I abandoned 1200 calories per day, and so should you

silvermasked

I'm on day 28 and I am kind of happy with the results so far but I have to be honest I am sooooo impatient. I just dropped my CAL intake from about 2000 a day to 1540. I hope that another 28 days from today will see more of a result

paganstar71

You do need more calories, you said this yourself!

Sigh. Yes I do, for a number of reasons.

The problem is you directly linked muscle mass with higher calorie requirements.

I explained why this is factually wrong.

Now you're talking about something different, i.e. my personal TDEE. Which has nothing to do with the amount of calories required by fat vs muscle - the latter is universally applicable.


Your inability to follow a logical line of argument is astonishing. Congratulations.

My line of argument is simple. You need more calories because you are a body builder. As you have pointed out you only need an extra 60 cals per day versus a higher body fat version of yourself, but this is only when you are resting. Your workouts and metabolism means you can maintain your weight at 800+ more calories than the average woman, and yet I am not allowed to lose weight at 800 calories less than the average woman's maintenance level? This is not logical. You do know what an average is, don't you?

You clearly have no idea of the difference between BMR and TDEE. Google is your friend.

I am also NOT a bodybuilder. I am a powerlifter.

I do know TDEE thank you, mine is 1630. I'm not sure why the fact that everyone is different is so hard for you to understand.

paganstar71

That was just 1 day out of 3 months of logging. I did only eat a pizza from Pizza Hut because I had been having fun at a Comic Con all day and I didn't fancy the cakes and fries on sale at the event, so I waited until we left.

That day I had worked up a raging appetite, but a single day of what many people would class a mini fast is not going to hurt anyone. As it happens the following day I was ill with a vomiting bug so you could probably criticise that day too! My logging is not spotty, sometimes 'real life' gets in the way - it's not always 100% enjoyment in most peoples' life. Good luck with your perfect life!

Aren't you pleasant. I'm just going to leave it with hangry and go eat ma ice cream. Have fun singing the joys of 1200 calories

Yeah, have fun telling people how to have fun and, you know, enjoy life! Digging around in diet diaries to make personal judgements sounds a right bundle of laughs. Meh...

Only did so to prove a point because in general I find people who say they maintain 1200 and are soooo happy with it generally you know...Don't. If you're so bothered by it, you can always close your diary. Seems to make you cranky.

I didn't say I maintain at 1200! I said everyone is different, and you chose to argue with a very simple fact by making a personal judgement on my happiness levels. Not cool.

Edit: It's Mother's Day here in the UK and I don't plan on spending any more time defending myself against people who think it is productive or entertaining to snipe at other people's experience, knowledge and ability to enjoy life.

kickassketo

When I dieted in the past and ate 1200 calories per day I was starving! I was eating things like small portions of fruit, rice cakes, low-fat yogurt, whole wheat bread, raw veggies, broiled skinless chicken breast, etc. as part of a low fat diet. I found it impossible to maintain because I was so miserable and hungry all the time. Now, I eat 1200 calories of cheese, eggs, butter, nuts and seeds, meat, green veggies, chicken with skin cooked in oil, etc and very few carbs and I'm NEVER hungry, I feel great, have maintained it for months and am down 30lbs. Even when I reach goal, which is soon, I'll never go back to high carb/low fat!

paperpudding

I am eating 1340 calories a day and burn anywhere between 900-1500 calories a day exercising. I do not eat my exercise calories back and have lost 23 lbs in 11 weeks. Everyone's diet plan will be different

So you are netting between 440 and minus 160 calories per day??!!

Not a healthy eating plan :noway:

3 days a week I net -3000+

Still healthy as anything I am.

Pinkraynedrop, I don't understand why you quoted my post.

My query was to spoiled wife, whom I quoted, who didn't say anything about netting more on other days and whose diet plan seems to be one of netting between 400 and minus 160 per day.
Extremely unhealthy intake.

