I really can't eat only 1200 calories a day.. please help?!

dollylohaze
dollylohaze Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey. So, I want to lose between ten and fifteen pounds, currently doing the 30 Day Shred and I go to the gym as well. When I'm not at uni, like now, I work in a very very busy opticians and am basically running around all day. I haven't seen much change in the scale of late cos I had MFP set to 'lose one pound a week'. So, I changed it.. and it says I can only have 1200 calories a day. I really don't think I can eat that little, my bmr is more than 200 calories above that! Am I destined for slow weight loss?! I also strength train a couple of times a week and go swimming in between, but I'm really not seeing much difference in the scale/measurements, only in what I look like.

Thankyou! x

Replies

  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
    Calculate your BMR and TDEE and eat at TDEE -15%. I calculated mine and I have about the same as you to lose and I still lose a fair amount of weight. MFP likes to give all women 1200kcals to eat a day, and that is definitely not sustainable! You won't be 'destined to slow weight loss' - generally upping calories will make your weight loss healthier and you most certainly lose! A lot of people plateau at 1200 and generally binge now and again because it's really not enough. You'll see a lot about TDEE/BMR and eating more to weigh less on these forums. :flowerforyou:
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    Nope, if you are doing exercise with weight training I would definitely eat more. At least your BMR, maybe a couple hundred more.

    I'm probably losing a little under 1/2 lb per week by eating 1600 calories per day and working out 5 hours per week.

    And I'm only 5' and 105 lbs.

    I get a lot of hunger if I go below 1400 on a workout day.

    1200 would precede a binge.

    I only ate 1200 when I had a lot of weight to lose and was doing mostly cardio 3 - 4 times per week. I'd intersperse them with slightly higher calorie days like 1400, to keep my body guessing. That gave me a consistent weight loss of 1.5 pounds per week. The second I added heavy weight training, my hunger levels went up and it was no longer feasible.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Set it to lose half a pound a week. And eat back your exercise calories. Unless you are a very small person, then 1200 is probably not appropriate for you.
  • Laura42012
    Laura42012 Posts: 180 Member
    Check this group out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-
  • bnorris2013
    bnorris2013 Posts: 256 Member
    I have always been told what you do on an every day basis is not really considered exercise .... So like if your body is used to running around your office all day then running around the office all day is not going to help you lose weight

    And I to thought 1200 calories a day was not enough but as I started tweeking my diet and realizing I could exchange certain things 1200 calories is easy for me to reach each day - Like instead of using regular sausage I use turkey sausage etc
  • dollylohaze
    dollylohaze Posts: 15
    Thank you for all the replies! <3 I started to get a bit panicked that I had to eat so little lol. I will definitely make sure I'm eating back my exercise calories and eating my BMR :)
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Hey. So, I want to lose between ten and fifteen pounds, currently doing the 30 Day Shred and I go to the gym as well. When I'm not at uni, like now, I work in a very very busy opticians and am basically running around all day. I haven't seen much change in the scale of late cos I had MFP set to 'lose one pound a week'. So, I changed it.. and it says I can only have 1200 calories a day. I really don't think I can eat that little, my bmr is more than 200 calories above that! Am I destined for slow weight loss?! I also strength train a couple of times a week and go swimming in between, but I'm really not seeing much difference in the scale/measurements, only in what I look like.

    Thankyou! x

    With only 10-15lbs left to lose your goal should be set at no more than 0.5lbs per week. I personally net my BMR each day a minimum.

    With so little left to lose you might find you have better results with trying to build some muscle. More muscle will mean the scale won't change as much but your body will be smaller. Lift heavy, eat slightly above maintance and get enough protein.
  • aubreystanton3
    aubreystanton3 Posts: 1
    i thought that at first as well, but what changed it all for me is where i was getting my calories from. everyone says it, but when i started eating a bunch more grains (oatmeal almost every day for breakfast), beans (veggie chili, black bean enchiladas, tasty stuff!), and tons of vegetables by themselves (sautéed, on brown rice with a yummy sautee or sauce...) then i was getting really FULL but also not eating a lot of calories. I was shocked after the fist week of trying to amp up my intake of these things, i lost 3 pounds and NEVER felt hungry or starved. I've been doing this for about a 7 weeks and have lost around10 pounds- sometimes losing 2-4 at a time, sometimes maintaining, never gaining.
    you'll be surprised, you'll forget you're "only" eating 1,200 calories, you won't want any more
  • dollylohaze
    dollylohaze Posts: 15
    i thought that at first as well, but what changed it all for me is where i was getting my calories from. everyone says it, but when i started eating a bunch more grains (oatmeal almost every day for breakfast), beans (veggie chili, black bean enchiladas, tasty stuff!), and tons of vegetables by themselves (sautéed, on brown rice with a yummy sautee or sauce...) then i was getting really FULL but also not eating a lot of calories. I was shocked after the fist week of trying to amp up my intake of these things, i lost 3 pounds and NEVER felt hungry or starved. I've been doing this for about a 7 weeks and have lost around10 pounds- sometimes losing 2-4 at a time, sometimes maintaining, never gaining.
    you'll be surprised, you'll forget you're "only" eating 1,200 calories, you won't want any more

    I forgot to add.. Im gluten and lactose intolerant. Which probably doesnt help my predicament! There is a lot of 'filling' stuff that I just can't eat :(
  • joey2012cs
    joey2012cs Posts: 7
    The intent of MFP is for you to eat back the calories you exercise. Also keep in mind MFP calorie calculation is supposed to be your net calories, hence exercising automatically reduces your calories consumption net value for the whole day. Even if your calories are at 1200, you may be eating well over 1200, possibly over 2000 (and exercising 800 calories worth).

    Eating back your calories is not a negative thing, putting forth the energy to exercise should use stored fat on the body. While you're working out your muscles also get torn down, and eating back your calories will give your body the resources to repair them.

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