1200 Cal Diet and Need Running Buddies

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Replies

  • julie_emma1
    julie_emma1 Posts: 146
    Hey! I'm training for a HM as well (actually 2 - one in May and one in June). I have lost a reasonable amount of weight from diet and running. Originally, I netted about 1350 calories per day and went from about 155 originally to 123 now. HOWEVER, I also lost a lot of my muscle mass that I had around 140 lbs from dieting and running like that. So I am now working to recover from that by upping my calories to try to eat at maintenance through TDEE (FYI for my HM training, I am eating about 2100 calories per day now and am still losing 0.25 lbs per week or so, so you can eat more than you think!). I'm also aiming for at least 100 grams of protein per day, and lifting 2-3X per week on top of my run schedule. Long story short, I'd recommend upping your calories to fuel your runs + make sure you are getting adequate protein and some strength training (maybe 2 days per week?) to protect your lean body mass.

    Also, feel free to add me! I'm always happy to have more running buddies on MFP!
  • RunConquerCelebrate
    RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member
    I am also training for my first Half Marathon next month. But last year I focused on increasing the distance and working on endurance by running several 10ks and 15ks. I personally could not train for a marathon and only eat 1200 calories a day. I can burn over 1000 easily on my long runs.

    I am trying to loose weight, but not at the expense of affecting my runs. I have noticed that when I do not eat right ( or fuel my body) my runs get affected. I do not run for weight loss even though it is an awesome benefit of running, I run because I love it.

    I am pretty sure you could run and eat 1200 calories and loose weight, but I do not think that is a healthy way of doing it. Good luck in your training and in your first Half.

    Oh I do not follow TDEE, my calories are set to 1400 and I eat some of my exercise calories back. On days when I run long I eat about 2000 calories.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
    If you are training for a marathon, you need to be eating way more than 1200 calories per day.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Well this is just a terrible idea.
  • southerndream24
    southerndream24 Posts: 303 Member
    I agree with what many said above. 1200 calories is definitely not enough. I see you said you eat back your excercise calories, but I would suggest trying the TDEE method if you're going to push half marathon distances. I've done several halfs and a couple full marathons. It helps to have a set amount everyday. If I were to rest the day before a long run and only eat 1200 calories, then I would be miserable running 10+ miles the next day.

    Remember as a distance runner you have to take care of your body. Less food is not the way to go. I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day and I'm a small girl.
  • jillmcafee
    jillmcafee Posts: 34 Member
    Most people need more than 1200 a day if they are sedentary, unless you are under 5 feet tall and already light. If you are running you need way more calories than that or you will lose muscle mass. You will feel constantly tired and sluggish, be starving all the time, and end up get injured or giving up. Never, ever eat below your BMR.

    I also run and I eat anywhere from 1800 to 2700 calories a day depending on how far I run or what kind of workout I am doing, and I have been steadily losing weight. If you are eating 1200 a day, then running 4 miles, you are forcing yourself to live on 800 calories that day. Even if you eat back your running calories, after a couple of months at 1200, your body will go into starvation mode and you will plateau, in both your diet and your running. You will lose muscle mass, and it will kill your metabolism. I know, because it happened to me on the old WW plan. They had me at 1200 a day and I felt horrible. I eventually gained all the weight back, and now it is 10 times harder to lose because I lost so much muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns about twice as many calories at rest as a pound of fat. So when you have a very restricted diet, your body starts unloading the high maintenance muscle, not the low maintenance fat.

    Here is a quick BMR calculator:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    You should eat 1.2 times your BMR if you are sedentary, more if you active. There is a chart on the site. Good luck!
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    Yeah, eat those exercise calories back or use the TDEE method. I am getting dizzy thinking of eating that little while training for a longer distance race.

    As mentioned earlier, it would suck eating only 1200 calories on a rest day the day before a long run day.

    I say this and I'm under 5' and weigh a little over 100 pounds. That just would not be enough food for me.
  • inflames95
    inflames95 Posts: 15 Member
    Hi, im just starting up mfp again and this time im running 2 miles at least 5 days a week while sticking to 1,200 a day.

    However on days when i run i do try to eat back some of the calories i have burnt...

    Feel free to add me and we can support each other on here :D
  • dclark566
    dclark566 Posts: 330 Member
    Feel Free to add me. I am signed up for my first half this year (June).
  • apeacefulway
    apeacefulway Posts: 43
    The other thing you need to think about is long term sustainability and happiness. If your calories are too low and you're starving all the time, your quality of life is going to go down and your body will go into starvation mode, stalling your weight loss. Your body is alerting you to the hunger because it's craving more nutrients. You need to feed your body and keep the metabolic gears spinning.

    Drink lots of water. Eat high quality nutrient dense food. Eat healthy, low calorie snacks when you get hungry and stay within a reasonable calorie goal. That's been my plan and I've lost 22 pounds in a 5 weeks. Never once have I let myself go hungry.

