1200 calories VS eating properly?!
sqigglet
Posts: 11
Hi all joined quite a while back but then put this on the back burner so am starting fresh as of today / tomorrow etc
I am 5ft 10 and 10st 7lbs and never exactly been overweight or anything just been missing my gym days from years back and hate to admit it but driving alot more lately than the walking I used to do... yes I have become one of those people that at 10am see's it will be raining on weather forecast as 4pm so drives just incase lol excuses excuses.
I guess i am just feeling alittle frumpy so to speak and wouldn't mind loosing some weight and toning up slightly, I am also concerned that nearing my 30's in a couple of years I wont be able to get away with the foods i do now etc so trying to implement a healthy lifestyle while time is still on my side.
Now I have been reading the forums last few nights and really interested in threads where people have been discussing eating 1500+ calories for example exercising etc and eating back some calories so just getting my head around all this. Against the people who try and survive on minimal calories believing that works better for them etc
I have just started back at the gym and currently do 3 sessions a week there about 90mins mix of cardio and some other machines to help with a knee injury i had surgery for several months ago.
When I used to go to the gym years back god I never broke into a sweat ahah but this time I mean business!!
I am not one to judge on what way to go i/e lower calories to lose weight? makes sense right?
OR feed your body with food like fuel to get through the workouts etc I'm just a little concerned as have updated my details tonight and says 1200 calories a day i was like woah do you want me to starve lol
I am a kind of girl who can eat yes healthy but god i eat loads. I eat mainly fruits veg and meats. I have just cut out most dairy to health reasons but do not eat many processed foods or choccy etc yes i love a takeaway though!
but and sorry to ramble on but if 1200 is so frowned upon / wrong then why does this site give out those figures on my plan?
I am defo swinging towards the way of looking at a higher calorie intake than that but what figure i do not know. All I know is i would be scared to test out theories and give a week or 2 to see what happens incase it backfired and caused weight gain.
I have always been the person that friends say oh i cant see why you arent the size of a house with what you eat etc but i do feel frumpy lately and scared it will all catch up on me.
If needed abit of overview on foods;
I don't particular like to feel restricted as this will cause me to want to feast on everything in sight as it takes my control away to some extent! and i dont bode well with meal planning in advance as literally i do like to decide what i eat on that day not 5 days ahead yes food is fuel for the body but i also enjoy food. Today for example I had poached egg on seeded toast and some porridge for brekkie followed by a 90min workout at gym, lunch I had chicken salad and tea again chicken salad I have loved chicken today ahah have snacked on fruit loads like my portions are enormous fruit wise have got through several apples, a pineapple (600grams), banana and some grapes etc i find fruit really refreshing. My foods may sound healthy but they are enormous. I have just had a snack now as belly rumbling and wont sleep if hungry! have drank about 3litres of water today. will start logging properly from tomorrow just taken an intrest in my foods today liek i have actually weighed some and like the chicken 300grams each time thats about 600 cals each time if im right so yeah alot of calories i eat!!!
As a recovering Bulimic for several years previously i do have triggers and hence why i cant feel too restricted with foodsand prefer to eat cleaner foods so to speak like to imagine just 1200 calories has made me panic already lol I am better now and like i say have always maintained what i would say a medium weight i just feel like frumpy and less active until just joining the gym etc 3 weeks ago.
At the minute i hadnt been logging anywhere as basically yes i eat a ton of fruit but in my eyes its better to shove a whole pineapple down me keeping me occupied rather than feeling hungry / restricted leading to triggers of old behaviour. so for the past several months been quite relaxed on eating but i genuinely prefer eating healthy, I rarely drink alcohol and had a takeaway a week until recently on day to day basis i just ate within reason what i wanted and if going to the shop and spending £10 on fruit there and then would save me from returning to old behaviours then that's what i had to do to get me through.
Looking ahead i do want to switch to more veggie snacking than fruit as am suffering bloating! and i had kept away from scales for years but i do know one of the times i last weighed myself several months ago i was 10st 2 so really i may have gained 5lbs but is time of month also i just cannot turn into one of those people that weigh everyday that just causes so much stress to someone seeing results they don't want to etc and i understand now how your weight can vary day to day from water, digestion etc and many other factors so trying to put the emphasis on how i feel rather than numbers only.
