1200 calories - grumpy???

MetamorphicButterfly
MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
in Health and Weight Loss
i have increased my calories from 1200 to 1400 as i am doing a lot of exercise and feeling exhausted. I know i am not eating enough and could be going into starvation mode - scales havent moved in over a week and i have been eating better than i have ever eaten and exercising minimum 4 x a week.

I know that 2% of fat has been turned to muscle but still the scales have not gone down and i really need them to.

Has anyone else experienced this with just being on 1200 per day - plus it makes me very grumpy
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Replies

  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    1) You're not going to go into "starvation mode"

    2) A week isn't a plateau, you're fine keep going.

    33) You're grumpy because you're hungry is my guess. You're going to be hungry while in deficit normally speaking.

    Keep going.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    1200 was too low for me - got a bad case of the hangries - hungry + angry = hangry! :tongue:

    Do you eat back your exercise cals? If not, you need to. Also, if you don't have a lot to lose (like less than 75-100lbs), make sure your goal isn't set to lose 2lbs a week - .5 - 1 lb is more realistic, and will give you a higher calorie goal.

    Food is fuel - not eating enough can cause problems, such as the grumpiness & exhaustion you're already experiencing, but can over time can mess with your hormones, metabolism, stall weight loss, etc, etc.

    Eat well, exercise, drink water, get good sleep. And repeat. :smile:
  • jmarie1967
    jmarie1967 Posts: 51 Member
    If you are doing alot of exercise, 1400 is not enough, no wonder you are hungry, your body will try to hang onto the fat and will turn to burning muscle if you don't eat enough of the right calories!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.
  • JanAlyssa825
    JanAlyssa825 Posts: 43 Member
    If I don't work out, I'm allotted 1290 calories - so I work out every single day, even if it's just a really long walk, just to get some extra cals. I had jury duty the other day and couldn't work out. By the end of the day, I felt crappy, tired, and depressed. I listened to my body and decided feeling so bad wasn't worth it for one day - so I had a healthy snack and finished at like 1400.

    Eat back your exercise calories, and listen to your body!! If you are at 1200, remember that you will still lose weight (albeit slower) if you eat below 1700 a day, so you have plenty of wiggle room.
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    i have approx 50lbs to lose - i would prefer to lose 2lbs per week but i understand that it maybe healthier to lose 1lb a week instead.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I have never been able to maintain a 1200 calorie diet. My grumpies make Oscar the Grouch look like Mary Poppins and Eeyore look like Pollyanna :laugh:

    If you are consistently grumpy, then there is no harm in increasing your calories a bit, depending on the goals you started with (you probably said 1 lb per week or more to get down to 1200 calories). While I doubt that you've gone into "starvation mode" (I hate that term anyway, :tongue: ), I have known several people who seem to lose weight easier on a slightly smaller deficit (higher calorie intake).

    And you can always try the TDEE method … google TDEE calculators and play around with a few, just be very honest in your answers … you'll get a range of estimates for your TDEE. Then multiply that by .85 or .80 (the second will give you a bigger deficit) and manually set your calorie goal to that amount. Note that this method already accounts for exercise, so don't eat those calories back.

    Good luck!!
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.

    How do i calculate my BMR and TDEE???
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Fat doesn't turn into muscle, you're not in starvation mode, and the scale isn't going to move every day or even every week,

    That said, if you're grumpy and tired you might not be eating enough. You can try increasing protein first, and if that doesn't work then increase your calories. I'd go 100 calories at a time, wait a couple of days and see if it makes a difference, then increase more if needed.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I have never been able to maintain a 1200 calorie diet. My grumpies make Oscar the Grouch look like Mary Poppins and Eeyore look like Pollyanna :laugh:

    Same here. I can't even do 1500 anymore, since I started lifting.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.

    How do i calculate my BMR and TDEE???

    Thinking we posted at the same time. If you read what I wrote before and it doesn't make sense, let me know :wink:
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.

    How do i calculate my BMR and TDEE???
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.

    How do i calculate my BMR and TDEE???

    Thinking we posted at the same time. If you read what I wrote before and it doesn't make sense, let me know :wink:


    we did post at the same time
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    Oh noes a week... we should all run in circles flailing our arms screaming.


    Seriously OP its a week, keep doing what you are doing, I cannot do 1200 calories without wanting to eat peoples faces, 1500 is the least I can do before I want to chomp on my friends.
  • jess6742
    jess6742 Posts: 146
    2% of fat has not turned to muscle eating at that kind of a deficit. Unless you are very tiny or very old you are eating too little which is why you are grumpy (hangry). Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between the two.

    How do i calculate my BMR and TDEE???

    Just google BMR calculator or TDEE calculator. There are a lot of them out there :smile:
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    i was close

    Your Basal Metabolic Rate is: 1456 calories.

    Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure Is: 1747 calories
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    Oh noes a week... we should all run in circles flailing our arms screaming.


    Seriously OP its a week, keep doing what you are doing, I cannot do 1200 calories without wanting to eat peoples faces, 1500 is the least I can do before I want to chomp on my friends.

    HILARIOUS!!!!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I have never been able to maintain a 1200 calorie diet. My grumpies make Oscar the Grouch look like Mary Poppins and Eeyore look like Pollyanna :laugh:

    Same here. I can't even do 1500 anymore, since I started lifting.

