has anyone had success eating 1500 a day?

christeenyweenie

I'm trying to lose 20lbs by the end of the year, and I'm finding that eating 1200 for more then a few days leaves me utterly famished. 1500 is comfortable. I exercise pretty regularly, but don't keep track of those calories...let's just say 4-5 hours a week. I guess i'm wondering if anyone has had success on 1500 or more a day, even though mfp says I should eat 1200...Does 1500 seem like too much? i don't want to sound like a piggy, but really, 1200 is so hard to stick to!

Mindful_Trent

You should be eating back some of your exercise calories - if you were to log your exercise, you would see that MFP adds those to what you are supposed to eat. 1500/day with regular exercise would probably be fine. I have a base calorie goal of 1200/day, but I usually eat 1300-1800 depending on what type and how much exercise I did that day. I eat back 50-75% of my exercise calories... have lost over 25 lbs so far.

The exercise earns you more calories to eat - your body needs the extra fuel! I make sure I get at least some exercise in most days, because 1200 is hard to stick to otherwise.

lee112780

You're not a piggy at all, I found it impossible. This site tells me to eat 1500, and my Doc told me to eat 2000 and I can still lose. So I just started eating 1700, and not logging workouts. Ill let u know how it goes. You have to see what works for you,. trial and error ; )

mreed911

What's your BMR? Start with that. 1500 off your BMR, 7 days a week, is roughly 3 lbs/week (of course that will vary week to week, with water, with carb/protein balance, with sodium... but it's a good average). Exercise buys you calories back: in other words, count your exercise because you need to add those calories back in food to prevent starvation mode from kicking in.

So, what's your BMR?

rescuepete

Without exercising practically every day, there's no way I could get anywhere close to the 1800 MFP tells me I need to get every day. I have to be honest though, more often than not, I've been skipping dinner. Personally, I try to stick to the no eating after 8:30PM rule, and since sometimes I find I just can't dinner in by then I find I skip it. It's worked to train me to eat more during the day, and to have more regular snacks too. Even little things like a handful of walnuts 20-30 minutes before a meal helps me to eat less during lunches and dinner when I can get it in.

christeenyweenie

I think my BMR is about 1600. So if I eat 1500/day and burn 2000 calories/week, that will be a little less then a lb a week, right? I think i can live with that, lol. Thanks everyone!

kjholler

I up'ed my calorie intake on here from 1200 to 1700 because I was having the same problem. Although I also increased my exercise as well, I reduced my lbs per week goal to 1. I've actually found that I eat less calories with it set at 1700, than I did when it was set to 1200 (and I was going over more than I'd like to admit). And I rarely ever even make it to 1700+. I actually started losing weight this way because I was less stressed about the calorie count.

I was also told by a nurse practitioner that 1200 or less is actually bad for you too, because your body goes into starvation mode and that ends up slowing your metabolism. Not to mention that it's also a matter of finding healthier foods you enjoy, because those are normally the ones that will fill you up. Something I myself took a while to learn haha.

My goal is the same as you though, 20lbs by the end of the year...so hopefully this advice helps!

Good luck!

parksam6

start logging your exercise, and you'll find you are given more calories. i'm only on week two but i am right on track, and i'm hitting the 1800-2000 calorie mark with my earned exercise. i have a pretty physical job on top of my work outs, so i am starving by meal time! your body needs those good calories to feed it from those work outs, even the carbs and the proteins. if you dont your body can actually go into "starvation mode" and start hording fat in those not so nice areas. i have found house keeping, cooking chores as well as a variety of other exercises. if you cant find the one you did, if you know how many you burned you can figure out how to log it. good luck!

ps, i have found web md and the women to women website helpful in healthy weight loss, and dietary advice.