I said nothing about your intake or anyone else's intake in my post.

verhunzt

It's funny to see how people are actually just fighting over this instead of supporting each other..
I'm pretty sure this post was aimed to help people, not to tell them what to do.
If people are fine eating 1200 calories a day, then they're fine. Why does it bother you, just relax, not everybody has to agree with you.

jjscholar

From my understanding of this issue which is not much at all, calorie requirements for weight loss varies from person to person.

With me, I can lose some weight if I have less than 2500 calories. This is because I work out an average of 4 days a week 2.5 hours per work out.

I wish I could eat less than 2500 calories a day but my body will not let me. So, the best I can do is maintain between 175 to 180 lbs.

Tracey_B_72

I think I must be really stupid because I thought MFP wasn't just about calories but about learning to bring a bit of exercise into your life also. I was lazy before MFP but what it has done for me is amazing, it made me realise I could earn myself calories by walking and getting out in my bike, so yes I was in 1200 cals a day but I could earn another 300 by going out walking and by walking I'm exercising my body, getting outside and going to earn something nice to eat that night.

I would've thought by just eating 1200 cals your body holds on to everything like in a starvation mode. That's how I've always seen it, and now I see it's about a balance of healthy eating and activities in your life.

kmclauchlanquinn

First of all, there's no two ways around it: if you eat less calories than you burn, you WILL lose weight. It's impossible that the original poster couldn't lose a single pound on 1200 calories per day. It's against the laws of thermodynamics.

That being said, the lower caloric intake isn't a magic bullet. If you're starving yourself on 1200 calories a day, then there's a fundamental problem: you're not doing something sustainable. You'll quit. Or worse, you'll reach your goal, and your diet will be so impossible to maintain that you'll just go back to your old eating habits and gain the weight back.

There are a few ways to play with your target caloric intake to make it sustainable:

1. Raise it closer to your BMR. This means you'll lose weight slower, but remember: this is a marathon, not a sprint! It's MUCH better to lose, say, 1 lb per week while eating in a way you enjoy, than starve yourself to reach your goals. Skipping meals is a SURE sign you're going at it too hard.

2. Change your food, and make sure to include healthy fats and protein. Fat and protein help with satiety. That is to say, if you eat mostly fat and protein, you'll feel full. If you eat carbs, you'll be hungry within an hour. Veggies and fruits are also great, because it's really hard to go over your caloric budget eating those. Try to binge on lettuce and you'll see what I mean. If you're making room in your caloric budget for fast food, soft drinks or desserts, you'll surely go hungry, because you're "spending" your budget on empty calories.

3. Do cardio. Cardio isn't a magic bullet, but it DOES burn calories. If you find a form of cardio you enjoy, you'll raise your caloric budget while getting healthier.

4. Lift weights. Lifting doesn't lead to weight loss directly, but what it does is activate fat burning. This means you'll maintain your muscle mass during weight loss. This will ensure that you're a healthier person when you reach your weight target.

Whatever you do, don't go thinking caloric deficit is not the answer... It is. As long as you eat good, quality food, and set realistic and sustainable goals, you WILL make it. Don't give in to fad diets, and remember... What you need is a lifestyle change. If it's too hard day to day, you WILL give up. But if you do it right, you won't even consider it a diet, just a better way of life.

kmclauchlanquinn

Awesome advice. Thank you

Mindfreak1999

Has worked for me, I have lost over 90lbs, and have never felt fitter and full of energy.

pinkraynedropjacki

I am eating 1340 calories a day and burn anywhere between 900-1500 calories a day exercising. I do not eat my exercise calories back and have lost 23 lbs in 11 weeks. Everyone's diet plan will be different

So you are netting between 440 and minus 160 calories per day??!!

Not a healthy eating plan :noway:

3 days a week I net -3000+

Still healthy as anything I am.

Pinkraynedrop, I don't understand why you quoted my post.

My query was to spoiled wife, whom I quoted, who didn't say anything about netting more on other days and whose diet plan seems to be one of netting between 400 and minus 160 per day.
Extremely unhealthy intake.

I said nothing about your intake or anyone else's intake in my post.

