1,200 calories NET a day?

Options
Solkre2
Solkre2 Posts: 29 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I've been losing weight for a while, but it's plateaued, or goes in spurts. MFP has me at 1,200 NET calories a day. But I'm also using the elliptical 5-6 times a week; until I reach 800 burned calories on my Polar Beat HR monitor.

I haven't been eating back exercise calories, so my NET can be around 500 most of the week. Should I be eating more when I workout, or working out less. Is the 1200 NET the MINIMUM and I'm hurting myself and my progress being below it? MFP yells at me if I don't EAT 1200, but it doesn't yell at me if I eat 1200 and workout 800... that confuses me. I'm male, 182 lbs, 5' 8"

Also maybe it's why I'm freezing cold all the time now... like excessively, even considering it's winter. Any incite is welcome, thank you all!

Replies

  • opalsqueak007
    opalsqueak007 Posts: 433 Member
    Options
    Blimey mate, experts will be along soon, but I can tell you that eating 1200 a day and working out 800 or so a day leaves you with barely enough calories to exist on. You will waste muscle off your body (including heart muscle eventually) You might get skinny fat. You will feel cold as your poor body can't keep itself warm. Please eat much more. Is 1200 even enough for a man of 5'8 anyway? I doubt it, even if you sat in a chair all day!/ Good luck.
  • bm920
    bm920 Posts: 114 Member
    Options
    Those are very low calories for someone your size.
    1200 net, means you could eat 1500 calories but burn 300 through exercise to be at 1200. So it takes your intake - exercise. Start resistance training if you currently arent, stop doing excessive cardio and begin to build some muscle.
  • kissa714
    kissa714 Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    MFP helps you track that. if you log your exercises on the app it will show you how many calories you've burned and how many you have to eat back to meet your calorie goal.
  • Richardlaing1
    Richardlaing1 Posts: 23 Member
    Options
    I agree at 500 net calories you are under nourished. You metabolism is in panic mode. Anytime I plateau it is generally because I am eating too little and I will go off the rails for a day. Only problem with that is it takes a couple days to get back in the grove.
  • Solkre2
    Solkre2 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    Those asking about the NET 1200 a day, that's what MFP has told me with my stats and a -2lb weekly goal.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
    Options
    Solkre2 wrote: »
    Is the 1200 NET the MINIMUM and I'm hurting myself and my progress being below it?

    Yes ,and it's probably higher than that if you're a 5'8 M.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    Options
    2 lb a week is probably too high a goal for you to try and lose. ( the less you have to lose; the lower your weekly goal should be).
    Set MFP TO 1lb and eat back at least 50% of your calories burnt through exercise.
    Try and incorporate some weight bearing exercise; this will help you hold onto any muscle you have.
    It may take a bit of adjusting to get your calorie intake correct, but make sure you are eating at least your MFP goal each day, and preferably exercise calories too.
    Cheers, h.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    Options
    Billiejamie, the active setting is for lifestyle, not exercise.
    With MFP one logs calories burnt by exercise separately.
    If one wants to count calories using the TDEE method it should be calculated on a site like IIFYM.com. Then one manually overrides the MFP goals and enters exercise as 0.
    Cheers, h.
  • gillystevas
    gillystevas Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    There was a really helpful documentary on BBC2 this week about plateauing - it basically said that when people are overweight their basic metabolic rate (what they burn when doing nothing) is high but this lowers when they lose weight. This means that the BMR reduces when you lose weight so you need to keep upping your game. A good analogy is a big car needs more fuel whereas a little car needs less.

    I think it is available to watch on BBC I-Player and the documentary is called 'Horizon: what's the best diet for you?'
  • Solkre2
    Solkre2 Posts: 29 Member
    edited January 2015
    Options
    Right, I have a desk job so I don't have an active lifestyle. All of my exercise is intentional, either the elliptical or my bowflex. I use a heart monitor for the calorie estimation.

    All of these suggestions are great, and reinforcing the idea that I definitely need to eat back my exercising calories.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Options
    Your profile said you have 8 more lbs to go. At this target, you should be set at a 0.5lb/week loss rate. You also need to up your calories just to fuel your workouts. Your body may have gotten used to what you're doing (sounds like all cardio). Try mixing in some body weight movements (push ups, pull ups, squats) and your body might reset itself to losing again.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    I would make sure you get a minimum of 1200 net calories a day. Eat at least a portion of your exercise calories.
    If you don't have much to lose 2 pounds a week is perhaps too high a goal. Change it to 1 pound or less.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    opalsqueak007 wrote: »
    Blimey mate, experts will be along soon, but I can tell you that eating 1200 a day and working out 800 or so a day leaves you with barely enough calories to exist on. You will waste muscle off your body (including heart muscle eventually) You might get skinny fat. You will feel cold as your poor body can't keep itself warm. Please eat much more. Is 1200 even enough for a man of 5'8 anyway? I doubt it, even if you sat in a chair all day!/ Good luck.

    All of this!

    Given your stats, set MFP to lose 1lb per week max, you don't have that much to lose!
  • roddy1980
    roddy1980 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    It's Insight ;)
  • Solkre2
    Solkre2 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    I just redid my goals and target and it said the new minimum for men is 1500 cals. Still 1200 for women.

Categories