1200 cals a day?!
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I changed my daily to 1400. I like this amount because it equates to approx 28 points if you were on Weight Watchers. And when I go to the gym it gives me the extra calories to use or maybe even bank a few for the weekend.0
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Just to add a little something to my above post.
Based upon a 30 years-old woman, 166cm (5'4") and 70kgs (155 pounds), with 30% BF. No exercise and a desk-type job.
BMR is 1435 and TDEE is about 1725. Based on that, if the daily caloric goal was 1450 or 1500, this is a caloric deficit and weight would be lost at a more comfortable pace.
Food for, ...uh, thought.
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MFP has calculated 1200 calories per day for me. I am okay with it on the days that i exercise because I eat back some of the calories earnt but on any rest days I must admit I do struggle. I dont really have enough calories left to have a decent meal this evening, and I like to eat plenty of fruit so I will go out for a good walk later to earn some more calories. I am going to have to look into this BMR and TDEE that everyone is talking about, not sure how to work it out will probably try good old Google
MFP gave you the lowest default number based upon "I want to lose XX pounds per week"
If you put in a too aggressive goal.....MFP defaulted to the minimum. 1200 may or may not be appropriate for you.....BMR is helpful in determining this. Here's a calculator
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
BMR is the # of calories your body would use if you stayed in bed all day
TDEE (maintenance) = BMR + activity level + exercise0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
A 23 years-old Man, 5'9", 200lbs, who exercises twice everyday, would have a BMR of 1750 and a TDEE of 3000.
1200kcal per day is way too low. If you ate 2500 or 2600, you'd be fine and be in a caloric deficit. Why aren't you losing weight? I don't know. I'd like to look at your food diary, but you have it as private. You say you are doing weight and cardio every day. Too much! Entirely too much. I would recommend that you train with weights three or four days a week - at most. Keep cardio limited to two days per week. Your muscles need rest. Eating will boost your metabolism. Provided those calories are good calories and not junk. If you are keeping a food diary, you must be honest with it and yourself.0 -
and our point is:I think people got the wrong idea about me. I stay 1200 or lower one time a week or so, not every day. I was just making the point that it is fairly easy to to if you eat the right stuff.
very.. VERY few people should have to. the 1200 calorie that MFP gives out is a flub in the system. I'm sorry you're not following.
I just logged my 770th day on this site today. I've been posting the following blurb for a while.here are some clues:
1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.
pretty much that.
...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:
the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.
Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.
I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.
Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.
Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
this could help.
I've bolded the important part so any future posters to this thread can see that there's a big bright light at the end of that godawful 1200 calorie tunnel that they get sucked into.
Feel free to take a look at those links yourself, it might help.
The thing is....I don't need help. I've lost 90 pounds without any suffering whatsoever and my weight loss has actually accelerated as I've moved forward. What I am doing is working for me.
The only point of my post was that if you stop eating foods that make you crave, if you just eat healthy, it is easy to keep your calories down. I'm not here to be the calorie police. I can see we have plenty of those here.
You have already clarified that you aren't on 1200 daily calories (on average). So there's a good chance you're eating "enough" calories not to have any significant side effects. For your sake, I hope so.
That said, those you are railing against don't necessarily have a problem with your approach (because beyond indicating you eat more than 1200 calories, you really haven't divulged your approach). I am a little troubled by your nonchalant views on losing LBM (and that you used the word "toned"), but hey, different strokes and all that.
Our...okay, *my*...problem is with people thinking that they *need* to be at 1200 to see any results and *starting* there. There truly are people for whom 1200 is the right answer. I have no qualms with that. My problem is with those who preach that others should start at 1200 and that there are no consequences of too great of a deficit. (Oh, I have a problem with those who say that building muscle is easy and that they can do it at 1200 calories too.)
There is an optimal way to do this (IMHO) and I choose to spend some of my time in the forums preaching that message: find the *most* calories you can eat while still making satisfactory progress towards your goals. The benefits are many.
ETA: I recommend discounting the personal anecdotes of those who are "just fine on 1200" who are actually eating 1200 (based on weighing and measuring) who have been at it for less than two or so months. It takes time for some of the consequences to manifest. The boards are full of posts from those doing "just fine" who drop out of the game after a couple of months when they stop doing "just fine"...until they come back later and are once again "just fine" for a couple of months. It's a vicious cycle.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Too little food paired with too much exercise for that amount of food creates excess Cortisol. Excess Cortisol will prevent weight loss and long term damages health.0 -
...and you're gonna have an issue if you try to eat more than that from here out.On days I don't exercise I don't have any problem staying below 1200 calories. I will eat 2/3 of a cup of oatmeal in the morning, which is 200 calories, then do a tuna salad with lettuce at lunch for 250 calories. Then i will eat 2 chicken breasts and some vegetables at dinner for 300 calories, and a half cup of frozen yogurt for 100 calories. I still have room for another serving of oatmeal at 200 calories and another 150 calories to spare.
