Semi-new, netting 1200 calories.
PoisonIvy088
Posts: 107
Hi everyone. I'm new here.
Well, sort of.
I've been a bit of lurker for a week or two.
I'm 22, female, 5'2 and currently 130lb. My goal is to get down to 121lb, and then I'm going to start my first ever bulk. I usually sit on my butt all day in front of my desk outside of the 1 hour I spend in the gym every morning.
I've gotten a lot of tips and stuff here, but I see that many are quite apprehensive of 1200 calories. I notice that I eat that much (not intentionally, but that's what I net, mostly because I eat 3 home cooked meals each day and I don't care for snacks.) If I actually ate snacks that would push me up to my goal of 1370.
But I'm not hungry enough. I also hit all my macros on 1200, including 120 grams of protein a day and lots of fibre. My macros are set to 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat.
I have one day a week where I eat at maintenance just, well, because I want to. And so I can fit in a treat if I want it.
Do I have to eat more if I'm still hitting all my macros and satisfied by my meals? (They're huge plates of food, because they are homecooked and pretty much all lower calorie than packaged or restaurant food)
Well, sort of.
I've been a bit of lurker for a week or two.
I'm 22, female, 5'2 and currently 130lb. My goal is to get down to 121lb, and then I'm going to start my first ever bulk. I usually sit on my butt all day in front of my desk outside of the 1 hour I spend in the gym every morning.
I've gotten a lot of tips and stuff here, but I see that many are quite apprehensive of 1200 calories. I notice that I eat that much (not intentionally, but that's what I net, mostly because I eat 3 home cooked meals each day and I don't care for snacks.) If I actually ate snacks that would push me up to my goal of 1370.
But I'm not hungry enough. I also hit all my macros on 1200, including 120 grams of protein a day and lots of fibre. My macros are set to 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat.
I have one day a week where I eat at maintenance just, well, because I want to. And so I can fit in a treat if I want it.
Do I have to eat more if I'm still hitting all my macros and satisfied by my meals? (They're huge plates of food, because they are homecooked and pretty much all lower calorie than packaged or restaurant food)
0
Replies
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You're fairly small and light, but since you're only 22 years old, your metabolism is naturally going to be somewhat higher than it would for an older woman of the same height and weight.
I'd say, you may well want to eat more than 1200 calories since that sounds pretty aggressive with only 9lbs to lose. But if you're getting all your nutrition in and you don't feel hungry, it's not dangerously low or anything.
Just make sure you eat back exercise calories on top of that. And track calcium -- your bone density is still increasing until your late 20s, and getting lots of calcium together with vitamin D (e.g. from milk) is a really good way to prevent osteoporosis later in life.
BTW, if you're eating at maintenance 1 day per week, average those extra calories out by dividing them by 7. What's your new net calorie goal? That's more than 1200 right? That's okay if you want to do it that way. Just bear in mind that you should be looking at average net calories to get a sense of what your expected deficit is.
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You can't eat more than 1200 cals but one day a week you eat at maintenance?0
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You're fairly small and light, but since you're only 22 years old, your metabolism is naturally going to be somewhat higher than it would for an older woman of the same height and weight.
I'd say, you may well want to eat more than 1200 calories since that sounds pretty aggressive with only 9lbs to lose. But if you're getting all your nutrition in and you don't feel hungry, it's not dangerously low or anything.
Just make sure you eat back exercise calories on top of that. And track calcium -- your bone density is still increasing until your late 20s, and getting lots of calcium together with vitamin D (e.g. from milk) is a really good way to prevent osteoporosis later in life.
BTW, if you're eating at maintenance 1 day per week, average those extra calories out by dividing them by 7. What's your new net calorie goal? That's more than 1200 right? That's okay if you want to do it that way. Just bear in mind that you should be looking at average net calories to get a sense of what your expected deficit is.You're fairly small and light, but since you're only 22 years old, your metabolism is naturally going to be somewhat higher than it would for an older woman of the same height and weight.
I'd say, you may well want to eat more than 1200 calories since that sounds pretty aggressive with only 9lbs to lose. But if you're getting all your nutrition in and you don't feel hungry, it's not dangerously low or anything.
