When 1200 calories a day equal 0

LorinaLynn

I "wasted my time" years ago when only ate low calorie to lose pounds, and ended up skinny fat at 130#, wearing a size 8 and sporting a muffin top and backfat rolls.

I didn't "waste my time" eating my exercise calories this time around and being a size 2 or 4 at around 130#. Same weight, and about two inches smaller all around. ( As in this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/449570-mfp-mythbusters-losing-weight-fast-exercise-calories-girl )

And I sure as hell didn't waste my time when my butt got noticeably less droopy from June to now, despite only weighing about two or three pounds less. ( As in my profile pic and this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/474504-seven-months-of-admittedly-inconsistent-strength-training )

TavistockToad

bumpy mcbump!

and just to throw my 2p's worth in... losing 1lb per week is NOT slow... its a GOOD amount of weight to lose to keep healthy and maintain the loss!!!

cmriverside

tabinmaine and Meridith,

Your approach does work, until it doesn't anymore.

Your extremely low calorie intakes are what can eventually put your thyroid gland in such a low state that you will be placed on meds for the rest of your life. Take it from me and many many others who have done this, the quick way to weight loss is also the way to ruin your long-term health.

Eat. Way more than 1300 cals a day. If you go to school or work or take care of children, you need more than 1300 a day.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits


.

CapsFan17

bumpy mcbump!

and just to throw my 2p's worth in... losing 1lb per week is NOT slow... its a GOOD amount of weight to lose to keep healthy and maintain the loss!!!

My toughts exactly!!

BAMFMeredith

tabinmarie and Meridith, you are both young and therefore know best.

Your approach does work, until it doesn't anymore.

Your extremely low calorie intakes are what can eventually put your thyroid gland in such a low state that you will be placed on meds for the rest of your life. Take it from me and many many others who have done this, the quick way to weight loss is also the way to ruin your long-term health.

Eat. Way more than 1300 cals a day. If you go to school or work or take care of children, you need more than 1300 a day.

Ok, there is no need to be rude. I'm not an idiot. I eat when I'm hungry. And I have my blood work checked every few months to ensure that I'm healthy. It's taken me one month to lose 5 lbs, and it's slowing, so I don't think I'm going overboard or anything. Obviously, I don't know everything, as I legitimately asked for advice. I work full time and have a 5 year old. I eat several times a day. I eat nutrient dense foods, and I eat until I'm full. I'm actually eating as I type (Eat Raw Super Cookies---they are delicious). Also, I said before, there are days where I do eat more than that. All in all, I want to be healthy, and the # on the scale isn't really that important as long as my BMI is in good shape. I have a relatively low BMR (in the 1400s range) as my job is pretty much sedentary. I have no interest in losing weight over night.

My whole question before was should I eat if I'm not hungry just because I have only had 1200 or 1300 calories that day? And keep in mind, that my calories might actually be more (and burning less) because I don't measure every bite I take and the exercise calories that MFP puts are probably a little higher than the actual burn.

jetscreaminagain

Another on the side of eat more. You'll do what you will, but as someone who's been here more than a month, I need to tell you the people chiming in about eating more know what they're talking about. They've been there. Me too. I eat more, get stronger,faster and slimmer. And way happier when I eat enough, which for me is 1700 plus exercise.

cmriverside

tabinmarie and Meridith, you are both young and therefore know best.

Your approach does work, until it doesn't anymore.

Your extremely low calorie intakes are what can eventually put your thyroid gland in such a low state that you will be placed on meds for the rest of your life. Take it from me and many many others who have done this, the quick way to weight loss is also the way to ruin your long-term health.

Eat. Way more than 1300 cals a day. If you go to school or work or take care of children, you need more than 1300 a day.

Ok, there is no need to be rude. I'm not an idiot. I eat when I'm hungry. And I have my blood work checked every few months to ensure that I'm healthy. It's taken me one month to lose 5 lbs, and it's slowing, so I don't think I'm going overboard or anything. Obviously, I don't know everything, as I legitimately asked for advice. I work full time and have a 5 year old. I eat several times a day. I eat nutrient dense foods, and I eat until I'm full. I'm actually eating as I type (Eat Raw Super Cookies---they are delicious). Also, I said before, there are days where I do eat more than that. All in all, I want to be healthy, and the # on the scale isn't really that important as long as my BMI is in good shape. I have a relatively low BMR (in the 1400s range) as my job is pretty much sedentary. I have no interest in losing weight over night.

My whole question before was should I eat if I'm not hungry just because I have only had 1200 or 1300 calories that day? And keep in mind, that my calories might actually be more (and burning less) because I don't measure every bite I take and the exercise calories that MFP puts are probably a little higher than the actual burn.

It probably won't make a lot of difference if you do that on occasion. But if you are saying that your BMR is 1400 cals, and you are eating 1200-1300 and less, you are already behind the eight ball.

You should deduct your calorie deficit from your TDEE, NOT your BMR. Your TDEE is probably more like 2000-2200. Unless you are obese, you really can't afford much of a calorie deficit. You need to be more around the 1600-1700 range, at the lowest.

You will feel much better, honestly, and it is something you are more likely to sustain long-term.

BAMFMeredith

tabinmarie and Meridith, you are both young and therefore know best.

Your approach does work, until it doesn't anymore.

Your extremely low calorie intakes are what can eventually put your thyroid gland in such a low state that you will be placed on meds for the rest of your life. Take it from me and many many others who have done this, the quick way to weight loss is also the way to ruin your long-term health.

