1200 calories vs. eating more

FunSkittles

I realize this may open a can of worms here, but I'd like to gather others' real stories about how their weight loss increased once they upped their calories.

My history. I've lost and gained weight a few times in my life. Twice due to having kids and at least 3-4 times because I fell off the healthy eating wagon and gained back weight. I'm within my healthy weight range and due to an injured shoulder and knee can't do too much for exercise at this point. I'm a sporadic food tracker - I typically follow plan during the week and allow myself to have a few treats on the weekends. I'm not looking for fast weight loss, more for sustainable healthy living and to shed a few pounds. I would ideally love to get back down to 125lbs, but have to recover from my injuries at this point before I can get back into doing any kind of intense workouts. So this comes down to food. I have a desk job (thankfully I have a hydraulic desk so I can stand), do yoga 1-2 times per week, and occasionally go for walks, not really all that often as even that is bothering my knee right now.

I am (somewhat) vegetarian, do eat fish (no other meat) and eggs, but no dairy.

So, with all that... my questions to you are when should one eat 1200 calories vs. eating more? Without exercise, and a sedentary job I'm unsure what my calorie intake should be considering all the stuff I read says my BMR is 1350 -1400. I have days where 900 calories fills me up, but then other days where I could eat everything in sight. I try to listen to these cues and eat more on 'hungry' days and eat less on 'non hungry' days.

Thoughts?

Francl27

It's supposed to be 1200 calories PLUS EXERCISE CALORIES. So, more than 1200 anyway.

/thread

gothchiq

I think it mostly depends on what your maintenance calories would be. Mine are only 1440, and my exercise burns aren't much due to being short and old, so therefore I stick to 1200 calories a day and almost never more. This causes me to lose maybe a pound every 2-3 weeks.

MFP grossly overestimates calorie burns from exercise. If I ate back what it said, I would actually gain, and quickly at that. If a person is younger, taller, male, etc, then they can almost always eat more than 1200 and lose just fine.

successgal1

1200 calories for me is not easily sustainable. I'm guessing not for you either. Eating 900 calories one day is probably why you're so hungry the next. Eat food that gives you the most nutrition for the calories, have treats when you exercise. I lose about a pound a week with limited exercise and a 1300-1400 calorie day. I lost weigh faster at 1200 plus exercise calories, but thats not a realistic way for me to exercise, eat, not be hungry, and avoid binging.

FunSkittles

The hungry days are rare. I thankfully have never been much of a binger. When I say I 'could' eat everything in sight, I should have clarified that I don't. And when I do have the hungry days, I thankfully choose more healthy options over chips etc. I don't have a sweet tooth so don't eat candy or chocolate (may have a chocolate bar 2-3 times per year). My treats will always be in the form of chips, sushi, or beer. I do have wine now and then, but allow for that in my calorie goals...

acheben

1200 calories didn't work for me because I ended up eating over my limit, often by a lot. I switched to 1520 (0.5lb/week for me) with eating back 50-75% of my exercise calories and I saw a lot of improvement in my eating and work outs. I've successfully lost 38lbs and made it to my goal weight.

cwolfman13

Your rate of loss is going to depend on what your maintenance level of calories is. Generally speaking 1200 calories is the most aggressive default when someone claims "sedentary" and a goal of 2 Lbs per week...which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a very aggressive weight loss goal...it is 1,000 calories below your maintenance calories every single day.

The whole idea of eating more isn't that you're going to lose faster...it's about dietary adherence...it's a tortoise and the hare kind of thing. I have a buddy who started this little safari with me about 2.5 years ago...he's hell bent on being as aggressive as possible and trying to lose weight as quickly as possible...ironically he's pretty much yo-yo'd the same 15ish pounds for the past 2.5 years...meantime, I elected a less aggressive goal and "slower" weight loss...but in that same time-frame I'm down 40 Lbs and have maintained my weight loss for about 20 months.

Why? Dietary adherence and consistency. He does great for a handful of weeks and even a couple of months...and then he goes off the rails whereas I set myself up for about a 500 calorie per day deficit when I was losing...that's pretty easy, basically cut out a couple of snacks...it was easy to stick to and I lost weight steadily and consistently. He still doesn't get it though...some people never do.

RBXChas

If your BMR is 1350-1400, then that's the amount of calories your body needs just to function, say, if you were in a coma. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is what you would need to eat to maintain your weight, and it takes into account your activity (regular daily activity, like walking around your office, as well as exercise). You can take TDEE and subtract a percentage (as long as any result is above your BMR) and use that as your daily goal. Because many of us have days when we are ravenous and days when we would be ok with skipping a meal, you may want to multiply your daily goal by 7 and make that a weekly goal instead. That way you have some days that you can be low while others you eat more, and you'll still be within your weekly calorie goal.

