eating 1200

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Replies

  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
    Just eating when you are hungry is not the best thing to go by. Ever heard of leptin and ghrelin, your hunger regulation hormones?
    Eating too little is going to do more harm than good in the long run.

    I also see no one being rude o.O

    Yes I have heard of leptin and ghrelin..the same hormones that stop telling your body you are hungry when you continue to eat and overeat calories...I just think listening to your body is good old common sense. Why am I going to force myself to eat more calories when I'm not hungry? That doesn't make sense. So like I said, if you are hungry, eat. If not eat back some or none. Its not a necessary requirement to do either because everyone is different. And as far as being rude, I am not talking about this feed in particular, im talking about how heated people get about this topic. Its not necessary because everyone loses weight at different rates, has different body types, and different needs, so its impossible to make generalized statements about a whole population and be accurate, i'm sorry but I just know what has worked for me.

    Listening to my body caused me to pack on 15 pounds in a year. Sure didn't work to well for me or I wouldn't be here.
    Ah I thought you were talking about rude in this thread xD Sorry go confused

    I'm glad that worked for you.

    After studying dietetics/nutrition at my university for 3 years I can tell you under eating can cause more harm than good. If you want to maintain muscle mass then eating as much as a 10 year old boy is not the best route.

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    People do not eat exercise calories back because they feel like they need an excuse to eat more. This is simply the more sustainable and healthier approach to weight loss. You will have more energy in the long run and it will help you maintain the lean muscle you already have. If you want to hear success stories, that is fine, but these folks who are only half way to their weight loss goals are not good examples. Wait until they come back asking why their body fat percentage is still high, or they have reached a stall in their weight loss. You have to remember that when you are losing weight, you are losing muscle as well. Eating enough and strength training is way to prevent losing too much of it.

    Exactly. I eat over 2000 calories a day to lose fat. I don't want to lose just weight, but fat. Eating 1200 a day and no exercise calories might work, but you lose a lot of muscle that way. So when people come back wondering why they are at a low weight put still look pudgy and not lean.. welll... there ya go.

    I do a lot of exercise so I keep my muscles working, I also eat way over my protein so that feeds my muscles.

    Where does this losing a lot of muscle come from, just out of interest.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I "listened to my body" and ate when I was hungry after my first boyfriend and I split and ended up down to a scary 103 pounds without trying to lose weight.

    I "listened to my body" and ate when I was hungry after losing my parents and ended up a relatively chunky 160 pounds, too.

    My body is stupid and can't be relied on to tell me when I should eat. I'm better off planning my meals and logging my food based on what my brain knows is the right amount of food for me. My brain is really smart. :smile:
  • Taryn1627
    Taryn1627 Posts: 118 Member
    For me, I have my calorie intake set for me to lose a pound a week...and it has me at 1720 calories...generally i only eat around 1500 calories though. i usually workout over 1000 calories and as a general rule i don't eat them back. every couple of weeks though i'll have one day when i'm just super hungry and then i usually eat at least some of them....usually try to stay around 2000 on that day...

    hope that helps!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    You may lose, but you're not going to be fueling your body properly, so you won't really be getting healthier or more fit, which should be the goal anyway.

    Oh I don't know, I have a PB of 45:41 for 10k. I can swim a couple of miles at whim. Cycle for as long as I want.

    I think I am quite fit and healthy ;)