If you eat healthy stuff all day, it isn't really that difficult to stay under 1200 calories.
Did bad today though, went to the Thai buffet and pigged out lol. Ate mostly vegetables and chicken though.
You are a man, you should not eat that little.
Maybe. But I've lost 90 pounds and I just had a full physical, and the Dr. says I am a helluva lot healthier than when I was fat.
Not if he continues to stay discipline and stay on track. If he lets up and gets fat, then thats his fault and he deserves it for not being disciplined.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
A 23 years-old Man, 5'9", 200lbs, who exercises twice everyday, would have a BMR of 1750 and a TDEE of 3000.
1200kcal per day is way too low. If you ate 2500 or 2600, you'd be fine and be in a caloric deficit. Why aren't you losing weight? I don't know. I'd like to look at your food diary, but you have it as private. You say you are doing weight and cardio every day. Too much! Entirely too much. I would recommend that you train with weights three or four days a week - at most. Keep cardio limited to two days per week. Your muscles need rest. Eating will boost your metabolism. Provided those calories are good calories and not junk. If you are keeping a food diary, you must be honest with it and yourself.
How can I take it off of private mode? I didn't know it was on private sorry0 -
The thing is....I don't need help. I've lost 90 pounds without any suffering whatsoever and my weight loss has actually accelerated as I've moved forward. What I am doing is working for me.
The only point of my post was that if you stop eating foods that make you crave, if you just eat healthy, it is easy to keep your calories down. I'm not here to be the calorie police. I can see we have plenty of those here.
You have already clarified that you aren't on 1200 daily calories (on average). So there's a good chance you're eating "enough" calories not to have any significant side effects. For your sake, I hope so.
That said, those you are railing against don't necessarily have a problem with your approach (because beyond indicating you eat more than 1200 calories, you really haven't divulged your approach). I am a little troubled by your nonchalant views on losing LBM (and that you used the word "toned"), but hey, different strokes and all that.
Our...okay, *my*...problem is with people thinking that they *need* to be at 1200 to see any results and *starting* there. There truly are people for whom 1200 is the right answer. I have no qualms with that. My problem is with those who preach that others should start at 1200 and that there are no consequences of too great of a deficit. (Oh, I have a problem with those who say that building muscle is easy and that they can do it at 1200 calories too.)
There is an optimal way to do this (IMHO) and I choose to spend some of my time in the forums preaching that message: find the *most* calories you can eat while still making satisfactory progress towards your goals. The benefits are many.
ETA: I recommend discounting the personal anecdotes of those who are "just fine on 1200" who are actually eating 1200 (based on weighing and measuring) who have been at it for less than two or so months. It takes time for some of the consequences to manifest. The boards are full of posts from those doing "just fine" who drop out of the game after a couple of months when they stop doing "just fine"...until they come back later and are once again "just fine" for a couple of months. It's a vicious cycle.
[/quote]
perfectly stated! I couldn't agree more.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Because even with the weight lifting, you're going to lose muscle mass and lower your metabolism. This is what my fiance did... He lost over 100lbs, and now he's put 40 back on and gains weight eating stupid small amounts of food because his metabolism is screwed to all hell. Oh, and also the consequences for testosterone, cortisol, and various other hormones. Eat more.0 -
...and you're gonna have an issue if you try to eat more than that from here out.On days I don't exercise I don't have any problem staying below 1200 calories. I will eat 2/3 of a cup of oatmeal in the morning, which is 200 calories, then do a tuna salad with lettuce at lunch for 250 calories. Then i will eat 2 chicken breasts and some vegetables at dinner for 300 calories, and a half cup of frozen yogurt for 100 calories. I still have room for another serving of oatmeal at 200 calories and another 150 calories to spare.
If you eat healthy stuff all day, it isn't really that difficult to stay under 1200 calories.
Did bad today though, went to the Thai buffet and pigged out lol. Ate mostly vegetables and chicken though.
You are a man, you should not eat that little.
Maybe. But I've lost 90 pounds and I just had a full physical, and the Dr. says I am a helluva lot healthier than when I was fat.
Not if he continues to stay discipline and stay on track. If he lets up and gets fat, then thats his fault and he deserves it for not being disciplined.
What if it is the protocol that is flawed and not his adherence to it?
