Did increasing calories from 1200 to 1500+ help you?

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nomorebamboozles
nomorebamboozles Posts: 73 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If you started out at ~1200, maybe plateaued and/or began exercising more and decided to increase calories, how did this change affect your weight? I'm considering doing so because I feel like a long period of 1200 calories might be detrimental to a person's metabolism. Opinions?

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  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
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    When I first started losing weight in January 2011, I started with a goal of 2 pounds a week and had a goal of something like 1200 or 1300 calories a day. Within a few weeks, I started training for a half-marathon, so upped my exercise considerably. It quickly became apparent that even with eating my exercise calories back, my base calories were not enough--I didn't have the energy to properly fuel my runs and was hungry all the time. So I switched to a goal of 1 pound per week, which gave me 1600 plus exercise calories.

    That was enough to keep me satisfied and give me enough energy for my runs. And I continued to lose at least a pound a week, eventually losing over 30 in 6 months, while eating 1600-2500 calories a day (depending on length of my runs).

    This time when I came back to tracking calories to lose additional weight, I knew better than to start off so low, and with only 15-18 pounds to lose, went straight to a goal of half a pound a week, which is over 1700 cals plus exercise.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I never really ate 1200, just got close a few days the first month... I hit a plateau then increased my calories closer to my goal, got a HRM and started eating those calories back, and I had no problem losing again.

    You can look at my diary. I still don't eat enough some days, but I've been eating more and I've lost 7lbs in the last month.
  • TS14fan
    TS14fan Posts: 4 Member
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    I ate around 1200 calories for about 2.5 months when I first started here.I managed to lose about 29 pounds.I came back from vacation(where I managed to lose 2 pounds)then stalled out for about 6weeks.I upped my calories to around 1500(right around my bmr) and I have since(in the last week)finally broke through and have lost 1.5 pounds.I will not go back to 1200 calories.
  • nomorebamboozles
    nomorebamboozles Posts: 73 Member
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    Thanks for the responses guys - I really appreciate all of your experiences. It sounds like most of you had initial success with 1200 but then plateaued or started exercising more. To me, it seems like a minimum calorie diet isn't really beneficial for long-term weight loss... let's say you have a lot of weight to lose or it's coming off very slowly, that would mean you're going to be doing ~1200 for a long period of time (3 mos.+). That's a long time for your body to be eating so few calories... it must eventually realize that this is a permanent state it needs to adapt to. I don't believe in "starvation mode" completely... however I do think that bodies can adapt to their environment, and I really don't want my body to think I can only access 1200 calories a day.

    Just wondering... Do any of you (who aren't exercising every day or training for a marathon) dip back down into 1200 occasionally? Thanks again for all the responses. All were very helpful :)
  • Linuraleal
    Linuraleal Posts: 7
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    I followed a low calory diet for 4 months. Ate roughly 1000-1400 calories a day, and at the same time exercising 2-4 times a week.

    I am now at my goal weight, so for weight loss this works (I went from 88kg to 59kg).

    However, the side effects of this low calory diet was not so nice. My skin was dry, my hair was brittle. I had very irregular menstrual cycle (it used to be like clockwork). I got dizzy sometimes too.

    For the last two months, I've eaten "normally" again (roughly 1800-2000 calories a day), and I do not have these problems anymore. First month however, I gained weight again. As the body had gotten used to living on "reserves", when I finally started eating again, it used all the energy very efficiently like the good trooper it is ;) Now I have incorporated a bit more exercise again, but less cardio and more strength, and back to ideal weight again.

    I don't think I can recommend such a low calorie diet. Sure it will make you lose weight, but if I would have done this over again, I'd do my weight loss more long term. It is of course depending on your height etc too, so even though I got side effects, might not mean that you will get those, however I think that if you want to work on your weight loss long term, it is better to eat better (more healthy, less sugar etc) than to starve yourself on only 1200 calories.
  • d3gus
    d3gus Posts: 97 Member
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    When i first joined MFP i just asked it to set my calorie goal - which it gave me 1200 - I ate at this level for the first 3 months and lost 24lb but then i stalled for about a month - then i read the 'road map' i put all my details into the spreadsheet they gave and i now need to eat 1600 cals.. i put on weight initially but have since lost another 4 lb as well as those i'd gained. It seems to be working so will keep at this..
  • SinomenJen
    SinomenJen Posts: 262 Member
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    worked for me, i have been at this since September and I am still tweaking my plan, but i dead ended in January, upped my calories, and nowI am losing at a steady rate again.

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