    It is probably due to having muscles :)
  • AmberFaith90
    AmberFaith90 Posts: 904 Member
    I'm sure you can lose weight this way. But why would you, when you don't have to?
    ^^ This.
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
    By the way, when I said "listen to your body" I wasn't referring to environmental queues "telling you" you're hungry, like driving by a mcdonalds, smelling it, and deciding you're hungry, or going through a difficult situation. I meant that you are physically trying to be healthy, trying to lose weight, and eating in moderation until you are no longer hungry. I portion my food and if I am still hungry I see how many calories I have left, and may eat more. If not, I stop. That is what I call "listening to your body" I am not talking about being overweight and eating everything until you pop; I just mean trying your best to lose weight, have a healthy diet, and stop eating when appropriate. Just for clarification. :tongue:
  • I've been sticking to the 1200 calories or less per day, and burning off between 200-300 doing various cardio exercises. It seems to be working well for me right now, but I'm new to this calorie counting. I've done the WW point system before, but now I'm concentrating on # of calories and low sodium, and it's working. I started on March 12th and as of today I've lost 16 pounds. I will likely kick up my cardio routine soon, and will also add a few more calories to accommodate the extra strength needed. I have also heard that it's hard to sustain that kind of weight loss long term, eating very few calories. If I find that to be the case, I will change it up as needed. Until then, it's working for me!
  • foster59803
    foster59803 Posts: 439 Member
    I am glad you asked this question... in all honesty I don't know. I am starting to think that each person really has to figure out what works best for them. I recently had RMR tested at my gym because I had been exercising and eating well for 6 months. A little history: Average calorie intake aprox 1500 calories (3 month average) – Average calorie “burn” every day 389 (3 month average) – this is cardio and weight training- mostly free weights/ I am 32 year old female, 135 lbs with 26%(caliper) body fat. Over the last 6 months, no change in bf, weight or any real measurable inches. Definitely increased strength and endurance.

    MFP had me set at 1200 calories a day, I would exercise and eat back nearly all my exercise calories (on average 300 of the aprox 389 burnt). Since I had not seen any change I thought maybe I need to increase my calories so I decided to have my Resting Metabolic Rate tested at my gym. My test showed my RMR to be 1090… the gym trainers immediately said… well there you have it. Sorry kid, not really going to change your genetics unless you decide to be a female body builder. They recommended that I eat 1200 calories a day and not to eat back my exercise calories. It seems so crazy to me now because I have been following the MFP method for almost a year. I did lose a few lbs in the beginning but it has been a while since I have seen any other changes.

    Who knows what the answer is. I am going to try the 1200 and not eating back the calories... keep my protein way up hopefully to avoid muscle loss. Good luck to you!
  • hypersensitiveb
    hypersensitiveb Posts: 342 Member
    It will only work for so long, and then your body will try to hang on to what it has because you're not giving it enough. I went from a size 11 to a size 3 and lost 31 lbs eating more than 1200 and working out. On days that I work/ed out, I eat/ate more. I eat when I'm hungry, and don't deprive myself of the things that I want.
    I don't always eat back all of my exercise calories, cause i'm not sure exactly how much I've burned (I don't really even trust my HRM) so I usually end up eating like half.
    But, whatever works for you. You just have to think about it in the long term...

    This^^ I went from a size 12 to a size 6 currently. I exercise 3-4x a week or more if I get a chance. I eat my 1200 or close to it. When I have exercise calories if I'm hungry I eat, if I have 500 left oh well. I am loosing aprox 1-1.5 a week so I feel I will be fine after I hit my goal. I will continue to use MFP to maintain for as long as it takes for me to know how much to eat and exercise and not gain. Then if I start gaining at all I will lower my calories. Not wait until I gain it all back.
  • NWdreaming
    NWdreaming Posts: 95 Member
    When I started this just over a month ago, I would eat 1200 and workout burning 500 - 600 and NOT eat them back. I lost a good amount the first two weeks but then it slowed. Today I am working towards eating 1500 to see if that helps a little with the weight loss. I have a lot to lose so I shouldn't be slowing just yet. If I have to add more calories, I will. Everyone's system is different. Trial and error! In a few weeks I'll be able to see if this is helping. I don't think it is going to hurt me because I am eating super healthy. I also don't want to be stuck eating a small amount forever so increasing seems like a good idea as long as it is healthy foods.
  • kenny_johnson
    kenny_johnson Posts: 108 Member
    I couldn't eat 1,200 if I tried. I'd starve -- but I'm also a 343 pound man. However, I have to admit that I scared to to eat too much -- especially when I do feel satisfied. I've been eating between 2000 and 2400 calories a day over the last 4 weeks plus exercising (Power 90 and walking) 6 days a week. I rarely eat back my exercise calories -- unless I'm hungry. I don't usually feel tired or feel like I lack energy (unless I get too little sleep).

