1200 calories - grumpy???

MetamorphicButterfly

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

magerum

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

1200 was too low for me - got a bad case of the hangries - hungry + angry = hangry!

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.

jmarie1967

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

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

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

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

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, ), 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

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

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

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

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

randomtai

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

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

we did post at the same time

Pixi_Rex

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

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

MetamorphicButterfly

i was close

Your Basal Metabolic Rate is: 1456 calories.

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure Is: 1747 calories

MetamorphicButterfly

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

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

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

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.