1200 calorie diet question?

So, I have been eating 1200 calories daily, give or take a few. On days that I go to the gym I usually end up burning about 300, giving me an extra 300 calories to eat that day. Am I doing this correctly?
For instance, if I had eaten 900 calories and then went to the gym and burned 300, should I eat that extra 300 worth of calories? Weight loss is so insanely confusing to me. I feel like if I eat the calories I burned, I'm not going to lose any weight at all. Should I aim to eat 1500 calories on the days where I burn 300, so I don't feel like I'm eating what I burned? Please help me, I have no idea what I'm doing and want to lose 30 pounds by December

Your deficit is included before exercise. Thats why you're credited for exercise - it keeps the deficit the same as if you didn't exercise if you eat those calories back.

And 30lbs by December probably isn't realistic unless you are morbidly obese. Chill, take your time, do your research and make it stick so you're not back here losing weight again in a year.

I understand your confusion and frustrations! I faced them when I began as well, but through a lot of research I have learned! (: And succeeded. Just based on my body weight and my weight loss goals I was also doing 1200 calories a day to get to my goal weight and now that i've reached it i'm maintaining my weight at about 1700 calories a day.

Depending on your current body weight and height your calories for maintaining your weight will vary. My fitnespal takes your information (Height, weight, etc) and calculates you personal calorie needs for you. When you input your weight loss goals (ex. lose 2 lbs a week) on my fitness pal it automatically takes those calories out of your daily goal, giving you a deficient that will get your to your goal. Whatever calories you exercise off you get back.

Honestly, exercise helps and is crucial to continuing weight loss and building and maintaining your metabolism but you will lose weight consuming 1200 calories a day regardless of how much you exercise.

Example day.
Calorie goal: 1200
Food consumption: 1412
Exercise: 200
Over all you would only be over on your calorie goal by 12 calories.
What ever calories you exercise off cancel out those that you consume.

I hope that helps! (: Good luck!

This is how I do it. I eat as close to 1200 calorie as possible and leave the calories that I earn when I exercise alone. There are days however that I do go over 1200 because I want a day that I eat what I want, but I still stay within my calorie alotment.

Ok...keep it simple: Don't go below 1200. If you stick between 1200-1500 cal a day, make sure you balance them well, so you get all your nutrients. Eat fruit, veggies, lean protein. Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry. Eat slowly and enjoy each bite. Stop when you start to feel full. Listen to what your body tells you. It won't lead you astray. Good luck!!!

Hi,

Try working your numbers out through this link - you will find that you should be eating a lot more than just 1200.

I used your profile stats and you BMR is 1330 - this is the number you do not want to net below. To loose weight you need to eat less then your TDEE. Your TDEE will vary depending on how active you are and how much you exercise. You take a 20% cut from your TDEE

Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2036 -20% = 1628
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2333 - 20% = 1866
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2630 - 20% = 2104

If you spend time in the gym then you are not sedentary - so you are either light to moderate

Eat more than 1330 and somewhere near 1800 you will loose safely. This method includes you deficit as well as your exercise calories so you don't need to eat them back. You just plan your daily meals for around 1800. Your deficit will be higher on gym days but a bit lower on your recovery days.


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

The BMR is calculated using your body fat % which is why it is lower that the above posters calculations. Since your BMI is so high you can safley do a 30% cut for now if you are moderately active the 1800 target would still be safe for you.

Also you should set your macros to 45% protein, 30% carbs, 25% fats

its simple jest eat healthly foods like fruit and veg. those foods are low in calories and when you burn the calories don't eat what you lost. its good to gain your calories back from doing work outs.

So basically - if my limit is 1200 - let's say I go over to 1500. I just make sure that I burn 300, right?
I'm sorry you guys. I'm figuring this all out and don't know who to ask, I just want to make sure I'm losing at least 1 pound a week. :frown:

Don't worry so much it will come as time goes on. Just make sure you watch your calorie intake and try to stay at your 1200 calorie limit. If you go over once in a while it's ok. Just relax and you WILL get the hang of it. That is why we are all here; to help those who need it. Sometime those of us who have been on here for a while still need help from each other.
Don't sweat it.......well maybe you do need to sweat. hehe. Good luck and keep asking questions they will be answered. :flowerforyou:

I never eat them back

Why? Your deficit is already there.