Just make sure you eat back exercise calories on top of that. And track calcium -- your bone density is still increasing until your late 20s, and getting lots of calcium together with vitamin D (e.g. from milk) is a really good way to prevent osteoporosis later in life.
BTW, if you're eating at maintenance 1 day per week, average those extra calories out by dividing them by 7. What's your new net calorie goal? That's more than 1200 right? That's okay if you want to do it that way. Just bear in mind that you should be looking at average net calories to get a sense of what your expected deficit is.
Hi there. Ýes if I work in the maintenance day new net is about 1250. I'm only losing 1 pound a week eating this way so its not that much. And yes I do get a lot of calcium. A lot of my protein comes from dairy products, so calcium is a bonus.
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TavistockToad wrote: »You can't eat more than 1200 cals but one day a week you eat at maintenance?
She's saying she doesn't snack during the week but has treats one day a week (presumably on a weekend, maybe going out for some drinks or something?) That's okay, lots of people do that. I don't see anything wrong with that.
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TavistockToad wrote: »You can't eat more than 1200 cals but one day a week you eat at maintenance?
Sundays I have an extra meal. Dessert.
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PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Hi there. Ýes if I work in the maintenance day new net is about 1250. I'm only losing 1 pound a week eating this way so its not that much. And yes I do get a lot of calcium. A lot of my protein comes from dairy products, so calcium is a bonus.
1 pound a week with only 9 pounds to lose is very aggressive. You could probably up your calories by a couple hundred each day and still lose at a good pace for your body.
Having said that, it does sound like you're okay with what you're doing, as long as you're comfortable and can see yourself sticking to it without feeling deprived.
Besides, no matter how careful and accurate we think we're being, most of us can't be 100% accurate when we log. You might well be eating more like 1300 or 1400 just due to logging inaccuracies -- which is fine, too, 'cause you'll still lose weight at that level.0 -
In order to bulk you will have to eat more than maintenance. to lose 1200 net at your size suffice, as long as you are also getting your micros (vitamins and minerals) 1200 cals does not really give you any wiggle room in your diet and still be able to hit macros and micros.0
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You only 'have' to eat more if you want to put on weight and you're not putting on weight. You do have to eat a calorie surplus to build muscle. Add a small shake with some oats, whey and peanut butter at some point during the day. Even a half scoop of O&W with a tablespoon of PB could add 250+kcals (depending on what types etc).0
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I've also started eating less bready things since starting to lose weight, which also shaved off some calories. In fact that's all I changed about my diet. Not because bread is bad, just because I eat it because I like it. It doesn't actually fill me up.0
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You only 'have' to eat more if you want to put on weight and you're not putting on weight. You do have to eat a calorie surplus to build muscle. Add a small shake with some oats, whey and peanut butter at some point during the day. Even a half scoop of O&W with a tablespoon of PB could add 250+kcals (depending on what types etc).
Yeah I know. But I'm not bulking yet. My trainer said I need to lose these few pounds before we can do that. thanks for the tips anyway. 0 -
Sounds like you've got a fairly healthy approach from what you've said. Keep on keepin' on.0
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You might find that those few extra calories makes a difference in your training. You don't specify what kind of training you are doing but since you mention "bulking" then I assume heavy lifting is involved. So for that reason I would eat the maximum amount that you can.0
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You might find that those few extra calories makes a difference in your training. You don't specify what kind of training you are doing but since you mention "bulking" then I assume heavy lifting is involved. So for that reason I would eat the maximum amount that you can.
Yes lifting 3 times a week. I don't seem to struggle though, at least my trainer hasn't said that I am. I seem to be performing up to expectations. Like I said I still hit all my macros and stuff.
I'm not bulking yet though. I suppose this is a small "cut".
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I've never been terribly overweight actually, maybe 1 or 2 kilos over the holiday, which I lose quickly by just cutting out bread most of the time for a little while. This is my first time counting calories. First time losing more that 2 kilos.
My trainer suggested that I count calories. Not sure why, perhaps for the bulking bit?0 -
I've never been terribly overweight actually, maybe 1 or 2 kilos over the holiday, which I lose quickly by just cutting out bread most of the time for a little while. This is my first time counting calories. First time losing more that 2 kilos.