People like to credit the pill or supplement for their success when they achieve it primarily as a result of their own efforts...but people are seemingly very reluctant to blame a faulty protocol for when they achieve the inevitable results of that flawed protocol and instead blame their lack of "discipline". Sometimes, it really isn't their fault (except so far as they are to blame for continuing to put their faith in a protocol that is ultimately ineffective).
For example, a young male exercising twice daily and eating 1200-1300 calories? (Assuming you truly are eating this little and are not making an error in your calculation), this is a Very Bad Idea™. This is a protocol that if used long-term is almost certainly destined for a bad outcome. If you manage to stick with it and reach your goal, but are still unhappy with your results, just remember that there is another way.0 -
I am... I just upped it to 1350, though. I am losing less than a pound a week... so... i'm hoping maybe my body just needs some fuel.0
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...and you're gonna have an issue if you try to eat more than that from here out.On days I don't exercise I don't have any problem staying below 1200 calories. I will eat 2/3 of a cup of oatmeal in the morning, which is 200 calories, then do a tuna salad with lettuce at lunch for 250 calories. Then i will eat 2 chicken breasts and some vegetables at dinner for 300 calories, and a half cup of frozen yogurt for 100 calories. I still have room for another serving of oatmeal at 200 calories and another 150 calories to spare.
If you eat healthy stuff all day, it isn't really that difficult to stay under 1200 calories.
Did bad today though, went to the Thai buffet and pigged out lol. Ate mostly vegetables and chicken though.
You are a man, you should not eat that little.
Maybe. But I've lost 90 pounds and I just had a full physical, and the Dr. says I am a helluva lot healthier than when I was fat.
Not if he continues to stay discipline and stay on track. If he lets up and gets fat, then thats his fault and he deserves it for not being disciplined.
The POINT of it all is, you do not have to eat that little in order to lose weight, and doing so in that way reduces lean body mass which comes with aesthetic and sometimes health consequences. And, in addition, he is truly not eating that little, he later stated he doesn't eat that way regularly and he has not divulged his real average calorie intake.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Too little food paired with too much exercise for that amount of food creates excess Cortisol. Excess Cortisol will prevent weight loss and long term damages health.
I'm not a big eater, so 1200 doesnt leave me hungry.
So you're saying no matter how hard I work in the gym and on the track, I wont lose ANY weight just because I eat 1200?0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Too little food paired with too much exercise for that amount of food creates excess Cortisol. Excess Cortisol will prevent weight loss and long term damages health.
I'm not a big eater, so 1200 doesnt leave me hungry.
So you're saying no matter how hard I work in the gym and on the track, I wont lose ANY weight just because I eat 1200?
(I know this wasn't addressed to me, but I'll jump in anyhow...)
I'm certainly not saying you won't lose weight. In fact, you almost certainly will. It may not be the type of weight you want to lose, and you may find some unwanted consequences of decreased testosterone/increased cortisol...and your susceptibility for injury will be *much* higher (especially given the supposed frequency of your workouts)...and your performance in the gym/on the track will almost certainly be diminished/less than optimal...blah blah blah and other inevitable consequences of this approach...
...but you *will* lose weight.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Because even with the weight lifting, you're going to lose muscle mass and lower your metabolism. This is what my fiance did... He lost over 100lbs, and now he's put 40 back on and gains weight eating stupid small amounts of food because his metabolism is screwed to all hell. Oh, and also the consequences for testosterone, cortisol, and various other hormones. Eat more.
^^Yep, 100% If you are eating that little, and moving that much, you're netting in the negatives.0 -
I am, but like you it is only possible because I also eat some of my exercise calories. It is certainly not a lot of food.
TommyJensen - a male should never eat below 1600 calories a day.
Why is that? I exercise twice a day (weight lifting in the morning and jogging in the evening) and eat 1200-1300 a day with no problem.
I'm 200lb, 5'9, 23 year old male. I'm tired of being fat.
Too little food paired with too much exercise for that amount of food creates excess Cortisol. Excess Cortisol will prevent weight loss and long term damages health.
I'm not a big eater, so 1200 doesnt leave me hungry.
So you're saying no matter how hard I work in the gym and on the track, I wont lose ANY weight just because I eat 1200?
Being hungry isn't a good indication of whether or not you are getting enough nutrition. Hunger is controlled by hormones, leptin and ghrelin. When you eat too little, your appetite gets suppressed.
You won't lose weight in a healthy manner, and in doing so, you will also reduce lean body mass. I assume that you don't want to get to the lower body weight while still having the same body fat % as you do now, proportionally looking the same as you did while fat but just at a lower weight?0 -
@deksgrl, make sure I squeeze in as much protein as possible in my 1200-1300 calorie limit in an attempt to keep muscle mass/lean tissue.0
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