Is the 1200 calorie goal before or after exercise?

shorty702

I usually eat around 1200 to 1500 calories. But after subtracting my calories burned from exercise, it leaves me with a big deficit (500-900 at times) .Should I eat more to compensate for this? I've been reading all about "starvation mode" in different posts and it's just confusing :frown: .Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!

JustMichelleB

Are you losing weight?
Do you feel hungry all the time?

If you are happy with your weight loss, and aren't feeling hungry all the time, why fix what's not broken?

hpsnickers1

Yes you want to stay above 1200. Please read:


The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.
Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way.

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/index.html

eat back your exercise calories and keep your NET (on your Home Page) above 1200. If you consume too few calories for too long your body will stop burning fat and dig into your lean muscle mass for fuel. You don't want to lose muscle mass because this is our metabolism

erickirb

I usually eat around 1200 to 1500 calories. But after subtracting my calories burned from exercise, it leaves me with a big deficit (500-900 at times) .Should I eat more to compensate for this? I've been reading all about "starvation mode" in different posts and it's just confusing :frown: .Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!

Is that 500-900 left to reach your MFP goal? that MFP goal already gives you a deficit of 250-1000 depending on your goal so if you are 900 under the MFP goal you deficit would be more like 1000-2000, which is too large to sustain and you can end up doing damage to your body (unless you have well over 100lbs to lose)

Jenn728

I know there's a huge debate on these boards...but if I'm not hungry, I don't eat. When I was forcing myself to eat back the calories burned, I was not losing weight. I really think everyone is different and you should do what is right for you.

erickirb

Are you losing weight?
Do you feel hungry all the time?

If you are happy with your weight loss, and aren't feeling hungry all the time, why fix what's not broken?

Because she could be harming herself, and the effects may not be showing yet. Essentially the least amount you should eat is 1200 plus 100% of the calories burned from exercise.

erickirb

I know there's a huge debate on these boards...but if I'm not hungry, I don't eat. When I was forcing myself to eat back the calories burned, I was not losing weight. I really think everyone is different and you should do what is right for you.

Hunger is not the best indication of caloric requirements.

Chrissy_Michelle

1200 is BEFORE/WITHOUT exercise. If you exercise, you need to eat a little more to at least stay at 1200. Don't go below. BUT, if you are losing and not hungry and you feel good...don't change anything. You have to do what works for you!

nehushtan

Hunger is not the best indication of caloric requirements.

Amen. Don't hurt yourself.

snowflakelaia

I agree up to a point.

A 1200 kcal intake for a person who is 5'5" tall is different from someone who is 5'2" (like me). I do not need to eat as much, if I try to eat ALL the kcal I burn when exercising I feel over-stuffed.

A person who is 6' and eats 1200 kcal... what then?

shorty702

Thanks for everyone's input. I will try my best to eat back my calories burned.