Please help me understand this...

know_your_worth

I joined here last year, but I only recently started using this site. I've been working out 5 days a week for the past month and a half and I wanted better results, so I decided to count calories and watch what I eat.

I've been reading through the message boards and I keep hearing people talk about how 1200 calories isn't enough. But if you set your goal at losing 2lbs/week...that's what it gives you. Is that accurate at all? I'm hearing people say that you should be eating more and the weight will still come off. And would you continue to lose the weight wtih 1200 calories until you've reached a healthy weight?

I'm sorry, I'm just very confused. Is it better to start off with higher calories...then work your way down? I'm committed to this and I don't want to work hard at something only to find myself stuck because I lowered my calories to a point where it would be hard to get any lower.


Like I said, this is new to me and I would appreciate any advice or tips you could give someone who is just starting out.

Thank you!

_granola

It's generally recommended to set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Eat the amount of calories it gives you + any burned from exercise. Track calories eaten and burned accurately and consistently. Most importantly, have patience.

JenniferNoll

Log your exercise and it will give you more calories to eat.

RawVeganFlirt

trust meee 1200 isnt enough, not even for a tiny person like me laying in bed all day. you need to eat ATLEAST your BMR (how much energy it takes just for you to be alive ex. breathing, heart pumping)

find out what your TDEE is, subtract 15-20% from that, but make sure its still above your BMR. this is where the magic happens

RawVeganFlirt

at first you would be losing weight, but because your body doesnt have enough energy to run on your metabolism pretty much shuts off. you could be eating 1000 a day for 3 months and still not lose (personally experience). stick to your BMR and your metabolism will stay in check

heybales

I joined here last year, but I only recently started using this site. I've been working out 5 days a week for the past month and a half and I wanted better results, so I decided to count calories and watch what I eat.

I've been reading through the message boards and I keep hearing people talk about how 1200 calories isn't enough. But if you set your goal at losing 2lbs/week...that's what it gives you. Is that accurate at all? I'm hearing people say that you should be eating more and the weight will still come off. And would you continue to lose the weight wtih 1200 calories until you've reached a healthy weight?

I'm sorry, I'm just very confused. Is it better to start off with higher calories...then work your way down? I'm committed to this and I don't want to work hard at something only to find myself stuck because I lowered my calories to a point where it would be hard to get any lower.

So you need a deficit to what you would eat to maintain your current weight at activity level.

MFP is going off estimates to perhaps come close to that figure.

and then you select the goal loss that may or may not be realistic, and a deficit is taken off that figure.

So quick, before you forget, pick some days in the past, and log what a typical day of eating would be. If you were maintaining weight then, you now your maintenance figure.
If you were losing like 1lb a week, add 500 to that eaten amount for maintenance figure.
Try to remember normal days, and log everything.

That will come in mighty handy now and down the road, as long as activity level stays the same.

So whatever that total figure is, called TDEE, divided by weight at that time, is your personal multiplier for that level of activity. As long as you keep that the same, multiplier stays the same as weight drops. You'll know exactly how much to eat as weight drops.

And yeah, if you eat the 1200 assigned because MFP gave that to you and you trust it for some reason, then trust it when you log workouts, and eat back the exercise calories it gives you credit for and increases daily goal with.
That way your deficit stays the same whether you exercise or not.
That happens to be how MFP is setup to work.

it's a pal because it doesn't let you eat calories you haven't worked out and earned yet. But even if you don't, you still get the deficit.

NWCountryGal

ditto on both these replies. It's my understanding that MFP uses the Miffin-joer scale and MFP allows for a deficit already, it's included in your number that comes up after you enter your weight, age etc. I personally think more than a lb a week is too much to lose in a healthy manner. There are people that will not even consider eating their full 1200 calories and yes, they will lose weight but many times they stall or, reach what many like to call a plateau. They stop losing weight. Some don't I guess but the more I read about the body and how it works, the more I am focused on building it rather than tearing it down. I'd like to lose the rest of my fat yesterday!! But I would rather lose fat and gain muscle as I go.

The folks that understand the concept of building muscle while losing fat are the ones that look the best to me so I am following their lead. Most of them don't pay much attention to a scale( which I think a scale is more counter-productive then helpful, by a long shot.)and try not to pay attention to mine either.

Keep reading, and researching. Eat your goal calories including all or most of your exercise cals and see what happens in say 2 weeks. At least try it out. Most folks come in with the same old lie drilled into their brain, Eat less, lose fat. I have not found this to be true for myself. I eat more now than I have ever eaten but the big difference is what I eat and how active I am.

Denise:drinker: :drinker:

MrsB724

Check out this thread....it has helped me tremendously!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

_KatieKat

I do 1200 and its perfect for me, when I up the calories I dont lose.

NWCountryGal

Obviously this works, check out the pictures of before and after. Have you ever seen pics of people that lost fat but didn't gain any muscle? Check it out, there's some on MFP.

I agree with this post, follow her, she's a winner:)

trust meee 1200 isnt enough, not even for a tiny person like me laying in bed all day. you need to eat ATLEAST your BMR (how much energy it takes just for you to be alive ex. breathing, heart pumping)

find out what your TDEE is, subtract 15-20% from that, but make sure its still above your BMR. this is where the magic happens

2hobbit1

Check out this thread....it has helped me tremendously!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

^^^^ This ^^^^
1200 cal a day is what a 6 year old needs not an adult!

know_your_worth

Thank you all so much for the replies! Very helpful!!