Eating the "wrong" things but staying at 1200

MityMax96

All calories are not equal in the weight loss scheme. If you eat 250 cals of veg it won't result in weight gain in the same way 250cals of chocolate would. Because one is made up of protein and fibre and some carbs, the other is sugar and fat and will be stored as suce.

Only when you go over your caloric needs will fat get turned into body fat/adipose tissue.
If you are below caloric needs, then your body will be in deficit, therefore all energy consumed will be oxidized.

gamerkiwi

Calories in < Calories out = Weight loss.

Besides, your diet's perfectly healthy. I'm not sure what's in the bacon roll, but bacon's not really unhealthy in and of itself. Not sure what kind of microwave meal you eat, but I would say swap it out for a real meal. (A sandwich or something if your looking for something quick) Dinner's perfectly healthy. Also, try drinking your tea with nothing in it.

Docpremie

You could eat 1200 calories of straight fat and lose weight but your body composition would be terrible and you'd feel terrible

Exactly! Weight loss is done through a calorie deficit, but it doesn't mean you'll like the results. "What you eat" is what gives you the body composition you desire--thus you need to also hit your macro goals! If you're going to use MFP to give you your calorie goal, then you MUST eat back your exercise calories. MFP has already calculated a calorie deficit for you, you don't want to add exercise losses on top of that. So eat back the exercise calories.

For macro, you need take in 1 gram/pound of lean body mass (LBM), which is 100-125 grams of protein/day for most women. If you are really tiny, then you may be able to get by with 90 grams/day. Fats should be 0.4 grams/kg/day and carbs are what is left over. The higher protein goal is to spare loss of LBM (muscle), while you burn fat. Throw in weigh training/resistance training & you should look good at the end of your journey.

Here's a research study showing the benefits of a higher protein goal:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/2/411.full

Abstract:
"Claims about the merits or risks of carbohydrate (CHO) vs. protein for weight loss diets are extensive, yet the ideal ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein for adult health and weight management remains unknown. This study examined the efficacy of two weight loss diets with modified CHO/protein ratios to change body composition and blood lipids in adult women. Women (n = 24; 45 to 56 y old) with body mass indices >26 kg/m2 were assigned to either a CHO Group consuming a diet with a CHO/protein ratio of 3.5 (68 g protein/d) or a Protein Group with a ratio of 1.4 (125 g protein/d). Diets were isoenergetic, providing 7100 kJ/d, and similar amounts of fat (∼50 g/d). After consuming the diets for 10 wk, the CHO Group lost 6.96 ± 1.36 kg body weight and the Protein Group lost 7.53 ± 1.44 kg. Weight loss in the Protein Group was partitioned to a significantly higher loss of fat/lean (6.3 ± 1.2 g/g) compared with the CHO Group (3.8 ± 0.9). Both groups had significant reductions in serum cholesterol (∼10%), whereas the Protein Group also had significant reductions in triacylglycerols (TAG) (21%) and the ratio of TAG/HDL cholesterol (23%). Women in the CHO Group had higher insulin responses to meals and postprandial hypoglycemia, whereas women in the Protein Group reported greater satiety. This study demonstrates that increasing the proportion of protein to carbohydrate in the diet of adult women has positive effects on body composition, blood lipids, glucose homeostasis and satiety during weight loss."

You don't have to "eat clean," but hitting your macros is important!

tigersword

Lol that's what I was thinking on the Mars bars diet - ok then for now i will just eat what i want as long as i stay in the 1200 boundary - i'm tending to excercise every day and weigh everything - wouldn't it be nice if it all came off as easy as it went on lol xx

You will lose weight on just 1200 cals, but keep in mind it is difficult to get the required micro and macro nutrients on anything less than 1200 cals (Fat, Protein, vitamins and minerals), meaning if you only eat 1200 of crap you will most likely be deficient on most of what your body needs, you can get away with it much easier at 2000 cals, but at 1200 you should be eating nutrient dense foods. Malnutrition and/or muscle loss are not fun to deal with.

So for weight loss yes, health no.

This.

nm212

Just take a multi-vitamin. That will ensure you get any nutrients you may be deficient in, but your meals really don't sound that bad. Salmon and veggies for dinner is great. Add more veggies and fruit to your diet and you should be fine. Yes, whole grains and lean protein is good too, but you're at a good start. Keep going. Your diet will change naturally as you begin to become more conscious of what you are eating.

VincitQuiSeVincit

Technically, YES, you can do this.
However, anyone who has had long term success understands that a calorie isn't just a calorie...It's fuel.

Do you think your body will run more efficiently on 1200 calories of chocolate or of a balance of protein and carbs?
I have found far more success in the quality of the food instead of looking only at calories, but to each their own.

Just make sure you don't NET under 1200 calories...if you work out, make sure you are eating those back!

Confuzzled4ever

1200 calories is hard to lose weight and keep it off on.

you really need to figure out what your BMR and your TDEE is and then eat in between those 2 numbers, esp if exercising.

I found out I burn between 2600-3000 calories everyday.. It's no wonder i collapsed when I was eating under 1,000.

(yes I am set at 1200 calories, but my calories adjust automatically when I upload my exercise and i eat back my calories)

DoingitWell

The Mars and Twinkies are both highly unhealthy, please add in some Fruit Rollups, Gummi Bears or kool-aid for vitamin C.

QuietBloom

Just take a multi-vitamin. That will ensure you get any nutrients you may be deficient in, but your meals really don't sound that bad. Salmon and veggies for dinner is great. Add more veggies and fruit to your diet and you should be fine. Yes, whole grains and lean protein is good too, but you're at a good start. Keep going. Your diet will change naturally as you begin to become more conscious of what you are eating.

