1200 is not enough!
Replies
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Chelle8070 wrote: »I go to bed any time between 9 and 12 depending on the day and energy levels... or if I've consumed all of my calories and find myself rummaging, I'll just go to bed. LOL
When I do log - I log everything. Peanut butter, butter, soy sauces, wasabi, mustard, etc... everything... but I don't weigh it all. I use measuring cups/spoons. I'll start trying to weigh more often.
Thank you again for everything
This thread has helped me realize some things *I* need to change and somethings I need to tell others *WILL* change 
You might want to give this a read
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p13 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »I go to bed any time between 9 and 12 depending on the day and energy levels... or if I've consumed all of my calories and find myself rummaging, I'll just go to bed. LOL
When I do log - I log everything. Peanut butter, butter, soy sauces, wasabi, mustard, etc... everything... but I don't weigh it all. I use measuring cups/spoons. I'll start trying to weigh more often.
Thank you again for everything This thread has helped me realize some things *I* need to change and somethings I need to tell others *WILL* change
You might want to give this a read
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Exactly.
Take the time to read it. Otherwise you are just sabotaging yourself, OP.3 -
You will lose on 1200 calories a day IF you are logging and weighing and measuring correctly. No, you will not go into starvation mode which is a myth. I was in a similar position. I did not use a food scale...I do now and realize that I was pretty much underestimating how much I was really eating. It was an eye opener. If you really want to know how much you are eating, use a food scale and log everything...I mean everything. It's a pain in the butt but if you really want to know what the deal is...you need to. Good luck. It made a difference for me.
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Chelle8070 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Okay, thanks for opening your FOOD diary.
1. Lots of "one half apple" "1/3 cookie" (who eats one third of a chocolate chip cookie, and well done there
) "1 scoop of protein powder," etc. Start weighing stuff on a digital food scale. You're eating more than you think.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
2. Why are you (for instance) logging 600 calories for exercise, then not eating those calories?
3. Your food logging is not consistent. There are a few days logged, then a few not, etc. It needs consistency.
1. I totally eat 1/3 of a chocolate chip cookie on occasion. That's a real thing LOL. My 1/2 an apple was real too, gave the other half to the chickens. I just wanted it on my salad. I considered the scoop of protein powder a real thing as it's the real numbers and I level off the scoop and everything. I weigh all of my meats and a few other things. If I enter a recipe in MyFitnessPal, I portion it all out before we eat (my boyfriend loves that) so if it says 6 servings, I weigh it to make sure I have 6 equal portions, etc.
2. A lot of that is the time of day. If I workout, then go right to soccer practice, I could go home to dinner with 1000 calories left but it's also 7:30 at night, so I don't think it's in my best interest to eat 1000 calories and then go to bed.
I have tried several protein powders and have yet to find one that includes a scoop that is EXACTLY right for the gram weight given for a serving. If I do a level scoop, it's always at least 10% higher than the stated serving.
Weigh the solids - as often as is realistic, ideally always - and that'll help with the accuracy.
~Lyssa4 -
It's a real bummer about the measuring cups vs weight. All in all I've probably been on MFP for 5+ years (not regularly but still) and have been thinking measuring cups are sufficient this whole time because "hey! i'm measuring"
Seriously - thank you all!4 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »It's a real bummer about the measuring cups vs weight. All in all I've probably been on MFP for 5+ years (not regularly but still) and have been thinking measuring cups are sufficient this whole time because "hey! i'm measuring"
Seriously - thank you all!
Actually, scale is quicker and easier, once you get the tricks down. A couple of key things:
If you're doing something like a salad or sandwich, put the plate on the scale and zero it. Sandwich example: Bread on plate, note weight, zero scale; mustard on bread, note weight, zero; meat on bread, note weight, zero; etc. You can do this with a pan when making a soup or somesuch, too. (I usually note amounts on a junk-mail envelope to record on MFP later when I have clean/dry hands.)
For anything in a jar, bottle or that comes in a chunk (cheese, say), put the jar or hunk on the scale and zero. Take your utensil and scoop or cut off your desired portion. Note the negative weight on the scale - it's how much you took out. This is so much quicker and easier than putting peanut butter in a tablespoon (especially when you take washing the spoon into account), and it's more accurate.
