1200 cal a day people please answer this...

mom2jjl

BUMP FOR LATER

ash190489

Hi there,

I eat between 1000-1200 calories a day, however I burn approx 200-400 calories and I do not eat these calories back. So I am usually netting between 700-1000 calories per day. I have lost 9 kilograms (20 lbs) in 9 weeks!

xx

htmlgirl

I eat 1200 and I don't eat my exercise calories (most of the time, sometimes I go over 1200 when I exercise). I'm usually under 1200 but not purposely, I eat when I'm hungry, it just doesn't add up usually. I'm losing about a lb per week.

Stephanie2167

I eat some of them back. Not all though.

sammi402

I can barely eat 1200 a day. I'm getting better but most days MFP still tells me I need to eat more.

lynnsf

I don't always, but when I do I don't feel guilty about it.

mdcjmom

I am trying to eat around 12-1600 calories a day and I never eat back my exercise calories if I can help it. In two weeks that I have been a member I have lost 14lbs.

tekhipee

Can someone look at my Diary from 02/27/12 - 03/01/12.

I am on average consuming 1200-1300 calories a day with primarily healthy foods. Im confused but I understand the logic of fueling your body but I dont see myself eating much more. i do increase my intake after roller derby practice to fuel and replenish muscle strain.

Any advice/insight

melruiz5

I don't eat my exercise calories. I eat 1200 calories or less a day . . you should do what feels comfortable for you though. Some people need to eat some of those calories back. . . . But, i personally dont, or i try not to. :happy:

amyjordan1997

You should not go under 1200 calories a day if your a woman. If you eat 1200 calories and burn 300 that gives your body 900 calories for the day. If you eat under 1200 your body will go into starvation mode and you will not loose any weight. You will actually be hurting yourself. This is Jillian Michaels advice.

taylordnmn

That 1200 calorie a day formula, believe it or not, usually doesn't cut it for most active people. Logic seems to indicate the less you eat and the more you workout, the more calories you lose. Unfortunately, our bodies aren't built that way. We need calories to efficiently expend calories; and when we work our bodies without providing it the fuel it needs on a daily basis, the body, through centuries of evolution where food was scarce, will simply hold on to it. You may be losing weight now, but it won't stay off.

Barbara98

I eat my 1200 calories and I try to eat what i earn. Most of the time i meet my calorie goal 1200 plus the 300 i earn and sometimes i'm not able to eat all i earn because i don't feel hungry. I know with mryself if i'm hungry thats all i can think about is food. I've been doing this for 25 days and have lost almost 10lbs which i'm satisfied with. I think going under 1200 could be dangerous and not healthy. Look at it this way, if you eat you eat all your 1200 calories and you feel hungry still and you've earned calories to burn look at it as a bonus. Those bonuses are good expecially if you go out to dinner

sdminor11

My goal is 1200 a day, usually if i skip a day exercising i eat about 1200 but when i do exercise my body obviously needs more energy so i eat a little bit more but i dont eat back all of them, just enough to make me not hungry, i usually end my day with 1350

mirandagod77

wow 15lbs, that's pretty impressive!!

SparkleDoomPony

bump

Vivaladziunia

Jeeeeez I'm so confused!
I've never heard of eating back calories.... To me I feel like if your going to burn off calories then go home and eat them back...how does the weight come off? It's like you went to the gym, slaved and then came home ate and its like as if you never went....
I dont understand how this works and after reading a bunch of comments I see that its half half, some people eat them back some don't.....How do you know which is best for you?
help? LOL.

gjpenning

Difinitely eat back your exercise calories! Never ever go under 1200! A 150 pound woman needs 1300 calories just to sit on the couch and watch tv all day. Add daily activity and exercise and only eating 1200 calories and your body goes into starvation mode and your matabolism goes way down. Eat your exercise calories and you will be surprised, you will actually find it easier to lose.
My one complaint about Myfitnesspal.. Everyone's daily calorie count is 1200...I actually lose best when eating 1500 per day.
You can go into your settings and reset the daily calorie amount. I did!

Vivaladziunia

Thats hard for me to do, because I go to the gym at 9:00 pm...for about an hour or two... I feel guilty eating that late. So if im eating 1200 calories a day...and I burn 600 a day...I should be eating 1800 a day before the gym?? Thats a lot I dont think I could even forcefully eat that much...I guess I'll have to give it a try! Thanks!

Nerdy_Rose

5'3"
123 lbs
I net 1600
and still lose.

superstarcassie

2300 cals eaten today. I'm heading to the gym now.....and I should burn around 500ish to leave me with a net of 1800. I try to net around 1800-2000ish a day. Food is not the enemy. It is the fuel.

LemonBurns

I reached my goals in September.

Here's why:

I workout most days and I need to NET 1260 to lose 1 pound per week or 1460 to lose .5/week.

If I DID NOT EAT BACK MY EXERCISE CALORIES I would be FUELING MY BODY with...wait for it...760 calories.

Show me a healthy 35 year old woman that lives HEALTHY on 760.

