how much do you really eat?

Aweymouth
Aweymouth Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My daily caloric intake is set for 1200 calories but if I workout it goes up because I earn more calories to eat. Do I try to stick with the 1200 calorie original goal or do I try to get as close to the adjusted calorie goal as possible? I ask this because for the last 2 weeks I've been eating 1200 - 1400 calories within if not under my daily goal and I haven't lost anything :-( Needless to say slightly frustrated.
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Replies

  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    My opinion, you need to eat more than 1200 calories a day, regardless of exercise. Set your weight loss goal to 0.5 - 1 pound per week. Eat those calories. Exercise calories are debatable, but I eat half (MFP may overestimate my burn).

    I have 40+ pounds to lose and I'm at 1 pound per week and it gives me just over 1400 calories.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I net around 1200, I eat between 1500 and 2300.
  • julesxo
    julesxo Posts: 422 Member
    I would eat more. I eat around 1800 a day when I work out and around 1400 when I don't.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
    MFP says i should eat about 1850, with my work outs I eat almost 3000, and net about 1500. I have only been eating like this for the last week, but I am starting to notice a real difference. I always thought the eat to loose thought process was a load of crap, but my body seems to respond very well to the increased healthy calories.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    1200 is prob too low.

    I eat 1500 on days i do nothing, and around 1800 when I work out.

    2 weeks isnt much, give it some time
  • altinker
    altinker Posts: 173
    I eat about 1400 to 1500 calories a day, but I have also been working out between 30 minutes and 1 hour most days. I have a hard time with just 1200 calories. I lost a pound last week.
  • WIChelle
    WIChelle Posts: 471 Member
    Mine is 1200, 1500, 1200. 1500, 1200,1500, 2400 for the week ideally but i tend to go a tad over on the lower days. I guess that would make my average around 1500. I can't do any cardio due to working around an injury so my exercise is strength and pilates.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I net around 1200, I eat between 1500 and 2300.

    This. Almost exactly!
  • AprilRN10
    AprilRN10 Posts: 548 Member
    Look into BMR and TDEE....In between those numbers would probably be best.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    MFP already calculates a deficit into your daily allowance. If you burn more than expected, you should eat back those calories. You will still have that deficit. That said, if you are using estimates for your calorie burns, they are often overestimated. I only ever counted 2/3 of the calories.
  • Sujit8383
    Sujit8383 Posts: 726 Member
    2500-3000 , my tdee is over 4000...........:smile::wink: :laugh: :happy: :tongue:
  • emmajewson9
    emmajewson9 Posts: 1
    I set mine at 1200 but felt it was too low. So upped it to 1400 and i do eat the extras I earn from exercise too.
    So far its working. If you starve yourself your body witll hang on to food you have to put fuel on the fire to help it burn!!
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
    Right now 3,000 cals a day.... I maintain at around 2,750 a day ...so if I was trying to lose weight I would be eating around 2,200-2,400 a day
  • jamers3111
    jamers3111 Posts: 495 Member
    Did you set the cals to 1200 or did MFP? I was trying to eat 1200 cals for months but I wasn't seeing results... I recently upped my cals to 1400 with only eating 20% of what I burn and I have noticed an amazing difference! I have so much more energy to workout more and longer! Plus I don't have half the cravings I used to! Just a thought but do what's right for you :)
    I say if you're eating 1200 and burning 300 I'd eat at least half those calories back BECAUSE you are at a large deficit already and your body needs fuel to keep going.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    2,000 per day average. More on lift days, a little less on rest days. My TDEE is 2,200-2,400 most days.
  • MariaAkeroyd
    MariaAkeroyd Posts: 96 Member
    I am set at 1200 as well and it has been working. Just give it some time.
    Feel free to add me if you would like to look at my diary.
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
    2800 at the moment-I am bulking
    Maintaining at 2600
    Slightly below TDEE minus max10% if I wanted to lose
  • NatashaB8
    NatashaB8 Posts: 202
    I eat about 1700-1800 and more on days I lift and workout.

    Depends on your height and weight and activity level.

    I am 6ft and was 177lbs when I started and MFP put me on 1300, waaay too low! I was having dizzy spells so upped my calorie intake and I have still been losing :)
  • damiannikodem
    damiannikodem Posts: 77 Member
    My target is 1440 (set by mfp), I eat 1300 most days (every although twice since starting MFP I have gone to 1700. )


    Exercise between 350 and 700 almost every day., my BMR is close to 2100. Losing weight consistently so i'm not that fussed.

