Too MANY calories?!

EmmaOnTrack

Hey there,

Contrary to a number of folks on here I am really struggling to eat my alloted 1200 calories a day.

I've never been a breakfast eater so just have a vitamin drink then, but then a really hearty lunch and big dinner, followed by dessert (I'm a sweet tooth). I do 20-45mins cardio and some weight training 3 or 4 days a week and always find myself in deficit by 200-400 net calories.

Do I HAVE to eat them back? I'm seriously not hungry and can't see the point of having a calorie high snack if I don't feel like it.

Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

maQmIgh

Hiya,

I was in exactly the same boat as you when I started on here last month.... ill bump my original question back into the limelight so you can see the advice i received..

the advice has really worked well for me.

The post was called: Struggling to eat the calories

Good Luck, and I hope you find something that works

EmmaOnTrack

Hiya,

I was in exactly the same boat as you when I started on here last month.... ill bump my original question back into the limelight so you can see the advice i received..

the advice has really worked well for me.

The post was called: Struggling to eat the calories

Good Luck, and I hope you find something that works

Thanks for the bump!

SkeletonWishes

Hey there,

Contrary to a number of folks on here I am really struggling to eat my alloted 1200 calories a day.

I've never been a breakfast eater so just have a vitamin drink then, but then a really hearty lunch and big dinner, followed by dessert (I'm a sweet tooth). I do 20-45mins cardio and some weight training 3 or 4 days a week and always find myself in deficit by 200-400 net calories.

Do I HAVE to eat them back? I'm seriously not hungry and can't see the point of having a calorie high snack if I don't feel like it.

Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

no you do not have to eat them back! some actually advise against doing so, you'll also lose faster if you dont eat back the entire amount. sometimes ill eat a tiny bit of it back but i try never to.

3foldchord

replace some of your low cal foods with more dense foods. add olive oil when cooking, a handful of almonds, some cheese....
avoid foods labeled "diet".

AJ_G

Eat calorie dense foods, cheese, peanut butter, etc

courtneymal17

As much as I hate breakfast, I try to eat something every day...even if it's just a breakfast type protein bar, or (my favorite) a smoothie. Also if you're way under try calorie dense good for you foods like avocados, nuts, etc.

And as far as eating exercise calories back, I usually eat some but not all...I just follow how hungry I am...if I'm having one of those days where you can't eat enough, I'll usually use every bit of them, if I'm just not hungry that day I won't eat many (if any)...but I definitely try to eat at least 1200 a day.

EmmaOnTrack

Appreciate the advice guys, and after having read the other thread as well I'm going to stock up on my favourite macadamia nuts and give them a good pounding when I'm low on calories!

It's VERY hard to get over the mindset that the smaller the number (of calories) the better though, isn't it?

JenCatwalk

Well, I had this problem to. I wasnt hungry and didnt feel like eating, so why should I? Well because your body NEEDS the fuel. Without it, it can't get all its nutrients, especially with 1200 calories a day. I went from 1200 to 1840, and believe me it was hard at first, feeling stuffed and whatnot. But you have to understand that your body NEEDS its fuel, especially if you're excersising. So in the beginning I had to force the food down my throat. It got better with time. I upped my calorie intake by 70 a week untill I got where I wanted, so my metabolism could keep up. Plus, it feels very nice and freeing to beable to eat a 800 calorie breakfast, and plenty to spare for the rest of the day. Eating this way hasnt hindered my fatloss, infact helped me to lose fat, because the body is no longer wondering when or if its gonna get a decent meal again, so doesnt have to hold on to the extra fat. Eating a BIG breakfast helps, as well as eating high calorie dense food helps alot, like nut butters, cheese, avocados, oil. Just as long as you get it in! Oh, I eat most of my exercise calories back(10 percent deflict because I dont have that much to lose) if that help.

