Calorie intakes

kristenjane56

I'm extremely new to this calorie counting stuff.
MFP suggests that I aim for 1,200 calories a day, but at the moment I'm at 985 with an hour or so until I go to bed. I'm feeling pretty satisfied, I might have a hot chocolate or something just before I go to bed but do I really need to get to 1,200 calories or will 1,000 + or - a few be OK long term?

dls06

You need at least 1200 calories for your body just to function. I would not eat less.

cramernh

I'm extremely new to this calorie counting stuff.
MFP suggests that I aim for 1,200 calories a day, but at the moment I'm at 985 with an hour or so until I go to bed. I'm feeling pretty satisfied, I might have a hot chocolate or something just before I go to bed but do I really need to get to 1,200 calories or will 1,000 + or - a few be OK long term?

Nope, not at all

Melimel845

are you doing 1200 net calories? cause i work out and burn 3 to 600 calories a day do i have to intake 1200 net after my workout? I feel like that defeats the purpose of the workout?

em9371

to OP and melimel845, have a look here, it will explain how much you should eat and why.
Using MFP calories a deifict of 500 cals per lb is alreay included, not counting exercise so you should eat back your exercise cals. If you dont eat back exercise you are creating the defict twice which is not healthy.
If you work out cals from TDEE, choose the activity level to reflect the amount of exercise you do, then you dont need to log and eat back exercise cals as its included in your allowance already.
You should never net below your BMR either way so 1200 is too low.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map?error_user_id=6110710&error_username=em9371

yarwell

there's no magic target, if you're satisfied and getting a good range of foods in your diet you're doing fine.

rlwinton

I am also confused by the calorie intake, but I have the opposite problem. If I don't work out I always go over my 1250 cal limit that MFP set for me. Am I doing something wrong? I feel so hungry throughout the day and don't feel I have a lot of room to move within that limit, or am I just overeating and just used to it? I am 5'2 at 135 lbs, trying to lose around 10 lbs slowly - 1/2 - 1 lb per week.

Lisamar74

I've only been doing this for couple of days and don't get how you could ever get all things right - calorie consumption, fat, protein etc. Surely you'll go over on one some days and under on others. It will be swings and roundabouts.
This website is similar to weight watchers and they tell you you must eat all your points but that you can save them for your naughty days so I imagine this may be the same?

lmelangley

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, but here's my take after being on her for a year:
1. Everyone is different. 1200 is the average number of calories a person shouldn't go under, but that' average, only. For me, personally, I hit plateaus if I don't eat at least 1300.
2. We track by the day because that's easiest, but this is more of an "over time" situation. Your average calories for the week (add them up, divide by 7) should probably not go below. 1200. I say probably because we're all different.
3. That being said, I think consistency is helpful. So, I wouldn't intentionally eat 800 calories for 6 days so I could eat 3600 one day on a regular basis.

Bottom line is, we all have to figure out what works for each of us. That's why these forums are so great - you can get a lot of varied input.

anat0my

I go under my calorie consumption as much as a I go under, and I've never suffered any ill effects. I think having a varied calorie intake can be good for your metabolism c:

erickirb

most likely even 1200 cals is too low, as it is for most people. Here is a guide for setting weekly weight loss goals, and on top of the original goal, you should be eating back 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.

with the amount you have to lose that would put you at 1.0lbs/week at the most

rileamoyer

DO NOT under eat your target/goal calories on a regular basis! Most of the above posters have said it for you.

rlwinton

So how much should the intake be each week for someone wanting to lose one lb a week?

stellaskies

If you're not hungry, don't eat. That's how we all got chubby in the first place, right?

misticache

bump

learningtolove

if your not hungry don't eat. Your not going to go into starvation mode and deplete your stores in one day. That being said don't make a habit of it.

maria_jason

For me personally, I was not eating my 1200 calories and I eventually stopped losing, before I reached my goal. I then increased my calorie intake a bit (1300) and made sure I ate at least the 1200, and it helped. I don't think we should eat just to eat, but we need a certain amount to be "healthy".

Erihppas

Ok, let me get this right:

My goal is to eat 1200 calories a day. I work out pretty consistently and on certain days burn up to 500 calories during a fitness class. This would mean that at the end of the day, with my eating only my 1200 calories, I'd have only used 700 calories, so I'd need to eat 500 more calories to stay within my 1200 calories....

So just eating 1200 calories is enough to burn the amount of weight I want to loose per week? I don't know why this seems so foreign to me.

yarwell

So how much should the intake be each week for someone wanting to lose one lb a week?

you set that with your goal - 1 lb a week http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals

500 calories a day deficit per pound a week loss is the ballpark.

yarwell

My goal is to eat 1200 calories a day. I work out pretty consistently and on certain days burn up to 500 calories during a fitness class. This would mean that at the end of the day, with my eating only my 1200 calories, I'd have only used 700 calories, so I'd need to eat 500 more calories to stay within my 1200 calories....

If you input your exercise into myfitnesspal it increases your daily target by the amount you exercise, so your 1200 would become 1700. If you "ignore" that and eat 1200 then your daily deficit will be 500 higher than it would have been.

MFP doesn't set a goal below 1200 which can make it harder to follow what's going on if your calculated goal should be 1100.

Erihppas

Thanks!