ETA: You can use the negative method when chopping things on a cutting board, too. Chop stuff into individual piles, put whole cutting board on scale, zero, push one item into cooking pot, note negative, etc. If your scale is too small to see the display with the cutting board on it, carefully balance the cutting board on a bowl atop the scale.
It can take a few days to figure all this stuff out, but I'd almost guarantee you'll find weighing less fussy and time-consuming than measuring.9 -
Here are some thoughts:
- Losing 1-2lbs per week is realistic for most people who are not extremely obese. Losing more than 5lbs a month simply isn't realistic for some people, especially sedentary women.
- Using a scale for all solid foods may seem tedious, but it'll make your calorie count waaaay more accurate. It's also a nice way to reduce dirty dishes! Use the "tare" function while adding ingredients to your empty bowl and you only dirty one bowl.
- Make sure your diet is high in SATIATING foods. Lean proteins (chicken, eggs, tuna, tofu, seitan), fibrous carbs (veggies, potatoes, oatmeal, beans, legumes) and high-volume low-calorie foods (green veggies, broths, air-popped popcorn, shirataki noodles, sugar-free jello, etc.).
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-incredibly-filling-foods4 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »As far as the trainer goes - I was working with one guy who is great for conversation (about life, food, all of it)... then the manager of that location booked me a month and a half worth of sessions with him. He's not attentive, complains about all the stuff he has to do, and as I said, guilts if I don't lose 10lbs a month. I have today and Thursday with him and then I go back to the first guy. I'm done training with the manager.
It doesn't help that he severely let himself go and the owner is pushing him like a beast to get back in shape to better represent the company.... so he's training like 4x a week with the owner and doing ridiculous amounts of cardio, etc. I admire his drive and all but I just am not going to push quite as hard as he has been.
I actually worry about him and think all the extra pushing is playing into him being a crappy trainer for the time being.
Not that any of this is or should be my problem. I don't like the anxiety that my weigh in is causing. This is the first time I'm nervous vs excited to see the results and that isn't going to help anyone.
Oh, man: Dump him for sure. I started at about your height and weight (I was 5'5", 183), and (1) losing 2 pounds a week at that point is seriously a bad plan (health risk) especially if you're quite active at the same time; and (2) 1200 (net) was waaaay too low for me, at age 59-60 at the time (and I'm more lightly built than you are - I'm best off weighing in the 120s with my body configuration).
Your current weight loss rate is good to slightly aggressive. You're doing great. Pay attention to your energy level; if there's any sign of fatigue or weakness, for sure eat a little more.7 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »I think maybe I just need to switch trainers. If I only lose 5 or so pounds in a month he kind of guilts me about it. My weigh in and measurements are today so I’m anxious and questioning myself.
WTF? Fire his *kitten* like right *kitten* now. Seriously?
5lbs a month is not good enough?
On my behalf please transmit to your trainer that he can stick his head up his *kitten*hole which is of higher quality and relevance than his advice and opinion.
I just can't...5 -
a) you don't need to be doing 1200 if it is causing you grief and you sure as *kittens* don't need to be getting grief about "only" losing 5lbs.
b) if you aren't already, please get yourself a nice trending weight app (trendweight/weightgrapher/libra/happy scale depending on your platform) and start using it and even, if possible, populate it with previous data so you can visualize your progress when **kitten**holes such as your trainer open up their useless orifices.
c) Excessive macro splits are fine if they're your preference; but they seldom help anything else.