    Never really hungry, but thats because ive swapped meats around a bit ( I eat a lot of meat and egg white) so even though my meals are pretty large they end up being fairly low cal.
  • icmuse
    icmuse Posts: 263 Member
    You might not be eating enough and your body is holding on to the resources.

    Check this out:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • drgmac
    drgmac Posts: 716 Member
    I agree with the posts about height, weight, and metabolism. Certainly, don't dip below 1200, but use how your clothes fit as an indicator. Sometimes you can gain muscle and the scale won't budge. I would try to incorporate more protein into your diet, if possible. Protein not only will help you feel fuller, but your body actually expends more calories digesting it...egg whites are particularly good for this purpose. Take a look at your sodium content as well. If you aren't flushing it out of your system, your body could be holding on to it.
  • ktd1987
    ktd1987 Posts: 6
    I set my target for 1300 and every morning quick add 100 into my snacks and then if I'm over I knock the 100 off and add whatever I've eaten. I don't log my exercises simply because I would just keep on eating if I did. So far I've lost 3lb since new year but it took 2 weeks to show and then the following week I maintained. I allow myself a cheat day every week too when family comes over and we eat out. Don't be too hard on yourself last year when I followed a rigid plan exercising and eating healthy it didn't show on the scales but I was losing inches so maybe log your inches too?
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    i have my allowance set at my TDEE which is 2237, so i'm trying to do -15% of that so roughly 1750-1900 regardless if i workout or not.
  • Summer_Lunatic
    Summer_Lunatic Posts: 543 Member
    ~3000 cals a day.
  • jennmariepantoja
    jennmariepantoja Posts: 145 Member
    I asked the same question earlier last week lol.
    Do a search and there are sooo many threads about this topic and your head will start to spin ha ha.

    MFP has me on 1200 a day as well. If I work out, it goes up but I never eat more than 1250 a day.
    I have lost 6lbs in the past 2 weeks doing this, but for everyone it is different.

    I say if you are hungry, eat something sensible. If not, don't eat. Listen to your body.
    It is possible for your body to go into starvation mode if the deficit is too large. You will most likely feel hungry if this is starting to happen. If you are very worried that this will happen on the days you work out, drink a protein shake if you do not already.

    HTH!
  • Aweymouth
    Aweymouth Posts: 3 Member
    I had lost 65lbs but gained 18 of it back over summer and the holidays. I'm new to MFP and just seem to be stuck in this plateau. I workout 6 days a week with an average burn of 500 - 850 calories a session. I sometimes have double sessions if I'm teaching my turbo class. I'm actually satisfied with eating 1400 calories but I'm thinking that's too low for the burn that I'm getting. What is the "net" everyone is talking about? I would like to lose another 30lbs to get to my goal. I'll increase my caloric intake and try eating 2/3 of my activity calories to see if that will help :-) Thanks guys!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    You might not be eating enough and your body is holding on to the resources.

    Check this out:

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

    And if for some reason you decide not to follow this, there are a couple other options.
    1) You can change your weekly weight loss goal to 1/2 pound per week which is much more realistic considering the amount of weight you're trying to lose and should give you more daily calories. And yes, especially if you're set at sedentary, you should eat back all your exercise calories.
    2) Custom set your daily calorie goal to your BMR and eat back your exercise calories. This is what I've been doing for about a year and and it seems to be working pretty well. And ends up being pretty much the same as if I followed the road map, just a different approach.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    On your Daily Summary, it says "Goal" "Food" "Exercise" "Net"
    Your goal is just that, food is how much you've taken in, exercise is what you burn, and net is what is left. You want to keep that above 1200
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    (Snip)
    What is the "net" everyone is talking about?

    gross calories (total calories consumed in the day) minus exercise calories = net calories
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 633 Member
    MFP says i should eat about 1850, with my work outs I eat almost 3000, and net about 1500. I have only been eating like this for the last week, but I am starting to notice a real difference. I always thought the eat to loose thought process was a load of crap, but my body seems to respond very well to the increased healthy calories.

    how many hours a day are your working out to burn 3000 calories? I seriously question that number unless you are wearing a hrm and exercising most of your day.

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