Those on 1200 calories...

erickirb

I just joined MFP on Sunday. Monday was my first day tracking. I only have 10 pounds to get to my goal and I'm 5'4". I have my account set to 1 pound a week. I can stick to 1200 calories a day but should I be eating my exercise calories burned?

Who else is on 1200 calories a day? How is it working for you?

with only 10lbs to go you should set your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week, anymore and you will risk losing a large % of the loss as lean muscle, not fat. That and also make sure you are eating back most of the calories you burn from exercise for this same reason, you need to fuel your body.

LorinaLynn

I typically ate between 1800-2000 calories during the time I was losing. Actually about the same as I'm doing now that I'm maintaining, because since I had a stress fracture in my ankle, I can't exercise as hard as I did before. When I'm back to full strength again, and can run more, I'll probably be eating between 2000-2200.

luv2teach216

Thanks for posting this! I have recently joined and was wondering about this also!

Stephanie2167

ETA: I take issue, also, with saying "you're young, the weight will just fly off". It's 1) not true, and 2) belittle's a young person's struggle w/ the last 10-15lbs. This is not easy, no matter how old or young you are.

I appreciate this. I'm 28 and a mother. So being called young is nice.

craziedazie

First I wanted to say I agree that MFP exxagerates the exercise cals on some things.

I just started a few days ago and my goal is 1200. I'm 5'9 and 164lbs when I started. My original goal is to lose 9 lbs.
So far I have had 2 days where I have been under the cals and I went over on 2 days. I do plan on eating the exercise calories back unless I am not hungry.
As far as how it is working, this is my 5th day I think and when I weighed this morning it sad 158.8, so I don't know what is going on considering I overate some days. :huh:
Oh well I guess we will see.

I am interested in seeing how it works for you!

kathyc609

jenniebean1680

This has been really helpful. I workout usually in the evening (after work). Then I come home and have dinner. I usually have about 400 calories for dinner plus the calories I burned off. Last night the elliptical machine said I burned 533 calories in 45 minutes. That would give me almost 900 calories to eat after 7pm.

Recommendations for ways to get those calories (I don't plan to eat 900 calories) healthily without eating a Snickers bar?

I have had to learn to top-load my day. I pre-track, and when I know I'm going to the gym, I intentionally "go over" by how much I typically will burn. This can be tough to pinpoint at first, so it takes practice. I just know from my HRM that for an hour of teaching spinning class, I typically burn between 600-700 calories. So for today, I went over by 600, that way I know I'll be close.

That being said, I HAVE found myself w/ an unexpected and huge deficit to make up later in the day. There are times when I get a call to sub for another instructor and end up doing double spin. Which I am used to, but the food aspect is tough if you didn't plan for it. In that case, I eat as much more as I can, with things like nuts, nut butters, cheese, etc. I'll even use icecream (GASP AGAIN!). Calories are calories, and I eat very very clean most of the time, but in a pinch, ice cream works, and food should be a joy as well as fuel.

sfh0wrd

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!

Agreed! I'm on 1280, and if I didn't eat back my exercise calories, I'd go mental. Last week, I "saved" my exercise calories so I could really enjoy my Saturday nite date, and I didn't lost an ounce when I weighed in on Friday morning. This week, I'm eating my calories back and I feel better and we'll see about the weight come Friday morning.

Keep in mind that the number of calories your body naturally burns in a day (BMR) is typically going to be higher than that 1200. For me, my BMR (with a desk job) is in the 1400 range. 1280 is already below that, so to create an even bigger deficit isn't the best idea for weight loss.

jadedjade24

This is a good topic!

I try to eat no fewer then a NET of 1200 calories a day. Sometimes I eat more. But I burn 4-700 calories a day just about, so 1200 cals is actually almost 2000 for the whole day. Sometimes I eat more (because I have extra left over and I am hungry) and sometimes I cant even reach that net goal. For me the idea is to not starve myself. If I am hungry, I eat. But before I eat I make sure to drink a bottle of water, since it seems that the brain gets these two confused. I eat a high fruit, veggie, and protein diet because I am on a work out plan that demands a TON of protein to rebuild my muscles each day.

Also, remember when you are working out to not do the same think 2 days in a row. This is no good for you. Switch it up!If you have Netflix, they have a ton of exercise DVDs. So Everyday I do Insanity and then later I do a Dance workout DVD on Netflix. It works different muscles and I see excellent results. Hope some of this helps you

TeaBea

This has been really helpful. I workout usually in the evening (after work). Then I come home and have dinner. I usually have about 400 calories for dinner plus the calories I burned off. Last night the elliptical machine said I burned 533 calories in 45 minutes. That would give me almost 900 calories to eat after 7pm.

Recommendations for ways to get those calories (I don't plan to eat 900 calories) healthily without eating a Snickers bar?

"Plan" for your exercise the way you plan your meals. I typically exercise late, but I eat my exercise calories throughout the day.

