1200 Calorie/Day Minimum?

Beatrix0810

Hey guys!

I have a question. Maybe you all can help me out. Is it more important that you CONSUME 1200 calories/day (at least) or that you AVERAGE out to a 1200 calorie/day intake? I'm asking because I've ramped up my work outs recently because I've not been seeing a difference in my weight or overall fitness. I'm now working out 6 days/week, sometimes twice/day. I usually consume more than 1200 calories in a day, but by the end of the day, after I enter what I are for dinner, etc., I end up sometimes with a calorie surplus.

Now, I know that consuming less than 1200 calories/day is damaging to your metabolism, BUT what if I'm eating well above 1200 calories/day but then just working out such that I have a calorie surplus at the end of the day?

Any help you all can provide would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys!

- Beatrix

Marig0ld

Makes sense to me. I've been doing something similar (calculating by the week, not by the day) and I've been losing steadily. There's no way I could eat only 1200 calories on the days that I work out!

IOWAlapbanderette

I had a conversation with my nutritionist this week, she told me to aim for 1000 to 1200 calories daily, do my workouts and don't count them in my calorie deficits.

So thats what I am working on~

jonikeffer

I'm not quite sure from your post if you mean you're NETTING 1200, or eating 1200 and then burning however many with your exercise. Sorry if this is something you know, but you want to make sure you NET 1200. If you consume 1200 cals, then burn 400 exercising, you're only netting 800 cals, which is too few.

himiller3

It's just important that you don't fall too far below... A few short won't hurt regularly, but having hundreds in surplus every day would.

--edit--

That is, net calories, not base. So if you have 1700 net calories, then falling a few short won't hurt... etc. etc.

dobarber

Good question. I've been wondering about that one for a while myself. I'm between 1200-1300 calories per day and working out 4-5 times a week. Not sure what the answer is either. I've heard to eat your calories because that will give your body the energy to build back the muscle. I've also heard not to eat the calories back. Whats the answer if there is one?
Thanks
Doug

Susay2942

My Doctor just told me to take my average daily calorie count and reduce it by 500 calories a day to loose 1lb a week.
I would think your body has probably gotten adjusted to what you are doing. So you could add a 500 calorie burn or reduce the amount you eat by 500 (or any combination thereof).

Beatrix0810

I'm not quite sure from your post if you mean you're NETTING 1200, or eating 1200 and then burning however many with your exercise. Sorry if this is something you know, but you want to make sure you NET 1200. If you consume 1200 cals, then burn 400 exercising, you're only netting 800 cals, which is too few.

That's my question exactly. Someone else on here posted that the nutritionist said not to subtract calories burned from excercise and just eat 1200 calories. What do you think? This subject is just very confusing for me...

Msaip

I had a conversation with my nutritionist this week, she told me to aim for 1000 to 1200 calories daily, do my workouts and don't count them in my calorie deficits.

So thats what I am working on~

So regardless if you workout or not she wants to to only eat 1200? A Fitness professional at the hospital told me not to eat more than 1400 -1500 cals a day regardless of working out or not

himiller3

Not adding the calories you burn off exercising just results in you starving your body. (Sorry, edit there, I said subtracting)

If your muscle doesn't get the food it needs, you lose it.

If you burn 1000 calories a day exercising, and you only eat 1200 calories a day, then you are losing 1000 calories of needed food + what you would need to maintain your weight, i.e. starving the muscle.

Muscle needs food to grow, starving it only makes it go away

Since Im in edit, I will clarify.

1200 calories a day is a deficit for most people. They will lose about 2lbs a week (for the average person). This is NET calories. It doesn't take into account exercise, which burns far more calories than normal activity.

Exercise needs to be counted into that figure to stave off starving the muscle in your body. If you eat far less than your body needs, the muscle starves and you lose it.

For most people, who burn a couple hundred calories 3 days a week, 1400 or so calories would be fine. But if you work out every day, and burn far more than that, it will fall far short.