But this mainly implies if youre trying to preserve your muscle while losing fat. Eating 1200 calories isnt enough to support your muscles, so your body eats it up while preserving the fat(resulting in a skinny fat look), so youll use weight either way, but the outcome is very different. This has all been my own experience with weight/fat loss.

SrJoben

How did you become overweight if you can't even eat 1200 a day?

I don't mean to be impertinent but are you really short, and/or very inactive?

This question gets asked fairly frequently and it just doesn't make sense to me how an adult can gain weight on that little.

TheGoktor

I'm absolutely no expert but my feeling is that for me, I got to be overweight by eating when I wasn't hungry (not just in between meals but eating way over what I needed to sate my hunger at mealtimes too), so if I'm eating fewer than 1200 a day but am feeling satisfied, then I don't see that is a bad thing. It doesn't happen often!

Not listening to my body was what got me lardy in the first place, so I absolutely listen to it now! :laugh:

When I first started MFP, I found it difficult to get up to my calorie limit but once I was in the swing of things, it all began to even out. I find it's best not to worry about the numbers, and just view them as a way of record-keeping. For me, the discipline of logging what I eat and drink really helps to maintain my motivation.

Lots of folk will tell you to eat back your exercise cals, and lots will tell you the opposite; when all is said and done, it's your body, your health, and your journey, so you have to do what's right for *you*, not live by someone else's opinion (including mine!).

For the record, I *can* see the sense of both sides of the equation. I use my exercise cals as a buffer, so that when I go out to dinner (which I do a lot - I live in Thailand!), I don't need to only be looking at green salads... but I don't use the extra cals as a reason to eat more when I know my body doesn't need more. I don't eat for the sake of it.

As you get further into this, you may well find that some days you'll be under, some you may go over - as long as your weekly goal isn't one extreme or the other, I suspect you'll be fine. But as I said, once you're used to it, you'll work it out!

Good luck, get to where you want to be, and don't worry what other people might think or say - you're always going to be doing something different to someone else who will very rudely tell you that you're wrong. Fortunately, it seems that most folk here are not like that... but some very definitely are. Just ignore them!

tiffanyplatt1

No, there is no minimum calorie amount that you need to eat, as long as you're getting a decent amount of protein. As a general rule, the more overweight you are, the bigger calorie deficit you can create because your excess fat can provide the energy you need. Anyone who tells you that you're "holding onto" weight because you're not eating enough does not understand the basics of thermodynamics. Take advantage of the times that you don't have a big appetite by creating a large calorie deficit. Believe me, it won't last forever. After dieting for long enough and/or getting too skinny, your body will start producing hormones that make you very hungry to encourage you to go find food. At that point, sticking to your goal calorie level will be a challenge but in the other direction.

EmmaOnTrack

How did you become overweight if you can't even eat 1200 a day?

I don't mean to be impertinent but are you really short, and/or very inactive?

This question gets asked fairly frequently and it just doesn't make sense to me how an adult can gain weight on that little.

Good question. I became overweight (by 10kgs/22lbs) because when I'm NOT using MFP to track my food I am a total fried foods, chocolate and cream-filled-lovely-stuff freak. Now that I'm back to eating a normal diet of mainly whole foods and regularly exercising again I just can't seem to make up the numbers.

Much as I'd LOVE to catch up by devouring the dark chocolate and peanut slab that's been taunting me from the bottom of my handbag for the last week it just doesn't feel right...

EmmaOnTrack

I'm absolutely no expert but my feeling is that for me, I got to be overweight by eating when I wasn't hungry (not just in between meals but eating way over what I needed to sate my hunger at mealtimes too), so if I'm eating fewer than 1200 a day but am feeling satisfied, then I don't see that is a bad thing. It doesn't happen often!

Not listening to my body was what got me lardy in the first place, so I absolutely listen to it now! :laugh:

When I first started MFP, I found it difficult to get up to my calorie limit but once I was in the swing of things, it all began to even out. I find it's best not to worry about the numbers, and just view them as a way of record-keeping. For me, the discipline of logging what I eat and drink really helps to maintain my motivation.