Because you said that 'spoiled wife' the way she nets between 400 & minus 160 per day was an extremely unhealthy intake... I just wanted to show that while you think it may be, it is in fact not for some. I was proving that I net minus 3000+ calories on 3 days a week and I'm more than healthy & proof that just because someone may net less than YOU think is healthy does not mean it is.

matiasve

Eating 1200 kcal per day... and I'm feeling awful: I almost murdered someone yesterday because we were out of celery...
I even think I was losing more at 1550 kcal per day, but somehow the app now claims I should eat 1200 kcal.
I'm in bed right now... gonna read this thread while I slowly die of hunger... ignore me... nevermind


( 18y/old 5'10" 174lbs male )

paperpudding

I am eating 1340 calories a day and burn anywhere between 900-1500 calories a day exercising. I do not eat my exercise calories back and have lost 23 lbs in 11 weeks. Everyone's diet plan will be different

So you are netting between 440 and minus 160 calories per day??!!

Not a healthy eating plan :noway:

3 days a week I net -3000+

Still healthy as anything I am.

Pinkraynedrop, I don't understand why you quoted my post.

My query was to spoiled wife, whom I quoted, who didn't say anything about netting more on other days and whose diet plan seems to be one of netting between 400 and minus 160 per day.
Extremely unhealthy intake.

I said nothing about your intake or anyone else's intake in my post.

Because you said that 'spoiled wife' the way she nets between 400 & minus 160 per day was an extremely unhealthy intake... I just wanted to show that while you think it may be, it is in fact not for some. I was proving that I net minus 3000+ calories on 3 days a week and I'm more than healthy & proof that just because someone may net less than YOU think is healthy does not mean it is.

If you net minus 3000 some days and this balances out with other days, fine.
It is the average that matters.

However spoiled wife said nothing about higher days balancing this out.
If she clarifies that this is the case, fair enough.
By her post, her average calories would be around 200 per day - I stand by my statement that this is an extremely unhealthy intake for anyone. Not nearly enough calories for anyone, not even a young child.

ShellyBell999

I really wish people would just post their experiences and leave it at that, rather than I did it and so should you.

Is there a genie here somewhere??? :indifferent:

spoiledwife2005

I never eat more then 1340 calories a day, I work out 6 days a week and for me it works perfectly. So please quit the " it's not healthy bullcrap" I am always full and feel great. Again it may not work for everyone. Not everyone is the same and all will be different. If you are starving eat more...PLAIN AND SIMPLE.Now let's be happy for each other and do what works for us

Roisindubh32

Just because someone sets there limit at 1200 doesn't actually mean they eat 1200.

THIS!!!

The 1200 is just a basic guide. It's like "okay, if I did nothing at all, this is how many calories I would need to eat to lose weight." Then you compensate based on workouts etc. My job is sedentary. I may have days where I am sitting on my butt behind a computer for most of the day because there is a deadline to meet. Not everyone's schedules are going to be the same and some people honestly cannot workout 7 days a week. It's just easier to have that baseline there I guess.

It's all based on common sense really. If you're working out, you should be eating more than 1200. If you're on your butt for most of the day, well, the 1200 is justified for that day.

voni2086

I am one of those people who only eats when they are hungry & I can't force myself to eat if I'm not hungry. The reason I got fat is because I now have an underactive thyroid. I have spent the first 38 years of my life underweight (my weight never went above 6st 10lbs) and now I have 2 stone to lose. Just because someone is fat it doesn't necessarily mean they have been sitting eating all day.

Wiltord1982

Veggie_Ankers

I'm 5ft10 currently at 248lbs. My goal set by MFP is 1450 but I usually eat between 1250 and 1480 a day. I plan my meals in advance and fill in my diary in advance so I stick to my meal plan and eat enough calories. I have three good meals and 3 healthy snacks spaced evenly throughout the day. It works well with my diabetes and i'm never hungry. I exercise 4-5 times a week depending on weather and benefit from a good weightloss.

The way I see it is if you're eating healthily, feel happy about yourself and getting the results you want then each to their own on their meal/calorie intake choices.