1200 cals a day?!

jofjltncb6

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.

...and you're gonna have an issue if you try to eat more than that from here out.

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.

msthang444

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.

deksgrl

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.

...and you're gonna have an issue if you try to eat more than that from here out.

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.

ToraChan2310

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?

jofjltncb6

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.

RGv2

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.

deksgrl

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?

ToraChan2310

@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.

deksgrl

@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.

Protein alone isn't going to keep the LBM up when you are eating at that much of a deficit.

RGv2

@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.

Protein alone isn't going to keep the LBM up when you are eating at that much of a deficit.

^^^Yep....

GemW27

Well, that escalated quickly :laugh:

GemW27

You may want to go back and change your settings.

From what you've said you're in the very active category (burning 600 cals at a work out session), and that should give you a different caloric goal. Also, take a look at how aggressive your weekly weight loss goal might be.

My goal had been to lose 1 lb a week and that dipped me down to 1300 calories. At 1/2 a lb a week, I get an additional 300 calories.

I think that this has to be an approach you can sustain. If you lose 1/2 a lb a week, that's 26 lbs in a year.

If I change from sedentary to very active do I still eat back my calories? (Don't shoot me....)

deksgrl

You may want to go back and change your settings.

From what you've said you're in the very active category (burning 600 cals at a work out session), and that should give you a different caloric goal. Also, take a look at how aggressive your weekly weight loss goal might be.

My goal had been to lose 1 lb a week and that dipped me down to 1300 calories. At 1/2 a lb a week, I get an additional 300 calories.

I think that this has to be an approach you can sustain. If you lose 1/2 a lb a week, that's 26 lbs in a year.

If I change from sedentary to very active do I still eat back my calories? (Don't shoot me....)

If you are using MFP method, you eat whatever MFP tells you + more for exercise. If you exercise more, you eat more. MFP DOES NOT INCLUDE EXERCISE IN ITS CALCULATIONS. The activity level is for your daily life, do you sit in a chair all day or do you have a waitress job and are on your feet all day?

If you set up your own custom goal, based on figuring out your TDEE, then TDEE would include exercise already.