Once you're hitting 0.8g to 1.2g of protein per lb of goal bodyweight in the "normal" weight range (which is already 2x RDA and probably sufficient for most people in a deficit with marginal benefits by eating more), once you're getting in 0.35 to 0.45g of fats per lb of bodyweight, and once you're consuming your 26-27g of fiber as a female and 36-38g of fiber as a male, well, the rest you can apportion pretty much how you wish without too many problems or too many extra benefits. Usually carbs will help with energy and exercise and fats with satiation but these things are definitely individual in terms of their effects.
d) 1200 not accurately counted could easily equal 1500 accurately counted, and they both would still be a deficit. You don't need a huge deficit in order to lose weight. Many people, myself included, would advocate deficits that don't exceed 20% of your total daily energy expenditure when you're normal weight or barely overweight and that don't exceed 25% when you're very overweight or obese.
e) Over a period of 4 to 6 weeks... you counts what you think you've eaten. You counts what you think you've spent in terms of calories out. You compares to how your trending weight chart says your weight has changed. You think about making small changes to your goals if you're not happy enough with your progress.
f) throughout you seek to experiment and do things that you feel you can keep doing for a long long time to come... cause the long game is called maintenance.
g) dealing with **kitten**hole who is not happy with 5lbs a month is not a good long term investment.10 -
My initial impression: 1200 calories for 6 months would make me homicidal, and that's a heckuva lot of protein. Don't feel like you have to use anybody else's idea of what the 'right' macro split is. Cover your minimums for fat and protein and fill the rest however you want. I eat moderately high fat (nowhere near keto levels, just compared to most), keep protein between 20 and 25%, and don't let my carbs get below 100g/day, otherwise I get grumpy(er).
HOMICIDE, GENOCIDE, FRATRICIDE, HERBICIDE! 1200 cals a day and you train! Pinup, I am with you, I would kill a motherlicker! I also mean I eat high protein 30%, but 45%? I mean I know why they told you this, but I bet you uhhhh...well... drop proverbial boulders! Eat how you wish! Weigh measure as people have suggested. Heck, i have been a rigid food tracker for 2 years now, and I am still updating foods list. It takes time and effort. That's just losing it, now the challenge for most of us... keeping it off!6 -
psychod787 wrote: »My initial impression: 1200 calories for 6 months would make me homicidal, and that's a heckuva lot of protein. Don't feel like you have to use anybody else's idea of what the 'right' macro split is. Cover your minimums for fat and protein and fill the rest however you want. I eat moderately high fat (nowhere near keto levels, just compared to most), keep protein between 20 and 25%, and don't let my carbs get below 100g/day, otherwise I get grumpy(er).
HOMICIDE, GENOCIDE, FRATRICIDE, HERBICIDE! 1200 cals a day and you train! Pinup, I am with you, I would kill a motherlicker! I also mean I eat high protein 30%, but 45%? I mean I know why they told you this, but I bet you uhhhh...well... drop proverbial boulders! Eat how you wish! Weigh measure as people have suggested. Heck, i have been a rigid food tracker for 2 years now, and I am still updating foods list. It takes time and effort. That's just losing it, now the challenge for most of us... keeping it off!
@psychod787 Yes, well, I've seen your food diary :laugh: And I eat a lot closer to 1200 than you! As I've gotten closer to goal, I find myself cycling more often through diet breaks. It seems to give me a bit more 'oomph' to make it through the deficit weeks. But 1200? Only by accident or if I'm sick!2 -
i just joined body on demand and they figure your daily caloric intake differently than I had experienced before..so now im eating more but eating properly (with portion control cups that measure how much fat. protein, carb etc) and now im starting to lose. yes I feel 1200 cals a day kept me stuck for over a year.
I love body on demand's calorie calculation!0 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Okay, thanks for opening your FOOD diary.
1. Lots of "one half apple" "1/3 cookie" (who eats one third of a chocolate chip cookie, and well done there ) "1 scoop of protein powder," etc. Start weighing stuff on a digital food scale. You're eating more than you think.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
2. Why are you (for instance) logging 600 calories for exercise, then not eating those calories?
3. Your food logging is not consistent. There are a few days logged, then a few not, etc. It needs consistency.
1. I totally eat 1/3 of a chocolate chip cookie on occasion. That's a real thing LOL. My 1/2 an apple was real too, gave the other half to the chickens. I just wanted it on my salad. I considered the scoop of protein powder a real thing as it's the real numbers and I level off the scoop and everything. I weigh all of my meats and a few other things. If I enter a recipe in MyFitnessPal, I portion it all out before we eat (my boyfriend loves that) so if it says 6 servings, I weigh it to make sure I have 6 equal portions, etc.