My trainer suggested that I count calories. Not sure why, perhaps for the bulking bit?0 -
Sorry double post by accident. I wanted to add that I've never really been bothered by my weight in my life.0
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Well then, don't obsess in that case.
Most trainers are okay with the exercise part but pretty crap at the nutrition part. At least yours is suggesting a relatively healthy method (counting calories) as opposed to a fad diet or a bunch of supplements that he's trying to sell you. So I suppose there's that.0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Hi everyone. I'm new here.
Well, sort of.
I've been a bit of lurker for a week or two.
I'm 22, female, 5'2 and currently 130lb. My goal is to get down to 121lb, and then I'm going to start my first ever bulk. I usually sit on my butt all day in front of my desk outside of the 1 hour I spend in the gym every morning.
I've gotten a lot of tips and stuff here, but I see that many are quite apprehensive of 1200 calories. I notice that I eat that much (not intentionally, but that's what I net, mostly because I eat 3 home cooked meals each day and I don't care for snacks.) If I actually ate snacks that would push me up to my goal of 1370.
But I'm not hungry enough. I also hit all my macros on 1200, including 120 grams of protein a day and lots of fibre. My macros are set to 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat.
I have one day a week where I eat at maintenance just, well, because I want to. And so I can fit in a treat if I want it.
Do I have to eat more if I'm still hitting all my macros and satisfied by my meals? (They're huge plates of food, because they are homecooked and pretty much all lower calorie than packaged or restaurant food)
If by bulk, you are aiming to gain muscle, then yes, you need to be in a surplus. I just punched in your numbers; your BMR is ~1400 calories, and your daily calorie needs are roughly ~2000 calories (I have a similar desk job, considered to be the "lightly active" category, so that is what I used to calculate daily needs).
If you are only eating 1200 calories per day, basically what you are saying is you aren't even supplying your body with enough calories to meet base functions, let alone build muscle. If you are trying to drop weight, the most I would restrict your calories per week from your maintenance level is 500 (so eat at 1500 calories), otherwise you are going to run into the issues that come with body stress response from extreme calorie deficits (such as increased cortisol production. Cortisol is the enemy of fitness plans everwhere).
If you want to bulk, it is commonly accepted that you need to be in a calorie surplus to the tune of about 300+ calories over maintenance. Your calorie goals are a moving target, so you will have to periodically adjust them every few months as you gain/lose weight.
As far as not eating enough, two words: PEANUT. BUTTER.
And I would definitely make sure you are weighing your food OP. I know you said your meals are homecooked, and "eyeballing" is tempting but misleading when it comes to counting calories for homecooked stuff. You may be eating way more or way less than you think.0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Hi everyone. I'm new here.
Well, sort of.
I've been a bit of lurker for a week or two.
I'm 22, female, 5'2 and currently 130lb. My goal is to get down to 121lb, and then I'm going to start my first ever bulk. I usually sit on my butt all day in front of my desk outside of the 1 hour I spend in the gym every morning.
I've gotten a lot of tips and stuff here, but I see that many are quite apprehensive of 1200 calories. I notice that I eat that much (not intentionally, but that's what I net, mostly because I eat 3 home cooked meals each day and I don't care for snacks.) If I actually ate snacks that would push me up to my goal of 1370.
But I'm not hungry enough. I also hit all my macros on 1200, including 120 grams of protein a day and lots of fibre. My macros are set to 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat.
I have one day a week where I eat at maintenance just, well, because I want to. And so I can fit in a treat if I want it.
Do I have to eat more if I'm still hitting all my macros and satisfied by my meals? (They're huge plates of food, because they are homecooked and pretty much all lower calorie than packaged or restaurant food)
If by bulk, you are aiming to gain muscle, then yes, you need to be in a surplus. I just punched in your numbers; your BMR is ~1400 calories, and your daily calorie needs are roughly ~2000 calories (I have a similar desk job, considered to be the "lightly active" category, so that is what I used to calculate daily needs).
If you are only eating 1200 calories per day, basically what you are saying is you aren't even supplying your body with enough calories to meet base functions, let alone build muscle. If you are trying to drop weight, the most I would restrict your calories per week from your maintenance level is 500 (so eat at 1500 calories), otherwise you are going to run into the issues that come with body stress response from extreme calorie deficits (such as increased cortisol production. Cortisol is the enemy of fitness plans everwhere).
