1200 cals a day?!

TeaBea

Ht and wt says nothing about bf%. You are sacrificing muscle mass...plain and simple. Why would you want to lose mass to get to a number on a scale in order to work 10 times harder to put just a shred of that muscle back on. It boggles my mind every time someone says that.

It's because they have no idea how difficult it is to put on muscle mass. And sadly, they won't believe anyone when you tell them that it is 10 times harder, so once they figure it out, the damage is already done.

Muscle mass is not all that difficult to gain. Up calories gently, while adding protein.
I eat 150 g or more protein a day.

I'm sorry, wut now? :huh: :noway: :laugh:

ETA: I just had to add, this is the most outrageous thing I've seen here all day.

Yes - I agree...

Muscle mass is easy to gain !! :noway: All you need to do is up protein !! :noway:

It's statements like this....I can eat 1200 gross & add muscle.....because I eat lots of protein. :laugh:

Adding muscle is hard work AND you need to fuel your workouts.

Fragilebird24

I would do whatever works best for you! I'm just getting back on track this week after maintaining for a couple months and my goal is 1250 calories a day, but I usually dip into my exercise calories. That's how I lost twenty pounds a couple months back so I'm sticking with it. I am hungry a lot but having to stay within that calorie range really makes me think about what I'm eating so I can get the most out of my food. Maybe you should up your calories to 1400 and see if that works for you. Good luck!

alyjb1121

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The_1_Who_Knocks

I would do whatever works best for you!

Ding Ding Ding Ding.

mkcmurphy

When I started at 1200/day, I became mean, tired, weak, and, a few times, dizzy. I determined that safety and a sane, loving relationship with my family (especially the little ones) was far more important than a number somebody's machine determined. Listen to what your body is telling you; slow and steady will get you there the right way!

Good luck!

alyjb1121

I just calculated my BMR and it is close to yours at 1495. multiply it by 1.2 bc i am mostly seditary due to my job ( you can look up the multiplier if you are more active. for lightly active, as an example, it is 1.37)
so to lose a pound a week (since a pound is 3500 calories) i would have to be at 1294 daily but some days are easier than others and i am always under my weekly goals- i come close on days but not close as a week in whole-so it was easier to look at is as a week:
3500 calorie deficit per week= 1lb. 3500/7=500 deficit a day
1294x7=9058 calories per week which would make me lose 1lb.
But again, I am more likely to hit the weekly number than the daily one ALL SEVEN DAYS. I might do 5 days at the least though

Since you only have 17 more pounds to lose (according to your ticker), it would probably be better to aim for 0.5 lb per week loss instead of 1 pound. The closer you get to goal weight, the more calories you should be eating to slow down your weight loss. This helps make transitioning into maintenance so much easier because you don't have a big jump in calorie intake.

Thank you for the advice! Always helpful as we try to figure this out. I actually was very slow in losing the first 17 and had a higher calorie goal which i never seemed to go over on, so i just recently changed it to a lower goal to try to motivate myself for the last 17 pounds. I first focused a lot on carbs and now am thinking calories is an easier focus while still maintaining the life changes i have made with carb consumption. I had no idea incrreasing calories slowed down the loss, but i will definitely keep all this in mind! Thanks again

mewirhousky

Please, Please, Please, Please, Please check out these sites

http://eatmore2weighless.com/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Background on me - I started out over 300 lbs. put myself on a strict 1200 cal diet, working out 3-5 days a week, lost a good amount of weight, fairly quickly, then just stopped. It didn't matter how/what I ate, how much I worked out, scale stopped moving. I am in the process of trying to reset my metabolism because I've learned that I completely shot it by eating so little. I did eventually get under 200 lbs, but wish I had done it a better way. I'm not going to get into the argument that 1200 calories is wrong, but looking back it was definitely wrong for me. I recommend you finding your bmr and educating yourself on losing weight eating your max (of good clean foods of course) and hopefully you won't damage yourself the way that I did...good luck either way

deksgrl

I eat 1800 calories a day and am losing weight. I eat/drink what I want. It's about moderation not deprivation. :flowerforyou:

Is that your "base" calories that you eat, no exercise calories? I have been stuck at just over 200 pounds for like, forever! I have tried 1200 calories, eating back my exercise calories, 1500 calories (TDEE) and eating back exercise calories and not eating back exercise calories. My body will not budge. I burn 600 calories 4 times a week doing a 5-mile walk. I'm frustrated, but not giving up.

