Should I eat more than 1200 calories a day?

mango90

So I'm 5'3 and 190 lbs, and the MFP calculator says my BMR is 1581 cals/day. For the past two months on MFP I've basically been eating 1200 calories a day and doing 30 minutes of cardio for my exercise. I've noticed a lot of people here saying to do strength training instead of cardio, so yesterday I gave it a shot along with my usual cardio. I don't have a gym membership or any weights, but I did the following:

Plank - 30 sec
Bicycle abs - 15 rep
Donkey kicks - 20 rep
Bridge - 20 rep
Knee push ups - 15 rep
Squat - 20 rep
Lunge - 20 rep

Keep in mind, I've never tried most of these exercises more than once before, so I did what I could. I plan to do more than one set and try different exercises, maybe even try lifting when I can do a proper push up... Anyway, I have no idea if it was a good workout or not, but I was pretty tired afterward.

So like I said, I've been eating 1200 calories a day and getting by. I don't feel hungry or tired and I've lost 25 lbs so far. But I'm concerned that I'll need more fuel than that if I continue with the resistance training. Today, a MFP friend posted a link, http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4816597, which basically covers everything I've been hearing lately: eating too few calories is bad for you, and strength training is better for you than cardio. It made me consider upping my calories to maybe 1350 or 1400 a day, but I'm kind of scared to eat more. On 1200 calories, I've been steadily losing 2 lbs a week and I can't help but feel that changing anything will be ruining a good thing. On the other hand, I want to lose fat, not muscle, and I'm beginning to wonder what my 25 lb loss was made of.

Should I up my calories or stay where I'm at, and are the resistance exercises I'm doing good enough? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

shadow2soul

Really it's up to you. If you do however up your calories, you will temporarily gain weight. It shouldn't be more than a couple pounds and should be gone within 2-3 weeks. You also might not see 2lbs per week anymore, but don't let that discourage you.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

I personally eat around 1920 (I'm 5'4.5 and 177lbs currently). The past couple of days my calorie intake has been on the lower side and I'm really starting to feel it today (huge decline in energy).

Do you have any dumbbells or a Resistance band? You can find some pretty decent workouts on youtube that include strength. One of my favorites is "The Butt Bible", although I've never been able to complete it because I don't have the equipment needed for level 3.

mango90

Thanks for the reply. I suppose losing less weight is something I'll have to resign myself to, but it will be worth it if it's better for me. Funnily enough, I read that article not that long ago. That's actually what got me thinking about strength training.

I do have resistance bands, I just never figured out what to do with them. I appreciate the youtube suggestion, I'll have to check out The Butt Bible

WalkingAlong

Strength training is good. Cardio is good. Weight loss is good. If you like losing 2 lbs. a week, I would continue.

I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in weight loss advice from a blogger with unstated credentials and uncited claims about 'starvation mode' and other phenomena.

Check out the 7 Minute Workout, app or browser page, for some free body weight exercises with a timer and unlockable future workouts.

missiontofitness

You could probably get away with eating more. With 70lbs to lose, you should aim for around 1.5lbs/week. Here's a helpful graph to reference:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb/week is ideal
If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lb/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lb/week is ideal

1,200 may be a bit too aggressive now that you have lost 25lbs. I personally eat and lose on 1,500+ a day. If you are going to eat at 1,200, you absolutely need to eat back exercise calories until you net 1,200 for the day, after exercise is factored in. And depending on how intense your workouts get, more calories means more fuel for your body.

Graelwyn75

Slow and steady is better in my book. You are more likely to sustain it longterm if you make the deficit less extreme, plus, if you stall out...you have somewhere to go, whereas if you start at 1200 and stop losing, well, you don't really want to have to drop to 1000 and less. Also, you will be able to fuel more hardcore workouts with a smaller deficit which will in turn give you better results in terms of body composition.

It depends what is most important to you... how you look in the end, or the number on the scale dropping faster? Personally, I have never done 1200 to lose weight, other than back in my ED days. I have seen so many here lose very well while eating 1400-1800 that I feel for most people, 1200 is an unnecessary extreme... note, I said 'most'. Some very short people or those with medical issues can probably get away with it.

maddyk91

shadow2soul wrote: »

If you do however up your calories, you will temporarily gain weight.

Not true if there is still a deficit.

I went from 1200 to 1500 for your same reason, OP and I actually started losing weight faster. I feel more energetic than I expected, too. In fact, as I type this--with only one hand--I am eating a popsicle to close the gap between 1200 and 1400 for the day!! Dont worry, if you decide to up the calories, about the weight loss. Youre healthy and losing, so the battle is already being won.

shadow2soul

maddyk91 wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

If you do however up your calories, you will temporarily gain weight.

Not true if there is still a deficit.

Depends on how much your increase is, but you can see a temporary water gain if you increase. I didn't say you would gain fat, just that the scale could show a slight gain.

maddyk91

shadow2soul wrote: »

maddyk91 wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

If you do however up your calories, you will temporarily gain weight.

Not true if there is still a deficit.

Depends on how much your increase is, but you can see a temporary water gain if you increase. I didn't say you would gain fat, just that the scale could show a slight gain.

Well she said "It made me consider upping my calories to maybe 1350 or 1400 a day", so I dont know how that would be close to her possibly gaining weight. And doing exactly that in the past two weeks, I have seen absolutely no gain aside from my daily fluctuation on the scale. Though, if she went up to about maintenance calories, I am sure it would definitely be more plausible to see a slight gain as the weight levels out!

Kalikel

If you feel healthy, strong and able to exercise, I see no reason to force-feed yourself.

If you are hungry, weak or dizzy...or even if you just want to give it a shot, eat a little more and see how it goes.

The amount of calories needed daily will differ from one person to another and only you and your doctor can determine what is right for you.

shadow2soul

maddyk91 wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

maddyk91 wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

If you do however up your calories, you will temporarily gain weight.

Not true if there is still a deficit.

Depends on how much your increase is, but you can see a temporary water gain if you increase. I didn't say you would gain fat, just that the scale could show a slight gain.

Well she said "It made me consider upping my calories to maybe 1350 or 1400 a day", so I dont know how that would be close to her possibly gaining weight. And doing exactly that in the past two weeks, I have seen absolutely no gain aside from my daily fluctuation on the scale. Though, if she went up to about maintenance calories, I am sure it would definitely be more plausible to see a slight gain as the weight levels out!

I should have said "might", not will. Oh well. Some people do see a slight gain though after upping their calories (even if it isn't to maintenance level) and it causes them to panic and drop calories again.

Unknown

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Cortneyrenee04

I've seen so many people say that you should eat as many calories as you can while losing. Just like someone else said, so that you have somewhere to go (make adjustments) when/if your weight loss slows. You shouldn't eat less than your BMR, so 1550 to 1600 seems like it would work for you.

Your exercises are great! You can work up to more eventually and you'll definitely see a change in the mirror! Be sure to take measurements too

Congrats on your loss so far!

mango90

Thanks a lot for the great advice and encouragement, everybody! It's definitely given me a lot to think about. I do feel comfortable eating 1200 a day, but I think I'm going to increase my calories and exercise more regularly. I definitely don't want to plateau and have to lower my calories any more than they are later down the road, and I'd like to have more room to add more nutritious food. Seeing the number on the scale drop daily was great motivation when I first decided to lose weight, but now that I'm confident that I'll never go back to my old eating habits, I'm going to shift my focus to better health and nutrition. I was hoping to lose another 20 lbs by Christmas, but I'm going to change my goal to inches rather than pounds.