Railvas

I eat around 1,200-1,300 cals pretty consistently without much of a problem. To be honest subway has become my best friend. If I eat there once a day a 12' is around 550. Sometimes I eat there twice a day. Leaving me 150 to play with. I also eat 4-5 meals most days splitting up the subs to leave me full more often. I have done this for around 100 days so far and lost 40 lbs. I would also urge you to not do 1,200 everyday. When your body gets used to burning a fairly consistant about of calories a day it can be come more difficult to burn more calories, once and a while eat over 1,200 or even over your suggested cal. limit, like once a week. Keeps the body guess and can help a lot. This is easily done with candy, something not filling but very tasty.

somigliana

Oh, yes. 1200 is the minimum ANY woman should be eating, and at 5'6.5", there was no way I was going to be able to sustain eating 1200cal a day, even with exercise calories. I lost most of my weight eating base calories of 1450cal PLUS exercise calories. We are all different shapes and sizes and one cookie cutter 1200cal per day to lose weight is totally generalising.

Chrissun

I've lost 7# in 5 weeks by eating 1500 calories a day + most of my exercise calories.
I agree to track your exercise. It's kind of like a game to earn calories. (That's the way I view it.)

LJCannon

Towards the end of the Biggest Loser Contest this Summer I cut my Calories to 1200. In one week I actually GAINED .75 pound!! This was after losing 2-3 pounds per week consistantly for 2.5 months. When I went back up to 1500-1600 Calories I started losing again.

Kate_UK

I'm eating 1430 a day and I'm having a steady loss. I'm 5ft 91/2 and currently weigh 160. I started at 1200 but after a couple of weeks I hit a plateau and just couldn't shifit it. i upped my intake to 1430 and I've lost consistantly ever since.

fat_forever

How come everyone's suggested calorie intake is so low? MFP says that I should eat 2530 a day. (I think that's too many, and I'm shooting for 1500).

kdiamond

Do you have it set to lose 2 pounds a week? You should set it to lose 1 pound a week...1200 is too generic for everyone.

As a general rule, eat more on the days you work out, and less on the days you don't. So try 1500 on the days you work out, and 1200 on the days you don't. See how it goes for a couple of weeks, and then adjust from there.

I personally believe 1200 calories per day every day is a recipe for distaster.

PJilly

I've had success eating between 1,700 and 1,900 calories a day and working out six days a week. For me, 1,200 to 1,500 would be too low.

jennylynn84

if you were on 1200 and not logging exercise and eating those calories, that is why you were famished. I don't blame you, I don't think I'd make it through the day.

I eat about 1450 as my before-exercise base. That's about 1.2 lbs a week for me (weird, I know, but I'm in the process of a slow increase). Then I work out and eat back 1/2 to 3/4 of those calories (I don't have an HRM, so it's all estimates).

I am having success with that many calories consumed. It's slow for me, but I'm nearing my final goal. I haven't been on 1200 calories for MONTHS because I felt restricted. Not hungry, just frustratingly restricted.

Make sure you log your exercise, so you can get a real idea of how much you burn and eat that back. That will help immensely. 1200 is recommended net, so if you're only eating 1200 and working out, your net could end up being only 800 or even less.

girlruns

On days I don't workout, I have 1240 calories to eat. I find it hard to stick to, even if sometimes it is just mental. Monday was my "rest" day and I ate 1510 calories. I have found in the past that 1500-1700 is what I feel good eating even with exercise calories. Because I am on a 1 pound a week loss, manitanence for me would be 1740--which means even though I was "over" with 1510, I was still at a deficit. Just a smaller one.

I agree with the other posters, log your exercise so you can see the extra calories you get to eat. Good luck!

girlruns

How come everyone's suggested calorie intake is so low? MFP says that I should eat 2530 a day. (I think that's too many, and I'm shooting for 1500).

You automatically have more calories since you are a male. Also, the more you weigh, the more energy it takes to "run" your body so you get more to eat! My husband is 5'10" (I think) and weighs 240 so he gets about 2300 a day--pre exercise. If 1500 works for you, go for it, but don't drop so low thinking it will be faster. You might end up getting frustrated with feeling hungry, and you could possibly slow your loss down by not providing yourself with enough energy.

MassiveDelta

How come everyone's suggested calorie intake is so low? MFP says that I should eat 2530 a day. (I think that's too many, and I'm shooting for 1500).

When I started back in January MFP had me at 2375 or something like that. I ate all the time. Slowly over time it re-evaluated based on my loss. Right now Im at 1470.

edorice

I workout 6 days a week. I can burn anywhere from 400 to 980 calories a work. Sometimes I get in double workouts. I was losing weight while I was eating 1700 calories. When I dropped to 1500 calories my weight loss stall. I'm now back up to 1700 calories. It works for me.