2. A lot of that is the time of day. If I workout, then go right to soccer practice, I could go home to dinner with 1000 calories left but it's also 7:30 at night, so I don't think it's in my best interest to eat 1000 calories and then go to bed.
For 1, I think they are saying you need to weigh it. 1/3 of a 100 calorie cookie and 1/3 of a 400 calorie cookie are very different... or maybe you only eat 300 calorie cookies BUT one cookie to the next weighs 30g or 40g. Wouldn't know unless you weigh the cookie. Plus maybe you're eating 5/12ths of a cookie, not 4/12ths. Same with the apple. The amounts aren't specific enough to know how much you are eating exactly.
even being 5 g off of protein powder is 20 calories different. Chances are you could be more than just 5 g off. Hence again, weigh it don't "scoop" it.
Also a random comment, for MFP exercise, usually people recommend to eat back 50 to 75% of the database calories since the values tend to be too high.5 -
Well quick update... trainer was not a prick today and was way more attentive than usual! I’m still going back to the other guy though.
4.1lbs and 1.4% body fat down from last month! So despite his a-holery, I’m doing something well.
I can’t thank you all enough for your tips and words of encouragement today. It truly lifted my spirits. ❤️11 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »Well quick update... trainer was not a prick today and was way more attentive than usual! I’m still going back to the other guy though.
4.1lbs and 1.4% body fat down from last month! So despite his a-holery, I’m doing something well.
I can’t thank you all enough for your tips and words of encouragement today. It truly lifted my spirits. ❤️
Good job on the loss.2 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »Well quick update... trainer was not a prick today and was way more attentive than usual! I’m still going back to the other guy though.
4.1lbs and 1.4% body fat down from last month! So despite his a-holery, I’m doing something well.
I can’t thank you all enough for your tips and words of encouragement today. It truly lifted my spirits. ❤️
Nice!! You're obviously doing something right 1 -
psychod787 wrote: »My initial impression: 1200 calories for 6 months would make me homicidal, and that's a heckuva lot of protein. Don't feel like you have to use anybody else's idea of what the 'right' macro split is. Cover your minimums for fat and protein and fill the rest however you want. I eat moderately high fat (nowhere near keto levels, just compared to most), keep protein between 20 and 25%, and don't let my carbs get below 100g/day, otherwise I get grumpy(er).
HOMICIDE, GENOCIDE, FRATRICIDE, HERBICIDE! 1200 cals a day and you train! Pinup, I am with you, I would kill a motherlicker! I also mean I eat high protein 30%, but 45%? I mean I know why they told you this, but I bet you uhhhh...well... drop proverbial boulders! Eat how you wish! Weigh measure as people have suggested. Heck, i have been a rigid food tracker for 2 years now, and I am still updating foods list. It takes time and effort. That's just losing it, now the challenge for most of us... keeping it off!
@psychod787 Yes, well, I've seen your food diary :laugh: And I eat a lot closer to 1200 than you! As I've gotten closer to goal, I find myself cycling more often through diet breaks. It seems to give me a bit more 'oomph' to make it through the deficit weeks. But 1200? Only by accident or if I'm sick!
((Hugs)) I would share, but you know... I like my food too much!2 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »Well quick update... trainer was not a prick today and was way more attentive than usual! I’m still going back to the other guy though.
4.1lbs and 1.4% body fat down from last month! So despite his a-holery, I’m doing something well.
I can’t thank you all enough for your tips and words of encouragement today. It truly lifted my spirits. ❤️
Good job on the loss! You've already been given all the advice I'd give you, so I'll just add this post for encouragement. Hang in there!2 -
OP, your progress is outstanding. Keep that positive momentum up.
On a side note, and to no one in particular, I have found that I can easily wipe out 6 days of caloric deficit in one "party day." I literally have to log 7 days a week and verify I'm down 3500 calories total from TDEE to ensure I lose a pound a week. Skipping any logging at all guarantees failure for me.9 -
3 things
First,are you using a food scale?
Second, consider the foods that you are eating and ask yourself if they are satisfying foods? I encourage protein and fiber.
