AM I EATING ENOUGH

BlowYourMind

I'm 5'4, 128 and was recommended 1,200 calories. I've combined this with 30 DS and dance, but just recently I was told on another thread I should consume more calories. I've also recently had a plateau and I'm very confused! I know it's a bother... But thank you for the help! By the way, I'm a mesomorph if it's any help!

KeKy4

I'm wonder this too. I'm 5'4" and 226 pounds and I was also recommended 1200 calories. But then I used this calculator; http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and it suggests 1800 calories for extreme fat loss. So what's up? I am losing weight steadily but 1200 a day is hard.

BlowYourMind

I KNOW! I've been doing 1,200 + excercise cals for as long as I could remember, but I'm at a plateau and have been feeling helpless!

BlowYourMind

I KNOW! I've been doing 1,200 + excercise cals for as long as I could remember, but I'm at a plateau and have been feeling helpless!

if you're talking to me, i said "that's the minimum" a good place to start is bodyweight * 12... see how that goes for a month.

No not you... But okay, so the minimum is like the 1,200 that MFP recommends?

tigersword

I'm 5'4, 128 and was recommended 1,200 calories. I've combined this with 30 DS and dance, but just recently I was told on another thread I should consume more calories. I've also recently had a plateau and I'm very confused! I know it's a bother... But thank you for the help! By the way, I'm a mesomorph if it's any help!

At 5'4 and 128 pounds you are already at a low weight. You're plateauing because you don't have any excess weight.

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

rosied915

There's a fairly new Board called Eat More To Weigh Less.

You all (well, most of you) should check it out.

You will be shocked at what 1200 calories is doing to and has done to your body.

Check it out.

malins2

For me 1200 works fine, and I don't eat back all my exercise calories so sometimes my net even ends up below 1200.
But not looking at net calories I usually eat around 1600-1800 cals a day.
You're at a quite low weight now, so I don't think you can expect any great loss every week... maybe you gain muscle and lose inches?

wftiger

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Yeah, I agree. I did that for many years and well, it didn't work. I just gained more and more.

** I eat 1200 calories and have for 6 months. And BTW to above poster, anyone can make stuff up and that is what that group has done. Do any of them have MD after their name? Then why are you listening to them?

amy12321

If you're eating 1200 calories per day and always have been and you're at a plateau, what I would recommend is to eat more calories and eat more often. Maybe eat more clean foods stay away from anything processed for the most part. Also, exercise more. Eat more and exercise more! Just speaking from experience, I was eating 1200 cals and NOT losing any weight, then I started working out more, eating more and I lost nearly 4 pounds right away.

BlowYourMind

I was expecting to tone with 30 DS not lose weight, but I feel confused now.

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Well a deficit shouldn't be larger than 20% for most people, people who are more severely obese can get away with a bigger deficit. And this formula has a deficit built in, thanks for your time.

Yeah, I still don't buy it. If I weigh 100 I should eat 1000? Soon I'll be 90....
I think it works for SOME people. I think it's a some what dangerous generalization.

aproc

1200 is just so low... If your at a standstill now then definitely try upping the calories. I personally won't try to cut weight on such a low number when I do, I initially lost a lot of weight on a similar diet but after upping the calories, I found it hard not to gain weight again even at the average of 1600-1800. It took a while and a bit of a higher weight before I regained a higer maintenance number that I could eat without continually gaining.

PennyS44

I'm 5'4, 128 and was recommended 1,200 calories. I've combined this with 30 DS and dance, but just recently I was told on another thread I should consume more calories. I've also recently had a plateau and I'm very confused! I know it's a bother... But thank you for the help! By the way, I'm a mesomorph if it's any help!

At 5'4 and 128 pounds you are already at a low weight. You're plateauing because you don't have any excess weight.

PennyS44

What I meant to say above is that I am 5'3" and would love to be at 128. You don't want to be skin and bones!!

BlowYourMind

I'm 5'4, 128 and was recommended 1,200 calories. I've combined this with 30 DS and dance, but just recently I was told on another thread I should consume more calories. I've also recently had a plateau and I'm very confused! I know it's a bother... But thank you for the help! By the way, I'm a mesomorph if it's any help!

