Do i really need to eat more? 1200 cals

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Replies

  • kevinlynch3
    kevinlynch3 Posts: 287 Member
    After doing 1400 calories for 12-18 months and getting sick (Vitamin D and B12 deficiency) and undernourished according to a nutritionist I saw, I can tell you definitively from personal experience that if you are eating less than your RMR resting metabolic rate daily, you are setting yourself up for trouble long term. Lucky for me that mine was not too bad but it set me back by 4-5 months with a lot of pain.

    You'll have short term weight loss, your body will stall out and then the circular loop of either exercising more or eating less to get out of the stall starts.

    Your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) * your activity level - 10-15% for weight loss is the recommended means of getting to a healthy weight.

    My RMR Is 1710, my activity level is moderately active which is a factor of 1.55. so my goal to maintain my current weight would be 2650 calories. I set my goal at 2200 calories and I try to get as close to that as I can. That's 800 more calories than I was eating and I was still doing the same level of workout intensity under the old calorie level which was crazy.

    I've only been doing this about 2 weeks and initially my weight on the scales went up but it started trending down this week.

    I feel better

    I have lots more energy

    I feel smaller although I haven't measured.

    And the anxiety of trying to keep under a certain number of calories has literally disappeared because I would say my diet is 95% good. Getting to 2200 is tough some days and other days I'm still hungry and if I am, I eat a little more.

    Scooby's calculators and his web site in general are excellent resources:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • Msjay2blue
    Msjay2blue Posts: 26 Member
    I also eat 1200 cals a day. I burn 1920 just by normal activity, so the 720 deficit every day for 7 days will render me a 1.4 loss. If I exercise and burn 500 cals, that everyday will render me an extra 1 lb loss. However, I think one should eat enough to sustain whatever activity they are doing on a daily basis, but still keep it at a range that will foster weight loss, so it I burn 500, I may eat 1/2 that as an extra snack, but will still get an extra .5 lb loss added to my 1.4.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
    Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

    QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

    Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

    Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

    OR

    eat -20% from your TDEE.
  • mytime1986
    mytime1986 Posts: 117
    Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
    Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

    QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

    Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

    Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

    OR

    eat -20% from your TDEE.

    Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
    Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

    QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

    Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

    Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

    OR

    eat -20% from your TDEE.

    Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?

    SHH! the "eat more" gang will hear you, and turn this thread inside out!!
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
    Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

    QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

    Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

    Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

    OR

    eat -20% from your TDEE.

    Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?

    All of this TDEE, BMR, and eating back gets so confusing. The best way for me to understand is this:

    1. MFP method. You eat at the goal that MFP sets for you based on your current weight, activity level, and weekly weight loss goal. Any exercise calories you earn, eat back. Try really hard not to net below 1200 calories a day.

    2. TDEE method. Go to Scooby's workshop or fat2fitradio.com and enter your stats to find your BMR and TDEE. Try to eat at TDEE-20%, without adding exercise calories back in. Or at the least, not less than the BMR that you figured. This method takes a few weeks to start seeing results because your body has to adjust to suddenly getting more calories.

    I do the TDEE - 20% because it is easier to me to just have 1 figure to use each day, and not worry about exercise calories. I have had great results using the TDEE method. I have lost 12 lbs since Feb this year.

    Keep in mind, I am not an expert, just a normal person on the same journey you are on. But I hope this helps!
  • Shellbug75
    Shellbug75 Posts: 74 Member
    Do what works best for you. I would just never go under 1200 calories. All of our bodies are different. I was eating at a 1200-1300 calorie plan for quite a while. I had lost 20 pounds in two months. I switched it up to minus 25% almost a month ago. Since then, I have been on a roller coaster ride where I would lose a little, then gain it right back. In a month, I've only lost 2 pounds. So I decided earlier I am going back to 1200-1300.

    What may work for one person may not work for another. Find what's best for you and stick to it. If 1200 calorie is the magic mark, then I say keep it there. Good luck!
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
    they did a study to find out on average how much people underestimated how many calories they were consuming. people who did not usually record calories averaged somewhere between 300 and 400 calories underestimated a day. even people who consistently counted calories were still 200-300 calories off. so most people who record 1200 calories a day are actually consuming probably 1500-1600.

    the more you know.
  • mytime1986
    mytime1986 Posts: 117
    Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
    Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

    QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

    Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

    Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

    OR

    eat -20% from your TDEE.

    Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?

    All of this TDEE, BMR, and eating back gets so confusing. The best way for me to understand is this:

    1. MFP method. You eat at the goal that MFP sets for you based on your current weight, activity level, and weekly weight loss goal. Any exercise calories you earn, eat back. Try really hard not to net below 1200 calories a day.

    2. TDEE method. Go to Scooby's workshop or fat2fitradio.com and enter your stats to find your BMR and TDEE. Try to eat at TDEE-20%, without adding exercise calories back in. Or at the least, not less than the BMR that you figured. This method takes a few weeks to start seeing results because your body has to adjust to suddenly getting more calories.

    I do the TDEE - 20% because it is easier to me to just have 1 figure to use each day, and not worry about exercise calories. I have had great results using the TDEE method. I have lost 12 lbs since Feb this year.

    Keep in mind, I am not an expert, just a normal person on the same journey you are on. But I hope this helps!


    Thank you! :flowerforyou:
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    I'm new to MFP. Can someone please tell me what BMR/TDEE stands for and where do I find them?
    BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate
    TDEE = Total Daily Exercise Expenditure (or something like that?)

    You can calculate them fairly simply here: fat2fitradio.com
  • kevinlynch3
    kevinlynch3 Posts: 287 Member
    2. TDEE method. Go to Scooby's workshop or fat2fitradio.com and enter your stats to find your BMR and TDEE. Try to eat at TDEE-20%, without adding exercise calories back in. Or at the least, not less than the BMR that you figured. This method takes a few weeks to start seeing results because your body has to adjust to suddenly getting more calories.

    I do the TDEE - 20% because it is easier to me to just have 1 figure to use each day, and not worry about exercise calories. I have had great results using the TDEE method. I have lost 12 lbs since Feb this year.


    Nicely stated and simple to understand. Sorry, the quote didn't work but I was quoting what gracielynn101 stated!
  • badgalmari
    badgalmari Posts: 22 Member
    I've been using MFP for about 2 months now and I have always eaten my exercise cals back or go 50 to 100 (sometimes more) cals over my goal so that my body won't go into starvation mode & so that I won't loose any muscle weight. And it's been working great for me. The weight is coming off.
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
    Yes and no, if you increase cals + exercise you will not see results within that day or even week. It will take your body a while to adjust to your new intake and realize it can stop storing energy like mad. I know it's hard when you hit a plateau to increase your intake while decreasing might make sense. Just stick with it and wait it out :)

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