1200 calorie diet

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okay i just asked this question but im going to try and rephrase it..

if i am on a 1200 calorie diet. and lets say yesterday i ate 1200 calories. so i take this to mean i dont have to work out.

then the next day i eat 2000 calories so i burn 800.

is this how to lose weight or am i doing this all wrong? all i do is burn every calorie i eat over 1200 i dont know if this is the right way or the wrong way to lose pounds im so very confused and making this up as i go along. would like some help to know if im going about this the right way. thanks

Replies

  • badtzmaru7979
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    okay i just asked this question but im going to try and rephrase it..

    if i am on a 1200 calorie diet. and lets say yesterday i ate 1200 calories. so i take this to mean i dont have to work out.

    then the next day i eat 2000 calories so i burn 800.

    is this how to lose weight or am i doing this all wrong? all i do is burn every calorie i eat over 1200 i dont know if this is the right way or the wrong way to lose pounds im so very confused and making this up as i go along. would like some help to know if im going about this the right way. thanks
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    bad,


    1200 calories is 1200 calories. you take your total calories consumed, and subtract any calories you have burned. The way you consume them and they type of calories you consume make a big differenece, but it doesn't change the total.

    I.E. if you eat small meals throughout the day (6 small meals would be ideal) with all the food groups and plenty of complex carbs, omega 3 fatty acids, and protien.
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    I wouldn't say it's good or bad because none of us knows the effects this is having on you personally. So, whether you're doing it right or wrong depends very much on you and your body and whether there's any weight loss or whether you're constantly hungry.

    When you joined MFP you entered your goals based on a non work out schedule so technically speaking you will not have to work out and will still lose weight. But this site, like all others on the net, have general algorithms that are applied to everyone equally and not all of us react to this regimen the same way.

    Just because you work out also does not mean that you should eat to the 2000 calorie level either. Again this is still a general guideline in the program developed inside MFP the goal is to eat less than you burn without making yourself hungry all the time, like banks indicates with smaller meals throughout the day.

    I eat 1500 calories a day and I work out. According to MFP, because of the type of workouts I do, I should eat 2100 calories to keep me on my schedule of 2lbs loss each weak. That didn't work for me because I either gained or maintained but I didn't lose. So now I only eat to the lower level and sometimes I go a little over on those days where I feel hungry between my normal routine meal / snack eating and I seldom eat to the maximum.

    Finally, as banks also says, it's the types of foods you introduce yourself to while getting yourself into a new eating lifestyle will have an impact on your overall health as well.

    I hope this helps. Bob
  • chrispchef1
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    all of the above... and then factor your age... !! i was horrified to learn, as we get older we don't require as many calories to exist...

    although MFP does not recommend eating fewer than 1200 calories/day (an excellent policy), i would actually gain weight if i ate 1200 every day because of my height and age.

    that's why working out consistently is so important, it's healthier for you in the long run, and will help your body burn off those calories!
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
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    okay i just asked this question but im going to try and rephrase it..

    if i am on a 1200 calorie diet. and lets say yesterday i ate 1200 calories. so i take this to mean i dont have to work out.

    then the next day i eat 2000 calories so i burn 800.

    is this how to lose weight or am i doing this all wrong? all i do is burn every calorie i eat over 1200 i dont know if this is the right way or the wrong way to lose pounds im so very confused and making this up as i go along. would like some help to know if im going about this the right way. thanks
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    Options
    okay i just asked this question but im going to try and rephrase it..

    if i am on a 1200 calorie diet. and lets say yesterday i ate 1200 calories. so i take this to mean i dont have to work out.

    then the next day i eat 2000 calories so i burn 800.

    is this how to lose weight or am i doing this all wrong? all i do is burn every calorie i eat over 1200 i dont know if this is the right way or the wrong way to lose pounds im so very confused and making this up as i go along. would like some help to know if im going about this the right way. thanks

    That's the way I understood it too so that's the way I do it. It works for me. I joined early last month and so far have lost almost 9 pounds.