1200 calories isn't enough for me

Well then you aren't going over because you're supposed to eat your exercise calories so you're good. Just keep it to the 1200 on days you don't exercise. Eat really low calories things like scrambled egg whites with parmesean cheese (79 calories in 3 egg whites) or salads dressed only with lemon juice and seasoning. Oatmeal is really filling- i eat it for lunch alot and there are ton of flavor options all under 200 calories. Good luck!

ya... what she said :flowerforyou:

I was also recommended 1200, but was starving and had zero energy! I eat around 1400 on the days that I don't exercise....I would change it if that's what your body is telling you. FYI.....I tried 1300 and that was still too little and I tried 1500 and that seemed too much for me, so I settled at 1400. Try for a week on different amounts and see what you feel best at.

1200 calories isn't enough for most people. My BMR (according to a test I just had) is actually 1564, and if I add more muscle mass, it will go even higher. There are folks, I'm sure who have a lower BMR, but they are either small people or have very little muscle mass.

Your body is talking to you. Eat.:flowerforyou:

If I only eat 1200 calories a day I am light headed and ILL. It does not work for me either.

Yesterday I burned 1498 calories (I have a HRM) and I ate like 2300 calories. I was starving all day so I ate.

You know your body better than anyone...listen to it!

I don't think you give enough information in your question for us to answer properly. How did you come to the 1200 cal goal in the first place? How does it compare to the goal given by MFP to lose 1 pound per week?

If I only eat 1200 calories a day I am light headed and ILL. It does not work for me either.

Yesterday I burned 1498 calories (I have a HRM) and I ate like 2300 calories. I was starving all day so I ate.

You know your body better than anyone...listen to it!

now, see, even this is pretty low. if you burned 1500 and ate 2300 then your net cals for the day was 800 cals. Yikes!

thanks for bringing this up. I have the bad habit of not eating enough during the day, then going and doing a 1600 calorie workout after work, leaving me way way too many calories to eat after my workout. Comments such as this are helping me to eat more earlier BEFORE I go burning all those cals that i havent even eaten yet!

It also depends on WHAT you are eating. For instance, an order of fries could be over 300 calories but also an entire subway sandwich can be less than that. Which is more filling?

Two tbspoons of salad dressing can go to 200 calories or you can eat a bunch of fruit and veges for much less than that. I started looking at what I was eating too not just the calories. :ohwell:

It also depends on WHAT you are eating. For instance, an order of fries could be over 300 calories but also an entire subway sandwich can be less than that. Which is more filling?

Two tbspoons of salad dressing can go to 200 calories or you can eat a bunch of fruit and veges for much less than that. I started looking at what I was eating too not just the calories. :ohwell:

Good point! People tend to forget this part. People, everyone needs to be aware that calorie count is only half the battle, watch out for the bad stuff like saturated fats, simple carbs, excess sodium, chemicals, dyes, and simple sugars (well, techincally the same thing as simple carbs but... 6 of 1...).

Remember, not only how much, but what, when and in what amounts is also important. One giant meal (even if you are under your cals for the day) is just as bad as overeating for a day!!! It's true!

im in the same boat- im on 1200 cals a day but my bmr works out as 1521 cals a day- I'm a bit confused on what the BMR cals mean with regards to how many cals you should eat for the day...but is 1200 ok for me?

Irish, we can't know that because you didn't give us your numbers. but, from what you put up as your desired weight loss, you aren't that bad as far as weight goes, so I would tend to say that you are WAAAAAY under if your BMR is 1521. BMR is basically AS LOW AS YOU SHOULD EVER GO. There are some pretty specific times, and examples where you can go lower, but usually that's for people who either have some kind of condition, are obese and need a VLC diet for a short period, or some other specific reason to go below your BMR.

I mean, just google what the Basil Metebolic Rate is and you should understand why you shouldn't go below it for any extended time.

Here is the wiki def. of it, it's not the best I have ever seen but it's good enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

my numbers are 1.4lbs a week to lose according to MFP - that is exercising 3 times a week for 40 mins

I have so far only managed to exercise twice a week for 50 mins (cardio only) first thing in the morning - I just can't get my *kitten* out of bed that early 3 times a week it seems

I've lost 4 lbs but I should have lost a lot more by now as I tend to overeat at the weekends- I'm slowing cutting back and getting my will power stronger bit by bit but it's taking a while.....

Are those the numbers you mean - or do you mean my height how much I want to lose etc?

Thanks so much for your help- I'm off to read about BMR now!

well, 1.4 lbs/week for someone who only needs to lose 30 is pretty ambitious, and yeah, we would need height, weight, age, activity level to make any kind of guess as to your numbers. But I think you have already figured out why the numbers are off for you. For the goals to work, you need to follow them relatively close.

I'm 27, 5'9", 159 lbs, want to lose about 21 lbs, my activity level is nil- I sit at a desk all day and only exercise I get is the gym! (I'm also female by the way!)

I know I have to follow my goals closely but I'm finding its a case of conditioning my mindset towards it if you understand what I mean!
I also know half my battle is lack of exercise- I work long hours and am pretty wrecked when I get home thus I like the early morning workout....

Do you think based on all those numbers, 1200 cals is about the right amount?

That's probably too few calories. I would try for about 400 cals/day deficit and expect to lose about 3 to 5 lbs a month at most (and you should expect plateaus in there too). That's just me. I mean 1450 cals/day plus any exercise calories. This is just opinion, but large, fast loss is more for people with a lot to lose, if you only need to drop between 20 and 30, then it's going to take longer, and remember, the closer you get to your goal, the harder it will be to drop weight.