At 5'4 and 128 pounds you are already at a low weight. You're plateauing because you don't have any excess weight.

Well, I definitely have some FAT, so there has to be some miscommunication here!

KatKatatrophic

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

That's just a guideline. It's not suggested you do that.


You should look at your BMR, how many calories you burn a day, and how many you tend to eat daily. Take this for an example:
If a girl has a BMR of about 1200 odd calories, burns about 800 calories a day, and eats 1500 calories a day. If you tend to eat 1500 (+ half your exercise calories back IF you WANT to) calories a day, raise your intake. MFP is not accurate. They say EVERYONE eats about 1200 calories. I eat 1400 calories a day and burn 500 calories, and that's what I eat everyday is about 1400 calories.

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Well a deficit shouldn't be larger than 20% for most people, people who are more severely obese can get away with a bigger deficit. And this formula has a deficit built in, thanks for your time.

Yeah, I still don't buy it. If I weigh 100 I should eat 1000? Soon I'll be 90....
I think it works for SOME people. I think it's a some what dangerous generalization.

no You miss read... I said "MINIMUM CALORIES YOU SHOULD EAT" This formula has been used in the health and fitness industry for decades, and in the medical communities.

So back to that 400 pound person....

I know it's been used. I just don't buy it. I've also read body weight times 12, and body weight times 8....
What's wrong with the good ole BMR? What's wrong with guiding folks to an approach which takes activity level, body fat, age into consideration?

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Well a deficit shouldn't be larger than 20% for most people, people who are more severely obese can get away with a bigger deficit. And this formula has a deficit built in, thanks for your time.

Yeah, I still don't buy it. If I weigh 100 I should eat 1000? Soon I'll be 90....
I think it works for SOME people. I think it's a some what dangerous generalization.

You're also more than welcome to read my topic on how to lose weight correctly. It has had over 500 hits, people near the end said they tried my method and broke out of their plateau.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/557201-how-to-lose-weight-correctly

Thanks, but not needed here.

to the OP: sorry for hijacking your thread.

WhitneyAnnabelle

Yeah, you can be a low weight and still have fat. I am a perfect example of this. It's about body composition. As to the "toning up with 30DS" thing, people probably "tone up" from it because they're losing some fat. It's doubtful that you'll gain a tremendous amount of muscle unless you're using heavy weights. Her DVD's don't really call for that. They're more like circuit training routines.

Fit_Canuck

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Not sure about that math but if you use me as an example with a 2399 BMR and burning about 500 cals a day in workouts I shoot for 3000 cal a day. I'm losing weight and gaining muscle.

katcod1522

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

I dont think a 224lbs person should eat 2260 cals a day to lose when they are only 5' 4.....More like TDEE minus 20% and minus a few hundred more at the beginning...my opinion only after reading and learning lots.

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Not sure about that math but if you use me as an example with a 2399 BMR and burning about 500 cals a day in workouts I shoot for 3000 cal a day. I'm losing weight and gaining muscle.

But you're a fit canuck! Excellent user name btw.

mmapags

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Well a deficit shouldn't be larger than 20% for most people, people who are more severely obese can get away with a bigger deficit. And this formula has a deficit built in, thanks for your time.

Yeah, I still don't buy it. If I weigh 100 I should eat 1000? Soon I'll be 90....
I think it works for SOME people. I think it's a some what dangerous generalization.

You are taking the 10X as an absolute. It is not. And let me say that I generally agree with Pu's approach. You are taking extremes and trying to apply the logic. 2 things. It doesn't apply in the extremes and what he said was 10X is the absolote minimum. When you look at the 100 lb person that is way too low. You are comparing an extreme.

When you look at the 400 lb person, they can handle a higher deficit because of their extreme obesity. For awhile, until they reach that middle zone that most of us live in. Then the rule of thumb is 15x to maintian, 12x for a reasonable deficit, 10 x as a minimum. Pu has said once in this thread and multiple times in other threads that the jump off point is 12x. See how it goes. If losing too much increase to, say, 13 x. If not losing drop to 11x.