    Best of luck with your plans and goals.
  • girlschmoopie
    girlschmoopie Posts: 140 Member
    Agreeing with others that raising your calories will not hinder you. I run 3-4 times a week, for a distance 3-5mi for all except one that is a long run on the weekend. (I strength train on the alternate days so I'm don't lose what muscle I have.) I have been eating 1500-1700cal every day, and over 2000 on the weekends for my long run day, and I've been losing 1-2# a week.

    As my weekly milage gets higher, I raise my overall calories. My two half-marathons are May and June, but I have several other shorter races scheduled within the training.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    I am relatively new to running, since June 2013, and have run 2 races so far (10K and 5K.) I eat at 1500 + calories burned. (Yes my ticker says 0 lost. I reset it along with my goals for the year.) I find I am generally hungry on days I run. I am also learning it is more what I am eating/not eating than the # of calories.

    At the moment you may be fine with 1200, however, if you are truly training for a marathon or honestly even a 10K you are going to learn quickly you don't have enough fuel in the tank. There is a balance that needs to be met between eating to lose weight and eating to train properly. I am having difficulty finding that balance myself so I ordered a book on nutrition. I just need to get a better understanding of what I need to do in order to do what I want to do.

    I might suggest taking a look at the 2 links below. Just to give yourself an idea of what you will be in for long term.

    Feel free to add me, I can at least sympathize with the running pains.

    http://running.competitor.com/2013/08/nutrition/losing-weight-the-right-way-during-marathon-training_1421

    http://www.active.com/running/articles/how-to-lose-weight-while-training-for-a-marathon?page=1
  • delphaine
    delphaine Posts: 8 Member
    Most people need more than 1200 a day if they are sedentary, unless you are under 5 feet tall and already light. If you are running you need way more calories than that or you will lose muscle mass. You will feel constantly tired and sluggish, be starving all the time, and end up get injured or giving up. Never, ever eat below your BMR.

    I also run and I eat anywhere from 1800 to 2700 calories a day depending on how far I run or what kind of workout I am doing, and I have been steadily losing weight. If you are eating 1200 a day, then running 4 miles, you are forcing yourself to live on 800 calories that day. Even if you eat back your running calories, after a couple of months at 1200, your body will go into starvation mode and you will plateau, in both your diet and your running. You will lose muscle mass, and it will kill your metabolism. I know, because it happened to me on the old WW plan. They had me at 1200 a day and I felt horrible. I eventually gained all the weight back, and now it is 10 times harder to lose because I lost so much muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns about twice as many calories at rest as a pound of fat. So when you have a very restricted diet, your body starts unloading the high maintenance muscle, not the low maintenance fat.

    Here is a quick BMR calculator:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    You should eat 1.2 times your BMR if you are sedentary, more if you active. There is a chart on the site. Good luck!

    I looked up the link and it does have very useful information. Based on what you have said and some others, I definitely don't want to lose muscle mass and so I won't feel bad eating a little over the calorie count. I for one certainly don't mind a little extra food, it is a bummer that the weight loss will slow down a bit though with more food intake, but all in all it sounds like runners get into shape not matter what.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
    Most people need more than 1200 a day if they are sedentary, unless you are under 5 feet tall and already light. If you are running you need way more calories than that or you will lose muscle mass. You will feel constantly tired and sluggish, be starving all the time, and end up get injured or giving up. Never, ever eat below your BMR.

    I also run and I eat anywhere from 1800 to 2700 calories a day depending on how far I run or what kind of workout I am doing, and I have been steadily losing weight. If you are eating 1200 a day, then running 4 miles, you are forcing yourself to live on 800 calories that day. Even if you eat back your running calories, after a couple of months at 1200, your body will go into starvation mode and you will plateau, in both your diet and your running. You will lose muscle mass, and it will kill your metabolism. I know, because it happened to me on the old WW plan. They had me at 1200 a day and I felt horrible. I eventually gained all the weight back, and now it is 10 times harder to lose because I lost so much muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns about twice as many calories at rest as a pound of fat. So when you have a very restricted diet, your body starts unloading the high maintenance muscle, not the low maintenance fat.

    Here is a quick BMR calculator:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    You should eat 1.2 times your BMR if you are sedentary, more if you active. There is a chart on the site. Good luck!

    I looked up the link and it does have very useful information. Based on what you have said and some others, I definitely don't want to lose muscle mass and so I won't feel bad eating a little over the calorie count. I for one certainly don't mind a little extra food, it is a bummer that the weight loss will slow down a bit though with more food intake, but all in all it sounds like runners get into shape not matter what.

    I dropped more weight when I was running than when I was on a low calorie diet. It is worth it. You should not feel guilty, food is fuel and there is nothing wrong with revving up your engine. I love to eat, that is why I exercise. You will have to go 3500 calories over you TDEE to gain fat. If you think about that, that is alot. So if your TDEE is 2000, you would have to eat 5500 calories to gain a pound. If you don't do that, you will not gain. If you are eating your TDEE, you are not gaining fat. Now you may retain water when you run because your muscles need water to repair from running.

    There is nothing wrong with eating if you are active. It will not slow your weight loss. I would toss the scale and grab a tape measure and know that you are not gaining fat unless you go over your TDEE.

    Good luck, you will feel great.

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