Should I up my calories???

margaretasid

I am struggling with 1200 cal. I'm still hungry and unhappy because of that. Problem is I'm doing OK for couple of days and then i will start eating everything i can and weight is back straight on. Will i still lose weight? I read lots of similar topics and people say to do it. Im still not sure as it does not add up. We should eat less to lose weight not more.

Any one have been in that situation?? My BMR is 1.455 cal is that how much i should eat. I still need to lose about 2st (15 kg)

Appreciate ant advice.

Thank you

MessyLittlePanda

How much exercise are you doing?

margaretasid

I go to the gym lets say 3 times a week and i walk every day about 40 min. Can I one day i exercise eat 1500 and days I'm not 1200???

teez52

If your BMR is 1455, and we assume that you are in the sedentary lifestyle for worst case here is what we get.

1455 (1.2) = 1746

That number is your TDEE, if you exercise a few times a week, you can use a 1.3 multiplyer or if you're in a construction type job then you can use an even higher one. But for simplicity's sake let's go with the number above.

If you are eating at 1200kcal, then you're currently at a 546kcal deficit, I would suggest maybe something a bit different to try to keep yourself from binging.

1746 (.9) = 1571
1746 (.85) = 1484
1746 (.8) = 1397

Those are 10-20% kcal deficits there and I would start with one of those and see how you do with being hungry. They are all still under your TDEE and if you track it properly you should still lose weight. It may be slower than just doing a 546kcal deficit, but even at a 15% deficit, you're still at a 262kcal per day deficit which means you're at a 1834kcal/week deficit which is near a half pound per week when you consider that a pound is 3500kcal.

It may be slower than you want, but it's at least progress to start with and as you get into it you may be able to go lower on the deficit, but that may be a better place to start to keep yourself from eating everything in sight.

mlkleve

I increased my calories from 1200 to 1500 about 2 weeks ago and have noticed a bigger weight loss since! 20 mile bike rides 3x week take a huge chunk of calories. Last night I rode 2 hours and it was a 1660 calorie burn. You have to think of food as fuel and excercise burns that fuel quicker.

margaretasid

Thank you guys. Ill up by 200cal and will see how i feel.

geordiegirl27

I've had to work on increasing my calories too, I think we're programmed to eat minimal when dieting but its just not healthy. Obviously try for better food choices for those calories but make sure you're eating enough

workoutgirl23

Eat more calories. 1200 calories is not enough for lots of people out there. we are all different. if your still hungry on 1200 and not losing weight, increase your calories to 1500 per day. i eat 1500 per day, exercise, and i've lost 22 pounds in the past few months. sometimes eating a little more is better, and makes you lose weight easier.

Smuterella

I'd eat a minimum of 1455 plus exercise calories. 1400 still puts you under BMR.

Onesnap

Make sure also the upped # (so if you raise it to 1400/day) is your NET number after you log your exercise. You'll actually be taking in more on days you workout.

Also, if you are eating clean (whole foods, not processed foods--anything that comes in a box or bag like takeout) you should not be hungry on 1200 NET (on days you are working out).

Let's say you burn 500 calories in a workout you're actually taking in more than 1200 in food that day--1700 cals total.

JoHola

I was also on 1200 for a few weeks and I did lose weight but was tired and miserable. Despite being on 1200, I plateaued for over a month and I decided to up my calories to 1420 and I lost 2lb within the 1st week. I still continue to lose weight on 1420 and the calories are much more sustainable in the long term.

I also eat my exercise cals back. Good luck :flowerforyou:

Onesnap

I was also on 1200 for a few weeks and I did lose weight but was tired and miserable. Despite being on 1200, I plateaued for over a month and I decided to up my calories to 1420 and I lost 2lb within the 1st week. I still continue to lose weight on 1420 and the calories are much more sustainable in the long term.

I also eat my exercise cals back. Good luck :flowerforyou:

Agreed. Depends on the person (and their weight, height, age, male/female).

For me, I'm very active and not overweight. Just trying to get back to (and maintain) my 2008 weight. For me, in order to lose 1lb/week I'm 1200. .5/week is 1400 and to maintain I'm 1600. Last year when I lost 20 lbs I learned that the 1400 is more about where I'm at in order to maintain. So for me personally a 1400 per day (NET) would not lead to any loss. Everyone is different. It's hard to say what that magic number is.

margaretasid

I'd eat a minimum of 1455 plus exercise calories. 1400 still puts you under BMR.

I know But im bit scared that ill up to 1500 and put on weight

Onesnap

I'd eat a minimum of 1455 plus exercise calories. 1400 still puts you under BMR.

I know But im bit scared that ill up to 1500 and put on weight

Set your MFP settings to 1lb/week loss. Make sure to meet your calorie goals, and not fall below them. When it is a day you workout, make sure to log that exercise and meet those goals.

If you're meeting your goals, not falling under them (and meeting them NET) you should not be hungry. If you are eating clean you should not be hungry (also make sure to eat every few hours). I also pre-log my workouts to spread those extra calories around in healthy whole foods (yogurt, fruit, nuts, lean proteins).