    Lol, I know, right? I just started at a new gym and they had a complimentary session with a "trainer" … who told me that 1600 was too high and would be maintenance for me, even when lifting 4x / week :noway: . If that's the case, I'll just stay the weight I am, dude!
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    i was close

    Your Basal Metabolic Rate is: 1456 calories.

    Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure Is: 1747 calories

    BMR is the calories you burn if you were in a coma. So yes you are eating way too few calories. You should take your TDEE and subtract 20%.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    I'm on 800 calories or less for the next 7 days. I'll see your grumpy and raise you hangry.

    dON'T give up.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    i have increased my calories from 1200 to 1400 as i am doing a lot of exercise and feeling exhausted. I know i am not eating enough and could be going into starvation mode - scales havent moved in over a week and i have been eating better than i have ever eaten and exercising minimum 4 x a week.

    I know that 2% of fat has been turned to muscle but still the scales have not gone down and i really need them to.

    Has anyone else experienced this with just being on 1200 per day - plus it makes me very grumpy

    Is that 1200 Net or Total?
  • OsakanBandit
    OsakanBandit Posts: 3
    i have approx 50lbs to lose - i would prefer to lose 2lbs per week but i understand that it maybe healthier to lose 1lb a week instead.

    Hi you don't know me, but I'm in the same boat as you, got 50 pounds total to lose. I'm 4 months into it, 26 pounds down!
    patience, dear. <3 Rome was not built in a day. it did not take you a week (or two) to get to where you are, it certainly isn't going to come off all at once.

    I know it can be frustrating to see that scale stall.. happened to me three weeks in a row.. one week I lost just one pound, the next two nothing. I was about to scream... but then I just stuck with it. I have a daily calorie intake of 1350, but when I work out I get an extra 800 calories, way more than I need to eat.

    I recommend banana chips, sometimes when I get really hungry they give me a boost and the extra energy is good.
    don't starve yourself and just keep at it. Good things take time!
    you can do it, I believe in you!
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,277 Member
    I eat anywhere between 1200 and 1450 calories a day. I agree that if you are grumpy, eat more. A 1200 calorie program isn't for everyone.

    I recorded a pound lost on Monday....the last pound lost I recorded was May 8th. THAT'S a plateau. :)

    Don't be impatient. I'm not....and I have a lot fewer years to live than you do. :)
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Yeah, I wouldn't be able to stick to 1200 calories a day. Grumpy or not, I just wouldn't be able to stick to it ever.
  • MetamorphicButterfly
    MetamorphicButterfly Posts: 93
    first day of eating more and i feel 100% better - thanku to u all for helping me and the weight was down this morning yay
  • rev477
    rev477 Posts: 1
    You MUST eat 5 times a day .. your metabolism is probably at a crawl especially with so few calories !! Also it is probably eating your muscle which is what also causes you to burn calories .. so burning muscle causes you to burn fewer calories in the future .. if u have 50lbs to lose & are only eating 1200 calories & not losing weight then you are doing something wrong !! i have lost weight when i have eaten more .. if i have been too strict .. just like you when i thought i cheated .. my body actually said thank you & i lost weight !!

    Also, most important is WHAT you eat ... 100 calories of broccoli is NOT the same as 100 cal of white rice or potatoes ... insulin spikes is what causes weight gain .. so if you are eating 1200 calories of the wrong things that could be doing it too ... I would try eating 14-1500 cals ... include a walk at a different time than your workout ... & eat 5 times a day ... your snacks can be an apple/fruit & almonds
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    Yes, 1200 calories makes me grumpy. Exercising more + eating more works much better.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    You MUST eat 5 times a day .. your metabolism is probably at a crawl especially with so few calories !! Also it is probably eating your muscle which is what also causes you to burn calories .. so burning muscle causes you to burn fewer calories in the future .. if u have 50lbs to lose & are only eating 1200 calories & not losing weight then you are doing something wrong !! i have lost weight when i have eaten more .. if i have been too strict .. just like you when i thought i cheated .. my body actually said thank you & i lost weight !!

    Also, most important is WHAT you eat ... 100 calories of broccoli is NOT the same as 100 cal of white rice or potatoes ... insulin spikes is what causes weight gain .. so if you are eating 1200 calories of the wrong things that could be doing it too ... I would try eating 14-1500 cals ... include a walk at a different time than your workout ... & eat 5 times a day ... your snacks can be an apple/fruit & almonds

    No. A person does not have to eat 5 meals per day because meal timing is personal preference. Also, a calorie surplus is what causes weight gain (not because a person eats 100 calories of white rice or potatoes).
  • WillowWindow
    WillowWindow Posts: 100 Member
    I started at around 1200-1400 and lost a bit quicker but was miserable. Grumpy, tired, shaky, dizzy (after a month or so at that level) so I did the TDEE calculation and adjusted to 1600 ( net). I add execise back most of the time. I have been losing an average of just over 4 pounds a month for about 6 months. It's going to take at least another 6 months to reach my goal, so there's no way I'm going to last if I starve all that time. I walk and do light weights, probably not as much exercise as you. I'm over 60 and it's working for me-- you look much younger, so presumably will get there faster. Remember that if you lose weight too quickly you may end up with sagging skin-- not worth it in my opinion. And you need time to integrate your new healthy habits and prevent rebound.

    See you're feeling better now -- well done!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    first day of eating more and i feel 100% better - thanku to u all for helping me and the weight was down this morning yay

    Thank you for reporting back to us!!! It's nice to hear that you're feeling better and the scale is moving again. Keep it up! :happy:

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