Many people have to work out what is best for them--for example, I have to eat my exercise cals back, or I get low blood sugar and just feel crappy for the rest of the day. others find they don't need to, and just make sure they eat at least 1200 a day.

to add my 2 cents: 30 lbs by december is a crazy goal!! try setting an exercise goal instead: run for 10 minutes straight without slowing down, do 100 push ups without stopping, etc.

Ok let me try to help some I just recently got a body media armband. I didn't realize how many calories I burnt when sleeping or while I was at work. But I knew how many calories I burned when I went to gym. So when I plugged in my device to computer and opened up the activity manager and realised that in a 24 hour period I typically burn 2400-2800 and thats what I notice the last few days since I got it which includes sleeping,sitting,walking around the house whether doing house chores or getting ready to go to work then going to work. Then going to gym.

Now when that said, In order to loose weight you have to take the calories burned a day - calories eaten a day= ??????? deficit.
in order too loose 1 lb per week you deficit needs to be 500 calories in day. In order to loose 2 lbs per week you need to have 1000 calorie deficit.

I am eating 1200-1500 calories a day since about July 22 but since I now really know how many calories I burn I could actually increase some if I wanted. Some days is going to be more temping or more hard depending on whats going on etc.

I try to plan ahead if I am working because I know how many calories I am going to be eating prior to work.


But unlike the eat back calories thing. I work 2p-10pm then go to gym after I get off work. Thats really the only time I can commit to exercise. That means I don't eat anything afterwards. Unless I feel hungry.

So for me I have to eat as much as I can prior to getting off work then I know I will work that off.

Lately with the body media I have been burning about 1000-1100 cals at work for 8 hrs.
Exercsing about 45-60 mins /6 nights a week burning 300-400 most time.

As previous poster put think about it as bank account. If you generally keep $1200 in savings account and haven't touched it in months and you don't add to it or take out if it , you will maintain that balance. Just like if you don't exercise or eat less or more you will maintain your weight. But take that same $1200 in savings and add $500 too it =$1700. Well you can look it 2 ways either you know that $500 is like a safey net. If you eat 1700 calories compared to 1200 then thats an additonal amount of cals your body is not use to so you will gain weight which so how happens to be 1 lb a week. But if you continue to eat 1200 cals a week and add 500 cals of exercise a day then you will loose 1 pound.

just make sure you are trying to stay above that 1200. Fat people in general can for a while loose few more pounds a week or be on lower cal for a while but eventually that will plateau.

Try to aim if you can to keep cals 1200-1500 so if you do feel hungry you still have a safety net.

Most people without exercise is going to burn more then they realize. But the added bonus is the exercise for weight loss.


I struggle more with making sure to get enough cals in trying to stay above 1200 but now going over that but I still have not had a significant weightloss since I started. 44 days in and Ive lost about 10 pounds. But I have lost inches.

Just exercise. more eat less and unless your really doing lots of weight training -just mainly cardio I wouldn't worry to much about the specific numbers just try to stay about 1200.

U might have to play around with the numbers for a while. If your use to eating 1200 and not having any success then try increasing too 1300-1700cals.

Thanks for breaking this down....

OK here it goes. Imagine your calories as if they are savings in a bank. Your goal is to always keep it at, for instance, 1400 calories a day. So if you exercise you burn a certain amount of calories, lets say 300. So if you start with 1400, eat breakfast = -400 you are left with 1000. You eat lunch = -500 then you are left with 500 calories left. Now here is the really cool bit. 500 doesn't sound like alot for your evening meal but if you throw in a work out = +300, you have 800 to consume.

1400 start
Breakfast (consume) -400 = 1000
Lunch (consume) -500 = 500
Exercise (burn) +300 = 800
Dinner (consume) = Eat what you want so long as it is within 800 calories

This programme encourages you to exercise so you can earn those extra calories, which means you can eat more. what you want to try to do is keep that savings account topped up to 1400. If you don't eat back your calories your body can go into starvation mode and produce more fat than you want. The penny only dropped for me yesterday so I am now able to adjust how I eat and earn my calories because I love eating.

I hope this provides some clarity for you and feel free to add me a friend if you want that extra bit of encouragement or motivation.

All the best.