Do i really need to eat more? 1200 cals

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luziferl
luziferl Posts: 82
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys!

Currently I am eating a 1200 cals a day and I lost great weight over the past 3 weeks (transferred from WW to MFP and it worked so much better)

I know that my BMR/TDEE minus 20 % is higher than 1200 cals but I worked fine for me. This week, however, there was no loss at all.
I started to do workout (Jillian Michaels 30 DS) that's why I get a lot of activity cals.

This is how it looks like:

Goal Food Exercise = Net
1200 1231 - 432 799

So Do I need to eat all of the cals I earned? In order to lose weight? My level is sedentary and I logged the 30 DS as well as 80 minutes of walking, slow pace ( i dont really see this as workout, its just walking)


What can I do to increase my weight loss? Eat more?

Thank you all very very much!
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Replies

  • kbrhelker23
    kbrhelker23 Posts: 62
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    i dont know all the ins and outs as i am just beginning the weight loss journey, but i started at 1200 cal per day while working out 5-6 days a week and didnt lose weight for over 2 months, then i was told about tdee and BMR and all that and they recommended 1800 cal a day, .. although i havent been counting calories, i am eating alot more which was super hard at first, but i have been loosing every week. i couldnt believe u could lose weight and eat more but it apparently works, althought my protein powder was almost 300 cal per scoop and i would have 2 after every workout... lol and once i realized i switched to a lower cal powder, so that could also definately be benifiting me :0) hope someone on here can give u advice, there are so many people on here to know so much stuff that i never heard of!.. but there is a group on here called " eat more weight less" you could look them up and ask.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
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    Probably should eat about 1700-1800 calories and workout the same. Don't worry about anything else. Make sure at the end of the day your food log at the bottom says in the calories total between 1700 to 1800 and there you go. Now that you have limited your body you may actually gain until your body realizes you just made it much happier.
  • PantalaNagaPampa
    PantalaNagaPampa Posts: 1,031 Member
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    YES
  • luziferl
    luziferl Posts: 82
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    Probably should eat about 1700-1800 calories and workout the same. Don't worry about anything else. Make sure at the end of the day your food log at the bottom says in the calories total between 1700 to 1800 and there you go. Now that you have limited your body you may actually gain until your body realizes you just made it much happier.

    so my net should be 1200? which would be if i ate 1700 calories minus my calories i got from working out right?! :)
  • ladyvintage
    ladyvintage Posts: 34 Member
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    I heard that if your at a stall, you should eat 200 calories less one day and then the very next day eat 200 calories more and you should see some movement on the scale.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    Yeah, I have to agree that you should probably "up" your calories a bit. For an example, my BMR is 1106. My TDEE at sedentary is 1478. I have set my goals at 1330 calories for the day, but when I exercise, I eat all my calories back in. I'm on my final two pounds to lose and it's coming off very very slowly, but it *is* coming off! You'll get there, but don't starve yourself to do so. :)
  • kaypat09
    kaypat09 Posts: 130 Member
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    Probably should eat about 1700-1800 calories and workout the same. Don't worry about anything else. Make sure at the end of the day your food log at the bottom says in the calories total between 1700 to 1800 and there you go. Now that you have limited your body you may actually gain until your body realizes you just made it much happier.

    so my net should be 1200? which would be if i ate 1700 calories minus my calories i got from working out right?! :)

    Yes.
  • KimberlyDCZ
    KimberlyDCZ Posts: 525 Member
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    yes.
  • hillaryb27
    hillaryb27 Posts: 5
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    Here's something that I've seen a few times on Tumblr.

    "What is starvation mode? Starvation mode is what happens when your body is not getting the minimum amount of calories. Your body will eventually stop dealing with food the way it should. This won’t happen in one day, or even two. But if you make eating less food a habit, you can bet on it. Your body will start to try to protect itself by slowing your metabolism progressively. Also- instead of losing fat, your body will try to store any fat you may take in. Any weight loss you lose on a diet like this will be muscle loss, NOT fat loss. And if you aren’t aware, the more muscle you have- the more efficient your body is at burning fat."
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
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    Personally, I go with my TDEE & do not make it a point to eat back my exercise cals (but I do eat them if I'm hungry or need a splurge).

    I make sure my calories, averaged over a week, = about 2,000 per day. I'm 5'7 and 26 yrs old.
  • kbmiller27
    kbmiller27 Posts: 70 Member
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    Probably should eat about 1700-1800 calories and workout the same. Don't worry about anything else. Make sure at the end of the day your food log at the bottom says in the calories total between 1700 to 1800 and there you go. Now that you have limited your body you may actually gain until your body realizes you just made it much happier.

    so my net should be 1200? which would be if i ate 1700 calories minus my calories i got from working out right?! :)

    Yes! From what I've learned while being here on MFP, if you look at your profile again, it will probably say your NET goal is 1200 calories, which is why the profile calculator has you put in how many workouts per week your goal is.

