Can someone help un confuse me?

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Ok, something that has confused me for years.. I have always maintained my weight on a low calorie diet until recently. The trouble has always been when I have increased my exercise, I have been too frightened to consume more calories, consequently I have only gained or stalled, which has led me to abandon the exercise for fear of getting really heavy. Since January I have begun a new way of life, for fitness mostly and the social aspect, but I really need clear advice as to how much I should be eating in order to not gain weight & remain healthy. An average & typical week now consists of hour long classes of boxercise, hiit, spinning, pump (weights) & a Sunday bootcamp.. The thought of eating beyond 1200 cals a day scares me rigid but I am constantly hungry..
Very very grateful for any advice xx

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    The thought of eating beyond 1200 cals a day scares me rigid but I am constantly hungry..

    Eat enough so you're not constantly hungry. Hunger is there for a reason - it's like the fuel gauge on a car. Listen to it.
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
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    Would never recommend 1200 calories for anyone except perhaps a 12 year old boy. I eat roughly 1600-1800 calories throughout my weight loss, and on workout days I eat 2000-2100. Don't fear it!

    Try this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • sarebighair
    sarebighair Posts: 14 Member
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    Wow, ok, but what do you all eat?? Would anyone mind sharing a typical day's intake? I'm seriously undereating, need to get better prepared at home..
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    if you've been dieting for years then maybe you need to take a diet break and spend a few months figuring out and eating at maintenance.

    i know everyone is different and i dont know how old you are but i am 42, 5'5 and have 40-50 pounds to lose. my maintenance is 2700-3000 calories and i'm losing just fine averaging 1700-2000 calories a day .
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
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    I eat 2056 calories you are more than welcome to look at my diary ....
  • getrealgirl
    getrealgirl Posts: 201 Member
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    I am on 1200, but work out quite a bit and eat back most of my exercise calories. My diary is open, feel free to check it out.
  • IllustratedxGirl
    IllustratedxGirl Posts: 240 Member
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    I'm eating at 1900, and I'll see if I lose this week.

    Previously, I was doing 1350 and eating back my exercise calories. Now, I'm trying a method of eating 1900 consistently (which is what I was averaging before anyways) and not logging my exercise. We will see how it goes lol.

    So far I've lost 15 lbs by netting 1350 calories.

    My diary is open.
  • sarebighair
    sarebighair Posts: 14 Member
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    Awesome, thanks, I'm 43, 5'5 & currently weigh around 126.. For the past 18 months I have been following an atkins style diet which was fine, but I got bored eventually & found with all the exercise, I perhaps needed to rethink. A diet break is a good, if scary thought as I think I am totally confused as to what diet I'm following now! Lol... The concept of eating more to lose weight is alien to me but sounds like everything I've dreamed of! ;-)
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Wow, ok, but what do you all eat?? Would anyone mind sharing a typical day's intake? I'm seriously undereating, need to get better prepared at home..

    What do we eat? Calories. It doesn't matter where it comes from.

    Typical day's intake? Take a look at anyone's diary to see what they have logged, and how many calories of their exercise they added.

    Just to add, make sure you are drinking enough fluids. The body's first response to dehydration is thirst. The second response is hunger because a lot of food has water in it and if the body didn't get what it wanted in the first response message it sent out - it moves on to the second response. Most of us spend a lot of time at some level of dehyradtion in spite of our best efforts to stay hydrated.
  • sarebighair
    sarebighair Posts: 14 Member
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    I typically drink between 2-3 litres of water a day, whether I exercise or not. Atkins say carbs make you hungry so that's the assumption I've made but perhaps I simply need more food.