MFP 1200kcal.......need advise

missyme10

Hey all,

Hopefully someone can give me some advice.

I started my diet 01/01, MFP recommended 1200kcal a day and I have have not gone over this in the past 14 days.
I have not found it difficult, easting so few calories has been suprisingly easy.

I lost 6lb in the first 7 days so was rather chuffed. I do know the first weeks loss is usually big because you suddenly dont have 4lb of food hanging around in your digestive system.
This second week I have lost only 1lb and that extra pound dropped on day 8, so no loss since.

I have found in this second week that I am very tired all the time, I don't have the energy to excercise which I was hoping to start.
I am concerned about the 1200kcal a day allowance and if it's enough.

I am 5'3", currently 177lb, and believe my BMR is about 1440kcal per day.

I am looking for a steady weight loss until I reach 126lb.

I am incredibly unfit, so exercise will start slow but I do want to be doing 30 mins a day, even if it's just walking or prancing about to music at home.

I'm not sure whether to stick to the 1200kcal for now because I am only at the end of week 2 or do I need to reassess?
Will the tiredness be temporary?
The food I eat is good food, lots of veggies and healthy stuff so I think I am getting decent nutrition.

Help please, I'm new to this and confused

Thanks x

psuLemon

Tiredness is generally linked to under eating. Since you are morbidly obese, your goal should be 1-1.5 lbs per week max. I would probably aim for 1500 calories and try to concentrate on getting plenty of protein and healthy fats. Also, eating plenty of fruits and veggies will help with getting enough vitamins and minerals.

cjsacto

If you started on 1/1 and haven't lost since 1/8 - that's only 5 days, I've gone that long lots of time in a little stall and just have to stay on course. I wouldn't worry about the weight loss, but the tiredness is another thing. Do you track your calories burned? Do you eat your exercise calories back? There's a ton of info about other ways to calculate how much to eat per day, but basically I eat my exercise calories back. When I didn't eat most of my exercise calories back, I was in a stall/plateau for four weeks.

You might be interested in looking at what your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is. The easiest (though somewhat inaccurate) way to get a general idea is to look at your Goals tab and see what it says for Calories Burned from Normal Daily Activity. It's OK to increase your calorie intake as long as you stay under that number, and you'll still be at a deficit. Many people advise changing your goal to 1 or .5 pounds per week instead of 2, so MFP raises your calorie goal a bit and you are sure to get enough nutrition.

There are more math-y methods, too.

missyme10

If you started on 1/1 and haven't lost since 1/8 - that's only 5 days, I've gone that long lots of time in a little stall and just have to stay on course. I wouldn't worry about the weight loss, but the tiredness is another thing. Do you track your calories burned? Do you eat your exercise calories back? There's a ton of info about other ways to calculate how much to eat per day, but basically I eat my exercise calories back. When I didn't eat most of my exercise calories back, I was in a stall/plateau for four weeks.

You might be interested in looking at what your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is. The easiest (though somewhat inaccurate) way to get a general idea is to look at your Goals tab and see what it says for Calories Burned from Normal Daily Activity. It's OK to increase your calorie intake as long as you stay under that number, and you'll still be at a deficit. Many people advise changing your goal to 1 or .5 pounds per week instead of 2, so MFP raises your calorie goal a bit and you are sure to get enough nutrition.

There are more math-y methods, too.

I have only tracked calorie intake to date and I don't do any exercise yet so no calories to eat back.
I wanted to give myself a week to adjust to the 1200kcal a day, then start exercise at the beginning of week 2 but I am shattered all the time. Being overweight means I struggle anyway but I am never this tired normally.

I will look at my TDEE and see what MFP recommends if I drop the weight loss goal from 2lb to 1.5lb and 1lb per week.
Thanks for the advise

JAT74

Have you cut down on Caffeine? Maybe it's also to do with your body adjusting to your new diet too, if you've changed the foods you are eating your body may still be adjusting.

Regarding exercise, if you start doing 30 minutes and calculate that you are able to eat in the region of an additional 200 calories back for example based on the extra activity you are doing then you'll be able to eat a bit more.

My weight loss is also very slow and I've stuck to the plan too but it's not necessarily a good idea to lose weight too quickly anyway.