Lots of folk will tell you to eat back your exercise cals, and lots will tell you the opposite; when all is said and done, it's your body, your health, and your journey, so you have to do what's right for *you*, not live by someone else's opinion (including mine!).

For the record, I *can* see the sense of both sides of the equation. I use my exercise cals as a buffer, so that when I go out to dinner (which I do a lot - I live in Thailand!), I don't need to only be looking at green salads... but I don't use the extra cals as a reason to eat more when I know my body doesn't need more. I don't eat for the sake of it.

As you get further into this, you may well find that some days you'll be under, some you may go over - as long as your weekly goal isn't one extreme or the other, I suspect you'll be fine. But as I said, once you're used to it, you'll work it out!

Good luck, get to where you want to be, and don't worry what other people might think or say - you're always going to be doing something different to someone else who will very rudely tell you that you're wrong. Fortunately, it seems that most folk here are not like that... but some very definitely are. Just ignore them!

Fantastic advice. Most appreciated. Also, I'm super jealous of you living in Thailand. I'd go back in a heartbeat...and actually lost weight every time I've been in the past. The heat just made me less hungry, and it seemed to be lovely light and healthy food (comparitively).

poohpoohpeapod

You do not "have" to do anything. I find it amazing people on a weight loss site cannot eat 1200-1400 calories.

EmmaOnTrack

You do not "have" to do anything. I find it amazing people on a weight loss site cannot eat 1200-1400 calories.

As in you find it difficult to believe people struggle not to go over that? To be honest, me too...you can fit an awful lot of food in to 1200 calories! I have done a bit of diary snooping and notice that there is a lot of packaged food being consumed by some, which I've always found to be deeply unsatisfying whilst being calorie-rich.

Home cooking all the way here!

poohpoohpeapod

ok that being said my dinner alone baked chicken 200 calories, sweet potato with a smidgen of butter and a touch of honey 160, broccili with olive oil roasted 120 calories a whole grain slice of bread 100 calories thats 580 right there, not a "ton " of food. Add oliv eoil, avocadoor some nuts. Its all "real" food. If not relegate to 1200 if you just cant eat food.

j6o4

Hey there,

Contrary to a number of folks on here I am really struggling to eat my alloted 1200 calories a day.

I've never been a breakfast eater so just have a vitamin drink then, but then a really hearty lunch and big dinner, followed by dessert (I'm a sweet tooth). I do 20-45mins cardio and some weight training 3 or 4 days a week and always find myself in deficit by 200-400 net calories.

Do I HAVE to eat them back? I'm seriously not hungry and can't see the point of having a calorie high snack if I don't feel like it.

Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

no you do not have to eat them back! some actually advise against doing so, you'll also lose faster if you dont eat back the entire amount. sometimes ill eat a tiny bit of it back but i try never to.

ignore this, do not net under 1200 calories. Undereating will result in a damaged metabolism.

NancyKhuu

Would you mind sharing some days of your diet? I don't think you can fit a whole lot of food in 1200 unless you're eating celery (and I HATE celery). I always have serious stomach growling if I eat less than 1500 and myfitnesspal app sets me at 1200...

jaycbadass

Appreciate the advice guys, and after having read the other thread as well I'm going to stock up on my favourite macadamia nuts and give them a good pounding when I'm low on calories!

It's VERY hard to get over the mindset that the smaller the number (of calories) the better though, isn't it?

I eat 3500-4000 cals a day approx 8 meals. IM 225 with 14% bf. If iwere to go under 3500 id see the scale go down, but my hard earned muscle will disappear. The goal is to drop the fat . not the weight. Its shocking how little people know about proper nutrition.( not saying you).. as for your original question. If youve met your macro's then dont eat anymore.:)

EmmaOnTrack

Ummm...newbie question here, but what are macros please?