    MFP recommends I eat 2200 calories a day to get a 2lb a week weight loss. Because I've ready that I can actually average closer to 1% safely, I haven't eaten back my exercise calories in order to get about an extra 500 calories a day deficit -- which in my mind mean about 3 lbs/week -- which is still less than 1%

    I just hope that doesn't mean I'm screwing up my metabolism or losing too much muscle (I'm doing resistance training). I just ordered a scale that supposed to measure body fat -- which even if not completely accurate, should at least tell me progress and give me a better idea of what my Lean Body Mass is.

    ---Confused--
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]

    I have a friend here who is 4'11" and eats 2,000+ calories to lose weight.

    It's more about activity level than height. Sunshine and I both have about the same TDEE, but I am 5'10". She is simply more active than I am. The fact that you are short is not an excuse. I think if you knew you true TDEE, you might think differently.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I couldn't eat 1,200 if I tried. I'd starve -- but I'm also a 343 pound man. However, I have to admit that I scared to to eat too much -- especially when I do feel satisfied. I've been eating between 2000 and 2400 calories a day over the last 4 weeks plus exercising (Power 90 and walking) 6 days a week. I rarely eat back my exercise calories -- unless I'm hungry. I don't usually feel tired or feel like I lack energy (unless I get too little sleep).

    MFP recommends I eat 2200 calories a day to get a 2lb a week weight loss. Because I've ready that I can actually average closer to 1% safely, I haven't eaten back my exercise calories in order to get about an extra 500 calories a day deficit -- which in my mind mean about 3 lbs/week -- which is still less than 1%

    I just hope that doesn't mean I'm screwing up my metabolism or losing too much muscle (I'm doing resistance training). I just ordered a scale that supposed to measure body fat -- which even if not completely accurate, should at least tell me progress and give me a better idea of what my Lean Body Mass is.

    ---Confused--

    I reckon you are quite safe there, you've got your head screwed on.

    Where did you buy your scales?
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]

    I have a friend here who is 4'11" and eats 2,000+ calories to lose weight.

    It's more about activity level than height. Sunshine and I both have about the same TDEE, but I am 5'10". She is simply more active than I am. The fact that you are short is not an excuse. I think if you knew you true TDEE, you might think differently.

    Again, agree to disagree!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    By the way, when I said "listen to your body" I wasn't referring to environmental queues "telling you" you're hungry, like driving by a mcdonalds, smelling it, and deciding you're hungry, or going through a difficult situation. I meant that you are physically trying to be healthy, trying to lose weight, and eating in moderation until you are no longer hungry. I portion my food and if I am still hungry I see how many calories I have left, and may eat more. If not, I stop. That is what I call "listening to your body" I am not talking about being overweight and eating everything until you pop; I just mean trying your best to lose weight, have a healthy diet, and stop eating when appropriate. Just for clarification. :tongue:

    Listening to your body is not really the best approach. And I know you said "body" but you are essentially saying to listen to what's in your head, which can either be telling you you are hungry, telling you a certain food is "bad for you to eat", make you feel guilty about eating food, telling you that severely limiting your food intake is better for you, that being skinny is more important than having a cookie, etc. There are many things involved in someone "listening to their body". And it's not always leading them toward a healthier relationship with their bodies and with food.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm personally happiest energy wise when I'm at 1200. My mood is better, my energy is better. I will eat my exercise calories if I am hungry or feel I need them for whatever reason, but I treat them more as insurance than daily intake. I am short and my weight is in the normal range, so I think it takes a bit more effort to lose.
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
    By the way, when I said "listen to your body" I wasn't referring to environmental queues "telling you" you're hungry, like driving by a mcdonalds, smelling it, and deciding you're hungry, or going through a difficult situation. I meant that you are physically trying to be healthy, trying to lose weight, and eating in moderation until you are no longer hungry. I portion my food and if I am still hungry I see how many calories I have left, and may eat more. If not, I stop. That is what I call "listening to your body" I am not talking about being overweight and eating everything until you pop; I just mean trying your best to lose weight, have a healthy diet, and stop eating when appropriate. Just for clarification. :tongue:

    Listening to your body is not really the best approach. And I know you said "body" but you are essentially saying to listen to what's in your head, which can either be telling you you are hungry, telling you a certain food is "bad for you to eat", make you feel guilty about eating food, telling you that severely limiting your food intake is better for you, that being skinny is more important than having a cookie, etc. There are many things involved in someone "listening to their body". And it's not always leading them toward a healthier relationship with their bodies and with food.