All my clothes still fit i buy clothes all the time but some i have had 2 years i still fit in apart from one bloody pair i tried on last night that yes zipped up but were tight on waist / high / thigh etc so has kickstarted me i suppose.
I know if i have a too relaxed approach then i wont see prominent results but at the same time i cant do what this site says and do 1200 a day and workout 3 days a week i would collapse ahah and really would just start bad eating habbits again. I need to find a happy medium between yes loosing alittle and feeling fitter BUT to not feel so restricted that it triggers off bad habbits ect.
I just feel like drawing a line under the past with food and lifestyle and starting a fresh as of now even if it means being active more to eat more i guess that may be the way to go as restricting to low I don't think is for me.
Any pointers or advice so so sorry to ramble on!? please be friendly it's my first post
p.s not a nice thought to think every day i will be in the red going over the 1200 mark how negative will that look!!
I am 5ft 10 and 10st 7lbs and never exactly been overweight or anything just been missing my gym days from years back and hate to admit it but driving alot more lately than the walking I used to do... yes I have become one of those people that at 10am see's it will be raining on weather forecast as 4pm so drives just incase lol excuses excuses.
I guess i am just feeling alittle frumpy so to speak and wouldn't mind loosing some weight and toning up slightly, I am also concerned that nearing my 30's in a couple of years I wont be able to get away with the foods i do now etc so trying to implement a healthy lifestyle while time is still on my side.
Now I have been reading the forums last few nights and really interested in threads where people have been discussing eating 1500+ calories for example exercising etc and eating back some calories so just getting my head around all this. Against the people who try and survive on minimal calories believing that works better for them etc
I have just started back at the gym and currently do 3 sessions a week there about 90mins mix of cardio and some other machines to help with a knee injury i had surgery for several months ago.
When I used to go to the gym years back god I never broke into a sweat ahah but this time I mean business!!
I am not one to judge on what way to go i/e lower calories to lose weight? makes sense right?
OR feed your body with food like fuel to get through the workouts etc I'm just a little concerned as have updated my details tonight and says 1200 calories a day i was like woah do you want me to starve lol
I am a kind of girl who can eat yes healthy but god i eat loads. I eat mainly fruits veg and meats. I have just cut out most dairy to health reasons but do not eat many processed foods or choccy etc yes i love a takeaway though!
but and sorry to ramble on but if 1200 is so frowned upon / wrong then why does this site give out those figures on my plan?
I am defo swinging towards the way of looking at a higher calorie intake than that but what figure i do not know. All I know is i would be scared to test out theories and give a week or 2 to see what happens incase it backfired and caused weight gain.
I have always been the person that friends say oh i cant see why you arent the size of a house with what you eat etc but i do feel frumpy lately and scared it will all catch up on me.
If needed abit of overview on foods;
I don't particular like to feel restricted as this will cause me to want to feast on everything in sight as it takes my control away to some extent! and i dont bode well with meal planning in advance as literally i do like to decide what i eat on that day not 5 days ahead yes food is fuel for the body but i also enjoy food. Today for example I had poached egg on seeded toast and some porridge for brekkie followed by a 90min workout at gym, lunch I had chicken salad and tea again chicken salad I have loved chicken today ahah have snacked on fruit loads like my portions are enormous fruit wise have got through several apples, a pineapple (600grams), banana and some grapes etc i find fruit really refreshing. My foods may sound healthy but they are enormous. I have just had a snack now as belly rumbling and wont sleep if hungry! have drank about 3litres of water today. will start logging properly from tomorrow just taken an intrest in my foods today liek i have actually weighed some and like the chicken 300grams each time thats about 600 cals each time if im right so yeah alot of calories i eat!!!
As a recovering Bulimic for several years previously i do have triggers and hence why i cant feel too restricted with foodsand prefer to eat cleaner foods so to speak like to imagine just 1200 calories has made me panic already lol I am better now and like i say have always maintained what i would say a medium weight i just feel like frumpy and less active until just joining the gym etc 3 weeks ago.
At the minute i hadnt been logging anywhere as basically yes i eat a ton of fruit but in my eyes its better to shove a whole pineapple down me keeping me occupied rather than feeling hungry / restricted leading to triggers of old behaviour. so for the past several months been quite relaxed on eating but i genuinely prefer eating healthy, I rarely drink alcohol and had a takeaway a week until recently on day to day basis i just ate within reason what i wanted and if going to the shop and spending £10 on fruit there and then would save me from returning to old behaviours then that's what i had to do to get me through.
