im new starting tomorrow..please help

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hi
i am starting the mfp diet tomorrow of 1200 calories a day for a 50-60 pound weight loss by the end of July. this is for a 2 pound loss a week.i am planning on doing a 2 x 30 min rowing machine session every day and i was wondering if i have to eat back what i have burnt? does these plans work and have people actually reached there goals on here? will people please share their experiences and any tips?

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  • xxvogue
    xxvogue Posts: 172 Member
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    How tall are you? 1200 is probably way too few calories. MFP's tools aren't very smart with this thing.

    Also, with 50-60 pounds I think most people, including myself will recommend about 1.5lbs a week weightloss. 2 lbs is usually if you have 75+ to lose!

    And MANY people reach their goals. There is no secret here on MFP. Just log what you eat and what you exercise, and keep within your goal numbers. :D
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    How tall are you? 1200 is probably way too few calories. MFP's tools aren't very smart with this thing.

    Also, with 50-60 pounds I think most people, including myself will recommend about 1.5lbs a week weightloss. 2 lbs is usually if you have 75+ to lose!

    And MANY people reach their goals. There is no secret here on MFP. Just log what you eat and what you exercise, and keep within your goal numbers. :D

    This. Setting your goal to 1 pound a week will give you more calories to work with. It takes time and the weight loss gets slower the closer to your goal you get.
  • zgreen87
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    hi im 5ft - that 50-60 pound is to get me to 10 stone and then i might do another stone or two after that till im comfy
  • sarahhoffmann74
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    Congrats, Im starting tomorrow also. Best of luck to ya !
  • zgreen87
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    hi surely if thats whats they have calculated then that will be near enough right? my bmr is around 1650 so there is a bit of a defeceit?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,020 Member
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    hi surely if thats whats they have calculated then that will be near enough right? my bmr is around 1650 so there is a bit of a defeceit?
    You don't want to be eating below your BMR. Eat around 1600, then eat back 200-300 more on days you do the rowing.

    BMR is what you need to eat if you are going to be in bed all day. You probably have some life outside of your bed, right?

    Here: these will help.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    hi surely if thats whats they have calculated then that will be near enough right? my bmr is around 1650 so there is a bit of a defeceit?

    You should be eating at least your BMR every day. Those are the calories you need to stay alive in a coma. Eating under that is going to slow your metabolism down and make it a lot harder to keep the weight off once you lose it. Would you rather have it gone fast or gone for good?

    At your weight, you probably want to calculate your TDEE and eat 25-30% less than that. Raise it to 20% as you get closer to your goal weight. You won't starve and the results will be permanent.
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
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    At 5ft, I'd say 1200 cals a day might work. I find the best is to wait and see. Keep in mind, you'll find out real quick just what you can eat per day before you go over 1200 cals - not much. I myself only have an 1270 cal a day allowance, and I'm 5'10". In anything, I say good luck, and if you wanna add me for a friend, I'm always looking for new ones!!! Jennifer
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
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    I rarely eat my exercise calories. I lost 66 pounds doing 1200 calories and light exercise. This was a time span from August 2011 to May of 2012. If I would have upped my exercise, I am sure it would have been more.
  • MLL0319
    MLL0319 Posts: 104 Member
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    I tried eating 1200 calories and it did not work for me. I found myself irritable and tired. I find eating around 1400 works well. Also, I log everything. I would suggest getting a food scale if you do not own one. I measure everything compared to just guessing. Best of luck.
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
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    You might want set it for 1lb a week. That will give you more calories and so will excercise.Listen to your body , if you are hungry eat something just make good choices. It is hard to stick to 1200. Like the other person said a food scale is a great tool. I have one that measures in grams and ounces.
  • DoctorKatey
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    I just started three days ago and I'm really liking this site. I'm doing the Dukan diet right now & I feel good so far. I also agree, 1200 calories is not quite enough, 1300 might work better. But whatever you do, don't get discouraged and don't give up!!!
  • zgreen87
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    hi thanks for all your comments, i have tried over the weekend to stick to 1200 and i have managed this and i feel fine. i suppose everyone is different.i think i will eat 50% of what i burn and see what happens.also as for the bmr arent't you ment to have a defeceit from that to lose so many pounds or am i getting confused with something else?
  • xxvogue
    xxvogue Posts: 172 Member
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    hi thanks for all your comments, i have tried over the weekend to stick to 1200 and i have managed this and i feel fine. i suppose everyone is different.i think i will eat 50% of what i burn and see what happens.also as for the bmr arent't you ment to have a defeceit from that to lose so many pounds or am i getting confused with something else?

    I think you're confusing BMR with TDEE. TDEE takes into account daily activity level, you should be eating a deficet of this. Your BMR is the calories your body burns just by being alive, you will burn more than this if you can stand up and walk to the fridge essentially. :) But, chances are you're more active than just that.

    I did 1200 calories for awhile, and did lose weight personally, but that was when I was a bit heavier. Now that I have a little less than 50 pounds to lose, I've upped my daily calories as I was hitting a plateu.

    I'm 5'1, so I'm also short. The important thing is, if you're hungry, eat.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    even if you are trying to lose fast....sticking to a very low calorie intake...PLEASE eat your exercize calories. You can hurt yourself by eating so little, and it is hard to get adequate nutrition that way (possible, yes, I know...but hard). I think you'd be better off lowering your expectations and taking this a little slower and healthier, but I know you have to make your own decisions about this. Be smart and careful, and best of luck to you.
  • aimeelouwhite
    aimeelouwhite Posts: 181 Member
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    Welcome!
    For me Mfp says 1200 .... My experience her has taught me I lose better on about 1400-1500 cals and I always eat all my exercise cals .... We re ll different ... Take some time and see what happens but you use fuel your body for that rowing. Protein keeps me fuller longer. Good luck!
  • kevinkalis
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    Hate to say this, but at 5ft, 2lb/week is way too fast.
  • zgreen87
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    Hate to say this, but at 5ft, 2lb/week is way too fast.

    sorry i disagree, i done ww 2 years ago and lost 3 pounds on average a week and that was fine, i have actually calculated what i am having to eat today and when i convert the pro points to calories its actually hardly any different calorie wise, so i should hopefully have similiar results, however this time im going to the end coz i know i can do it. decided to not add exercise until week two or three just till i get used to it..i know it gets harder when you get to a certain weight and thats fine. i have got approx 400 calories left for my dinner and im completly satisfied and not hungry. i have an office job and i have not given into boredem temptation of sweets and biscuits which is my problem...boredem not hunger and im sure lots of other office workers say the same thing.everyone is different and eat for their own reasons and 9 times out of 10 is your bored and its in front of you . im going to be strict and stop all this snacking on crap and snack on fruit insteadgoing