Eat. Way more than 1300 cals a day. If you go to school or work or take care of children, you need more than 1300 a day.

Ok, there is no need to be rude. I'm not an idiot. I eat when I'm hungry. And I have my blood work checked every few months to ensure that I'm healthy. It's taken me one month to lose 5 lbs, and it's slowing, so I don't think I'm going overboard or anything. Obviously, I don't know everything, as I legitimately asked for advice. I work full time and have a 5 year old. I eat several times a day. I eat nutrient dense foods, and I eat until I'm full. I'm actually eating as I type (Eat Raw Super Cookies---they are delicious). Also, I said before, there are days where I do eat more than that. All in all, I want to be healthy, and the # on the scale isn't really that important as long as my BMI is in good shape. I have a relatively low BMR (in the 1400s range) as my job is pretty much sedentary. I have no interest in losing weight over night.

My whole question before was should I eat if I'm not hungry just because I have only had 1200 or 1300 calories that day? And keep in mind, that my calories might actually be more (and burning less) because I don't measure every bite I take and the exercise calories that MFP puts are probably a little higher than the actual burn.

It probably won't make a lot of difference if you do that on occasion. But if you are saying that your BMR is 1400 cals, and you are eating 1200-1300 and less, you are already behind the eight ball.

You should deduct your calorie deficit from your TDEE, NOT your BMR. Your TDEE is probably more like 2000-2200. Unless you are obese, you really can't afford much of a calorie deficit. You need to be more around the 1600-1700 range, at the lowest.

You will feel much better, honestly, and it is something you are more likely to sustain long-term.

I thought to lose weight you want to eat less than your body burns naturally anyway? Obviously not dipping below 1200, but shouldn't I create some sort of deficit to lose weight? What about the whole "zig zagging" thing? I would say in one week I stay around 1200-1300 calories probably 4 of 7 days, but eat more (closer to 1600-1700) 2 of the 7 and then maybe around 1900 once a week (cheat day). I exercise 5 to 6 days a week (combo of cardio, strength training, and yoga--burn a lot less on yoga days). Would you guys consider that to be a healthy balance of calories?

I'm 5'3, 27 years old, and 163 lbs.

Kelekat

I understand your confusion. I'm confused too. I come to MFP and I'm told I'm not eating enough. I go to the gym, they tell me I'm eating too much and to replace my evening meal with a protein shake. Everybody seems to have a different view of how a person's body burns (or doesn't burn) calories.

I don't feel the least bit deprived but somehow I am because I don't eat back all of my exercise calories.

Before the last year and a half, I've never had a weight problem, even after three kids. At 50, I was a very fit, toned woman weighing 138 pounds and wearing size 7 jeans. At just turned 53, I've devolved into a blobby mess with a life preserver permanantly affixed to my waistline, arms that wiggle when I walk, and I am unfashionable stuffed into size 11s and, for the first time in my life, I have seen the upside of 170 pounds.

Changes in my life?

I quit smoking several years ago, became menopausal, and had some of the most stress filled two years of my life. But I didn't stress eat. I didn't much change my eating habits at all. I didn't have gym access but I kept on walking every day. But here I am. Just turned 53 and living my life in my mother's sister's body. You know, the big aunt. Everybody has one.

Now that I've reached the point of being fed up with it all--I get nothing but mixed messages about how I'm supposed to eat, how much I'm supposed to eat, and what I'm supposed to eat. After more than a week of dieting, daily cardio, and regular weight training, I gained two pounds. My trainer told me to quit eating solid food after my evening workout and to drink a protein shake instead. I've done that for two days and dropped 1.7 of the 2 pounds I gained back.

Is that good?

Is that bad?

Heck if I know. Now I'm told that my trainer is ignorant for giving me that advice.

I don't know WHAT to do.

LorinaLynn

BMR isn't what your body burns in a day. It's what your body NEEDS to just to stay alive.... what it would burn if you were in a coma. The second you wake up, you're burning more calories that that. Even leading a sedentary lifestyle, you burn more than that.

You need to eat less than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) to lose weight. If you go into your "goals" page - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals - it will tell you what your body burns from normal daily activity. As a lightly active, 5'5" 39 year old weighing 133#, my BMR is only 1,279, but my TDEE is 1730.

If I wanted to lose one pound a week (in theory... I know I can't lose that much now), I'd eat 1230. 500 calories less than 1730. If I exercise like I did today, burning about 400 calories, my TDEE for the day is 2130. If I only ate 1230, my calorie deficit for the day would no longer be 500 calories, it would be 900, and that's way, way, way too much.

Generally speaking... If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal (1000 calorie deficit). If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal (750 calorie deficit). If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal (500 calories). If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal (500-250). If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal (250).

jetscreaminagain

Ok. BMR is what you need to survive in a coma. Bare minimum. Add to that walking around your house your job doing whatever (nonexercise thermogenesis or NEAT) the effort to digest food (don't remember name don't wanna look it up) and your exercise you get total daily energy expenditure or TDEE. get your deficit from your tdee and never below bmr. I'm on my phone so I can't do links but there are great ones earlier in this thread. The mfp unofficial faq group is excellent and you'll find every question you have answered. No need to re explain here.

Google fat to fit radio and put your numbers in to get bmr tdee and calories for maintenance and weight loss. Google Steve troutman. Also an mfp member. Brilliant. Read his nutrition 101. Lastly Google Lyle MacDonald.

Good luck! There is so much info out there. It really is fascinating.

momof2winsplus

Thanks for all the great info!