    Okay! Thanks for sharing!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]

    I have a friend here who is 4'11" and eats 2,000+ calories to lose weight.

    It's more about activity level than height. Sunshine and I both have about the same TDEE, but I am 5'10". She is simply more active than I am. The fact that you are short is not an excuse. I think if you knew you true TDEE, you might think differently.

    Again, agree to disagree!

    It's not agree to disagree. It sounds to me like you are disagreeing with facts, not opinions.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    By the way, when I said "listen to your body" I wasn't referring to environmental queues "telling you" you're hungry, like driving by a mcdonalds, smelling it, and deciding you're hungry, or going through a difficult situation. I meant that you are physically trying to be healthy, trying to lose weight, and eating in moderation until you are no longer hungry. I portion my food and if I am still hungry I see how many calories I have left, and may eat more. If not, I stop. That is what I call "listening to your body" I am not talking about being overweight and eating everything until you pop; I just mean trying your best to lose weight, have a healthy diet, and stop eating when appropriate. Just for clarification. :tongue:

    Listening to your body is not really the best approach. And I know you said "body" but you are essentially saying to listen to what's in your head, which can either be telling you you are hungry, telling you a certain food is "bad for you to eat", make you feel guilty about eating food, telling you that severely limiting your food intake is better for you, that being skinny is more important than having a cookie, etc. There are many things involved in someone "listening to their body". And it's not always leading them toward a healthier relationship with their bodies and with food.

    Okay! Thanks for sharing!

    You're welcome. I hope we agree that anorexics who are "listening to their body" are not really using the best approach.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I'm personally happiest energy wise when I'm at 1200. My mood is better, my energy is better. I will eat my exercise calories if I am hungry or feel I need them for whatever reason, but I treat them more as insurance than daily intake. I am short and my weight is in the normal range, so I think it takes a bit more effort to lose.

    Well you seem to be doing grand so far Flax!

    I'm like you in that way. I used to suffer depression, that hasn't occurred since I started losing weight at the beginning of the year, this included going through winter - SAD never occurred for me this time either, which is good.

    Eating, and what you eat, definitely affects many aspects of our lives that's for sure!
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]

    I have a friend here who is 4'11" and eats 2,000+ calories to lose weight.

    It's more about activity level than height. Sunshine and I both have about the same TDEE, but I am 5'10". She is simply more active than I am. The fact that you are short is not an excuse. I think if you knew you true TDEE, you might think differently.

    Again, agree to disagree!

    It's not agree to disagree. It sounds to me like you are disagreeing with facts, not opinions.

    Okay great, you know everything! I have a bachelor's degree in nutrition and I know that it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating a well balanced 1200 calorie diet and participating in moderate exercise. That is a fact..thousands of people have done it. So your opinion really means nothing to me. thanks any!
  • rmh84
    rmh84 Posts: 28
    I can work for some, not others as people have said above.

    I stuck to the 1200 cal diet (even eating my excersize cals) for 2 weeks, and lost not even a 1/10th of a lb. Then I did a bunch or reading, and switched it over to just over my BMR (go to Tools to calculate yours), which is just under 1400 cals a day. I'm at day 4 on this, and have lost 1.8 Lb in that time.

    I'm thrilled on the 1400 cal diet because on 1200 I was very often hungry, and had to deprove myself a lot. this way If I'm careful throughout the day I can often go out for a meal if I want and not go over.
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    It seems to be working for me. although i bet it would be faster if i didnt have a desk job!!!
    i tried to eat back my exercise cals and i either didnt lose weight or i gained...so i kept it at 1220 and made sure i exercised at least 300 cals . im losing...but slowwwwwwwwly. *snore*:grumble:
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]

    I have a friend here who is 4'11" and eats 2,000+ calories to lose weight.