This post should be helpful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

successgal1

RBXChas wrote: »

If your BMR is 1350-1400, then that's the amount of calories your body needs just to function, say, if you were in a coma. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is what you would need to eat to maintain your weight, and it takes into account your activity (regular daily activity, like walking around your office, as well as exercise). You can take TDEE and subtract a percentage (as long as any result is above your BMR) and use that as your daily goal. Because many of us have days when we are ravenous and days when we would be ok with skipping a meal, you may want to multiply your daily goal by 7 and make that a weekly goal instead. That way you have some days that you can be low while others you eat more, and you'll still be within your weekly calorie goal.

This post should be helpful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

I second the "calculate by week" notion. It allows me to go out and have that burger/fries and too much beer once in awhile, while still losing weight over the long term. With the added note to not do that the night before your normal weigh in, lol. My normal weigh in is Tuesday, that allows any weekend fun/sodium to get washed out before weigh in.

FunSkittles

RBXChas wrote: »

Because many of us have days when we are ravenous and days when we would be ok with skipping a meal, you may want to multiply your daily goal by 7 and make that a weekly goal instead. That way you have some days that you can be low while others you eat more, and you'll still be within your weekly calorie goal.

This is my theory of not tracking on the weekends and eating a bit lower during the week. I guess at this point I should start being more accountable. This follows more the WW method, which I used to follow - the 'bonus' points that you could eat a bit each day, or save for a splurge day...

So with that if I do 1400x7=9800 per week. Is there a danger of eating around 1000 per day week days if I know I'm going to be eating more on the weekends? And not eating junk all weekend, I'll have a bigger breakfast with eggs and potatoes, more snacks, that kind of stuff. And yes, likely have some chips for movie night with my kids and drinks...

lemurcat12

FunSkittles wrote: »

So, with all that... my questions to you are when should one eat 1200 calories vs. eating more? Without exercise, and a sedentary job I'm unsure what my calorie intake should be considering all the stuff I read says my BMR is 1350 -1400. I have days where 900 calories fills me up, but then other days where I could eat everything in sight. I try to listen to these cues and eat more on 'hungry' days and eat less on 'non hungry' days.

When I first started MFP I was over 200 and still pretty sedentary, although I was working on getting more active. Since I'm 5'3, that was firmly in the obese camp. I chose to eat at 1250 (well, I learned that what I was eating before starting MFP was below 1200 and increased it to a goal of 1250) and slowly started to eat back Fitbit adjustments and exercise calories. I lost pretty rapidly (2+ lbs/week) even though MFP said I'd lose 1.5 lbs/week. I see lots of people insisting that if you are quite heavy it's too much to cut calories so low, but I disagree (for me) and think it was the right thing to do. Fat doesn't add much to metabolic rate, and underneath all the fat I was a reasonably small person and satisfied on 1250, when not being active (or even when just mildly active or walking a bunch).

Fast forward to getting to the healthy weight range (where you are). Despite starting low I have consistently kicked up my average calories as I've lost, since losing and getting into better shape resulted in me getting a lot more active (one of my goals). Also, when I was in the healthy range (140 or under for me) I decided it did not make sense to aim for more than 1 lb/week at most, as more would be a pretty big deficit given the TDEE of even a moderately active person of my age and size. So I moved my calories up to 1650 based on the TDEE method (including exercise in goal rather than eating back calories) and since then have kept my calories between 1600 and 1700.

Now I'm at 125ish and am pretty active but not as active as I was before it was winter (sigh) and have a sedentary job and am eating 1650 with a plan to move it up to 1700. When I exercise more I still can lose 1 lb/week, when I exercise less it's more like .5 lb/week if I stick to my calories, which is fine since I want to ease into maintenance and mostly just work on increasing fitness and not losing muscle mass.

Being close to my goal I'd really not want to eat close to 1200, and I guess that's my advice to you, even though I did at one time. I don't think it helps with finding a sustainable way to eat and I really do fear losing muscle mass which would be counterproductive--my goal is more body fat related than scale related. Losing, say, 15 lbs, or the 5 I currently am planning to lose without changing my body fat percentage appreciably would be obviously pointless.

RBXChas

FunSkittles wrote: »

RBXChas wrote: »

Because many of us have days when we are ravenous and days when we would be ok with skipping a meal, you may want to multiply your daily goal by 7 and make that a weekly goal instead. That way you have some days that you can be low while others you eat more, and you'll still be within your weekly calorie goal.

This is my theory of not tracking on the weekends and eating a bit lower during the week. I guess at this point I should start being more accountable. This follows more the WW method, which I used to follow - the 'bonus' points that you could eat a bit each day, or save for a splurge day...

So with that if I do 1400x7=9800 per week. Is there a danger of eating around 1000 per day week days if I know I'm going to be eating more on the weekends? And not eating junk all weekend, I'll have a bigger breakfast with eggs and potatoes, more snacks, that kind of stuff. And yes, likely have some chips for movie night with my kids and drinks...

If it keeps you on track, then I can't imagine why it would be an issue. In my non-expert opinion, a week's time is short-term enough that I doubt you'd do any damage eating lower for 5 days and higher on the weekends. Lots of people "calorie cycle," meaning that, as an example, they'll eat 1000 calories one day and 2000 the next, averaging 1500/day. You'd just be doing it in a different pattern than day on/day off. (Anyone with an actual knowledge of the health benefits/risks of this, please feel free to chime in!)