    I still don't know tons, but through experience I learned in the beginning that netting around 700 or 800 was not working, as soon as I learned to net the 1200 calories, the weight started dropping for me quite quickly after that.
  • oX_Vanessa_Xo
    oX_Vanessa_Xo Posts: 478
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    Eat more = lose more










    And exercise
  • logicman69
    logicman69 Posts: 1,034 Member
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    Probably should eat about 1700-1800 calories and workout the same. Don't worry about anything else. Make sure at the end of the day your food log at the bottom says in the calories total between 1700 to 1800 and there you go. Now that you have limited your body you may actually gain until your body realizes you just made it much happier.

    so my net should be 1200? which would be if i ate 1700 calories minus my calories i got from working out right?! :)

    Yes.. I know uts a little strange to think about but you should eat back your exercise calories. I was doing the same as you, but noticed my weight stalled after a while. I switched to eating back my exercise calories and the weight is now coming off. The challange I usually face it planning for the day properly. I exercise mainly at night, so sometimes I feel like I have to snack alot to "catch up" to what I have burned. This is where a good protien shake would come in handy.
  • leahalissa
    leahalissa Posts: 88 Member
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    Not in response to the calories portion (because really, you'll hear arguments from both sides) but about the 30DS. I've noticed a LOT of people stop losing when they start 30DS (myself included). This does a lot of strength and muscle development and I'd encourage you to start taking your measurements if you haven't. You'll notice a change in your body's shape. If you stop the 30DS and JUST walk you'll probably see the scale drop. But the 30DS will help make you look better overall :)
  • shawnahathaway1969
    shawnahathaway1969 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm new to MFP. Can someone please tell me what BMR/TDEE stands for and where do I find them?
  • IamBlackMamba
    IamBlackMamba Posts: 229
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    You can also hit the search function and type in 1200 calories and read thousands of threads just like this. There's usually one twice a week or so.
  • stephsandlin
    stephsandlin Posts: 3
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    No, but you definitely need to net 1200. I started out at 1200, and would sometimes burn up to 300 a day and would not eat my workout calls back. Eventually I stalled for about a month and didn't lose a thing. As soon I decided to eat back every single workout cal plus some I started to lose again. I usually net between 1200-1400 a day. I'm not that active of a person right now, my days are mostly spent studying, so 1200-1400 works for me. However if you are highly active you may want to increase a little more. Play with your cal numbers a little and find that sweet spot that works for you.
  • joettabowman
    joettabowman Posts: 3
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    I would say yes, you need to eat more. I used to do WW, also, and found that I always lost more if I ate toward the maximum points instead of toward the minimum. Now I try to hit it within 100 calories under my allotment plus what I earn from exercise, and I'm losing more. I have a friend that also found she lost more when she ate more. Odd, I know, but that is how it has worked for me and my friend.
  • srcardinal10
    srcardinal10 Posts: 387 Member
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    Yes...

    Let's look at this in the long run when you reach your goal weight/image...don't you want to be able to enjoy life and food? Having only 1200 calories a day limits that.

    Next, having a low NET caloric intake over a significant amount of time will lead your body to starvation mode...aka plateau or gain of weight.

    Your energy levels have a chance of declining thus you will lose the ability to workout, lift weights, and push yourself.

    Just my personal thoughts.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
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    It sort of like driving a car. You *can* go faster, but there are greater risks and challenges when you speed up.

    When you cut calories a significant amount, what you will see is weight fall off at first... but your body thinks that lean times are ahead, in the way that we evolved as hunter gatherers.. our hormonal profile will shift from a "mostly fed, active" stance to a "underfed, protectionist" stance.

    In english, if we cut calories at a significant rate, our bodies will adapt to the cut, and you will see the weight loss slow, your metabolic rate, your BMR, will drop 10 to 15%, and you'll scratch your head wondering what went wrong. With people who employ steep cuts to reach their goals, they will have to employ refeed weeks where they eat at or slightly above maintenance to reset their hormonal profile. I have to tell you though.. *re*starting a cut after a refeed week (or month) is just about the hardest thing you can ask your body to do, in my limited experience.

    All in all, you will probably lose the weight at the same rate eating closer to your TDEE as opposed to cutting to bare bones 1200. While you will see bigger, more consistent drops eating 1200, the refeed periods will set you back.

    The real key is to find something that works for you. I have lost my 40 pounds doing it that way, eating 1200 and refeeding every few months, but that's what works for me, I'm an incredibly impulsive person, and I have trouble stopping myself.

    Find a strategy that works for you and fits your life, your personality, what is easiest for you to stick to, because once you make your goal weight, you'll have to be ever vigilant to keep the weight off, mindful of your habits and patterns.

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