"Just Fit it in to your Daily Allowance"

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  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    While I have pulled off a day here and there eating close to 1200 I would find it impossible to succeed if I tried to do it long term. I don't know what your stats are that put you at such a low number but would say consider a less aggressive restriction if you have the option. Also start adding in some exercise and use those bonus calories for your treats. I often gain myself 600-1000 extra calories from exercise. While I don't eat many of them back, there are days when it is nice to have the option.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    kelziemba wrote: »
    Hi all, thanks for the replies. As for 1200 I'm going by what MFP calculated for 2 lbs a week loss. I am 38, female, 5'4", and started 2 weeks ago at 17 stones or 238 lbs. I don't usually excersise, though I started at the gym today and am taking it slowly building up my fitness. I know that once I weigh less I shouldn't expect to lose 2 lbs a week but for now I figured it was a realistic goal given me being obese.

    Thanks for adding your stats, it's helpful! I used this website to calculate your TDEE given zero exercise:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    And it came out to around 2200 calories per day. That's how much you'd need to eat to maintain your weight if you don't exercise at all. Given that, MFP has rightly told you to eat 1200 a day to lose two pounds a week (1000 calorie deficit a day = 7000 calories a week = 2 pounds a week). However, this is including NO exercise at all - not even basic activities like walking around at work or grocery shopping. Unless you are 100% sedentary (unlikely), your TDEE is higher than this.

    Here's my suggestion. Aim for 1.5 pounds a week, which gives you 1450 calories a day. Try to add some exercise in there, even a walk around the block, and make sure to eat back those extra calories you burn. That should give you a more comfortable amount of calories to eat, while still producing a fairly quick weight loss.

    Good luck!
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    kelziemba wrote: »
    Hi all, thanks for the replies. As for 1200 I'm going by what MFP calculated for 2 lbs a week loss. I am 38, female, 5'4", and started 2 weeks ago at 17 stones or 238 lbs. I don't usually excersise, though I started at the gym today and am taking it slowly building up my fitness. I know that once I weigh less I shouldn't expect to lose 2 lbs a week but for now I figured it was a realistic goal given me being obese.

    I just ran your numbers through freedieting's calculator (one I used during my weight loss phase, before I found MFP), and for little/no exercise, to lose weight it gives you 1,904 calories a day. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
    I'd up those calories :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    They cheat. Which means that they enjoy the treat and move on.
    If you however want to enjoy a treat while keeping yourself on 1200kcal, you can for a 500kcal treat:
    1. eat ~70kcal/day less for 7 days
    2. expend an extra 500kcal in form of exercise. Such as walking for a couple of hours.

    Cheat what? It fits in our calories.

    I agree with the person who said that weighing is important though. I wouldn't have lost so much if I wasn't weighing my food, because once you start eating things that are like 200 calories for half a cup or less, it's very easy to underestimate how much you are eating.
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
    I tried 1200 and still found ways to eat what I wanted but it is a lot harder. MFP has my recommended calories at just over 1200 but it's so hard to do that so I usually eat between 1300-1400. If I don't exercise at all then I eat on the lower end of it. If I know that im planning to eat something higher in calories for dinner, I exercise more. But at 1300 a day I find that I can easily eat a personal size pizza as a meal or fit in a cupcake or something. Sometimes I have a breakfast shake to give myself more calories for later in the day or I don't add cheese to something I normally would.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    kelziemba wrote: »
    Hi all, thanks for the replies. As for 1200 I'm going by what MFP calculated for 2 lbs a week loss. I am 38, female, 5'4", and started 2 weeks ago at 17 stones or 238 lbs. I don't usually excersise, though I started at the gym today and am taking it slowly building up my fitness. I know that once I weigh less I shouldn't expect to lose 2 lbs a week but for now I figured it was a realistic goal given me being obese.