If you want to bulk, it is commonly accepted that you need to be in a calorie surplus to the tune of about 300 calories over maintenance. Your calorie goals are a moving target, so you will have to periodically adjust them every few months as you gain/lose weight.
As far as not eating enough, two words: PEANUT. BUTTER.
And I would definitely make sure you are weighing your food OP. I know you said your meals are homecooked, and "eyeballing" is tempting but misleading when it comes to counting calories for homecooked stuff. You may be eating way more or way less than you think.
If that's true then why am I only losing 1 pound a week? I definately DO NOT eat 2000 calories a day. And I've been maintaining my weight for years. I logged a few days at maintenance, everything I ate normally without logging. And it was between 1600-1700 calories. (1700 if I exercise)0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »If that's true then why am I only losing 1 pound a week? I definately DO NOT eat 2000 calories a day. And I've been maintaining my weight for years. I logged a few days at maintenance, everything I ate normally without logging. And it was between 1600-1700 calories. (1700 if I exercise)
It's possible your maintenance is around 1600-1700. It's also possible that it's truly higher, but due to logging inaccuracy you're actually eating more calories than you think you are. Before you jump in and say that's impossible, read this thread.
In any case, 1lb/week is actually really aggressive/fast for someone like you who is already at a healthy weight and only has <10lbs to lose. 0.5lbs/week is probably a more appropriate pace for your goals.0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »If that's true then why am I only losing 1 pound a week? I definately DO NOT eat 2000 calories a day. And I've been maintaining my weight for years. I logged a few days at maintenance, everything I ate normally without logging. And it was between 1600-1700 calories. (1700 if I exercise)
It's possible your maintenance is around 1600-1700. It's also possible that it's truly higher, but due to logging inaccuracy you're actually eating more calories than you think you are. Before you jump in and say that's impossible, read this thread.
Thanks for the sticky reminder. I did read them all.
However, you should also consider this: MFP set my goal to 1370 when I stated I wanted to lose 1 pound a week. I am eating 1200 about, which is only 170 calories less than that goal, and losing, as MFP predicted, 1 pound a week. So I don't think my logging is too bad.
In any case, 1lb/week is actually really aggressive/fast for someone like you who is already at a healthy weight and only has <10lbs to lose. 0.5lbs/week is probably a more appropriate pace for your goals.PoisonIvy088 wrote: »If that's true then why am I only losing 1 pound a week? I definately DO NOT eat 2000 calories a day. And I've been maintaining my weight for years. I logged a few days at maintenance, everything I ate normally without logging. And it was between 1600-1700 calories. (1700 if I exercise)
It's possible your maintenance is around 1600-1700. It's also possible that it's truly higher, but due to logging inaccuracy you're actually eating more calories than you think you are. Before you jump in and say that's impossible, read this thread.
In any case, 1lb/week is actually really aggressive/fast for someone like you who is already at a healthy weight and only has <10lbs to lose. 0.5lbs/week is probably a more appropriate pace for your goals.
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Thanks for the sticky reminder. I did read them all.
However, you should also consider this: MFP set my goal to 1370 when I stated I wanted to lose 1 pound a week. I am eating 1200 about, which is only 170 calories less than that goal, and losing, as MFP predicted, 1 pound a week. So I don't think my logging is too bad.0 -
Sigh. I hate typÍng on a phone. Sorry for all the weird double posts and stuff.0
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S'k, the phone app isn't great.
And yeah, no calculator on earth is going to be more accurate than actual real-world results. Just, check your trend over time. If you've only been doing this a couple of weeks, you might not see the long term trend yet because of fluctuations, water retention from training, etc.0 -
S'k, the phone app isn't great.
And yeah, no calculator on earth is going to be more accurate than actual real-world results. Just, check your trend over time. If you've only been doing this a couple of weeks, you might not see the long term trend yet because of fluctuations, water retention from training, etc.
Thanks a bunch. 0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Hi everyone. I'm new here.
Well, sort of.
I've been a bit of lurker for a week or two.
I'm 22, female, 5'2 and currently 130lb. My goal is to get down to 121lb, and then I'm going to start my first ever bulk. I usually sit on my butt all day in front of my desk outside of the 1 hour I spend in the gym every morning.