Definitely a multivitamin would be a good idea. But it is no replacement for healthful eating (not that you are suggesting that).

ldula88

Personally, I do not believe the "a calorie is a calorie" hype. Yes, a calorie is a set amount of energy, but calories from carbs react differently from calories form fat react differently from calories from protein. And the way they are combined in a meal makes a difference, as does the % intake from each category of calorie. Of course, eating at 1200 means you should lose weight, no matter what the macros are, but how you feel will vary greatly. I'm Paleo myself, so I really believe that whole foods should be the majority, if not the entirety, of a healthy lifestyle. Processed foods have chemicals that really affect how the body operates. If you build the majority of your diet from lean meats and vegetables, with healthy amounts of fruit and good healthy fats (avocados, nut butter, etc.) you will feel so much better and will be less hungry than living off of microwave meals and such.

Obviously, I don't expect everyone to go Paleo if the lifestyle isn't for them. But I do think everyone should try more of a "whole foods approach." It's amazing how different you feel Whatever you choose, I wish you luck on your journey!!!

nicolacx

Wow guys this was really helpful thank you :-)

I am eating veg with the dinner and the microwave meals are the M & S fuller for longer range - it helps that the portion size is already weighed out for me so I don't cheat!

So far I havent felt hungry but if i have then I've eaten and made sure I've done some exercise to burn it off. man 80 cals on the treadmill takes me ages but then i tend to appreciate food more!

I tend to hold weight around my stomach area so trying to do cardio

uptomoonandback

I tend to be the person that says a calorie is a calorie, but I also know I use that as an excuse, because I eat terribly, but still end up under my calorie goal and have lost weight. A lot of the comments I'm seeing in here makes me wonder if I'm not creating nutiriton problems for myself. I am 27 and 5'4'' and weigh about 118. For the last 7 days I ate (I do know some of my food consisted of calories alone, didn't have the breakdown with it):

total goal left
total fat: 414 328 -86
cholesterol: 697 2100 1403
sodium: 17291 17500 209
potassium: 2544 24500 21956
carbs: 1206 1351 145
protein: 284 366 82

Am I doing completely terrible things to myself?

erickirb

I tend to be the person that says a calorie is a calorie, but I also know I use that as an excuse, because I eat terribly, but still end up under my calorie goal and have lost weight. A lot of the comments I'm seeing in here makes me wonder if I'm not creating nutiriton problems for myself. I am 27 and 5'4'' and weigh about 118. For the last 7 days I ate (I do know some of my food consisted of calories alone, didn't have the breakdown with it):

total goal left
total fat: 414 328 -86
cholesterol: 697 2100 1403
sodium: 17291 17500 209
potassium: 2544 24500 21956
carbs: 1206 1351 145
protein: 284 366 82

Am I doing completely terrible things to myself?

The amount of protein is much, much too low, only 41ish grams/day. I would aim for at least double that amount as a minimum. And ask yourself are you getting all the vitamins and minerals you need?

tigersword

Personally, I do not believe the "a calorie is a calorie" hype. Yes, a calorie is a set amount of energy, but calories from carbs react differently from calories form fat react differently from calories from protein. And the way they are combined in a meal makes a difference, as does the % intake from each category of calorie. Of course, eating at 1200 means you should lose weight, no matter what the macros are, but how you feel will vary greatly. I'm Paleo myself, so I really believe that whole foods should be the majority, if not the entirety, of a healthy lifestyle. Processed foods have chemicals that really affect how the body operates. If you build the majority of your diet from lean meats and vegetables, with healthy amounts of fruit and good healthy fats (avocados, nut butter, etc.) you will feel so much better and will be less hungry than living off of microwave meals and such.

Obviously, I don't expect everyone to go Paleo if the lifestyle isn't for them. But I do think everyone should try more of a "whole foods approach." It's amazing how different you feel Whatever you choose, I wish you luck on your journey!!!

How exactly does the macro combination make a difference? You can feel free to believe or not believe anything you like, since

diannethegeek

Wow guys this was really helpful thank you :-)

I am eating veg with the dinner and the microwave meals are the M & S fuller for longer range - it helps that the portion size is already weighed out for me so I don't cheat!

So far I havent felt hungry but if i have then I've eaten and made sure I've done some exercise to burn it off. man 80 cals on the treadmill takes me ages but then i tend to appreciate food more!

I tend to hold weight around my stomach area so trying to do cardio

I would suggest that a progressive strength training routine will do more good for your stomach area than cardio ever will.

Don't be afraid of heavy things!

uptomoonandback

@erickirb: Really double, the goal is 52 a day and I have a hard time reaching that, don't know how I'd make it all the way to 80. That's no bueno.

WhoHa42

@erickirb: Really double, the goal is 52 a day and I have a hard time reaching that, don't know how I'd make it all the way to 80. That's no bueno.

depends on your body weight but if you;re training it should be around 0.8g/lb of body weight

Siansonea

The Mars and Twinkies are both highly unhealthy, please add in some Fruit Rollups, Gummi Bears or kool-aid for vitamin C.

Now that's good advice. :drinker:

clambert1273

The Mars and Twinkies are both highly unhealthy, please add in some Fruit Rollups, Gummi Bears or kool-aid for vitamin C.

Now that's good advice. :drinker:

forgot the ice cream - calcium :bigsmile:

LeanneGoingThin

First of all, you should be eating more (since you're a guy AND you're exercising).

Secondly, you're going to lack essential vitamins if you keep this up, but you will lose weight regardless.