1200 calories and zumba

julissafarfan
julissafarfan Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I'm not really new to MyFitnessPal but I am new to the message boards. For sometime now I've been on a 1200 calorie diet and I do zumba 5-6 times a week for an hour.
When I updated my profile, I put very active and it still just gave me the 1200 calories.
The only results I've seen is 1 pound lost and my family telling me I look slimmer.
I'm 20 years old, 4' 11'' and weigh 144.6. My goal is to weigh 120. What can I do to lose around 2 pounds a week while still maintaining this workout routine?

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Hi everyone! I'm not really new to MyFitnessPal but I am new to the message boards. For sometime now I've been on a 1200 calorie diet and I do zumba 5-6 times a week for an hour.
    When I updated my profile, I put very active and it still just gave me the 1200 calories.
    The only results I've seen is 1 pound lost and my family telling me I look slimmer.
    I'm 20 years old, 4' 11'' and weigh 144.6. My goal is to weigh 120. What can I do to lose around 2 pounds a week while still maintaining this workout routine?


    1200 is the LOWEST possible number MFP will give you. Less than 1200 is deemed unsafe. You can add more exercise or up your activity level ..... MFP will still say 1200.

    This 1200 calories is NET. That means, if you eat 1800 calories & do Zumba for 600 calories ..... you are back to 1200 calories. MFP expects you to eat calories back.

    You BMR (basal metabolic rate) will change based upon your activity level ...... (BMR) is maintenance calories. To lose 2 pounds a week you need a deficit of 7,000 calories every week. This is very ambitious. As you get closer to goal ..... a 2 pound loss is not going to happen.
  • Lutadora
    Lutadora Posts: 3 Member
    I also have been on a 1200 calorie diet for the past several months. I do Zumba for 4-5 hours a week. On the days I do Zumba, I eat about 1600 calories a day (even though I burn well over 700 calories an hour doing Zumba. I know, cause I use a heart rate monitor). You get to ADD your fitness calories to your daily intake of 1200 calories. So, TeaBea is exactly right. If you burn 600 calories doing Zumba, you can eat 1800 calories and still be ok. TeaBea is also correct that you never want to eat less than 1200 calories a day, especially if you're working out so much. Your body will think you are "starving" and you won't lose anything.

    Also, I've been doing Zumba 4-5 hours a week for the past 3 months. I've only lost about 5 pounds, BUT I've lost 3 inches from my chest, three inches from my waist, and 3 inches from my hips! Don't focus on the number on the scale. You are gaining a lot of muscle from all that Zumba, and muscle weighs more than fat. Get some measuring tape and start measuring yourself once a week, I can bet you are losing inches just like I am.

    I've went from a size 18 pants to a loose size 14 in only three months doing Zumba. Good luck!

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