Those on 1200 calories...

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  • monbeaucher
    monbeaucher Posts: 75 Member
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    I'm struggling with this as well. I can barely get to the 1200 mark, let alone what I have for exercise. What could I do without packing on the pounds?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Two things.

    1.) you do not have a lot of weight to lose. In this case I suggest you lower your goal to .5 pounds per week.

    2.) eat back ALL of your exercise calories. Creating too large of a deficit combined with the fact you do not have much to lose will hinder or even stop your weight loss.

    Best of luck!

    The second part..I've been wondering this myself. I want to lose about 20 more lbs. Should I be eating back all the calories I burn? And the 1200..this might sound like a stupid question, but I've been looking at it more as an elotted amount rather than a goal to reach. Should I make sure I'm eating all 1200 (or close to it)?

    1200 calories is NET calories. NET means the difference between calories IN and calories OUT. Someone who does ZERO exercise still gets 1200 calories ...... this is as low as is deemed safe. Your body needs 1200 calories to FUNCTION.

    Adding exercise calories makes sure you do not go below 1200. Think of the "extra food" as fuel for your workouts. Build (or keep) muscle ...... lose fat ONLY.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    What's the reasoning behind dropping to only .5 lbs a week when someone is close to their goal? To adjust to what maintenance will be like?

    To minimize the loss of lean muscle mass, and to prevent your metabolism from slowing down.
  • AleahTheLoser
    AleahTheLoser Posts: 11
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    just be careful if you are going to eat back your calories because MFP calories burned for exercise is really exaggerated.
    Good luck with your loss!

    I was going to bring up the same point (or my hesitance rather) regarding eating back all the calories that mfp calculates. I do not have a heart rate monitor so this is all I have to go by. I do either Zumba or Kickboxing in the gym everyday and my calculations range from 300-600 (get Zumba calories from zumbacalories.com) but I usually try to stay around 1400 everyday (I am set for 1200) just to be safe. I'm not saying this is right or wrong...just what I am doing. Good luck!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    What's the reasoning behind dropping to only .5 lbs a week when someone is close to their goal? To adjust to what maintenance will be like?

    If you're close to your goal, you don't have enough excess body fat to support a larger calorie deficit. If your body can't pull enough energy from your fat, it'll go from your muscle. When you lose muscle, you look heavier and mushier than if you kept your muscle.

    Years ago, with too large of a calorie deficit, I got down to 130# and wore a size 8. This time, with a smaller calorie deficit, I'm around 133# and a size 2 or 4, depending on brand. Here's my old jeans with a pair of jeans I wear now.

    IMG_3265.jpg
  • newtattie
    newtattie Posts: 47 Member
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    Yes - I have stopped losing weight recently - on 1200 but never eat back my calories - just not hungry and as I train in the evening I don't want to eat after as its late - I am A LITTLE CONFUSED?
  • beatleschic87
    beatleschic87 Posts: 260 Member
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    They way I see it is look at your calories like a bank account budget
    Have 1200 calories in your bank
    You eat/spend that 1200 calories all day
    Let's say you go into overdraft (over your calories)
    Work out to earn more calories.
    You're still getting 1200 calories a day.

    Also think of food like feul and working out as managing your metabolism.

    I've been doing this and I've been loosing about 1 lb a week.
  • lurelw
    lurelw Posts: 11 Member
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    I was going 1200 calories, but I found it to not be sustainable. I plateaued because I wasn't eating enough. I too am in the "last legs" of getting to my goal, and I found that it was much more helpful to up my calories to about 1400 in order to better sustain my activity, enable muscle growth, and make me feel better. I have lost weight and body fat SO much more quickly on the higher intake than I ever did at 1200.
    Anyway, I think that if you feel like 1200 is enough for you, that's great, but if you find yourself too hungry, lagging in workouts, plateauing, etc, try increasing your intake a tad. Also keep in mind that the "last few pounds" sometimes aren't necessary to lose. The tape measure is much more accurate than a scale at that point :)
  • deniserenee_02
    deniserenee_02 Posts: 158 Member
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    http://www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • annsharthom43
    annsharthom43 Posts: 3
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    I joined this site on 9FEB and weighed in one pound lighter that day. I'm anxious to see if I lose any weight this week. At my job I joined this Life Balance group and we get weighed in at every meeting (on Thursday). I want to lose 30 lbs and have been keeping up with 1200 calories a day. I will start excersining next week.....been in a slump lately.
  • AlmostFamous29
    AlmostFamous29 Posts: 5 Member
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    Two things.

    1.) you do not have a lot of weight to lose. In this case I suggest you lower your goal to .5 pounds per week.

    2.) eat back ALL of your exercise calories. Creating too large of a deficit combined with the fact you do not have much to lose will hinder or even stop your weight loss.

    Best of luck!

    I am having this problem exactly!!! Can you tell me the science behind this? I only need to lose 5 to get to my goal of 125lbs and I stalled out!
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    Two things.

