Do i really need to eat more? 1200 cals

I joined here in Jan was also part of WW. At first I did what you are doing and only eating the set amount of cals and not eating back excerise cals, it works at first but then you platuea. Then I ate back the cals and I was eating back alot of cals and some days were 1900. So I looked up the TDEE stuff online, now I eat 1600 cals (TDEE -20%) and burn usually 400 a day and do not eat them back. However that being said if I eat over a day I worked out its no biggie because with TDEE on workout days it is that +20% which left me at 2400. So basically I tweaked it to what worked for me, its quite the process. Also eat more or less some days I think keeps your metabolism guessing.

Here is a link that will help you

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

I'm new to MFP. Can someone please tell me what BMR/TDEE stands for and where do I find them?

What is your height? Also, You should consider lifting weights. Not just cardio. Lifting weights will speed up your Metabolism and help you get rid of those stuborn pounds. Also giving you a SOLID shape not Flabby. Lots of woman are scared to lift because they will gain. But in the long run you're doing your body a HUGE favor. I am thinking about starting a Les MIlls Pump challenge group and I am going to be in it! I need to change to lifting as well. I do love me some cardio but time to move on and highbread my workout routine!

Right on!

Skooby workout has a great formula. Plus in all your numbers.....heights, weight, age, life style. Based on this it figures it out.

After doing 1400 calories for 12-18 months and getting sick (Vitamin D and B12 deficiency) and undernourished according to a nutritionist I saw, I can tell you definitively from personal experience that if you are eating less than your RMR resting metabolic rate daily, you are setting yourself up for trouble long term. Lucky for me that mine was not too bad but it set me back by 4-5 months with a lot of pain.

You'll have short term weight loss, your body will stall out and then the circular loop of either exercising more or eating less to get out of the stall starts.

Your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) * your activity level - 10-15% for weight loss is the recommended means of getting to a healthy weight.

My RMR Is 1710, my activity level is moderately active which is a factor of 1.55. so my goal to maintain my current weight would be 2650 calories. I set my goal at 2200 calories and I try to get as close to that as I can. That's 800 more calories than I was eating and I was still doing the same level of workout intensity under the old calorie level which was crazy.

I've only been doing this about 2 weeks and initially my weight on the scales went up but it started trending down this week.

I feel better

I have lots more energy

I feel smaller although I haven't measured.

And the anxiety of trying to keep under a certain number of calories has literally disappeared because I would say my diet is 95% good. Getting to 2200 is tough some days and other days I'm still hungry and if I am, I eat a little more.

Scooby's calculators and his web site in general are excellent resources:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

OR

eat -20% from your TDEE.

Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

OR

eat -20% from your TDEE.

Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?

SHH! the "eat more" gang will hear you, and turn this thread inside out!!

Do what works best for you. I would just never go under 1200 calories. All of our bodies are different. I was eating at a 1200-1300 calorie plan for quite a while. I had lost 20 pounds in two months. I switched it up to minus 25% almost a month ago. Since then, I have been on a roller coaster ride where I would lose a little, then gain it right back. In a month, I've only lost 2 pounds. So I decided earlier I am going back to 1200-1300.

What may work for one person may not work for another. Find what's best for you and stick to it. If 1200 calorie is the magic mark, then I say keep it there. Good luck!

Really? This must have been what I was doing wrong I was losing a pound every couple of days then all of a sudden stopped!
Then I got disappointed and ended up way off track and now two weeks later I am still trying to get back on track but it has been slow.

QFT. ^ that's why refeeds are necessary.

Also, you have to be educated about how to cut if you're going to employ greater than a 20% cut in your calories. You need to be taking a multivitamin, and you need to be eating sufficient protein. You shouldn't do a 40/30/30 zone type macro setup when you are cutting that hard.

Multivitamins, proteins, refeeds.

OR

eat -20% from your TDEE.

Not to sound to much like an idiot here but can someone break this down for me? All I got was take a mulitviatimin and more protien?

All of this TDEE, BMR, and eating back gets so confusing. The best way for me to understand is this:

1. MFP method. You eat at the goal that MFP sets for you based on your current weight, activity level, and weekly weight loss goal. Any exercise calories you earn, eat back. Try really hard not to net below 1200 calories a day.

2. TDEE method. Go to Scooby's workshop or fat2fitradio.com and enter your stats to find your BMR and TDEE. Try to eat at TDEE-20%, without adding exercise calories back in. Or at the least, not less than the BMR that you figured. This method takes a few weeks to start seeing results because your body has to adjust to suddenly getting more calories.

I do the TDEE - 20% because it is easier to me to just have 1 figure to use each day, and not worry about exercise calories. I have had great results using the TDEE method. I have lost 12 lbs since Feb this year.

Keep in mind, I am not an expert, just a normal person on the same journey you are on. But I hope this helps!

Thank you! :flowerforyou: