1200 cal a day people please answer this...

bcattoes

I mostly just eat when I'm hungry. Some days I don't eat all my exercise calories. Some days I do. Some days I eat them and then some. But overtime I think it averages out to eating most of them.

llkilgore

I agree with what a lot of others posted. I dont always eat back my exercise cals. It's worked for me so far, but my weight loss has slowed now that I am closer to goal, so I know I am going to have to play with my calories and start eating a bit more.

I ate back my exercise calories and my weight loss didn't slow as I got closer to my goal. In fact, I crashed through my original "realistic" goal by 12 pounds and finally stabilized at 2 pounds below my "fantasy" goal.

Jacking up your deficit with exercise to lose weight faster is like weaving in and out of city traffic and running red lights to get to your destination faster. You may seem to be making great progress - for a while - but then the metabolic cop pulls you over and any advantage you've gained evaporates.

lovetms

When I only ate 1200 calories regardless I had no energy and I was frequently getting hunger headaches. Now I try to eat my BMR everyday (you can calculate yours under 'Tools') but with doing Insanity, my net calories are definitely below 1200.

SithZombie

Go for net 1200...that's what I'm at least trying to do.

RyanDanielle5101

Sometimes I do and most of the time I don't! I try to only eat when I am hungry:) My body has been doing a wonderful job telling me when I need to eat, usually the day after a high cal burn I eat a bit more than usual

I just posted before and after pics and I'm pretty happy with my results so far!

You will figure out what works for you, good luck:)

blonde20fan

I am currently at 1460 calories a day. When I exercise I make sure to eat back enough calories to net 1200 calories. My body needs that many to function.

njmp

I eat back my exercise calories! I also eat pretty much all day long!!!

RunHardBeStrong

I eat when Im hungry. I always net 1100-1200.

This for me as well. I net between 1100-1300 and am losing at the rate of 2 lbs/wk. It's taken awhile for me playing with numbers to find out what works best for me though. Good luck!

Lesa_Sass

I eat them back and I look fantastic.. :smokin:

naastrodamus

I'm pretty new to this, but... when I first started MFP recommended I eat 2020 calories a day. Considering I walk about 5 miles a day and do sit ups and push ups, I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But I can't even come CLOSE to eating that much, with or without eating back my exercise calories.

I adjusted my settings from 'lightly active' to 'sedentary' and it moved me down to 1800 calories a day, but I still can't get there. I haven't even done my exercising today and I'm hovering around 1000 calories for the day. There's no way I'll hit 1800, and I never have. I'm JUST NOT THAT HUNGRY.

My philosophy, and since I'm new this could easily change, is to just eat however much I feel I need. If it's short on calories, so be it. No one can convince me that consistent overeating beyond my capacity to 1) be comfortable and 2) enjoy it are helping me lose weight.

I do, however, feel like the concept of the "cheat day" is a good idea. If for nothing else but to boost one's caloric intake over the course of an entire week, instead of micro-managing each day.

Anybody else just not hungry enough for their recommended caloric intake?

MichelleB82

Im sorry im confused what do you mean eat back your exercise calories, do you mean eat the calories you earned through your exercise on top of what your daily calorie goal is, im sorry im a bit slow at all this : /

firstnamekaren

Good lord I would go crazy if I didn't eat back my calories. Hell there are days when I work out just so I can eat more. Plus eating under 1200 calories a day just sounds unhealthy. It's working for me! :glasses:

Lesa_Sass

Im sorry im confused what do you mean eat back your exercise calories, do you mean eat the calories you earned through your exercise on top of what your daily calorie goal is, im sorry im a bit slow at all this : /

Yes.

firstnamekaren

I eat back my exercise calories! I also eat pretty much all day long!!!

Yeah, that's the beauty part! I never go to bed feeling starved!

neaneawy

I'm tall, so my lowest net should be 1400. I always make sure I at least net 1400. If I don't eat back my exercise cals or eat less than my 1400 I feel it the next couple days. I'm tired, crabby, and just all around feel terrible. My gross cals are usually in the range of 1600-1800 and I'm still losing 1.5-2.5 lbs per week. I think you need to go by how your body feels. If you have no energy and you're tired all the time then you aren't eating enough.

neaneawy

I'm pretty new to this, but... when I first started MFP recommended I eat 2020 calories a day. Considering I walk about 5 miles a day and do sit ups and push ups, I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But I can't even come CLOSE to eating that much, with or without eating back my exercise calories.

I adjusted my settings from 'lightly active' to 'sedentary' and it moved me down to 1800 calories a day, but I still can't get there. I haven't even done my exercising today and I'm hovering around 1000 calories for the day. There's no way I'll hit 1800, and I never have. I'm JUST NOT THAT HUNGRY.

My philosophy, and since I'm new this could easily change, is to just eat however much I feel I need. If it's short on calories, so be it. No one can convince me that consistent overeating beyond my capacity to 1) be comfortable and 2) enjoy it are helping me lose weight.

I do, however, feel like the concept of the "cheat day" is a good idea. If for nothing else but to boost one's caloric intake over the course of an entire week, instead of micro-managing each day.

Anybody else just not hungry enough for their recommended caloric intake?

My DH has this problem, but only on exercise days. You might want to think about eating more calorically dense food like nuts and peanut butter. Bananas are great too.

MichelleB82

Ok thanks !

naastrodamus

Oh, I eat the hell out of nuts every day. Peanut butter is, however, one of the things that landed me here

ejllshaw

For me it depends on the workout. If its a hard work out, or if I feel "flakey" after the work out I'll add a fruit or a protein heavy snack that normally I wouldn't have. Or I'll eat a bigger salad but generally I try to maintain my 1200 calories.

gsager

You net 1200 calories.....I eat all of my exercise calories, that's why I exercise so that I can eat, eating and exercising speeds up your metabolism. If you are working out and just eating 1200 calories you will succeed in lowering your metabolism more. The object is to get your body burning fat.....you must eat often and work out.

douglasmobbs

I am sticking to 1200 total, was hungry to start with but that was more breaking the habit of snacking at night rather than needing food.

So far this year I have lost 3 stone (42lb)

p0stdramatic

I net 1200 a day. Which means I eat back my exercise calories. Sometimes I burn 2000+ calories in a day, which means I may eat over 3200 calories. It took me about 4 months to lose 50 pounds.

JessicaW0204

I have heard from a few different trainers that you should eat back at least half of what you worked off. Eat sensibly of course not junk food.

coquette87

I eat just about all of my exercise calories back. I burn anywhere from 250-400 depending on what I'm doing that day. I usually net between 1100 and 1300 calories a day. This is working for me. I'm not starving, and I've steadily lost 1lb each week, just as I should.

Justine13

I eat my reccomended 1200 cal per day.
You should make sure to eat atleast this for your body to fuel itself properly.
I do not eat the added calories when i work out. but if i am hungry i will not starve myself. Usually a banana does the trick.
:0)

Carolyn_79

I eat when Im hungry. I always net 1100-1200.

Same here.

denisemichele

so basically my BMR is 1245. I eat 1200 calories a day.I am eating these 1200 calories just to fuel my body of all the natural things it does(eyes,organs,moving,sleeping,etc) If I am going to exercies and burn off 600 calories at my workout in the evening I need to pre-plan to eat those 600 calories so I have fuel to fuel my body for this workout. At the end of the day it says I ate 1800 calores minus the 600 calories I exercised for a NET of 1200. This should restart my metabolism, correct? As I have been at a nasty plateau for 2 months. Please say this is correct......

bemott

I am eating 1200 a day and ALWAYS eat back my exercise calories, though I don't usually earn more than 350 or so and only 4 to 5 times a week. Have lost 18 lbs since Jan 1st. Am 5ft 6 in and started at 206. On thedays I don't have exercise calories to eat I feel a bit deprived. I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet. So far, I haven't really. I would if I was only eating 1200 a day.

Kymmu

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It depends on if I'm hungry.
I'm not going to eat more if I'm not hungry and some computer program tells me I should...
Just eat well, and your 90% there already.
So many people get their knickers in a knot over this....
Hungry- eat
Not hungry- don'teat, trust your instinct.

Emilia6909

I eat 1200 a day - sometimes less, sometimes a little more. Exercise 5 days a week, 7 sessions. Don't eat my earned calories... I bank it for when my body is shouting.... HUNGRY! I just go with the flow! :bigsmile: