working out and 1200 calories?

jenna_watsonator
jenna_watsonator Posts: 99 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I know that the general concensus is that women should not eat less than 1200 calories. Now if my intake is at 1200 and i work out and dont eat afterwards, am i running the risk of hitting starvation mode? Is 1200 calories the *net* minimum total? For example if i eat 1200; burn 300, do i need to eat those back to not be in starvation mode? Thanks!

Replies

  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
    If you aren't hungry a <1200 calorie day won't kill you, but you should definitely try to net 1200 calories. Also, don't go on a streak of <1200 calorie days because then you will go into starvation mode. Keep those days few and far between. If you are having trouble with getting your calories up, I would suggest a post workout protein shake.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
    If you aren't hungry a <1200 calorie day won't kill you, but you should definitely try to net 1200 calories. Also, don't go on a streak of <1200 calorie days because then you will go into starvation mode. Keep those days few and far between. If you are having trouble with getting your calories up, I would suggest a post workout protein shake.

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  • sarahenagy
    sarahenagy Posts: 65 Member
    There are mixed opinions on this, but in my research and experience, yes you should eat at least some, if not all, of your exercise cals back. 1200 calories already creates a 500 calorie deficit, which is about the highest recommended to avoid the dreaded starvation mode you mentioned. When I was struggling to drop the last 5 pounds to hit my goal weight I started sticking strictly to my 1200 a day and not eating any of my extra calories from exercise, and I was exercising vigorously 6 days a week. I didn't drop a pound for about 3 weeks, then gained 2 pounds in the 4th week. Then I got frustrated and went on "strike" for a couple of weeks where I didn't exercise nearly as much and ate whenever I was hungry. I didn't really stuff my face or eat super unhealthily, but just ate more. When I got on the scale again to assess the damage I had dropped 6 pounds! Taking me to within 2 pounds of my goal. So personally I would recommend eating the extras.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    It's best to keep your minimum net calories at 1200. So yes, if you eat 1200 and then work out (esp. if you do intense cardio) you should eat those exercise calories. Starvation mode can kick in when you consume 700 or fewer net calories. Keep in mind that in addition to whatever exercise you do, you burn calories cleaning, cooking, walking around, etc. so it's easy to slip down to 700 or below without realizing it.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    It's not necessarily a minimum of 1200 anytime... it's more of a consistent minimum of 1200. What I mean is, if one day you burn a lot of calories and can't seem to fit more food in (whether it's because of your schedule or choice of foods/calories or whatever it is), that one day won't put you in starvation mode. A consistent habit of keeping under 1200 can put you in starvation mode. But that's a minimum... not everyone can eat just 1200. I was eating 1200 and was in starvation mode because my body required more. I went up to 1400 and started eating more of my exercise calories and then started losing weight again. I'm now at a base of 1600 because my activity level increased and I'm losing steadily.

    And for exercise calories, yes you should probably eat them. If you're not eating them now and not losing weight, eat them. If you're eating them now and not losing weight, try not to eat them. Everyone is different. Just experiment & see what your body responds to.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    There are mixed opinions on this, but in my research and experience, yes you should eat at least some, if not all, of your exercise cals back. 1200 calories already creates a 500 calorie deficit, which is about the highest recommended to avoid the dreaded starvation mode you mentioned. When I was struggling to drop the last 5 pounds to hit my goal weight I started sticking strictly to my 1200 a day and not eating any of my extra calories from exercise, and I was exercising vigorously 6 days a week. I didn't drop a pound for about 3 weeks, then gained 2 pounds in the 4th week. Then I got frustrated and went on "strike" for a couple of weeks where I didn't exercise nearly as much and ate whenever I was hungry. I didn't really stuff my face or eat super unhealthily, but just ate more. When I got on the scale again to assess the damage I had dropped 6 pounds! Taking me to within 2 pounds of my goal. So personally I would recommend eating the extras.

    I find that I lose 1 pound or more over the weekend when I don't exercise and generally eat 1500-1600 calories, versus the rest of the week when I burn about 500 cals at the gym and keep my net cals as close to 1200 as possible.
  • dancewithgiggi
    dancewithgiggi Posts: 7
    Thanks for posting, this has some good info from other mfp users. :smile:
  • ctheslayer
    ctheslayer Posts: 79
    Speaking from experience...

    About 4 weeks into the program, I decided to drop my daily calorie intake to 500-600 calories - not because I was doing an experiment but because I'm a dork. I mean, what does MFP know anyway? I can drop my intake and exercise more and I will finish my program earlier. Woo hoo!

    Yep, I plateaud. 2 weeks into the restriction, I've lost no pound, was starving constantly and had no energy to even do a simple workout. I did not gain weight but the body just refused to lose any more weight either.

    So after that debacle, I bumped up my intake to 1100-1400. I ate when I felt hungry and I drank fluids constantly. Basically, I never let myself feel like I'm starving. I did not change my workout schedule. I maintained a workout of anywhere from 300 - 600 calories daily depending on the workout. A week later, the scale showed 2.5 lbs. down and I've been losing at a rate of 2 lbs. a week ever since. So it seems I've found the happy formula that leaves me with 7000 calorie deficit per week.

    Sometimes I eat some of the exercise calories, sometimes I don't. But I always leave a deficit from the exercise calories.

    Thanks for posting this topic and to everyone else who responded. You guys rock!
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