This confuses me. Are you saying that 1500 IS your TDEE? That's not right. Your BMR is probably close to 1500. And if you were eating at TDEE plus eating more for exercise, then you would gain weight. If you burn 600 calories 4 times per week in exercise, your TDEE is certainly not 1500, it is probably around 2,200.

dortilolma

I did 1200 for a week - mostly as an experiment. I exercised everyday and ate those calories back - if I hadn't I think I would have caved on day 2 and given up entirely. Even with that, I ate over 1200 net on 4 of the 7 days - I couldn't do it.

jilliangetsit

Maybe you should be eating more... (please look in to your BMR & TDEE)
YES! It does sound counterproductive but/especially if you are exercising - YOU NEED MORE CALORIES lol I had lost about 12 lb on the 1200 cal limit that MFP gave me (fine and dandy) but I ended up exhausting myself because I wasn't providing myself with enough nutrition(energy) to sustain my daily routine let alone exercise on top of that. The weight came off, sure - slowly. Then all I wanted to do was ...well, nothing...and eat and it came right back. This go around I've increase my intake to 1400 (+/- 200 cal on a day to day basis depending on exercise and intensity) and literally 20 lb have fallen off of me in the last two months. I am 5'9" tall and went from 193.2 to 172.0 in two months. I'm sure WHAT I'm eating that makes up my daily 1400 calories has everything to do with how well this is working - (mostly clean/unprocessed foods and that is ON a Budget it can be done) but I don't feel hungry/deprived of food - I'm well rested every day and I'm losing weight. EAT to LOSE is real!! haha
Feel free to add me if you'd like to peek my diary etc. Cheers and best of luck to you!

FatGirlSad

I've been eating 1200 calories a day since november. I have lost 33 lbs.
Some days I find it difficult to eat 1200 calories a day and hardly ever go over.
I eat a lot of veggies and lean meats. I avoid breads and starches. I feel like I eat all day and I'm still far short of 1200 calories.
You need to reasses WHAT you're eating instead of how many calories you are eating.

Brown Rice has less calories than white rice and makes you feel fuller longer.
Quinoa is full of fiber and protein so you can avoid more meats and eat a quinoa stir fry instead.
Coconut oil is a healthy fat that is better for you than vegetable oil. So is Olive Oil.
Eat more raw veggies and less cooked.
Have a Green veggie with each meal. i.e. A green smoothie for breakfast. Snack on Celery. have a nice salad for lunch. 3oz of chicken for dinner with a side salad.
Check the calories in your sauces and dressings. Cut wout what is un necessary. I no longer use mayo, katsup, bbq sauce. it's no necessary if you know how to use spices correctly in your foods.
Avoid pre-made mixes. They usually have hidden sugars that you don't need and added calories. Make your own spice mixes from natural spices. You can find recipes for them on line just google search. Homemade spice mixes taste better anyway.

There are so many ways to cut out calories and stay below 1200 a day. You just have to really want it and really think about what is going in your mouth before you eat it.

annadoria

:drinker: I'm on 1200 a day and some days i don't even eat all my calories, but, I cut out all sodas and drink unsweet tea or water with lemon, saving all my calories for food, and I found that diet soda actually made me wanna eat more so I cut that out too,yogurt or Instant oatmeal for breakfast,with a banana or something then salad or tuna or something light for lunch then whatever for supper, just watching the starchy stuff, you can eat anything you want just watch the portion size

soupinthesky

Hi, from my experience, it is important that the calories come from a good nutritious food. If calories come from sugar and cookies, I get very hungry quickly, but if I eat slow burning carbs, I stay fuller longer. So look closely at what you eat; the numbers by themselves don't mean much because if the body is not getting the nutrients it needs, it will torture you with cravings and demands for MORE FOOD!

deksgrl

I would do whatever works best for you!

Ding Ding Ding Ding.

Doing "whatever works best for you" to lose weight now can have unintended health consequences later on down the road. Which is what people are trying to educate you on. Right now the priority is lose this weight STAT, not caring about any consequences. Same reason people take other unhealthy measures like <insert fad very low cal diet or magic pill of the day here>.

thomaszabel

I'm on 1200, and I agree that it is difficult. On gym days, it's easy, because I put in burn 500-1200. If I don't do the gym, I try to eat light, like more veggies, and less meat, pasta, processed foods, etc.

