Deciding to eat more than 1200 calories.

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  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
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    At 138, 5'4, and a generally active person, 1200 calories is almost an impossible number to be fueled on throughout the day. My weightloss has been stalled for months. As the weather is getting warmer and I'm biking and running more again, I've decided to ditch MFP's set 1200 maximum, and take on 1600 calories a day.

    Along with this, I will be going Gluten-Free, but no longer being a Vegan and add eggs and the occasional cheese back into my diet. I will still be staying away from dairy such as ice cream and milk.

    I'm a little nervous that this may result in weight gain, as my day job is an 8 to 5 desk job. I bike about 30 miles a week, which will become more like 70 as the weather warms. I run 3 miles 4 times a week, and am trying to get back into strength training.

    Any thoughts on if I may be making a mistake adding in 400 more calories? I'm still technically on a deficit. I'm not looking to lose more than 8 or so pounds, and am in no rush for it to happen.

    Please, you will not gain "weight" here. Maybe just the weight of the meal itself. I think you will find that your metabolism increases and your better prepared athletic performance-wise. Your fine!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,130 Member
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    I looked at your Food Diary for the last few days and you are consistently leaving 200-700 calories left uneaten!

    This is your problem, right here.

    You have to eat those, since you are already at a healthy weight, you are creating a huge, unsustainable deficit by doing that.

    Figure out your ACTUAL activity level, not the fake Lightly Active one you have set. Eat those calories. Then eat the exercise calories too.

    Geez. No wonder you aren't losing.

    Go to the sticky posts at the top of General Diet and Weight Loss Help. You don't really understand how this works.
  • kaleas
    kaleas Posts: 200
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    For the longest time I stopped recording any exercise I did and would still try to eat around 1200 calories, because there were days thanks to being a typical 23 year old, I would go out and drink more than two beers, and figured it all kind of evened out. After playing with a TDEE site, even on a low activity level, I maintain at almost 2000 calories, which makes me realize why I wasn't happy eating 1200 calories, especially after a day of biking to class, walking several miles, and then going for a run.

    Ill keep you all up to date over the next month and see how this goes!
  • cjr312
    cjr312 Posts: 23 Member
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    I think you're doing the right thing by uping your calories. I just increased my goal intake by another 100 calories today as well. I don't exercise everyday, but I want to eventually and when I realize that I'm in the routine, I'm going to increase the calorie goal again. Go for it as long as your are exercising!
  • kirstand
    kirstand Posts: 76
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    i was set on a similar calorie intake with mfp too when first started and set my activity level at lightly active. i soon found that i couldnt stay anywhere near (under) that, so i changed my setting to very active for the extra 200 or so cals a day.
    i do a lot of exercise during most days and this amount (1420) seems ok...
    good luck.
  • meancoffeebeans
    meancoffeebeans Posts: 4 Member
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    I really try to stay between 1200 to 1300 a day even though I am allowed 1520. It's hard. The battle between being cold/tired/shaky and keeping my calories in line is tough. The goal has always been to increase the calories once I hit my target weight and offset with exercise. It just makes sense.

    I think you are on the right track. If you're active, and it sounds like you are, then compensating with extra calories is absolutely the right thing to do. Good luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,130 Member
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    If you are tired, shaking, hungry, not losing any weight, having to go to bed so you won't eat.....you're doing it wrong.





    Seriously, I lost over 50 pounds by eating enough. Every day I ate all my exercise calories. And often went over. It has been five years and I'm still doing that, and I have only gained a few pounds (under ten). And I'm on the road to re-lose them. By eating. I always have enough food and I'm never shaky or tired.

    I regained the few pounds because I quit logging and couldn't exercise. And broke my foot, couldn't walk for three months.


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