After you've been at this awhile .... you have a good "guesstimate" of how many calories you WILL BE burning. Just add those numbers to meals, or snacks throughout the day (or somewhat close, it doesn't have to be exact). You could "post" exercise before it's started.

Look for lots of protein - greek yogurt, meat, fish. Lots of people like protein shakes or smoothies.

Good fat sources - nuts, nut butters, avacado, trail mix

LorinaLynn

"I exercise late" is such a cop-out. Plan ahead, or count those earned calories for the next day instead. Your body doesn't automatically hit a reset button at midnight. Sometimes I'm not terribly hungry on a heavy exercise day, but I'm often ravenous the next day.

erickirb

"I exercise late" is such a cop-out. Plan ahead, or count those earned calories for the next day instead. Your body doesn't automatically hit a reset button at midnight. Sometimes I'm not terribly hungry on a heavy exercise day, but I'm often ravenous the next day.

or if you know you are going to workout estimate your burn and eat most during the day, that way you only have a few left after your workout.

Lisa2374

Fantastic topic and snap! I've 10pounds to loose and MFP is giving me 1200calories/per. I typically eat 1100-1300/day but i also then gain back at least 300-700calories/day for exercise which i don't eat back. I feel that i eat enough without eating anything more! I even had a mini chocolate bar tonight. I find that Monday-Friday i am approx 400/day under (after exercise taken in) then on a Sat/Sunday i eat about 2000calories each day so it maybe balances out a little!!!
Good luck :) looking forward to seeing more replies to this topic.

simplest001

I just started today. I want to lose 55 lbs. Typing that in, I just realized that is my age, too. I can never lose without motivation and support, so I am hoping to get a lot here. The application on my cell phone will help a lot. It's great to see you guys helping each other out with ideas.

erickirb

Fantastic topic and snap! I've 10pounds to loose and MFP is giving me 1200calories/per. I typically eat 1100-1300/day but i also then gain back at least 300-700calories/day for exercise which i don't eat back. I feel that i eat enough without eating anything more! I even had a mini chocolate bar tonight. I find that Monday-Friday i am approx 400/day under (after exercise taken in) then on a Sat/Sunday i eat about 2000calories each day so it maybe balances out a little!!!
Good luck :) looking forward to seeing more replies to this topic.

Not good at all, with so little to lose you should have a weekly loss goal of 0.5lbs/week and eat back most of the burned calories, otherwise your deficit will be too large for your stats and your body will shed muscle along with fat. the less you have to lose, the smaller your deficit should be for this reason.

Lisa2374

Thanks for the reply... however, i am happy with whats happening to my body at the minute. Have lost a lot of inches, clothes are bigger and arms/tummy has became a lot more toned. at the minute it's working for me, however if i plateau in a few weeks i will look at increasing the calorie take. Many thanks :) Any ideas on what i can eat healthy to up the calories.. ps wheat intolerant. Thanks

Chloe_Chaos_

I'm still a bit confused (I know I know).
So I'm 5'6" 165lbs and I usually eat about 1200 cals a day. Sometimes more, often times a couple hundred less.
I work out and burn about 400 every day and my BMR says about 1500.

How many cals SHOULD I be eating?

Are food like peanut butter (or almond butter, which I haven't tried) good to make up for cals?

Often times I am not hungry so if I eat protein powder (140 cal/scoop) or nut butters (anything clean and high cal) make up for the deficit without me having to load up my plate for dinner?

erickirb

I'm still a bit confused (I know I know).
So I'm 5'6" 165lbs and I usually eat about 1200 cals a day. Sometimes more, often times a couple hundred less.
I work out and burn about 400 every day and my BMR says about 1500.

How many cals SHOULD I be eating?

Are food like peanut butter (or almond butter, which I haven't tried) good to make up for cals?

Often times I am not hungry so if I eat protein powder (140 cal/scoop) or nut butters (anything clean and high cal) make up for the deficit without me having to load up my plate for dinner?

A minimum of 1200 on days you don't workout, and if you burned 400 a minimum of 1600. When you have less to lose your minimum should be your BMR plus whatever you burn from exercise.

And yes, nuts, nut butters are great to make up extra calories, full of healthy fats.

Chloe_Chaos_

I'm still a bit confused (I know I know).
So I'm 5'6" 165lbs and I usually eat about 1200 cals a day. Sometimes more, often times a couple hundred less.
I work out and burn about 400 every day and my BMR says about 1500.

How many cals SHOULD I be eating?

Are food like peanut butter (or almond butter, which I haven't tried) good to make up for cals?

Often times I am not hungry so if I eat protein powder (140 cal/scoop) or nut butters (anything clean and high cal) make up for the deficit without me having to load up my plate for dinner?

A minimum of 1200 on days you don't workout, and if you burned 400 a minimum of 1600. When you have less to lose your minimum should be your BMR plus whatever you burn from exercise.

And yes, nuts, nut butters are great to make up extra calories, full of healthy fats.

