1200 calories

1590874st
1590874st Posts: 5 Member
edited November 27 in Food and Nutrition
I've been doing 1200 calories for 3 weeks. In the first week I lost one kilo, in the second and 3rd week, I upped the exercise and have lost nothing. There are so many different calorie calculators on the web and when I put in my stats, I get different daily calorie intakes ranging from 1300 - 1700 calories per day. I don't feel particularly hungry but I often feel light headed, moody and tired since starting so wondering if 1200 calories isn't enough? I am too scared to up the calories in case I put on weight! What should I do?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    1590874st wrote: »
    I've been doing 1200 calories for 3 weeks. In the first week I lost one kilo, in the second and 3rd week, I upped the exercise and have lost nothing. There are so many different calorie calculators on the web and when I put in my stats, I get different daily calorie intakes ranging from 1300 - 1700 calories per day. I don't feel particularly hungry but I often feel light headed, moody and tired since starting so wondering if 1200 calories isn't enough? I am too scared to up the calories in case I put on weight! What should I do?

    what are your stats? you probably don't need to eat so little to be able to lose weight.

    are you eating back exercise cals?
  • 1590874st
    1590874st Posts: 5 Member
    45 years old. 67 kgs. 163cms. And yes, I do eat back exercise calories. My husband says if it's not working, cut more calories. I'm not sure what to do??
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    1590874st wrote: »
    45 years old. 67 kgs. 163cms. And yes, I do eat back exercise calories. My husband says if it's not working, cut more calories. I'm not sure what to do??

    3 weeks isn't long enough to say it isn't working, plus you have lost a kilo in 3 weeks, so it is working.

    how much are you trying to lose?
  • 1590874st
    1590874st Posts: 5 Member
    I want to lose at least 6kgs. Losing one kilo after the first week was great but not losing anything in the last 2 weeks is disappointing and has worried me that I'm not doing something right. I guess I'll just keep going with 1200 calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    1590874st wrote: »
    I want to lose at least 6kgs. Losing one kilo after the first week was great but not losing anything in the last 2 weeks is disappointing and has worried me that I'm not doing something right. I guess I'll just keep going with 1200 calories.

    weight loss isn't linear... you wont necessarily lose every week. doesn't mean it isn't 'working'.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    edited June 2018
    TheMrWobbly wrote: »
    Cutting calories deprives the body of energy which causes it to use stored energy hence losing weight. Adding exercise is depriving your body of more energy which your body sees as starvation. This is the advice from Livestrong.com - "Starvation can create a number of negative effects such as a sluggish metabolism or a slower fat-burning process. When the body is starved of energy, it begins storing everything that is consumed. If your goal is to lose weight, you may experience a serious plateau as your body begins holding onto every calorie consumed"
    Depriving your body of energy automatically makes you tired and exercise increases that tiredness. Make sure you get more sleep/rest to compensate. I used to get by on 4-5 hours sleep and 3 lattes a day. Now I sleep 6-7 hours, 1 latte, far less headaches.

    Starvation mode as you describe it is not a real thing, people who have eaten at a calorie deficit for a couple of weeks are not going to experience Adapative Thermogenesis. See this link here for a pretty well explained guide https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    OP - 1kg in 3 weeks is a fine rate of loss for your stats, you are literally just outside of a healthy weight range, weight loss is going to be slow, without exercise you're maybe creating a calorie deficit of around 0.25kg per week with your calorie allowance if your accuracy is spot on.

    Just keep at it and trust the process, if you are really concerned, review your logging accuracy, there are some great tips in the Getting Started and General Diet Most Helpful posts.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    your weight loss rate is fine. the less you have to lose the harder it is.
    are you weighing your food and logging everything? the less you have to lose the more important it is.
    you need to eat some of your exercise calories back. otherwise, you are in an excessive deficit that can lead to hair loss, dizziness, tired.
    read the stickies at the top of the forums
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    You are showing symptoms of excessive calorie deprivation - really worrisome ones: Light-headed, moody, tired.

    You've lost a kilo. You upped your exercise, which tends to cause water weight retention temporarily (affects the weight on the scale, masks ongoing fat loss).

    At only a small amount of weight to lose, you shouldn't be losing much more than about 1/4 kilo (-ish) per week, or you're into territory where you could lose unnecessarily much lean tissue (like muscle) alongside fat loss.

    At 45, if you're still pre-menopausal (or peri), you should expect to have cycle-related water weight fluctuations that could be up to a kilo or more, and this would also mask fat loss. (The gain happens at different points in the cycle for different women).

    It sounds like you're exercising a lot (compared to previously), eating little, and not eating anything extra to fuel the added exercise. You're obviously fussed about the lack of loss. All of these are stressors, physical or emotional. Stress also can increase water weight retention.

    Consider that when you're tired, your workouts are less energetic (don't burn as many calories as they could) and you tend to drag through daily life (don't burn as many calories as you usually would at normal energy level). Both of these sap effectiveness from your weight loss effort.

    I'm about your height, and older, plus about 15 pounds lighter. I'd lose like a house afire on 1200 with exercise on top of it . . . until I collapsed from fatigue, weakness and ill health. I admit, I'm a good li'l ol' calorie burner, but I'm pretty sure you can afford to eat more, and still lose weight at a slow, sensible rate . . . and feel decent while you do it. Stick with a routine for 4-6 weeks (the latter if you're not fully in menopause), then evaluate your average weekly loss, before adjusting.

    BTW: One of the reasons you get different calorie estimates from different "calculators" is that they use different methods.

    MFP, in particular, estimates your calories with a calorie deficit built in (based on the weight loss target rate you put in your profile) but without including your exercise calories (if you followed the set-up instructions). MFP expects you to log and eat back your exercise calories. MFP has a "NEAT" (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator.

    Many other calculators estimate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which is NEAT + exercise. They don't expect you to eat back exercise calories on top of the weight-loss target calories.

    Any of these calculators are just estimates, based on a small number of inputs. Actual humans vary. That's why you adopt a routine, try it for 4-6 weeks, then assess.

    Best wishes! :)



  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    What rate of weight loss did you select as your goal? For a relatively small amount like this, set it at 0.5 pounds per week. This may give you a higher calorie allowance.

    In addition, if you just started a new exercise routine, it’s very common to see water retention. That’s likely part of what’s happening to you.

    If you’re lightheaded, you aren’t eating properly to fuel your activity. You absolutely do not need to eat less than 1200 net calories.
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