Confused!!!!

Utterly_Butterly
Utterly_Butterly Posts: 17 Member
in Getting Started
I have been a member for a few years and keep stopping and starting.

I have started again, more motivated than ever.

I am just confused about how much I should be eating. Some people say as long as I make a defecit I will lose. Others say 1200 is not enough food.
MFP calculates I need to eat 1200 a day because I am sat down all day.
Can anyone clarify what the best way is?

Also, feel free to add me. I would love some friends to do this with :)

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    presumably you are on 1200 because you want to lose 2lb per week - slow the weight loss down and you can eat more.

    slow and sustainable is better than quick and hungry which makes you binge and put the weigth back on!
  • PurpleCupcakes01
    PurpleCupcakes01 Posts: 141
    presumably you are on 1200 because you want to lose 2lb per week - slow the weight loss down and you can eat more.

    slow and sustainable is better than quick and hungry which makes you binge and put the weigth back on!

    And exercise and eat those calories back
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
    If you are the type of person that sits down all day long and does no exercise... (which means it will take longer for you to lose) you can lose on a 1200 calorie diet... However, if you exercise (walk, run, jump, or skip in any way) you need to increase your food intake..so as to maintain a reasonable defecit that will not cause your body to lose too much too quickly...
  • Frood42
    Frood42 Posts: 245 Member
    presumably you are on 1200 because you want to lose 2lb per week - slow the weight loss down and you can eat more.

    slow and sustainable is better than quick and hungry which makes you binge and put the weigth back on!

    +1
    .
  • TinaLauritsen
    TinaLauritsen Posts: 52 Member
    I started with 1200 cal too, and I was hungry ALL THE TIME! It's impossible to stick to anything if you are starving, so first I raised it to 1300, and when I was still loosing, I put it at 1400. Now I'm no longer hungry, and the weigh is still coming off. :smile:
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Try googling TDEE calculator and see what that cal goal ends up being when you do one. Then report the number back here.

    On that just like on the MFP cal goal maker make sure your answers are accurate and honest. It might be tempting to say anything to get it to give you the lowest cal goal for the fastest weight loss possible in hopes of a) getting it over with or b) I can handle it I'm sronger than most, but as most people have already said, if you eat too little that's when you're more likely to need to stop due to hunger or fatigue.

    When you say you keep stopping, is it due to too many feelings of hunger? Do you get too tired to exercise? What part of your weight loss efforts gives out?
  • UncoveringAmy
    UncoveringAmy Posts: 14
    I started with 1200 cal too, and I was hungry ALL THE TIME! It's impossible to stick to anything if you are starving, so first I raised it to 1300, and when I was still loosing, I put it at 1400. Now I'm no longer hungry, and the weigh is still coming off. :smile:

    Same here, although I've just started MFP again, I knew that I was soooo hungry last time I did 1200 per day. The only way I could achieve it was with shakes, and I don't want to do that again. I'm on 1400 now and I'm finding it challenging but sustainable (as I was was eating god only knows how many calories before this).
  • Utterly_Butterly
    Utterly_Butterly Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you for the replies.

    I am coping well so far on 1200 and I am eating back some of the excerise calories.

    I was just worried because some people say you wont lose eating 1200.
  • zaniazong
    zaniazong Posts: 10 Member
    I was on 1200cal for 2 months and dropped 10kg (please ignore my ticker, it's totally wrong) losing 1kg (~2 pounds) a week on average. Now I upped my calories to 1310 to slow it down to 0.5kg (~1lbs) a week as I only have 10-15 lbs to go.

    You can lose on 1200 and you can lose on 1400. Find out what works for you and stick to it.

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