Looking ahead i do want to switch to more veggie snacking than fruit as am suffering bloating! and i had kept away from scales for years but i do know one of the times i last weighed myself several months ago i was 10st 2 so really i may have gained 5lbs but is time of month also i just cannot turn into one of those people that weigh everyday that just causes so much stress to someone seeing results they don't want to etc and i understand now how your weight can vary day to day from water, digestion etc and many other factors so trying to put the emphasis on how i feel rather than numbers only.
All my clothes still fit i buy clothes all the time but some i have had 2 years i still fit in apart from one bloody pair i tried on last night that yes zipped up but were tight on waist / high / thigh etc so has kickstarted me i suppose.
I know if i have a too relaxed approach then i wont see prominent results but at the same time i cant do what this site says and do 1200 a day and workout 3 days a week i would collapse ahah and really would just start bad eating habbits again. I need to find a happy medium between yes loosing alittle and feeling fitter BUT to not feel so restricted that it triggers off bad habbits ect.
I just feel like drawing a line under the past with food and lifestyle and starting a fresh as of now even if it means being active more to eat more i guess that may be the way to go as restricting to low I don't think is for me.
Any pointers or advice so so sorry to ramble on!? please be friendly it's my first post
p.s not a nice thought to think every day i will be in the red going over the 1200 mark how negative will that look!!
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Replies
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but and sorry to ramble on but if 1200 is so frowned upon / wrong then why does this site give out those figures on my plan?
Most likely you clicked sedentary with a weight loss goal of around 2 Lbs per week...which doesn't sound like a lot, but that's 1,000 calories per day deficit from you non exercise maintenance number and is extremely aggressive, particularly if you don't have a lot of weight to lose. Not to mention, even if one has a desk job, most people just aren't truly sedentary. I have a desk job and am pretty easily light active without any deliberate exercise...just my day to day stuff and taking care of my kids and cleaning and cooking and fixing this or that and walking around the office, etc.
I would add to that, one of the issues is not so much that 1200 NET is wrong...it is the people eating 1200 which is already a substantial deficit and then going out and cranking out hours and hours of cardio not having a single clue that they are actually destroying their bodies due to inadequate fueling for their activity. Basically people don't take the time to understand how this tool works and why you would eat back calories with this particular tool...even though it is all nicely explained in various stickies.0 -
I would think that if you're 5ft 10, with only 14 pounds to lose, 1200 calories might be too drastic and low for you, especially since you have disordered eating history. Set your weight loss goal to something less restrictive, like 1/2 a pound a week. Then you will be less likely to fall into your old binging habits.0
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MFP gives you your daily goal based on the information you put in.
In case you don't understand how it works. 1200 is your goal. If you exercise and burn 300 calories, your net is 900. IMO, that's too low and I would recommend eating your exercise calories back, in the end, you're netting that 1200. I try to eat my calories back until I hit my goal (1380).
How much did you put you wanted to lose in a week? What's your activity level day to day?
The thing you need to realize is MFP is a tool - and everyone uses it in their own way. It doesn't have to be rules set in stone.
Track what you eat in a typical day, and disregard what MFP says - just see what you normally ingest and what your numbers are at the end of the day. That will give you a decent idea of where you're at and what 1200 means.
Good luck 0 -
As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:
More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
I'm a 5'10 190 pound man. And I've been eating around 1200-1300 kcal net for a few months now. It's not hard. I really don't know why people make such a big deal out of it. I don't feel like it's "aggressive" or "drastic".
No, I'm not saying that you should only eat 1200 kcal a day. That IS just dumb.
I'm saying that with the use of cardio and weight lifting you can net 1200 kcal a day and do it easily while hitting all your marco goals. I still eat 2000-4000 kcal a day but I burn off most of it. Easy and I get to eat as much as I want within reason.0 -
MFP is just a calculator. It assigns a calorie goal based on the information you give it. But if your goals are too aggressive, it may assign you a calorie goal that isn't optimal for your body or activity level.