    It's not uncommon for newcomers to MFP to choose the 2 lbs a week loss option. You don't have to do that. You really also don't necessarily have to eat 1200 calories a day to lose 2 lbs a week, ESPECIALLY if you are obese. MFP's math (and/or the assumptions to plugged in to their formula: the place most people mess up here is the activity level. When you tell MFP you are "sedentary," it seems to assume you are actually bedridden, so first of all consider bumping that up.) are not gospel.

    FWIW, I started out morbidly obese. I have lost >170 lbs. I am in my mid-40s. I got where I am now eating >1800 calories a day, and until quite recently I was losing 2 lbs a week too (I increased my calorie intake to 2000 calories per day specifically to slow my weight loss, which is not everyone's goal, but I'm just including that to help explain my numbers). I do exercise, but my point is simply don't take MFP's assumptions as accurate. Most of us have found otherwise.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited May 2015
    1200 would be pretty challenging to start with because you can't really go lower than that. I would start higher and gradually lower it.
    I am 40 years old, sedentary, 5'4", 157 lbs and my current goal is 1270 calories a day to lose 1 lb a week. I started at 179 lbs and 1330 calories to lose 1 lb a week and it got lowered after I lost a bit. I declined lowering it any further.
    It is really helpful for me to pre-log food so I can see what fits my day. I eat smaller portions of higher calorie foods. I choose more filling and satisfying food (protein, fiber, fats). I drink mostly water or unsweetened tea so my calories are for food. To get more calories I exercise.
    I might get a regular hamburger but pair it with a salad and unsweetened tea instead of fries and soda pop.
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
    edited May 2015
    I don't really understand why 1200 calories seems low? I am doing 1250 and I am full and eat healthily (or so I think). BUT, I prepare meals that are well balanced and are not calorie rich. Of course I love the healthy low calorie vegetables, salads, etc. I never eat bread, and I consume 12+ glasses of water per day.

    I use the website Cooksmarts, and a book of 365 Healthy Meals (1 a day) to plan meals on a weekly basis that fit perfectly into this scheme. I exercise about 100 calories worth per day, and I don't eat it back. I now MAKE everything that I eat, from homemade hummus, to homemade pita chips, to broccoli rice.

    The key is to have fun with the meal planning, for which I am extremely proud.

    1250 isn't ridiculous, at least for me. It is all about planning, and knowing what you can "fill-up" on without adding ridiculous fruitless calories.

    Good Luck! -- of course, I've only been REALLY at it for 40 days on MFP :smiley: but since January I've lost nearly 60 lbs.
  • MikaMojito
    MikaMojito Posts: 680 Member
    I know I'm going against what everybody else is saying, but it IS possible to fit in treats even at 1200kcal.

    Eg my diary today:

    Breakfast: 50g pumpernickel bread with jam (it's VERY dark bread and keeps me quite full for a long time)
    Lunch: Mixed leaf salad, 3 slices garlic bread and a sausage
    Dinner: two big bowls of vegetable and sausage soup.

    And now I just had 20g of very good, rich chocolate and I'm actually under 1200. Not because I meant to but because I was so busy all day and when I got hungry, nothing was acailable and now it's too late to eat more. I'll have some extra calories tomorrow.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    MikaMojito wrote: »
    I know I'm going against what everybody else is saying, but it IS possible to fit in treats even at 1200kcal.

    Eg my diary today:

    Breakfast: 50g pumpernickel bread with jam (it's VERY dark bread and keeps me quite full for a long time)
    Lunch: Mixed leaf salad, 3 slices garlic bread and a sausage
    Dinner: two big bowls of vegetable and sausage soup.

    And now I just had 20g of very good, rich chocolate and I'm actually under 1200. Not because I meant to but because I was so busy all day and when I got hungry, nothing was acailable and now it's too late to eat more. I'll have some extra calories tomorrow.

    Yeah I'd be completely starving with that, lol.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    MikaMojito wrote: »
    I know I'm going against what everybody else is saying, but it IS possible to fit in treats even at 1200kcal.