    1.) you do not have a lot of weight to lose. In this case I suggest you lower your goal to .5 pounds per week.

    2.) eat back ALL of your exercise calories. Creating too large of a deficit combined with the fact you do not have much to lose will hinder or even stop your weight loss.

    Best of luck!

    The second part..I've been wondering this myself. I want to lose about 20 more lbs. Should I be eating back all the calories I burn? And the 1200..this might sound like a stupid question, but I've been looking at it more as an elotted amount rather than a goal to reach. Should I make sure I'm eating all 1200 (or close to it)?

    1200 calories is NET calories. NET means the difference between calories IN and calories OUT. Someone who does ZERO exercise still gets 1200 calories ...... this is as low as is deemed safe. Your body needs 1200 calories to FUNCTION.

    Adding exercise calories makes sure you do not go below 1200. Think of the "extra food" as fuel for your workouts. Build (or keep) muscle ...... lose fat ONLY.

    This exactly, you never want to go under 1200 calories for more than one or maybe 2 days, after that, your body begins to go into starvation mode and you lose muscle not fat and also lowers your metabolism.
  • Jesyka_Gee
    Jesyka_Gee Posts: 27 Member
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    Ok, I agree with pretty much everyone here. I'm at the same cals a day as you are, and have been strongly suggested to eat up those exercise calories!! It helps build muscle, and if you are losing a small amount like 10 lbs, you would want to tone up so those muscles are essential. Good luck!
    :wink:
  • rileymama
    rileymama Posts: 196 Member
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    I'm 5'4 and origainnaly had about 40 pounds to lose, but on here I was on 1200 calories..I ate back most of y exercise calories, and did great! I will say though, with only 10 pounds to lose, it wasn't coming off as fast..so don't bank on losing a pound a week..good luck!
  • lou1618
    lou1618 Posts: 96 Member
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    Im 5'4 with 13 lbs more to lose, lost 22 lbs before joining MFP. buy counting calories and working out. I will eat some of my workout calories only if I am hungry. Like yesterday I ate almost of them back cause I had dinner out. Today I will try not to. Its nice to have those calories if I need them....but I cant see myself eating my workout calories every day. That would be somewhere be wteen 1800-2000 total calories intake a day. ... know there will be people out there that will still say eat your workout calories..I say figure out want works for u and do that..... and measure yourself, total body..
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    What's the reasoning behind dropping to only .5 lbs a week when someone is close to their goal? To adjust to what maintenance will be like?

    Here is the reasoning for 1/2 pound.

    To lose 1 pound of fat per week you need a deficit of 500 calories every day (that's 3500 calories divided by 7).

    When you get really close to your goal (the smaller) you will require fewer calories to maintain. Let's say for example. The current you requires 1800 calories to maintain your weight. That 1800 calories less 500 ..... or 1300 calories. 1300 calories is perfectly healthy number.

    However, if the smaller you, requires 1500 calories to maintain..... that's 1500 less 500 .... leaving 1000 ..... that's not enough for most people to stay healthy. MFP will NOT go below 1200
  • Clarimusic00
    Clarimusic00 Posts: 96 Member
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    I'm amazed how hard 1200 calories is sometimes if you eat really healthy. I eat 3 meals and even have a snack in the afternoon and sometimes I'm like "What!?!? I'm still not at 1200 calories today!"

    I need motivators! Feel free to add me :)
  • eclare87
    eclare87 Posts: 97 Member
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    I once tried eating back my exercise calories and didn't lose any weight. So now I eat just a little of them (200 calories max, usually) back when I'm hungry... Not sure if that is right or wrong though. I also want to lose around 10-15 pounds.
  • vickthedick
    vickthedick Posts: 136 Member
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    Two things.

    1.) you do not have a lot of weight to lose. In this case I suggest you lower your goal to .5 pounds per week.

    2.) eat back ALL of your exercise calories. Creating too large of a deficit combined with the fact you do not have much to lose will hinder or even stop your weight loss.

    Best of luck!


    .

    The second part..I've been wondering this myself. I want to lose about 20 more lbs. Should I be eating back all the calories I burn? And the 1200..this might sound like a stupid question, but I've been looking at it more as an elotted amount rather than a goal to reach. Should I make sure I'm eating all 1200 (or close to it)?

    1200 calories is NET calories. NET means the difference between calories IN and calories OUT. Someone who does ZERO exercise still gets 1200 calories ...... this is as low as is deemed safe. Your body needs 1200 calories to FUNCTION.

    Adding exercise calories makes sure you do not go below 1200. Think of the "extra food" as fuel for your workouts. Build (or keep) muscle ...... lose fat ONLY.




    1200 is some arbitrary number deemed safe. every body has different nutritional needs. Also be careful eating back the calories you exercise off. i personally never do because the fitness pal over exaggerates them and even HRM have a margin of erro
  • Knit02
    Knit02 Posts: 3
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    Be sure to eat them mostly back.

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