1200 calories..

bexxxster
bexxxster Posts: 88 Member
in Food and Nutrition
when you guys say you need to eat at least 1200 calories do you mean in general or do you mean you need to get your NET calories up to 1200? Depending how much I exercise my NET calories are usually below (well i've had a bad few weeks trying to get back into this so usually are lol)

Even after 50-something days of being on mfp i'm still trying to learn the ropes and get the hang of all this :/

Replies

  • PisceanDream224
    PisceanDream224 Posts: 168
    I was slightly confused about them in the beginning (been here for almost 2 weeks), but I figured that I can eat my 1200, and if I eat over it is okay because I get at least 200 - 500 extra each day from exercise. I normally just eat up to 1400 calories per day, but sometimes I eat up to 1600 (on the high burn exercise days)... I still don't know too much about the Net, but I figure it is the same concept as what I am doing.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Yes, you're supposed to NET 1200 calories if 1200 calories is your goal.
  • dlyeates
    dlyeates Posts: 875 Member
    You are supposed to NET at least 1200 calories. You body is a machine and if you don't fuel it properly it won't work as well as it is supposed to. If you eat too far under 1200 (and I think this is too low even) your body isn't getting the energy it needs to function the way it's supposed to. Don't eat below NET 1200!!!
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    Do what works. If eating 1200 a day is working for you, stick with it for now. Your body will tell you (usually with a stall in loss) when it's time to up your calories. When I first started I ate a minimum of 1200. With exercise I would often net around 700. But that's how I lost the first 30 pounds. If you're starting out from a place of being overweight/obese and you don't normally work out......you have to work differently than someone who starts off relatively slimmer and/or fitter.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    I've found that once I started watching my calorie consumption by logging it here and eating healthier food, I'm just not hungry enough to eat over 1200 calories every day. Forcing myself to do it seems nuts though.
  • kaytee003
    kaytee003 Posts: 18 Member
    I hear you with the not wanting to force more calories down... I find it hard enough some days to hit the 1200 I will be all "ugggghhh I'm 100 calories shy noooooooooooooo"
  • christine_lisel
    christine_lisel Posts: 13
    I usually eat under 1200 cals and never eat back the cals burned by exercisind!
  • shellydd
    shellydd Posts: 156 Member
    i've used this program off and on for a couple of years. the most success i've had is eating the "net" 1200 calories a day. it can be very difficult to do depending on how much you exercise. if you don't exercise....it pretty easy to consume 1200 a day because it's not many calories. i look at it as the more i exercise, the more calories i can consume (while staying at 1200 NET). you gotta burn to lose
  • caldon4523
    caldon4523 Posts: 227 Member
    Your calorie goal is predicated on the amount of calories you consume. However, if you exercise MFP lists how many calories you burn for the type of exercise you do and the amount of time you work out.

    Example, your goal is 1200 calories . You work out and you burn an additional 700 calories. When you plug in you workout under the exercise tab of MFP you will see you can now consume an additional 700 calories for a total of 1900 calories.

    The additional 700 calories are required to refuel your body based on the calories you burned.

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