Stopping 1200 calorie diet

elm2008

I've lost 5 lbs and it's just too little calories and took much of a pain counting calories. I've been doing this for 2 months and usually eat 1200-1300 calories per day with very little exercise (although my job is physical). My BMR is 1320. I'm thinking of going up to 1600 and still eating healthy. Will I gain everything back without changing my exercise?

summergirl212

It is almost impossible to stay on a 1200 calorie diet and sustain it. Losing the 5 pounds that way is great but I'm sure that if you eat more calories you will be able to maintain that loss. I would guess that you are probably burning more than you think so that might be right around where your maintenance should be. Maybe you can try adding even just 20 minutes of extra activity a couple times a week as a buffer.

LaurenAOK

Hi there, if you feel that 1200 is too low for you you are probably right! Most people agree that you shouldn't net below your BMR, so you should aim to net at at least 1320. If that still feels like too little, I don't think going up to 1600 would ruin your progress, but it might slow you down a bit.

Hold on, let me crunch some numbers here. Your job is physical, so I'm going to multiply your BMRx1.5 to put you in the lightly or moderately active category. Keep in mind I know nothing about your job so this is just an estimate! That would put your TDEE at about 1980 (before exercise). So to lose 1lb per week, you should try to net 1480 per day. If that still seems like too little, you could aim for 1/2 pound per week and net 1730 per day.

I hope this helps and I hope my math is correct... I'm sleepy :P All the best!

ETA: ...and as it turns out, the 1600 you mentioned is right between the numbers I came up with, so you'd probably lose like .7 pounds per week or something random like that. Again, keep in mind that this is just an estimate!

elm2008

I would not like to lose more weight but rather stay at this weight.

minkakross

You won't know until you try. Every body is different, for example I find 1200 easy to maintain and have done well with it and exercise in my mostly inactive job, but others can eat more and work out less or even more and it's just works for them.

LaurenAOK

I would not like to lose more weight but rather stay at this weight.

Oh, that changes everything! In that case I would aim for around 1900 since that's what I calculated your TDEE to be... but remember my numbers were just estimates!

What you can actually do is change your goals here on MFP to "maintain my current weight." It should calculate everything for you that way. Just make sure you set your activity level accurately!

Helloitsdan

Go to Fat to Fit and use the BMR tool.

Put in your current weight as your goal and select the calories for Light Activity.
Take 20% off this number for the calories youll want to eat daily.
Dont eat back any calories as youll not be logging activity.

Enjoy your fat loss.

An example.

Dan Rollins

Age 37
Sex "Yes Plz!" =D
Height inches 66
Current weight 136
Goal weight 136
Body fat if known 12
Katch-McArdle Forumla

Katch McArdle Formula
The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 12%, you have a lean body mass of 120 lbs., and your BMR is 1548 calories. <----my BMR

Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1800
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2063 <----my TDEE working out 3x a week
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2325
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2588
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2850


As long as I eat below TDEE every day i'll lose weight.
20% off this number is roughly 1700 calories.

thats what i'll eat on rest days to keep losing fat.

Hope this helps.

spikefoot

You have to take into consideration how accuratelly people are calculating their calories too.

Some people might think they are eatng more or less than they actually are. Just sayin

Helloitsdan

I would not like to lose more weight but rather stay at this weight.

Ah!

Dont take 20% off the Light modifier.
Just eat that amount daily.

nightnurse2

If you change your goals to 'maintain current weight' that will up your cals - I went from 1290 to 1510 to maintain. I've been thinking about the 'eat more to weigh less' and will up my cals further.