I have 35 to lose, so should I stick to about 1600? Then as I get smaller I should up my intake?
(Thanks so much for your help!)

DaveGlasnost

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

I feel your pain. I'm working at a different level but still having the same type of problem -- my target is 3000 calories and I'm lucky if I hit 2700. Eating good stuff equals difficulty in reaching calorie goals. You can get 3000 calories easily with a trip to McDonalds, but eating stuff like fresh veggies, chicken breast, eggs, tuna, and staying away from calorie-dense preprocessed foods, soft drinks, and most condiments?....

erickirb

I'm still a bit confused (I know I know).
So I'm 5'6" 165lbs and I usually eat about 1200 cals a day. Sometimes more, often times a couple hundred less.
I work out and burn about 400 every day and my BMR says about 1500.

How many cals SHOULD I be eating?

Are food like peanut butter (or almond butter, which I haven't tried) good to make up for cals?

Often times I am not hungry so if I eat protein powder (140 cal/scoop) or nut butters (anything clean and high cal) make up for the deficit without me having to load up my plate for dinner?

A minimum of 1200 on days you don't workout, and if you burned 400 a minimum of 1600. When you have less to lose your minimum should be your BMR plus whatever you burn from exercise.

And yes, nuts, nut butters are great to make up extra calories, full of healthy fats.

I have 35 to lose, so should I stick to about 1600? Then as I get smaller I should up my intake?
(Thanks so much for your help!)

I would suggest following the guide below to set your weekly weight loss goal and to eat back most of the cals you burn from exercise.
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

mamafranck

What do you mean eat what you burn?

erickirb

What do you mean eat what you burn?

if MFP give you 1300 cals, and you burn 400 more from exercise you should be eating 1700 to hit your weekly weight loss goal as 1300 with no exercise is the same as eating 1700 and burning 400, they both net 1300 cals. Your MFP goal is a net caloric goal and you need to fuel your body more when exercising. MFP ignores your exercise goal when assigning calories which is why you should eat them back when you burn them.

mcelledge

I know those 10 lbs seem impossible but a gradual loss is the best make a few change ups every now and then. One day eat all your calories back. then one day stay at 1200 . one day exercise more . do you exercise everyday? take a day off but stay at 1200 calories. Guess that is "tricking" your body. Good luck

BeesKnees181

I am on the same goal as you, with a commesurate amount of weight to lose (not a lot). I started out not eating back my calorie deficit, but was not able to maintain enough energy to follow through on my workouts. I, now, eat most of my exercise calories back. I do have some days when I am over or under. It seems to be working for me...I feel good. I haven't weighed myself in a while. I usually go by how my clothes fit me and the fits are telling me I am doing something right Good luck!

sunnyrunner23

Ok quick question, what if you are hypothryoid? I am being treated but my metabolism is still extremely sluggish. How does that work for me?

monbeaucher

I'm still a bit confused (I know I know).
So I'm 5'6" 165lbs and I usually eat about 1200 cals a day. Sometimes more, often times a couple hundred less.
I work out and burn about 400 every day and my BMR says about 1500.

How many cals SHOULD I be eating?

Are food like peanut butter (or almond butter, which I haven't tried) good to make up for cals?

Often times I am not hungry so if I eat protein powder (140 cal/scoop) or nut butters (anything clean and high cal) make up for the deficit without me having to load up my plate for dinner?

A minimum of 1200 on days you don't workout, and if you burned 400 a minimum of 1600. When you have less to lose your minimum should be your BMR plus whatever you burn from exercise.

And yes, nuts, nut butters are great to make up extra calories, full of healthy fats.

I have 35 to lose, so should I stick to about 1600? Then as I get smaller I should up my intake?
(Thanks so much for your help!)

I would suggest following the guide below to set your weekly weight loss goal and to eat back most of the cals you burn from exercise.
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Thank you!!

Tiff1124

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 is exactly the explanation I've been looking for! I have a set goal of 1200, but I always up it to between 1400-1500 on work out days because I know that I will burn quite a few in my training.

kedgin

This has been really helpful. I workout usually in the evening (after work). Then I come home and have dinner. I usually have about 400 calories for dinner plus the calories I burned off. Last night the elliptical machine said I burned 533 calories in 45 minutes. That would give me almost 900 calories to eat after 7pm.

Recommendations for ways to get those calories (I don't plan to eat 900 calories) healthily without eating a Snickers bar?

You can try a smoothie or some yogurt with granola in it.

mamafranck

My trainer told me to have 3 meals a day and 3 snacks. I am having the same problems. He said use the extra cals for treats. Last night I had a 6 ounce glass of wine. That was my treat of the day. I also let my self have white rice because my calorie goal wasn't filled. I don't know what you like to eat but those are my little cheats and my trainer said they are fine. He also said it will help make me feel like I am not on a diet. The big thing was snacking. I hope this helped. I have to ask today about eating what I burn. I will fill you in on his thoughts. I know I am busy and find it hard to eat 1400 plus calories unless I eat fast food.