I've gotten a lot of tips and stuff here, but I see that many are quite apprehensive of 1200 calories. I notice that I eat that much (not intentionally, but that's what I net, mostly because I eat 3 home cooked meals each day and I don't care for snacks.) If I actually ate snacks that would push me up to my goal of 1370.
But I'm not hungry enough. I also hit all my macros on 1200, including 120 grams of protein a day and lots of fibre. My macros are set to 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat.
I have one day a week where I eat at maintenance just, well, because I want to. And so I can fit in a treat if I want it.
Do I have to eat more if I'm still hitting all my macros and satisfied by my meals? (They're huge plates of food, because they are homecooked and pretty much all lower calorie than packaged or restaurant food)
If by bulk, you are aiming to gain muscle, then yes, you need to be in a surplus. I just punched in your numbers; your BMR is ~1400 calories, and your daily calorie needs are roughly ~2000 calories (I have a similar desk job, considered to be the "lightly active" category, so that is what I used to calculate daily needs).
If you are only eating 1200 calories per day, basically what you are saying is you aren't even supplying your body with enough calories to meet base functions, let alone build muscle. If you are trying to drop weight, the most I would restrict your calories per week from your maintenance level is 500 (so eat at 1500 calories), otherwise you are going to run into the issues that come with body stress response from extreme calorie deficits (such as increased cortisol production. Cortisol is the enemy of fitness plans everwhere).
If you want to bulk, it is commonly accepted that you need to be in a calorie surplus to the tune of about 300 calories over maintenance. Your calorie goals are a moving target, so you will have to periodically adjust them every few months as you gain/lose weight.
As far as not eating enough, two words: PEANUT. BUTTER.
And I would definitely make sure you are weighing your food OP. I know you said your meals are homecooked, and "eyeballing" is tempting but misleading when it comes to counting calories for homecooked stuff. You may be eating way more or way less than you think.
If that's true then why am I only losing 1 pound a week? I definately DO NOT eat 2000 calories a day. And I've been maintaining my weight for years. I logged a few days at maintenance, everything I ate normally without logging. And it was between 1600-1700 calories. (1700 if I exercise)
Subjective. Logging inaccuracies, calorie need estimation inaccuracies, possible unintended body recomp over the years (from leaner to higher bodyfat, but overall maintaining same weight). Add up enough of those small inaccuracies and they can give you a couple hundred calorie spread of uncertainty. Good measurements are important.
Speaking of, weight by itself it such a bad metric, really. If you want to measure something useful, bodyfat as a function of weight is a better indicator for future recalculations of calorie needs. If you can get a decent fix on your BF%, Katch-Mcardle method estimation is the accepted best fit for people with normal or lean BF%.0 -
If you're going to bulk, yes you will need to eat more than 1200 calories a day.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »If you're going to bulk, yes you will need to eat more than 1200 calories a day.
I know.0 -
PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Thanks for the sticky reminder. I did read them all.
However, you should also consider this: MFP set my goal to 1370 when I stated I wanted to lose 1 pound a week. I am eating 1200 about, which is only 170 calories less than that goal, and losing, as MFP predicted, 1 pound a week. So I don't think my logging is too bad.
Which means it is calculating that you need 1870 for maintenance NOT including any exercise. MFP is not a TDEE calculator. Your TDEE would be higher.
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PoisonIvy088 wrote: »Thanks for the sticky reminder. I did read them all.
However, you should also consider this: MFP set my goal to 1370 when I stated I wanted to lose 1 pound a week. I am eating 1200 about, which is only 170 calories less than that goal, and losing, as MFP predicted, 1 pound a week. So I don't think my logging is too bad.
Which means it is calculating that you need 1870 for maintenance NOT including any exercise. MFP is not a TDEE calculator. Your TDEE would be higher.
Actually MFP calculated my TDEE as 1670. Because I am sedentary. I walk less than 5000 steps a day if I don't exercise.
I also eat back my exercise calories. I only walk for cardio an hour each day, and do weights 3 times a week for an 45min (not counting rest). So my burns are about 140-200 (margin of error included) according to MFP.
So it looks something like this : 1200-200 = 1000 200 = 1200. So technically I eat 1400 calories of food I would still end up at 1200.0
This discussion has been closed.
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