I don't think that ANYBODY that is exercising should be on 1200 calories. Period.

DKWaggoner

I eat 1600 calories a day & so far its working for me.I also exercise 5 days a week. I am diabetic and my dietician recommends i eat 1600 cal.She also told me nobody should EVER eat below 1200,so when i see these people eating 1000 to 800 cal a day I cringe,because they are starving themselves and setting themselves up for failure.

Tasha1476

I'm eating 1430 a day and I'm having a steady loss. I'm 5ft 91/2 and currently weigh 160. I started at 1200 but after a couple of weeks I hit a plateau and just couldn't shifit it. i upped my intake to 1430 and I've lost consistantly ever since.

This is interesting to hear! Im around 5'8.5 and 172 or so ( so similar to you)

I have now annoyingly yo-yo-ed between 171-178 for like 3 weeks now, and I've been getting so frustrated! I will consider upping my calorie intake and see how that works!

rubysparkle

I've lost 6lb in 3 weeks eating 1500 cals a day, exercising a few times a week but not eating my exercise cals (unless i feel i need to)

rose1617

I workout 6 days a week. I can burn anywhere from 400 to 980 calories a work. Sometimes I get in double workouts. I was losing weight while I was eating 1700 calories. When I dropped to 1500 calories my weight loss stall. I'm now back up to 1700 calories. It works for me.

I don't think that ANYBODY that is exercising should be on 1200 calories. Period.

I think we all need to re-evaluate the statement "it's different for everyone". Or maybe reinforce it.
If I eat anywhere near 17-1800 calories I gain. Period. Exercise or no exercise. To "maintain" many BMR sites say I'd need 1800 cals/day and that includes my exercise calories. My BMR is actually sedentary at 1400 cals/day (meaning no exercise). That's what I'd need to maintain. So it goes without saying that I could not eat my exercise calories and lose at 1200 cals/day plus the 4 to 500 I'd burn. It would take over a month to lose 1 pound.
Most days I'm full on close to 1100 calories. Usually I'll eat something to put me over that 1200 calorie mark, but that does not include my exercise calories. This diet has me losing a pound every 6 days. I'd say that's pretty darn healthy. In 16 weeks I've lost 11 lbs. Less than a lb./week. Again... healthy.
For example, today I'll end up with around 1200 calories total breakfast lunch and dinner. Special K with non-fat milk for lunch, banana for snack, PB&J with a cheese stick and apple for lunch, strawberries for snack, salad with honey grilled chicken and raspberry vinaigrette for dinner. Everything measured, loaded into my diary and it still comes out to around 900 calories. I also give myself a 2-300 calorie swing because not everything is going to be accurate (meaning there could be a few calories not counted for on MFP). That would put me, at max, eating 5 times today, at 1100-1200 calories. Now, I'm also a Crossfitter and I'll go do a 30 minute CF workout today that will burn probably between 3 and 400 calories easy. But I also estimate using MFP, so it could be 300 or it could be 200. That's another 100 calories right there that would put me at 1200-1300 cals/day. I know my body and, if I ate those calories back, I wouldn't lose a thing. I'd gain until I dropped my calorie intake. It's more beneficial for me to be at or around 1200 cals/day (which in reality with pinpoint accurate measurements would probably be more like 1400 cals/day) than to eat more and overestimate.
My max reps have gone up, I have gained a ton of muscle, I can do moves I wasn't able to do before, and I have a lot more endurance, but people on here are telling me that at 1200 calories or lower I won't gain muscle and it's impossible to have increased the way I have. Consider me a miracle worker or... obviously they are incorrect (and MFP overestimates).
I think we all need to just remember that it will be different for everyone.

To the OP - If you are still feeling hungry at MFP's suggested calorie intake, play around with it. Find out what works for you. What works for others won't necessarily be your cup of tea, and what works for you others may find out doesn't work for them. As long as you are steadily losing weight at a good pace (1-2 lbs/week) and aren't seeing double or anything funny like that, I'd say you're probably fine. But check with your doctor and make sure your bloodwork is still good every year.