1200 Calories Doesn't Seem to Work Help!

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PixEm
PixEm Posts: 190 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Alright I need some guidance. So, I redid my goals to lose 1lb a week with 4/ 60 minutes workouts a week. It is saying eat only 1200 calories. I noticed before that when I went down that low I didn't lose any weight. Has anyone else had this issue and if so how many calories did you increase your intake to???

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  • mforsis
    mforsis Posts: 41
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    I am paying more attention to Glycemic Index and Glycemic load than I used to. I have had a 'diet' / lifestyle habit of eating healthy food and in moderation but still gained weight. If I tried to keep to 1200 cal I would become light headed and have an irregular heart beat. So now I am trying to regulate the blood sugar spikes. If I want to eat my favourite vegetables, such as turnip or squash, I eat them at lunch. If I want a snack of yoghurt (plain low fat) with fruit it is during the day not at night. I have lost 2 lb and am optimistic I will lose more. And no dizziness etc. That is 1200 gross not net. So even when I exercise - moderate to slow - I try to stay close to 1200. If I was more athletic I would increase the cal. count.

    I find the glycemic index to foods I like by googling the food. It is usually somewhere on the net.

    I am also calculating my calorie intake at the start of the day rather than the end of the day. If I need to adjust I can go to the store and get something with more of what ever is missing for a balanced diet and adjust the record at the end of the day.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
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    It works for me, and i just do major working out. i also dont eat most of my calories back that i earned.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    If you are exercising 60 minutes 4 times a week, you will be eating, or at least should be eating, more than 1200 on those days since MFP expects you to eat back the calories burned in exercise. If you have as little as your ticker seems to indicate you have to lose, you may want to go for .5 pound per week. Personally I would suggest figuring out your own calories including the intended exercise using this approach http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • RhondaBagley
    RhondaBagley Posts: 25 Member
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    When you add in your exercise you'll be given more calories. They are figured in so you don't starve. Eat only what you need of those extras to keep from feeling hungry. Be sure to start your day w/water and drink no less than the 8. Doing so, helps with hunger too.

    Be sure you are picking food choices that are high in fiber and good nutrients. Complex carbs stay with you longer. And lately do not avoid fat! You need a very small amount in each meal to help you feel satiated! Just be sure it comes from nature! Ex. Raw nuts, avocado, olive oil.
  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
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    From what I read on these boards 1200 calories doesn't work for a lot of people. I never ate as low as 1200 I started out eating 1500 calories per day and am now eating 1640 and still steadily losing.

    I've lost 20 pounds since October 15th so I'm pretty happy with that!

    How tall are you? I'm 5'5. If you're around my height you could try upping your cals to around 1500 and see how that goes.
  • DietFemme
    DietFemme Posts: 16
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    With 4 workouts a week your Gross should probably be closer to 1500 a day to NET 1200. Are you eating back your exercise cals?
  • missmegan831
    missmegan831 Posts: 824 Member
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    What did you opt for your activity level?? Sedentary?? Sounds really low to me. I have 45 more pounds to lose, with lightly active lifestyle, 1 pound per week loss, and it gives me 1680 calories per day and I have lost 33 pounds in less than 3 months.. I eat back 1/2 my exercise calories and workout cardio about an hour 5 days a week... seems like your limit is low... I would check your activity level and see if that make difference
  • jessielynn1083
    jessielynn1083 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have noticed that once you input your exercise for the day it adds how many calories you have burned to how much you need to consume, so if you burned 400 cals for the day you should aim for 1600 calories.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    It works for me, and i just do major working out. i also dont eat most of my calories back that i earned.

    If you've set yourself for 1200 calories and you're working out without eating back exercise calories, you are "losing"... muscle along with fat. This is neither healthy nor sustainable. Try eating back your exercise calories or scaling back exercise; your losses will "slow down," but you'll at least not be losing as much muscle/setting yourself up for a roughened metabolism.
  • PixEm
    PixEm Posts: 190 Member
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    With 4 workouts a week your Gross should probably be closer to 1500 a day to NET 1200. Are you eating back your exercise cals?

    Yes, I am eating back my calories to ensure I getting at least 1200 calories after working out. I actually just went through the Insanity program's diet book and redid my calories based on my age, weight, height, etc. and it says I should be eating 1475 a day. So, I am going to follow that and see how it goes. I lost 12lbs last March following this, so I guess I will go back to what worked. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.
  • nfgchick79
    nfgchick79 Posts: 89 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/855208-i-m-5-0-and-eat-1500-calories-my-story-of-weight-loss
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    If you are exercising 60 minutes 4 times a week, you will be eating, or at least should be eating, more than 1200 on those days since MFP expects you to eat back the calories burned in exercise. If you have as little as your ticker seems to indicate you have to lose, you may want to go for .5 pound per week. Personally I would suggest figuring out your own calories including the intended exercise using this approach http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    This^^^ if you don't eat those back, you will be netting below 1,200 calories. Eventually your metabolism will stall eating that little and just start storing as much as it can.

    Also, you look pretty good already...how much are you trying to lose? Do you need to lose or do you just want to tighten up? If that's the case, ditch the cardio...or do what you need to do for heart health and start lifting. All the cardio in the world isn't going to change body composition. If you want lean and muscle tone, you have to lift.
  • PixEm
    PixEm Posts: 190 Member
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    If you are exercising 60 minutes 4 times a week, you will be eating, or at least should be eating, more than 1200 on those days since MFP expects you to eat back the calories burned in exercise. If you have as little as your ticker seems to indicate you have to lose, you may want to go for .5 pound per week. Personally I would suggest figuring out your own calories including the intended exercise using this approach http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    This^^^ if you don't eat those back, you will be netting below 1,200 calories. Eventually your metabolism will stall eating that little and just start storing as much as it can.

    Also, you look pretty good already...how much are you trying to lose? Do you need to lose or do you just want to tighten up? If that's the case, ditch the cardio...or do what you need to do for heart health and start lifting. All the cardio in the world isn't going to change body composition. If you want lean and muscle tone, you have to lift.

    Thanks. I am at 145lbs now and would like to get down to 130lbs. I started at 154lbs, so I made some progress this past year but not as much as I would like.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    From what I read on these boards 1200 calories doesn't work for a lot of people. I never ate as low as 1200 I started out eating 1500 calories per day and am now eating 1640 and still steadily losing.

    I've lost 20 pounds since October 15th so I'm pretty happy with that!

    How tall are you? I'm 5'5. If you're around my height you could try upping your cals to around 1500 and see how that goes.

    I'm gonna whine lol. I've lost 10 pounds since October (half of yours) to go from 157--->147 and I averaged 1300-1400 a day. You must have a higher TDEE or something lol.

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