This will work and is comparable to other formulas including MFP and fat2fitradio.com. Like any system, there are exceptions in the extremes. All you've compared to are 2 extremes. Try a comparison to a more moderate example like someone who is 180 lbs and 30 lbs overweight and see what you get

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Well a deficit shouldn't be larger than 20% for most people, people who are more severely obese can get away with a bigger deficit. And this formula has a deficit built in, thanks for your time.

Yeah, I still don't buy it. If I weigh 100 I should eat 1000? Soon I'll be 90....
I think it works for SOME people. I think it's a some what dangerous generalization.

You are taking the 10X as an absolute. It is not. And let me say that I generally agree with Pu's approach. You are taking extremes and trying to apply the logic. 2 things. It doesn't apply in the extremes and what he said was 10X is the absolote minimum. When you look at the 100 lb person that is way too low. You are comparing an extreme.

When you look at the 400 lb person, they can handle a higher deficit because of their extreme obesity. For awhile, until they reach that middle zone that most of us live in. Then the rule of thumb is 15x to maintian, 12x for a reasonable deficit, 10 x as a minimum. Pu has said once in this thread and multiple times in other threads that the jump off point is 12x. See how it goes. If losing too much increase to, say, 13 x. If not losing drop to 11x.

This will work and is comparable to other formulas including MFP and fat2fitradio.com. Like any system, there are exceptions in the extremes. All you've compared to are 2 extremes. Try a comparison to a more moderate example like someone who is 180 lbs and 30 lbs overweight and see what you get

I just think it's an over simplification. Thus, my extremes. Why not suggest folks figure out their BMR, their activity level, factor in their age, gender... all of which will factor in to weight loss.

mfpcopine

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Very good point. There must an assumption at work there, for example, maybe they're talking about people in a certain weight range. I think these guidelines are probably less helpful for people at either end of the spectrum, people with a lot to lose and people with little.

brneydgrlie

MFP automatically calculates a deficit in the amount of calories you should eat, based on what you want to lose. So when you exercise, you are encouraged to "eat back" your exercise calories. Are you consuming 1200 calories, and then burning 600 calories in exercise? That would mean the calories your body actually has available to use for energy, functioning, etc, is really only 600 (this is the concept of NET calories). That is not enough to sustain muscle mass during weight loss. This is most likely why you have been told to eat more. Calculating NET calories is something that is debated here in the boards. Some people "eat back" all their exercise calories, some only eat some, and other people eat back none. I have seen several posts of people being stuck at plateaus for a long time, and weight finally came off again once they decided to try eating back their exercise calories.

Sabine_Stroehm

minimum you should eat is bodyweight * 10

So if I were a 400 pound woman I should eat 4000 calories to lose weight? Some how I don't think so.

Very good point. There must an assumption at work there, for example, maybe they're talking about people in a certain weight range. I think these guidelines are probably less helpful for people at either end of the spectrum, people with a lot to lose and people with little.

And I worry, on a weight loss site that slightly over fat folks will see the X10 and think: "I must eat exactly that" which often leads to "I'll do even better if I eat less than that!".... and then things can get dicey...

southernsweetie1978

I'm wonder this too. I'm 5'4" and 226 pounds and I was also recommended 1200 calories. But then I used this calculator; http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and it suggests 1800 calories for extreme fat loss. So what's up? I am losing weight steadily but 1200 a day is hard.

Hmm..I just tried that calculator link you gave and it gave me the following when exercising 3 days a week.

Maintenance 1818
CALORIES/DAY

Fat Loss 1454
CALORIES/DAY

Extreme Fat Loss 1168
CALORIES/DAY

I am shocked that it would list 1168 because that would be considered starvation mode according to MFP when you go below 1200 the thing gives you in big letters, "that's not enough"..lol

lillebanon

Today I wrote a blog about my successes eating MORE, and how you can do it too.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-254554

And I mention this in the blog, but for sure, check out the group on here Eat More to Weigh Less

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

BlowYourMind

I eat my exercise calories back though...