If you're looking for recipe ideas (that are easy to log) check out Everyday Food magazine (or the blog). It's a great magazine and in my house we have yet to try a recipe that we did not like.

If that 1,200 or 1,400 if you up it a little is not the NET number, then yes you are not eating enough. If you adjust your settings to lose .5/week for a while (instead of the pound) make sure to meet those calories, not fall below them. Otherwise you are not fueling your machine properly, and yes, you will be hungry. For example, on a day I burn 500 if I did not MEET my calorie goals I'd only be fueling my healthy active body with 700 calories--not going to happen.

IkkleGina

I have a simmilar problem but i struggle to eat 1200 calories a day, i tend to eat about 1000/1100 and im still gaining weight. I go to the gym 3 times a week and do some excersise at home 3 days a week as well.

Im not sure what im doing wrong but have gained 3lbs this week :sad:.

If anyone can give me any advice it would be greatly appreciated :happy:

bm_stclair

I am not sure what your exact specifics are but if you follow this myfitnesspal's guidelines you should be able to eat more than 1200 if you are exercising.

First thing I would suggest to anyone using this site is when you are deciding what your lifestyle catagory is do not factor in whatever current workouts you are doing. Maybe you didnt but I menbtion it because I know others that did. If you suddenly were not able to work out for a while what would your lifestyle catagory be? That is what you should be entering into your profile. For example; I work out regularly but my job is a desk job. If I didnt work out my lifestyle would be sedentary. That is my lifestyle catagory. I will explain further how your additional exercise / workouts factor in below.

Second, after you entered all of your specifics (height, weight, age, lifestyle, and goal weight loss) into Myfitnesspal. It gives you a daily calorie limit. This is based on losing your goal weight at your current lifestyle catagory. In your case I am guessing that 1200 calories is the number that myfitnesspal gave you as your daily limit.
So again, if you did absolutely no exercise then yes you should stick to the 1200 calories to lose your goal weight loss per week.

Now, when you exercise, lets say you burned 400 calories in a workout. You need to record this exercise into myfitnesspal. It will then update your daily calorie limit to add in those 400 calories. So instead of 1200 you now are allowed to eat 1600 total calories for the day.
BY ALL MEANS EAT THOSE CALORIES!!! You will still be accomplishing you goal weight loss per week and you will be feeding back the fuel your body needs for those workouts. Otherwise your body goes into starvation mode and will react negatively causing moodiness, lethargy, headaches and any number of other symptoms. Plus you will feel hungry ALL THE TIME.

The beauty of all of this is that you get a daily reward for working out. The more calories you burn the more you get to eat. In my book that is just freakin AWESOME!

On a side note, if you havent already done so, get yourself a heart rate monitor for your workouts. Ive found they are a great way to get accurate calories burned to enter into this site.

Smuterella

I'd eat a minimum of 1455 plus exercise calories. 1400 still puts you under BMR.

I know But im bit scared that ill up to 1500 and put on weight

you probably will for a couple of weeks, everyone does when they up their calories, and then they lose again.

Basic maths says if you eat under your TDEE then you will lose weight.

teez52

I'd eat a minimum of 1455 plus exercise calories. 1400 still puts you under BMR.

I know But im bit scared that ill up to 1500 and put on weight

you probably will for a couple of weeks, everyone does when they up their calories, and then they lose again.

Basic maths says if you eat under your TDEE then you will lose weight.

First statement is false, second statement is true. If you're eating below your TDEE you will lose weight. You may have a bit of water retention so the scale may say that it's gone up, but it's a false increase. Salty foods/processed foods will cause a bit of water retention so that could play a factor if you eat a lot of that stuff.

bcmlam1001

I was having this very problem and posted about it myself a few weeks back. I was eating fruit and low fat and healthy but was starving to death! I tweaked and played around with my daily goals and eating and figured out what I needed to do. I lowered my carb intake down to 100 or less a day and up my protien to 20% and upped my fat intake also. It keeps me full and REALLY made all the difference for me! I stay full and am not starving within an hour or 2 of my last meal. Just play around and see what works for you. Just because you are upping your cals, make sure it is not empty cals and simple carbs and junk that is still going to make you crash. You are welcome to look at my diary and see what I have ate. Now that I am eating higher fat and higher protien, I have found that I am eating fewer cals now by staying full longer

cari4jc1

Definitely try upping your calories. I was eating 1200-1300 calories and exercised 3-4 times per week for 30-45 minutes each time and wasn't losing anything. I had headaches all the time and was tired. I upped my calories to 1530 and I immediately started losing and I felt soooo much better. I think I lost 3 pounds the 1st week, then 2 pounds a week for a few weeks. Eventually I evened out and now I lose 1-2 pounds a week.

MrTypical

Up it to 1400. Your body goes into starvation mode if you have too much of a deficiet. It holds onto fat and burns muscles first.

nicehormones

The only way to be successful is to do something sustainable, in my opinion. If you don't train yourself how to eat properly now, how will you ever keep it off? My advice is to up your cals (somewhere above your bmr) and see how you feel. 1200 is way too low for anyone.

Brook70

Bump