With 14 pounds to lose, you should probably aim to lose between 0.5 and 1 lb a week. As you get closer to your goal, 0.5 lbs a week is a healthy and sustainable loss. And if you're not accounting for your added exercise as part of your daily activity level, then you should be eating at least some of those burned calories back.0 -
Thanks cwolfman that definatly explained things much better thankyou!
And forthejourney fab thanks you and everyone else who have replied have quite possibly saved my frantic stressing! fiddled about dropped it to 5 lb loss and still showed 1200 I was like rarrrrrr until i found that tab you mention about the amount per week and yes it was on 2lb per week so changed it to 0.5 and low and behold it has jumped my calories to 1830 which is much much more do-able so relieved thanks!!
theVirgo godess thankyou your reply has helped me take the pressure off myself and see this as more like a tool and to firstly see what im tracking etc thanks that has helped my mindset loads!
Thanks Branstin love seeing those figures to go by!
thanks for all taking the time to reply appreciate the guidance!0 -
My fitness pal set my calories at 1200. I am 5 ft 2 and want to lose 2 pounds a week. I am also obese, so have a lot to lose. I exercise, but also make sure I eat back my calories when I do. I try to make sure I choose my foods wisely. 1200 calories is not a lot when it is spent on fatty foods. I think given my lifestyle I would gain if it wasn't set up this way. Adjust your calories if you feel 1200 is too low, and see how it works for you. Good luck.0
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I'm 5'9" and 155lbs. I lose weight netting 2000 calories a day.
Tell it a half pound a week and active.0 -
Cheers Chris yeah I mean 1200 perfectly feesable for alot of people i am just a big love of food i guess. I could do 1200 maybe if i just sat still all day in a coma watching tele hehehe luckily with abit of changing from 2lb per week to 0,5 it has bumped them up to 1830. I have one big appetite and thanks for giving me an insight into yours that has helped me click about if your body is working harder through exercise obviously you can and should fuel it etc thankyou! After starting the gym after a workout out i have been finding i had been eating more as my appetite had seemed to soar slightly and after hitting a hard session and sweating etc i could hear my body crying for food and water so was happy to give in 0
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thanks bajoyba, definatly made that aspect alot clearer! thankyou!
thanks ngressman again it's nice to hear about the leeway of eating back some exercise calories etc good luck for your journey
BusyRaeNOTBus oh very similar stats i think we have? thanks for the insight, 2000 netting sorry to sound dumb but is 2000 including your exercise calories or is that just what you eat in total?0 -
Cheers Chris yeah I mean 1200 perfectly feesable for alot of people i am just a big love of food i guess. I could do 1200 maybe if i just sat still all day in a coma watching tele hehehe luckily with abit of changing from 2lb per week to 0,5 it has bumped them up to 1830. I have one big appetite and thanks for giving me an insight into yours that has helped me click about if your body is working harder through exercise obviously you can and should fuel it etc thankyou! After starting the gym after a workout out i have been finding i had been eating more as my appetite had seemed to soar slightly and after hitting a hard session and sweating etc i could hear my body crying for food and water so was happy to give in
If you want to eat more, lift, run, bike, swim. I almost never get hungry. A lot of days I actually need to eat more at the end of the day. Check out my dairy, I eat a lot I'm just saying, don't let the anti 1200 crowd get you down. Do what works for you. But do it for at least 6 weeks consistently to make sure that it's actually working. I got lucky, and MFP is actually correct for me, some folks will find that they need to raise of lower their net goals after a while to get the weight loss/gain to add up to the numbers MFP gives you. 0 -
Thanks Chris. Your diary entries look really yummy! yeah will defo take on board about exercise gives leeway to eat more. Guess at the minute if im hungry I eat pretty simple maths im my eyes and just dont want to go through the cliches that's ftiend have when they starve themselves the night before weigh in etc or go to bed hungry etc god life is for living not for getting deprived etc. Will give it a whirl for several weeks then on the 1830 it has put me at and see where it gets me. It will scare me I dont know why just scary putting my faith into something new but im sure i eat roughly around that anyway before starting this so hopefully i wont get that restricted feeling and with my newly added gym sessions i will keep positive 0
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Don't worry about putting faith into it, because your not. You're just trying it to see if it works. And if it doesn't then you'll make changes.0
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Thankyou that makes perfect sense !0
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