Need some help with getting back on track..

mehreen_xo

So during end of 2016 and half of 2017 I lost a huge 50lbs and I was soo happy! I did this by consistently working out and eating only 1200 calories a day which I would weigh and measure everything.

It obviously worked, however I have stopped logging and working out as much for around 4 months now and I’ve put on 14 lbs it’s terrible and I know it’s my own fault but is this because my calories were so low when I was losing?
Of course I must have been eating above maintenance to gain fat (which I deffo have) but surely if I start up again on 1200 calories then when I am done, carry on logging at maintenance calories should be fine rather than letting myself go compeltely? Thank you!!!

malibu927

It's possible you burned out from eating 1200 calories. Maybe go with a smaller deficit?

DebLaBounty

I was on 1200 calories for a few months. Changed my intake to 1400 and still lost weight. Apparently you need to start logging again, but go ahead and try a slower rate of loss. Why not?

Good_Morning_Glory

I completely agree with a slower rate of loss. It’s truly beneficial to not be overly restrictive! Also it really helps when the pieces fall into place and we realize that time will pass anyway, so what’s the hurry.

Blessings to you!

OldHobo

I've started and restarted this thing more often than I care to discuss at the moment. But I have returned knowing that I could lose weight by limiting myself to a given # of calories. I hadn't thrown away my kitchen or bathroom scales. I hadn't lost the familiarity and experience with MFP's database and recipe builder or the USDA database. I remembered the meals that satisfied me and were within the macro targets.

So I wasn't starting over from scratch and neither are you. Just keep logging. If you haven't logged for a while just log today and then, Just keep logging.

HDBKLM

Just as a general 'yes this sounds like wisdom' comment, I agree with everyone above who said try a smaller deficit. An additional thought, though, since you didn't provide your stats (age, height, etc.) it's entirely possible 1200 was an unsustainable at best and dangerous at worst calorie level to try for in the first place. Put your stats into MFP's settings, say you'd like to lose at the rate of 0.5 pounds per week (which is more than reasonable considering you've got just 14 pounds to drop, even if we'd all usually like to lose faster) and go with the calories the system calculator spits out for you, EVEN if it turns out that your calories seem to be nuts, like 2000 or whatever. Trust the process and don't try to game the system.

That said, it's equally possible you're a 4'11" 50-year-old woman, in which case 1200 sounds about right. None of us on this thread have any way of knowing, which is why I say follow what MFP tells you—whatever that might be—as opposed to knee-jerking to what is considered to be the lowest 'medically safe' calories on a broad and general scale.