1200 calories

sara1786

I recently got a new job and havent been able to workout like I used to. I changed my weekly workouts from 6 workouts a week to 3 and thought my caloric requirements would also decrease. However, they didn't. Should I continue to eat 1,200 calories per day even if I'm not working out asmuch?

Mindful_Trent

1200 cal/day is considered the minimum needed to keep your body running efficiently. It isn't recommended that you go under that. Unless you have a seriously depressed metabolism, you should still be able to lose weight on 1200 calories/day, since most people's calories burned from normal daily activity is well above 1200 (even for people with sedentary jobs). Even if you do have a depressed metabolism, then you'll still want to eat at least 1200/day to try and get your metabolism up and running again.

Also, seeing as how you only have a little bit more weight to go to reach your goal, it looks like you'll need to start looking at increasing your calorie intake to more of a maintenance level so that you're not gaining or losing weight. (unless your goal on your ticker is an incremental goal and not your final goal.)

If you're confused about why you should eat at least 1200, check out some of the links in the 1st post in this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
It's got some great info.

BrendaLee

Your calorie limit isn't going to change based on your exercise goals- it's just that, a goal. You could change it to 0 workouts/ week, and your calorie limit isn't going to be affected. Your calorie limit will only change when you add exercise that you have actually done to the exercise log.

linzismith

Brenda Lee is right. When you sign up for MFP, it decides how many calories you should eat each day based on your height, weight and how active you tell it your job is (I am a teacher on my feet all day, so I get 1500 calories a day). But if you tell it you will work out three times a week, it does not assume that you really will. You enter your planned workout amount just so that you are more likely to commit to it. MFP doesn't calculate this into your daily intake until you actually log those calories burned each day. then it will readjust how many calories you can have for that day only.

so if you normally get 1200 cals a day, but you work out and burn 122, then for that day only you actually get to eat 1322. But since your daily intake is so low at 1200, make sure you always eat your exercise calories. 1200 cals is what your body needs just to pump oxygen through its blood and breathe and be able to walk for 24 hours. if you don't eat 1200 calories, it will start to burn muscle instead to get the energy. Since i get 1500, sometimes i eat my exercise cals and sometimes i don't. but i always eat enough to keep me above 1200.

Congrats, by the way, on being so close to your goal!

sara1786

wow- thanks for the responses!! much appreciated!!

sara1786

Congrats, by the way, on being so close to your goal!

thank you!! and good luck to you! congrats on the 9lbs!