Last, if you seriously can’t handle it, have 1 day per week that you eat at maintenance (1700 calories based on the number you are giving)
Bonus question, do you eat your workout calories? If I am hungry for more food I will do a workout and eat back those calories.0 -
rebbylicious wrote: »3 things
First,are you using a food scale?
Second, consider the foods that you are eating and ask yourself if they are satisfying foods? I encourage protein and fiber.
Last, if you seriously can’t handle it, have 1 day per week that you eat at maintenance (1700 calories based on the number you are giving)
Bonus question, do you eat your workout calories? If I am hungry for more food I will do a workout and eat back those calories.
These questions were asked and answered by OP throughout the thread - do you really need her to answer them again?5 -
It's all good LOL
I did learn yesterday morning that the one flavor of protein shake, that "1 scoop" that I was using, is 11g higher than the package states, but the other flavor was 4g lower. Minor, but I'm weight as much as I can!
I found some things hard to find that had that green checkmart AND the option of 1g or 100g as a unit - but I'll work on it!2 -
you don't NEED to use green checkmark items...they just mean that enough users have said yes - not that its necessarily correct
best bet for vegetables is to use USDA as a search modifier4 -
I think 1,200 is enough for some people. I agree with you that it is not enough for someone who is tall and athletic. I think a lot of factors go into how many calories your body needs. No two people are the same.8
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mhi1997257 wrote: »I think 1,200 is enough for some people. I agree with you that it is not enough for someone who is tall and athletic. I think a lot of factors go into how many calories your body needs. No two people are the same.
I'm petite and I have a desk job but I'm not sedentary (wouldn't describe myself as athletic) - and it wasn't appropriate for me.
Most people don't need to go that low in order to lose, and it can be difficult to get adequate nutrition on the minimum calorie allotment. People tend to assume they need to eat low calories in order to achieve their weight loss goals, because we've convinced ourselves that losing weight must be a miserable experience.
No two people are the same but we really aren't THAT different...
9 -
Chelle,
As long as you are making any sort of progress you should be excited and happy. I did 1200 calories at 6' and 280 lbs for 3 months, and it was extremely difficult. Some days, it was impossible. Still, I set a goal and am making progress.
My suggestion. See what it would take to lose at a slower rate (i.e. if you are at 2 lbs/week, try setting it to 1.5 or 1 lb). Set that as your upper limit. Go for the goal of 1200 if you really want to, but don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day (or 2 or 3) and need to go to the higher number. Not everyone loses at the same rate. The tool provides averages. Some weeks I lose nothing. Others I lose 2-3 lbs. But in the long term, once you reach your goal and switch to maintenance, think how easy it will be.
Best of luck to you.1 -
Ok. Looked at the diary. You seem fairly active. Let me ask the question. Why did you chose 1200?
Also, i noticed that you aren't using your "earned" calories for exersize fully. Perhaps you do need to go a little higher1 -
Chelle8070 wrote: »It's all good LOL
I did learn yesterday morning that the one flavor of protein shake, that "1 scoop" that I was using, is 11g higher than the package states, but the other flavor was 4g lower. Minor, but I'm weight as much as I can!
I found some things hard to find that had that green checkmart AND the option of 1g or 100g as a unit - but I'll work on it!
Be sure to check the quantity drop-down: There are a bunch of valid entries (maybe things from MFP start-up? dunno) that show 1C as the quantity when you just do a search (even some whacky cases like grapes or eggs), but when you click the drop-down arrow on the quantity field, there's a long list of choices.
For example, "Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average" (which has a green check) shows "1 cup cherry tomatoes" as the serving size. Click the drop down, and you get 21 (!) different serving size options, including various inch sizes of whole tomatoes, 100g, 1 oz, pounds or kg, slices, chopped, ml, etc.4 -
IMO you are not eating enough. I'm 5'6" and weigh 162. I eat 1400 calories per day AND eat back most if not all of my exercise calories. So totaling between 1700-1800 cals per day. I'm only doing a walking program right now but I get in at least 10,000 steps a day. Most of those are within an hour. I've been steadily losing 1.5 pounds per week for the past 8 weeks.1
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