1200 kcal - difficult to maintain

marijkeco · August 2014

Hi all,

I am using the mfp tool to lose weight, and it has set my calories at 1200 a day. I am 60kg at the moment and want to be 55, hoping to lose 0.5 kg a week.
Is this a realistic goal?

I am exercising every workday, cycling about 40min to and from work, and I run 3 times a week for 30min, so my net calorie intake is a bit higher than 1200.
I still find it difficult not to eat more than my daily limit, because I don't want to diet hard. I want to be able to maintain this lifestyle after I lose the weight.

My meny looks something like this:

Morning:
Muesli, soy yoghurt: 185 kcal

Snack:
Fruit: 50 kcal

Lunch:
4 slices of wholemeal bread with something on it or the healthy option from the canteen: 250-400 kcal

Snack:
Muffin/healthy snack (depending on the day): 150 kcal

Dinner:
Vegetable pasta/Chicken curry/Meal salad/Meatball couscous/Stuffed peppers/etc: 300-500 kcal
Always cook from scratch, trying to choose healthy (yoghurt curry in stead of cream, etc.).

Snack:
Beer: 210 kcal (not every evening, but sometimes it's more than 1 as well)

That gets me above 1200, inbetween 1300 and 1400

Exercise sometimes brings it down to just under or above 1200, but when I take an extra biscuit or have another glass of wine, it tips me too far over the edge.

Hope someone has some tips for me..if this schedule MFP has set up for me is correct or if I should just man up and start to diet?I've started 10 days ago, and no results yet. Just want to know if I'm on the right track!

_Zardoz_ · August 2014

Reset your goals to less to 0.5 pounds (not kilos I'm assuming on the KG setting you can set it for the equivalent of the least amount setting for pounds) a week that will give you more calories also have you got it set for sedentary? maybe up the activity level. Also I'm a little unclear if your eating your exercise calories back you should be eating at least a portion of those back

This link will help the amount you need to lose is not a lot so it will be very slow progress so you will need patience

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

karenj_m · August 2014

You need to give more information for others to help you

Gender
age
height
weight
how long have you been working out
how many times per week are you are working out
how much weight have you lost so far
what's your current weight
what's your goal weight

That way folks can plug in some numbers for you and give you better advice.

Karen

melodiarentsen · August 2014

Are you posting your exercise to MFP? That should tell you how many calories you earned from exercise. Some people believe you should eat into/all of your exercise calories since MFP already programmed your weight loss based on the 1200 calories. In other words, if you just ate 1200 calories, you are supposed to lose weight without exercise.

I usually eat some of my calories. I am set at 1350 but was set at 1200 (changed it myself in "Goals"). I have done better with that because I am still actually eating under but it gives me breathing room and has not slowed down my loss.

It kind of looks like to me that you are undereating; you have to keep that metabolism burning. I sometimes feel like I am eating more than I used to because I am not filling up on candy and junk.

The only other thing, if none of this seems applicable, is that beer. My husband is on MFP, and he drinks a beer here and there, but typically, he does not drink more than one. If you are, you need to be sure to include that in your food diary. It's really easy to rack up calories there.

I hope I helped a little. Good Luck.

marijkeco · August 2014

Thanks both for your quick replies! I'll reset that goal and see if it changes! It's very disheartening that every time I go over the tool tells me I'm going to gain weight! :S
I did glance over the sexypants post but will read it in more detail, thanks for that.

Here's some more info (some of it was in my post already) :
Gender: F
age: 26
height: 162cm
weight: 60kg
how long have you been working out: cycling every school/work day since I was a child, running for 10 days.
how many times per week are you are working out: 5 days of cycling, 3 days or running)
how much weight have you lost so far: none
what's your current weight: 60kg
what's your goal weight: 55kg

EDIT: I have reset the goal to lose 0.25kg a week and the new calorie intake is 1,360! I suppose this is because 0.5 kg a week is a bit much for someone my weight?

kessler4130 · August 2014

I would use the calculator on IIFYM.com , MFP seems to set protein far to low, and overall calories in general.

marijkeco · August 2014

Are you posting your exercise to MFP? That should tell you how many calories you earned from exercise. Some people believe you should eat into/all of your exercise calories since MFP already programmed your weight loss based on the 1200 calories. In other words, if you just ate 1200 calories, you are supposed to lose weight without exercise.

I usually eat some of my calories. I am set at 1350 but was set at 1200 (changed it myself in "Goals"). I have done better with that because I am still actually eating under but it gives me breathing room and has not slowed down my loss.

It kind of looks like to me that you are undereating; you have to keep that metabolism burning. I sometimes feel like I am eating more than I used to because I am not filling up on candy and junk.

The only other thing, if none of this seems applicable, is that beer. My husband is on MFP, and he drinks a beer here and there, but typically, he does not drink more than one. If you are, you need to be sure to include that in your food diary. It's really easy to rack up calories there.

I hope I helped a little. Good Luck.

Hi thanks for this! I am posting my exercise, and still use all my (extra) calories. I know, I love a bit of alcohol, but there's so many calories in it! I sometimes switch to gin and soda if I want a drink but can't have any more calories added, which helps a bit!

karenj_m · August 2014

I like this calculator:
http://www.calculatorlab.com/HowDoIMeetMyWeightLossGoal/index.php#cutby20

It gives you a time line...

try using "moderately active" for lifestyle

Then jump down to 20 %

Karen

marijkeco · August 2014

I would use the calculator on IIFYM.com , MFP seems to set protein far to low, and overall calories in general.

Hi, thanks for that! I don't know what to do with the results, but this is it:
Which is the amount of calories I should eat?

Your BMR is:
1322 Calories/Day

Your TDEE is:
1933 Calories/Day

CARBS PROTEIN FAT FIBER CALORIES
GRAMS per day 160 132 52.8 26 - 33 1643
GRAMS per meal 53.3 44 17.6 9 - 11 548

marijkeco · August 2014

I like this calculator:
http://www.calculatorlab.com/HowDoIMeetMyWeightLossGoal/index.php#cutby20

It gives you a time line...

try using "moderately active" for lifestyle

Then jump down to 20 %

Karen

Thanks Karen, I don't have an active lifestyle (desk job) apart from my sports, so I'm not sure it's the right lifestyle?
it gives me this result:

Calories a day: 1744
New BMR: 2174

karenj_m · August 2014

So around 1575-1650 calories per day === that's what I got for weight loss for you on several calculators.

I could never eat only 1200 calories a day...FOR ME....I would eat someone's arm off LOL!

You're very active (good to see nowadays)...eat enough to make yourself happy, strong, with energy to get thru your workouts. So you can sustain what you're doing.long term.

Karen

karenj_m · August 2014

The "moderatly active" choice was for the workouts you are doing now per week.

You want to start as high of a calorie count as possible, because when you lose a good amt of weight --- you have to lower it maybe 60-100 calories (or up your exercise more) to make the scale move. If you start so low, where you going to go after that?

You'll have to give it at least 2-3 weeks steady after making a change in your calories...so your body can adjust. Logging everything is important. Be consistent, so you can determine if that number is not working, if not, then drop 60 calories ....wait two weeks and check again.

If your numbers are not consistent, you won't know what's working for your body type, and how to adjust it.

Remember do not bother weighing yourself except for the morning (no clothes, and after you hit the restroom). Throughout the day we start retaining water.

Karen

GreenEyedTrailMonster · August 2014

I would use the calculator on IIFYM.com , MFP seems to set protein far to low, and overall calories in general.

I have just had a look at this and am going to try using their formula. I have never been entirely convinced by the 1200 + exercise calories idea. It seems not to account for the needs of people who do actually exercise. I have just done my calculations and am going (as suggested) to give it a 4 week trial.

Cheers for the heads up on it

GreenEyedTrailMonster · August 2014

I would use the calculator on IIFYM.com , MFP seems to set protein far to low, and overall calories in general.

I have just had a look at this and am going to try using their formula. I have never been entirely convinced by the 1200 + exercise calories idea. It seems not to account for the needs of people who do actually exercise. I have just done my calculations and am going (as suggested) to give it a 4 week trial.

Cheers for the heads up on it

Although today's food I think may be a little carb heavy when I put in new formula...hey ho!!

GreenEyedTrailMonster · August 2014

Oh well that's annoying. When custom altering my goals on MFP it would like me to alter my macros in % not grammes which requires some calculation on my behalf...sigh:sad:

karenj_m · August 2014

Thi s one will give you grams down at the bottom (after plugging in some numbers at the top)....you'll have to keep adjusting the top to get near your grams you want.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm

1200 kcal - difficult to maintain

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