie goal for maintenance? I know that for the weight loss phase for me it has been 1,000. But should maintenance be 1,000, 1,200, 1,500?

[music1618 879]

So what is a good daily calorie goal for maintenance? I know that for the weight loss phase for me it has been 1' date='000. But should maintenance be 1,000, 1,200, 1,500?[/quote']

There are so many factors for calorie intake. Everyone is different and our calorie needs are different. For example I am very active at work and might need a little more than someone who sits at a desk.

However I know DL can answer it better as he got me on the right track.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

I don't believe that there is a "one size fits all" calorie goal for maintenance or any other part of the journey. Even doctors and nutritionists can only make an educated guess. They can't know lifestyle, activity, etc. There are simply too many variables.

But there is a way that you can determine "your" personal and customizable calorie goal - a food log. The process is simple. Get a food log app (My Fitness Pal is highly recommended but there are several that do pretty much the same thing), in "Settings" configure your log with your height, current weight, activity level and your weight loss goal. Even though you're at your goal weight, I would configure it for losing one-half pound a week. That results in the calorie goal calculated having a bit of a buffer "built in".

Now maintain your log for a week and see what happens with your weight. If you gain weight, go back into settings and configure your weight loss goal for losing one pound a week. That will result in a slight reduction in your calorie goal. If you lose weight, go back and configure your weight loss goal for "Maintain Weight". That will increase your calorie goal slightly.

Now maintain your log for another week and again, see what happens. When your weight is holding where you want it, that's "your" calorie number. Remember that it really doesn't matter what "weight loss goal" you have configured. All you're doing is using that setting to change the calorie goal up or down. MFP and all other apps use a "one size fits all" formula for calculating calorie goals. But just like your doctor or nutritionist, MFP doesn't know all of the variables.

It's important to remember that your calorie goal is all about what I call The Law of Averages. Hitting that exact number ever single day is not realistic, it's not sustainable, it's not necessary and it's incredibly boring. There are going to be days when you're over, and days when you're under, and both are just fine as long as you maintain your average. Logging allows you to see your average calorie intake for a day, a week, or longer. It's the average that tells the story.

My maintenance calorie goal is 1620 calories. When (not if) I go over by a 100 or 200 calories, I simply adjust my calorie goal down 100-200 calories for a day or two and I'm right back on track with my average. My target weight range is 153 - 156 lbs. If I gain a pound or two, I do the exact same thing - reduce my calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two. If my weight goes below 153, I increase my calorie goal by the same amount and for the same time period and see what happens. You will quickly become quite adept at dialing in your weight to any number you want.

Food logs allow you to manage your weight instead of your weight managing you. Your ability to control your weight with great precision is actually quite amazing. And when all is said and done, it's about control, not denial. Your confidence will soar. Logs will change your relationship with food in ways you never imagined. You can read more in a loggers thread that we recently started - "Food Logs Discussion".

Huge congratulations on your success!! I'm betting you're loving the new you!!

[Cici22 27]

When I use fitness pal I do not include my workouts because I don't want my calories to readjust I'm trying to stay within 1,400 calories a day even if I work out or not, so far in the last few weeks that I been doing this I lost around 2 pounds a week. Not bad. When I get the surgery I'm pretty sure I'm going to do great!!!