But even if you clock in above the 1200, notice that it still calculates that you will be losing weight over the next 5 weeks. It's just that you won't lose as much.

Yesterday or the day before I ended up with 1500 net calories. After I finished the entries, it said "if you eat like this every day, you will lose 6 pounds in 5 weeks" or something like that. So no big deal. Still losing weight. Just depends how fast you want to lose it.

dimplz1965

I eat 1800 calories a day and am losing weight. I eat/drink what I want. It's about moderation not deprivation. :flowerforyou:

Is that your "base" calories that you eat, no exercise calories? I have been stuck at just over 200 pounds for like, forever! I have tried 1200 calories, eating back my exercise calories, 1500 calories (TDEE) and eating back exercise calories and not eating back exercise calories. My body will not budge. I burn 600 calories 4 times a week doing a 5-mile walk. I'm frustrated, but not giving up.

This confuses me. Are you saying that 1500 IS your TDEE? That's not right. Your BMR is probably close to 1500. And if you were eating at TDEE plus eating more for exercise, then you would gain weight. If you burn 600 calories 4 times per week in exercise, your TDEE is certainly not 1500, it is probably around 2,200.

I got to read this later, but you're right - my bad on my TDEE, BMR, etc.!!! Thanks. I know I'm doing something hugely wrong.

deksgrl

I eat 1800 calories a day and am losing weight. I eat/drink what I want. It's about moderation not deprivation. :flowerforyou:

Is that your "base" calories that you eat, no exercise calories? I have been stuck at just over 200 pounds for like, forever! I have tried 1200 calories, eating back my exercise calories, 1500 calories (TDEE) and eating back exercise calories and not eating back exercise calories. My body will not budge. I burn 600 calories 4 times a week doing a 5-mile walk. I'm frustrated, but not giving up.

This confuses me. Are you saying that 1500 IS your TDEE? That's not right. Your BMR is probably close to 1500. And if you were eating at TDEE plus eating more for exercise, then you would gain weight. If you burn 600 calories 4 times per week in exercise, your TDEE is certainly not 1500, it is probably around 2,200.

I got to read this later, but you're right - my bad on my TDEE, BMR, etc.!!! Thanks. I know I'm doing something hugely wrong.

Use this calculator:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Chose the "lose fat 20% calorie reduction"

Eat that much every day, don't eat more for exercise. Keep up the same sort of exercise schedule.

trogalicious

I would do whatever works best for you!

Ding Ding Ding Ding.

Doing "whatever works best for you" to lose weight now can have unintended health consequences later on down the road. Which is what people are trying to educate you on. Right now the priority is lose this weight STAT, not caring about any consequences. Same reason people take other unhealthy measures like <insert fad very low cal diet or magic pill of the day here>.

shhh... this guy has it figured out already. We can give him the same advice later when he isn't happy with how things are going.

deksgrl

I would do whatever works best for you!

Ding Ding Ding Ding.

Doing "whatever works best for you" to lose weight now can have unintended health consequences later on down the road. Which is what people are trying to educate you on. Right now the priority is lose this weight STAT, not caring about any consequences. Same reason people take other unhealthy measures like <insert fad very low cal diet or magic pill of the day here>.

shhh... this guy has it figured out already. We can give him the same advice later when he isn't happy with how things are going.

The gift that keeps on giving.

The_1_Who_Knocks

I would do whatever works best for you!

Ding Ding Ding Ding.

Doing "whatever works best for you" to lose weight now can have unintended health consequences later on down the road. Which is what people are trying to educate you on. Right now the priority is lose this weight STAT, not caring about any consequences. Same reason people take other unhealthy measures like <insert fad very low cal diet or magic pill of the day here>.

I hear you, but the most dangerous health epidemic in the country is..........obesity.

I'm not telling people to do extreme diets....those never last. I have even said in this thread that if you call yourself "dieting" you are going to gain all the weight back anyway.

But this attitude that a lot of people have on here that they know what is right for everyone....that's just not reality. People have different goals and there are a lot of different healthy ways to get weight loss accomplished.