1200 calories and not eating back exercise calories, how do

xtracee

thank you everyone that really helpful, because im now eating healthy i find that i can have 3 big meals as the calories are so low, maybe i will have to introduce snacks inbetween meals to help make up my calories!! should i just eat extra calories on the days i excercise??

What you should be doing as opposed to eating 3 BIG meals a day, is eating 4-5 small-portioned meals a day. If you spread your meal times out 3-4 hours apart, you will find that you feel hungry less. This also helps keep you on a balanced eating schedule as well as aids in increasing your metabolism.

You need MORE, not BIGGER..

engineman312

thank you everyone that really helpful, because im now eating healthy i find that i can have 3 big meals as the calories are so low, maybe i will have to introduce snacks inbetween meals to help make up my calories!! should i just eat extra calories on the days i excercise??

What you should be doing as opposed to eating 3 BIG meals a day, is eating 4-5 small-portioned meals a day. If you spread your meal times out 3-4 hours apart, you will find that you feel hungry less. This also helps keep you on a balanced eating schedule as well as aids in increasing your metabolism.

You need MORE, not BIGGER..

not true. there is no scientific evidence to support that more frequent meals are more beneficial to losing weight then having three larger meals. one friend of mine actually takes in most of his daily calories at one sitting.

yes, some people benefit from multiple meals for the reasons you listed, but it does not increase your metabolism, and breakfast will not "jump start" it either.

personally, i like eating multiple times during the day, but nothing stops me eating a lot at night, or in the morning.

cassblue21

@jnpippins: Thanks! That really does help alot!

janadaley

Remember too that your metabolism works best when you eat 6 small meals a day. Try 3 meals and keep 3 snacks around 100 calories each.

4theking

Remember too that your metabolism works best when you eat 6 small meals a day. Try 3 meals and keep 3 snacks around 100 calories each.

Meal frequency is irrelevant! I would love to help you get losing. Send me a message if interested.

brutusman

Cass,

Its easier said than done, but try experimenting a bit with the daily calories. If you are starving that is not good. For me, proteins and foodsa little higher in fats keep me from getting hungry and blowing my whole day on a pigout.

You have obviously been successful, just need to adjust your plan a bit to get you where you want to go.

Snookydoops

5-6 meals DOES help many people. Jana's advice is good.
I'd also check you're getting enough protein at each meal - and that your 1200 aren't all high sugar foods too.

ezramedic

This has helped me a lot. I have started to stall out. I knew I was suppose to eat back at least some of my exercise calories (I mostly just listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry) but I didn't realise that as I start to plateau, I should be upping my calories.

Thanks everyone!

terinee

My doctor said to eat back 1/2 of the calories from working out, but definitely eat more!

dragonflybird

Yikes definitely eat more. I lost a lot of weight eating 1200 calories without eating back exercise calories, but 5 months later gained it all back. My trainer said that it is if you were to lost 50 pounds in a year, that is realistic and anything more than that is not very healthy. Just saying from my own experience and words from my trainer.

smileybooliz

hey people i have been using my app religously for the last month and have dramatically changed my diet and excercise! i am eating 1,200 calories a day and excercising about 4-5 times a week burning around 600 calories at a time and my weight is not changing im so disheartened, how long untill it will start budging!! has anyone else had this?? i thought i would have shifted the first few pounds quite quickly??? help me xx btw i just read above that u say to eat back the calories but i work out in the evening after dinner and thats an awful lot of extra calories to consume

You probably have a pretty good idea of what you burn when you exercise so I would eat a larger meal earlier in the day so that you're not at the end of your day trying to figure out how to get those last calories in to reach your minimum net calories. I also have had this problem myself since diligently going to the gym nearly everyday for the last three weeks. If I waited to get my calories in until the end of the day I was more tempted to eat empty, bad calories instead of good healthy calories. I now just have a larger breakfast and feel less hungry through out the afternoon too! Good luck with your goals. :flowerforyou: