Eating less than 1200 cal?????

♥Faerie♥
♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So since I have been watching what I eat, I have noticed on most days I am below my target cal intake of 1200 AFTER exercise, like most of the time between 200-380 under. Is this bad? Will this make me NOT loose weight?
When I add an exercise, what exactly does it mean when it says, I have gained so many calories today? I feel good about what I am eating, and really do not feel hungry between meals, and also have the thought in my head that if I eat more then I will either not loose or even gain, yikes!:noway:
Very confused, help!!!!

Replies

  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
    So since I have been watching what I eat, I have noticed on most days I am below my target cal intake of 1200 AFTER exercise, like most of the time between 200-380 under. Is this bad? Will this make me NOT loose weight?
    When I add an exercise, what exactly does it mean when it says, I have gained so many calories today? I feel good about what I am eating, and really do not feel hungry between meals, and also have the thought in my head that if I eat more then I will either not loose or even gain, yikes!:noway:
    Very confused, help!!!!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    In time it will cause your BMR to decrease in order to conserve what little energy you're taking in. It'll also result in a larger % of your weight loss to come from lean body mass rather than fat. You do want to eat the exercise calories; MFP builds in a 500 calorie deficit when it gives you the baseline number of calories to eat. When you exercise, you have to eat those earned calories to maintain a 500 calorie deficit.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    Here's a post I wrote a hundred years ago (approximately) that answers this and other questions.
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
    So is it good to be a little under, or should I aim for 1200 or a little more?
    I definitely want to loose the fat, not lean body mass, but I thought if I stayed under 1200 that would make me loose weight. Guess I am looking at it the wrong way!!! :huh:
  • PrincessLaundry
    PrincessLaundry Posts: 2,758 Member
    You HAVE to eat your calories if you wish to find success in your healthy new journey. However I did decide to take this topic up a different way this time. I listed 10 benefits of eating less than your needed 1200 calories:

    1. Starvation mode
    2. You won't have to worry about doing things because you won't have any energy
    3. Face and other skin will look less healthy
    4. Hair loss
    5. Hunger pains
    6. Crankiness / Mood swings
    7. Wrinkles
    8. Dull oily hair
    9. Poor nail growth
    10. Illness

    Now none of those sound good, do they? Nope! I had all those when I was *starving myself to be thin*. So try something healthier! There is a link here you can look for it talks about "Eating 700 calories per day and still obese" or something like that...Or search my blogs to find it. Trust me, I was eating 300 - 700 calories per day and gaining weight so quickly my head could spin! Read it and let me know what you think! Good luck girlie! :flowerforyou:
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
    Thanks, I think I am starting to understand all this a little better. I have to get my mind set out of "I haven't ate hardly anything, Yeah, I will loose weight!" I also have to realize that I am eating less, and working out more!
  • allaboutme
    allaboutme Posts: 391 Member
    I was eating 1200 per day faithfully, and I exercised so I could eat an extra 300 or 400 calories per day. It hit me one day when I was hungry that since I didn't have that much too lose, my body was holding on with all it's might to the few extra pounds it had because I kept it so close the the starvation mode, it just couldn't trust me to feed it enough. I increased my calories up to 1400 per day, plus my exercise calories, I feel like a new person, sometimes have a hard time eating that many calories because I am not hungry (don't get me wrong, anyone can fill them up with junk) and I never thought I would be a person who said that, and since I have increased my calories my weight seems to be moving and my body is changing, I am never hungry or feel deprived. I knew that if I stayed constantly hungry and feeling deprived I wouldn't be able to stick to what I wanted to do. Last night I was finally able to run 7ks without stoping because my legs weren't too tired. Sometime calories aren't always the enemy we think they are. Will it take me longer to lose weight, maybe, but I know I will stick with it. Maybe that is what is going on with you?
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
    Well, it does make logical sense. It is just terrifying to add those extra calories in!
  • PurdyMommy
    PurdyMommy Posts: 378 Member
    this website says I need 1900 calories a day. Well I pushing it and eatting that but I started this Slim Quick drink mix and it says I should eat only 1200 sometimes only 1100 How many should I eat 5'8 @ 193poubds?
  • allaboutme
    allaboutme Posts: 391 Member
    according to all the calculators, bmr and calorie intake (I found this on the web) you need 2256 to maintain what you have and at least 1669 or your body goes below what it needs to function. So pick a number inbetween, a higher number if you want to lose slower, or a lower number to go quicker. I think everyone here would agree you shouldn't be doing 1200 per day, according the mfp BMR calculator 1200 is way to low for you.
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