Lots of people here, myself included, have things like chips and beer and other "bad foods" and still lose weight. As long as what you're eating keeps you within your larger goal (or at least below your TDEE), you should still continue to lose weight. Just don't expect to live and die by the scale on Monday morning because it is almost certain to disappoint. Maybe do a weekly weigh-in, say, on Wednesday or Friday - just not right after the weekend - to keep your motivation

ETA signing out because I have to go pick up my kids at school. I wish you all the best!

FatFreeFrolicking

A person should eat 1200 calories if that is what it takes for them to lose weight. Some individuals won't be in a calorie deficit unless they eat 1200 calories.

themommie

For me eating between 1200-1350 works I dont eat back exercise cals I lost 115lbs doing this and have kept it off for over a yr if I eat more then 1450 cals I start gaining but I have alot of health issues and I am 51 so find what works for you

Seacgo

The answer varies depending on your age, height, gender and muscle mass. Ex. I'm 6ft tall, with a desk job but I workout high intensity 6 days a week for about an hour. I lift and have a fair amount of muscle mass. I need to eat about 2000 calories to maintain my current state. To create a safe deficit I could decrease to 1800. Find where you should be here: http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

Francl27

FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »

A person should eat 1200 calories if that is what it takes for them to lose weight. Some individuals won't be in a calorie deficit unless they eat 1200 calories.

A 55yo female who is sedentary, 5' and 100 pounds will lose half a pound a week at 1200 calories . So pretty much anyone who is older/heavier/more active should probably eat more than that if they want to lose weight the healthy way.

But yes, it's about weekly average, so heck eating 1200 all week and 2500 on week ends is probably totally fine.

skriekle

When I first joined MFP I had just had my first baby. I ate for 1200Kcal totals, worked out a few times a week and lost the weight within a few months of starting. Thats where my problem started, I should have gradually gone back up to my maintenence, but I stayed between 1200 and 1500 kcal per day. After my second baby (which was not even a full year after I lost all the weight!), I could NOT shake the weight. I saw a personal trainer, and began training 5 days a week at the gym. Training hard. After a year of zero progress and listening to the old adage of "eat less, exercise more" I actually began to GAIN weight, rather than lose it. So I did some research, and spoke with some of the athletes at my gym about what/how they eat. What I found out was that I was starving my body, causing it to basically shut off my metabolism and to focus the burn on the lean muscle mass I was trying so hard to build, but store that fat I was working so hard to try and burn. Your body will do this when in starvation mode to preserve energy, since lean mass burns far more calories than fat. I spent a few months simply trying to undo that damage by scaling back my workouts to 1 or 2 mild workouts per week and slowly upping my caloric intake while playing with the ratios of carbs/protiens/fats to try and get my metabolism burning like it should. Through this process I discovered that I can consistently eat roughly 2500kcal per day without gaining weight. I added back my training in January, and have set my MFP goal at 2000Kcal. MFP is certain I will gain 1lb per week, but thus far I have lost 10lbs. Take the time to find out exactly what you can consume to maintain your weight, and create a deficit based on that.

roxielu0422

You need at least 1200 just to breathe and live.

paotoa

If I only 1200 I go to bed ravenous. If I eat 1800 and burn 600, I go to bed ravenous. Im in the process of sorting out what works best, my body needs more fuel than 1200. I would like to be able to set the calorie limit on MFP myself. Does anyone know how to manually do this? As far as I know it is automatically set to 1200 or 1250.

Ellaskat

I eat 1200 a day; If I get hungry, I have a high protein snack - I just shoveled snow for 2 hours so I had a hard boiled egg, a clementine and a lot of water.

Also, a lot of times people are thirsty, when they think they are hungry.... or are stressed, and do stress eating.... or are really off on their nutrient amounts - carb vs fat vs protein.

I rarely feel hungry - but when I do, I eat a snack. I'm cool with having 1-2 days a week where I'm up to 300 cal over recommendation. It seems to work for me. This time around I've lost 6 pounds in the last 3 weeks (and I only had 18 to lose)

rosebette

I'm in the same boat as you, OP. I have a shoulder injury I'm recovering from, and I'm not far from my goal weight. Because I am over 50 and petite (5'1.5"), I tend to eat around 1200 if I don't exercise, more like 1300-1500 if I do. I usually have one cheat day on the week-end, but I don't eat VLCD the rest of the week just to make up. I can't go below 1000 or I feel awful. I'm not as sedentary as you are because I teach on a large campus and can log around 6000 steps a day just walking on campus, and of course, I'm standing or walking around the room when I teach. However, I cut back on my eating since the shoulder injury because I can't do intense strength or circuit workouts, and I can't eat what I used to and not gain without some substantial exercise. It would be interesting to know your stats -- age, weight, and height. That would make a big difference as far as calorie goals.