^^^ THIS ^^^ I reached my goal TODAY!!! And I always eat back my calories - ALWAYS!!

JanetAbrams

I don't eat back my exercise calories. I just try to make sure I get 1200 calories. I have been slowly and surely averaging a 2 -4 pound weight lost every week. Hope this helps

jnsmith4

I don't eat back my excess calories, generally speaking. There are days when I have over 1200 and I figure it will all come out in the wash.

For the most part, my eating is for fuel and nutrition. I have excess fat to burn. I'm no expert but what I've read about the science of weight loss is that you consume fewer calories than you burn and you lose weight. Well, I have a very sedentary lifestyle - behind a computer or sewing machine most days - and I make time to run a few times a week. My goal is to eat what I would burn through normal everyday stuff - that 1200 calories - and let anything extra I do go to burning fat. I know the rule of thumb is that you need to burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities in order to lose one pound of fat. Well, that is NOT going to be easy to do with a desk job and 1200 calorie diet. Especially since I don't have any idea other than general guides how many calories I actually burn.

Obviously, when I'm done losing weight and want to sustain, I'll have a different approach.

You're great and I totally agree!

nursedb

Def do not eat back your exercise cal. That makes no sense to me...why work out if you're just going to eat the calories again ...I don't know ...I'm doing pretty good on a weekly average that totals around 1200 net per day! Good luck!

happyhippyemma

I've been doing this 2 weeks and I started by exercising a lot, and eating less than the net 1200 calories. However, the last few days when I submitted my diary I was predicted to reach a plateau. The phone app actually said that if I kept eating too few calories my body would go into starvation mode, meaning it would be harder to lose weight. That makes sense, because if you don't give your body enough food, it'll start hoarding everything it gets. That's why you should try to get the net 1200, so that you have just enough fuel for your body to run, but will be losing excess weight as your body burns that to make up for what you didn't give it. That's how I think it works anyway. I'm now trying to reach the 1200 net daily by eating back my calories, and hopefully I'll keep slowly losing weight.

tinam76

i haven't been doing this long at all but my first week i lost 5 pounds at first i was so full off the 1200 even less some days but then i was told u should eat back the calories the last 2 day all of the sudden i am so hungry and afraid to eat . i walk for 40 minutes a day . today after eating food through dinner i had 78 calories left but then i walked and now im not hungry i think since i know i will walk daily i should eat more during the day. not sure how long you been doing this but out of no where the food i had been eating and content with just all the sudden was not enough try to eat them back throughout the day so you don't have to eat them all at once if we try it for a few weeks and it doesnt turn out well we can always do something else

Vivaladziunia

Def do not eat back your exercise cal. That makes no sense to me...why work out if you're just going to eat the calories again ...I don't know ...I'm doing pretty good on a weekly average that totals around 1200 net per day! Good luck!

Thats exactly how I feel, especially since I go to the gym late at night I def dont want to come home and eat at 11 right before bed.....

katherinemcg

I think the point is that you should do what feels right. It depends on the kind of lifestyle you lead as well. I don't always eat back all of my burned calories but doing a workout usually makes me hungrier, so I'm sure to not ignore that. Either way you will lose weight, just try eating them back and see how it works for you. All the best!

georgew80

I am grossing around 1200-1300 calories a day, and been posting at least 2lbs a week. Granted, I was 290lbs at the start and looking to get down to 260 by August.

At my heaviest, in May 2010, i was 370lbs. I lost 105lbs From May 2010 - June 2011, I lost 105lbs. My mom died and I gained 25lbs back. Looking to lose that 25, and another 5 to start. Eventually want to get under 250lbs.

I am working out 5x weekly with burning roughly 500 calories a day. My net is around 500-800 a day.

Once in a blue moon, I give myself a cheat day and not think about it.

The key for me is smaller meals with snacks. I take in food 6x a day.

- Oatmeal, half a bagel, or egg whites with fat free cheese for breakfast

- 2 reduce fat cheddar bars mid-morning (about an hour before i workout)

- A lean cuisine for lunch

- Some pretzels or fresh fruit mid afternoon

- Normal dinner (usually chicken or fish with veggies or these low cal hot dogs i found in pita pockets with some veggies)

- Skinny cow ice cream bar, air popped popcorn or fruit for a snack around 8:00-9:00

Something my MD told me "if you can hear your stomach, you need to put something in it.

RmYWarrioR

You need to be mindful and not starve your body. You will only know the balance of calorie intake and weight loss, it is your body. If you starve the body it will naturally start trying to keep a grip on everything you take in, even if you are exercising. I did see where someone posted that they take in 760 calories per day and are remaining healthy. That is pushing it. My wife weighs right around 115 pounds and she is alloted 1200 calories per day and burns between 600-900 through exercise. She usually ends up in the green with 400 to 500 calories left over. She has a small goal of ten pounds total weight loss and toning. This place is great for advice and many people have sound advice. Mine comes through reading and a minor in exercise science.