    Eg my diary today:

    Breakfast: 50g pumpernickel bread with jam (it's VERY dark bread and keeps me quite full for a long time)
    Lunch: Mixed leaf salad, 3 slices garlic bread and a sausage
    Dinner: two big bowls of vegetable and sausage soup.

    And now I just had 20g of very good, rich chocolate and I'm actually under 1200. Not because I meant to but because I was so busy all day and when I got hungry, nothing was acailable and now it's too late to eat more. I'll have some extra calories tomorrow.

    Yeah I'd be completely starving with that, lol.

    Same here...and wondering why it would be too late for her to eat more. I eat right up until I got to bed.

  • manicautumn
    manicautumn Posts: 224 Member
    edited May 2015
    1200 actually isn't too bad for a short woman. At 5'0, I can EASILY do 1200 daily. I have to disagree with many of those here. When you're close to a healthy weight and short, sometimes you don't have as much calories to play with. However, I never WANT to do 1200.

    The advice I would give is:
    - aim for a realistic weekly goal (1.5-2lb/week is probably aggressive if it's setting it at 1200cal)
    - set your activity level right (sedentary assumes very little movement, most people are more)
    - count your steps (by fitness tracker or app on your phone) and adjust for exercise calories to eat back

    I have 1200 set on MFP, but I rarely eat under 1400 calories a day.
  • Jasmunr
    Jasmunr Posts: 147 Member
    I still don't get why people go to 1200 calories a day... it seems so low.
    I know personally I'm 5'0 and 130 pounds. 1,200 Is plenty for me, but I would think most could eat more.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    faidwen wrote: »
    I don't really understand why 1200 calories seems low? I am doing 1250 and I am full and eat healthily (or so I think). BUT, I prepare meals that are well balanced and are not calorie rich. Of course I love the healthy low calorie vegetables, salads, etc. I never eat bread, and I consume 12+ glasses of water per day.

    I use the website Cooksmarts, and a book of 365 Healthy Meals (1 a day) to plan meals on a weekly basis that fit perfectly into this scheme. I exercise about 100 calories worth per day, and I don't eat it back. I now MAKE everything that I eat, from homemade hummus, to homemade pita chips, to broccoli rice.

    The key is to have fun with the meal planning, for which I am extremely proud.

    1250 isn't ridiculous, at least for me. It is all about planning, and knowing what you can "fill-up" on without adding ridiculous fruitless calories.

    Good Luck! -- of course, I've only been REALLY at it for 40 days on MFP :smiley: but since January I've lost nearly 60 lbs.

    If you are the man in your profile you shouldn't be netting below 1600 calories
  • weavingtheweb
    weavingtheweb Posts: 135 Member
    sympha01 wrote: »
    MFP's math (and/or the assumptions to plugged in to their formula: the place most people mess up here is the activity level. When you tell MFP you are "sedentary," it seems to assume you are actually bedridden, so first of all consider bumping that up.)

    When I first started I went looking for what formula they used, there's a link in the help section where I found the following

    The sedentary category was defined to include BEE, the thermic effect of food, and the energy expended in physical activities that are required for independent living. For an adult weighing 70 kg, the low-active category was defined to be an exertion equivalent to walking 2miles/d (≈3 km) at a rate of 3–4 miles/h (≈5–6.5 km/h) or the equivalent energy expenditure in other activities, in addition to the activities that are part of independent living. The active category reflected physical activities equivalent to walking some 7 miles/d (≈11 km), and the very active category was equivalent to walking 17 miles/d (≈27 km/d), all at the rate of 3–4 miles/h (≈5–6.5 km/h). As described in chapter 12 of the IOM report (1), these distances vary with body weight and can be substantially reduced by walking faster or by performing other physical activities of vigorous intensities. Retrospectively, these categories corresponded roughly to quartiles in the database. It is important to note, however, that substantial fidgeting and other spontaneous activities may contribute to PAL, but may not produce the health benefits of sustained, vigorous exercise. Therefore, some individuals may achieve the low-active category without regular exercise.