    It's more about activity level than height. Sunshine and I both have about the same TDEE, but I am 5'10". She is simply more active than I am. The fact that you are short is not an excuse. I think if you knew you true TDEE, you might think differently.

    Again, agree to disagree!

    It's not agree to disagree. It sounds to me like you are disagreeing with facts, not opinions.

    Okay great, you know everything! I have a bachelor's degree in nutrition and I know that it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating a well balanced 1200 calorie diet and participating in moderate exercise. That is a fact..thousands of people have done it. So your opinion really means nothing to me. thanks any!

    I did not say I know everything. That would be impossible.
  • mdamrow
    mdamrow Posts: 92 Member
    I just go by how I feel that day. If I'm hungry I eat my calories back or if I know I'm going out. Otherwise I just let them go.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
    Like others have said, there are plenty of people who don't eat their exercise calories back, and stick to a strict 1200 to lose plenty of weight, but it's tough to sustain after a certain point for most people, because it can feel restrictive over long periods of time.

    That being said, every person is individual. You just need to do what feels like you can sustain for the rest of your life, not for the next month or two.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Just eating when you are hungry is not the best thing to go by. Ever heard of leptin and ghrelin, your hunger regulation hormones?
    Eating too little is going to do more harm than good in the long run.

    I also see no one being rude o.O

    Yes I have heard of leptin and ghrelin..the same hormones that stop telling your body you are hungry when you continue to eat and overeat calories...I just think listening to your body is good old common sense. Why am I going to force myself to eat more calories when I'm not hungry? That doesn't make sense. So like I said, if you are hungry, eat. If not eat back some or none. Its not a necessary requirement to do either because everyone is different. And as far as being rude, I am not talking about this feed in particular, im talking about how heated people get about this topic. Its not necessary because everyone loses weight at different rates, has different body types, and different needs, so its impossible to make generalized statements about a whole population and be accurate, i'm sorry but I just know what has worked for me.

    Listening to my body caused me to pack on 15 pounds in a year. Sure didn't work to well for me or I wouldn't be here.
    Ah I thought you were talking about rude in this thread xD Sorry go confused

    I'm glad that worked for you.

    After studying dietetics/nutrition at my university for 3 years I can tell you under eating can cause more harm than good. If you want to maintain muscle mass then eating as much as a 10 year old boy is not the best route.

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    yep, everyone's needs aren't the same. I'm under 5ft, I started on 1200 and felt dizzy and lightheaded - am now losing on 1600.
    Everyone is different. Being short doesn't mean you can only lose on 1200.
  • ariandawn
    ariandawn Posts: 1 Member
    One thing that might be important to think about here, is *what* your 1200, 1500 or 2000 calories consist of. As an example I've been eating approximately 1200/day not being *completely* strict about it every single day (because that doesn't seem worth it to me) and working out 4-6x week in some way with a mix of cardio and strength for 30-60 minutes. I'm eating a lot of protien and sticking to smaller portions several (3-5) times a day. The bit thing I've been working on is not eating as many processed foods. Our body is built to process actual food, not a ton of chemicals and nonfood. Of course it's hard to get rid of this completely and I'm not completely crazy about it just conscious. For example, my breakfast is just some turkey sasage links with some goat cheese and spinach on a small tortilla to go...and my lunch is homemade hummus with veggies and a plain grilled chicken breast and a snack is a handful of mixed nuts and a short nf latte...I'm not hungry and eating food that tastes good. I don't deprive myself of a glass of wine or a cocktail (no sugar just the strong stuff) and I've been losing weight, loosing fat and gaining muscle and my pants fit better. If you've got a scale to track the muscle mass, it might help you know if you're losing the wrong kind of weight. (I'm not saying it's easy to stay motivated and on track, I just believe eating the right foods can really make a big difference even if the caloric number might say the same thing there are other factors to consider.) Everyone is different, though. I should add, I'm only 5' and I think that if I were taller and weighed a little more I'd probably bump my calories up a little bit. When I got started with this, I was eating far too many calories, but my stomach had grown and it didn't take long to re-train myself to not be hungry when I wasn't giving myself twice the calries I needed.