exercise when your daily is under 1200 cals?

jbug5j
jbug5j Posts: 277 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
should i? i was planning on running on my treadmil after dinner but my total cals for the day isnt even 1200. should i still run when this happens? i feel lazy but i dont want to make myself sick....

Replies

  • LanaeCarol
    LanaeCarol Posts: 158 Member
    Is there any reason you can't eat more after doing your treadmill routine? I know I have sometimes had low calorie days but I went ahead and exercised then had some healthy snacks so I had eaten at least 1200 calories. I didn't eat the exercise calories back on those occasions but I normally eat back part of them.
  • acm130
    acm130 Posts: 100 Member
    I am a firm believer in physical activity as a fundamental component of wellness.... So by all means, RUN and move and give yourself the joy, endorphins, pride & stress relief that exercise provides, but use common sense: give your body fuel so it will do the work you ask of it! This isn't about punishing yourself, depriving yourself into submission is it? If your car was on empty would you stop for gas before your road trip? Of course! And if you didn't what would you expect the outcome to be????
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    I would have no energy for exercise on that few cals. So maybe eat something and then run :)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    You shouldn't be eating less than 1200 anyway...and should be eating back exercise calories. This is how MFP is set up. Super low calorie eating is potentially harmful over the long run.
  • isitsororo
    isitsororo Posts: 116
    I've done it a couple of times. Not long enough to tell whether it's a great idea for me or not, but right now I'm seeing no negative results.
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    You shouldn't be eating less than 1200 anyway...and should be eating back exercise calories. This is how MFP is set up. Super low calorie eating is potentially harmful over the long run.

    Agreed :) if u eat 1200 cals and burn say 500 from exercise you are only netting 700 cals. When mfp has your calories at 1200 it is net, not consumed which means you are supposed to eat your exercise calories back, mfp does state this in the goals section. A lot of people dont understand this and why 1200 cal dieters get so much flack because the ones who dont eat exercise cals are ending up netting well below 1000 and are wreaking havoc on their metabolism. IMO i would try and eat a bit more when u exercise. Hope this helps :0)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Try to eat some high calories snacks; nuts, avocado, start cooking foods in evoo or grab a spoon and peanut butter jar and go to town. You need to properly fuel your body for exercise.
  • Cazzy34
    Cazzy34 Posts: 159 Member
    I generally eat less than 1200 cals a day and its safe for me ... the whole 1200 is a complete myth anyway!! It all depends on your height, weight, muscle mass and many other metabolic factors..

    Anyway, i would still run. Just listen to your body. If you get shaky, lightheaded etc then that's your body telling you something.... you need some energy, so eat something!

    Listen to your body and it will be ok. Good luck xx
  • jbug5j
    jbug5j Posts: 277 Member
    thank you all. i decided not to run. my main problem was that i was not hungry at all after dinner. i considered running then eating my cals back(plus some) but i wasnt hungry and thats one of my rules is not to eat when im not hungry. ALSO this isnt common. i dont do this every day, i was just super strict at not munching today. i work at Caseys(gas station, convienience store, pizza place) and its hard not to munch. i am well aware that you need at least 1200 calories each day, hence the question. :) thanks again and next time this happens i will take all your advice in mind.
  • redchick75
    redchick75 Posts: 4
    It can sometimes slow your motabolism being on such a low calorie intake. I would just replace a meal lunch or breakfast with a protein shake and burn up to 300 cal per day itch that you should see a change, otherwise your body oes into shock mode and you will start loosing muscle. I would also look for a high protein meal plan and low carbs good luck!! :)
  • KirstenTheFamilyCoach
    KirstenTheFamilyCoach Posts: 327 Member
    Maybe I misunderstand things but I thought the 1200 calories was what I ate if I did NOT work out that day. On the days I log work outs MFP automatically tells me I need to eat more calories. Am I doing this wrong?
  • jbug5j
    jbug5j Posts: 277 Member
    your doing it right. :) its your total consumed for the whole day AFTER workouts. my problem was i wasnt even to 1200 and was wondering if i should work out wich would have brought my total even lower.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I generally eat less than 1200 cals a day and its safe for me ... the whole 1200 is a complete myth anyway!! It all depends on your height, weight, muscle mass and many other metabolic factors..

    Anyway, i would still run. Just listen to your body. If you get shaky, lightheaded etc then that's your body telling you something.... you need some energy, so eat something!

    Listen to your body and it will be ok. Good luck xx

    The 1200 calories thing is not a myth, it's a US standard set by the National Institutes of Health as well as other health institutes. Now with that said, the majority of us actually need more than 1200 calories to sustain your metabolic functions. So what happens when you don't eat enough to fuel your metabolism (especially when you aren't obese), your body finds an alternate fuel source. The fuel source is your amino acids in your lean body mass. Unfortunately, your body does not tell the majority of people this. And the only way you know if you are losing lean body mass is tracking your body fat. And I don't know about you, but I prefer to keep my muscle as it's what drives your metabolism. Also, if you continuously eat under your metabolic rate, your body will also adapt and burn less calories.

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