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/921S.full
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    edited May 2015
    faidwen wrote: »
    I don't really understand why 1200 calories seems low? I am doing 1250 and I am full and eat healthily (or so I think). BUT, I prepare meals that are well balanced and are not calorie rich. Of course I love the healthy low calorie vegetables, salads, etc. I never eat bread, and I consume 12+ glasses of water per day.

    I use the website Cooksmarts, and a book of 365 Healthy Meals (1 a day) to plan meals on a weekly basis that fit perfectly into this scheme. I exercise about 100 calories worth per day, and I don't eat it back. I now MAKE everything that I eat, from homemade hummus, to homemade pita chips, to broccoli rice.

    The key is to have fun with the meal planning, for which I am extremely proud.

    1250 isn't ridiculous, at least for me. It is all about planning, and knowing what you can "fill-up" on without adding ridiculous fruitless calories.

    Good Luck! -- of course, I've only been REALLY at it for 40 days on MFP :smiley: but since January I've lost nearly 60 lbs.

    It is hard to hit daily nutrient requirements on such a low calorie goal...you have to plan very carefully...as a woman and you best be a smaller woman.

    As a man almost...note almost impossible. Men shouldn't go below 1600.
    1250 for a man is not good.

    Being "full" is different than having everything you need to run your body.

    ETA you may have lost 60lbs but how much of that was muscle?
  • star1407
    star1407 Posts: 588 Member
    kelziemba wrote: »
    Hi all, thanks for the replies. As for 1200 I'm going by what MFP calculated for 2 lbs a week loss. I am 38, female, 5'4", and started 2 weeks ago at 17 stones or 238 lbs. I don't usually excersise, though I started at the gym today and am taking it slowly building up my fitness. I know that once I weigh less I shouldn't expect to lose 2 lbs a week but for now I figured it was a realistic goal given me being obese.

    I'm 5ft 4 and started at 17 stone 2. I lose 2lb a week on 1600 and I'm mostly in a wheelchair or in bed with the odd bit of walking here and there. It can be done
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Do you exercise? You can always use any earned exercise calories back for treats. I think that's what some do.

    Yeah, when I was doing 1250 I ate back exercise for more calories.

    I also gradually increased my base calories as I got active more regularly. I was fine on 1250 for a while, but would have gotten bored and couldn't have supported the level of activity I was aiming for.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,573 Member
    I do about 1350 daily. Sometimes Indians high as 1500 or 1600. I have lost 30 lbs since the end of Jan. When I exercise I add about half the burn that the app or gym machine credits me with back into my day. Most times I eat those back ...sometimes I dont. But I would be very unhappy at only 1200 a day.
  • kamber13
    kamber13 Posts: 249 Member
    I'm wondering now how MFP calculates a person's daily caloric intake. Because I'm 5'6", stated that I was moderately active (mostly sedentary)... MFP advised I should eat 1,000 calories.

    With this allotment, I eat 2-3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks a day and still have 2-300 calories to spare.

    I'm completely satiated eating:
    Breakfast: 3 egg white scramble with 1c spinach (pepper+garlic powder) 58 calories
    Snack: clementine and 1c watermelon 80 calories
    Lunch: Skinless chicken thigh over saute spinach, sauerkraut, and kimchi 228 calories
    Snack: 2c air popped popcorn 61 calories
    Dinner: mayo-less tuna salad with red onion, green apple, pickle, and mustard 115 calories
    Snack: 1/4c chocolate pudding 50 calories

    I also drink 3 quarts water daily.

    TOTAL: 592 calories....

    I'm not a big workout fan, but I do exercise at home which allows me another 100-200 calories extra according MFP.

    I really hope you figure out how to feel full and still get those special treats in!