Is this a good idea?

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apeyboo
apeyboo Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Eating 1000 cals and punishing yourself if you eat over 1200.... BAD idea
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Your weight loss goal is extreme and your plan is not something that I would recommend doing. As a minimum, you should be eating 1200 every day. If you exercise, you should be logging the calories and eating back at least 50% of them.

    You are young. Start building healthy habits now.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Honestly, this doesn't sound like a great plan. I don't know your height, your current weight, or your activity level, but you probably need more than 1,000 calories a day in order to meet your nutritional needs while you lose weight. Why not see what goal MFP gives you?

    "Punishing" yourself with workouts also sounds not-great. Working out is a great way to increase your fitness and sense of wellbeing. Why not just set a reasonable workout goal -- one that involves activities that you enjoy and make you feel good. Making yourself exercise if you exceed a certain number of calories can be associated with disordered eating and it isn't a path you particularly want to go down

    A good way to get into the habit of eating better and exercising is to . . . eat better and exercise. Very low calorie diets and punishing routines are not necessary.

    I don't know how much you have to lose, but 30 pounds by August is a big goal. You probably won't lose 30 pounds by August (unless you have a whole lot to lose), but you could lose SOME weight by August and that is much better than losing none.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    no, doesn't sound like a good plan at all...in fact, I'm pretty sure this could ultimately put you on the road to a disorder called exercise bulimia.
  • doktorglass
    doktorglass Posts: 91 Member
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    No.
    1. Exercise is not a tool to punish your body with.
    2. Food is not your enemy. And eating is not a battle.
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    It's a great idea.

    If you're an actual Hobbit. If not no. Not a good idea in the slightest.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
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    No.
    1200 is a minimum. Unless you're very short and/or very sedentary it's probably too low for you. 1000 is not safe or smart.

    If you're pretty obese you can hope to lose about 2 pounds a week. If you're closer to your ideal weight you will lose slower. So 30 pounds by the end of August is wildly optimistic.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    No, it's a terrible idea.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    edited May 2015
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    i used to eat 1200 and do that. i lost about 1 to 2 lbs a month, i switched to 1400 to 1900 calories and started losing 1 lb a week. i also started working out every other day.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    doktorglass wrote: »
    No.
    1. Exercise is not a tool to punish your body with.
    2. Food is not your enemy. And eating is not a battle.

    This.

    It's one thing to have a calorie goal of, say 1200 (which I do since I'm 5 feet tall with MFP set to Sedentary) and to make a point of moving more - dedicated exercise, extra walking, etc - so you can eat more.

    If all you have to lose is the 30 lbs, you are setting yourself up for failure. You can maybe lose half that. What you should do is set a reasonable goal and start lifting heavy. You may find that you look better at a higher weight if you preserve more muscle mass.

    ~Lyssa
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Terrible idea. Punishing yourself for eating what is likely too little to sustain you is a disorder - you might want to meet with a therapist or a registered dietitian than deals with eating disorders.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Why would you even possibly think this was a good idea?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?

    How tall are you. That sounds awfully low unless you are very short.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    There is absolutely nothing about this plan that is healthy (mentally or physically) or sustainable.
  • LegendOfErin
    LegendOfErin Posts: 18 Member
    edited May 2015
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    It's possible to lose 10 lbs per month, which would take you June, July, and August. You could easily do it without being drastic.
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
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    No, terrible idea.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    If you have to ask.....it's not a good idea.

    Here is a good idea. Buy a food scale. You can get them for ~$20 at Target. Weigh and log EVERYTHING you eat for two weeks. Once you have an idea of how many calories you are truly eating in a day, adjust from there. Exercise for fun and fitness. Find something you love and do that - Zumba, yoga, jogging, biking, swimming, weight lifting, etc.

  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?

    I'm going to beat this horse some more.
    No
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    There is absolutely nothing about this plan that is healthy (mentally or physically) or sustainable.

    I couldn't have said it better.

    OP, you cannot outrun your fork. Measure, weigh and log your food and eat at a reasonable caloric deficit (read: a MINIMUM of 1200 calories) for weight loss. Exercise to get fit. Adjust your goals to a reasonable 1/2 to 1 pound per week and work on developing good habits for the rest of your life.

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