1200 calories

erin1205
erin1205 Posts: 99
edited September 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone! Just wondering something....when everyone is talking about consuming at least 1200 calories so our bodies don't go into starvation mode, is that referring to the minimum amount of calories we actually consume, or is that referring to net calories? Just wondering because I looked at a report of mine and my net calories have been hovering around 1000...

Thanks in advance!:happy:

Replies

  • erin1205
    erin1205 Posts: 99
    Hey everyone! Just wondering something....when everyone is talking about consuming at least 1200 calories so our bodies don't go into starvation mode, is that referring to the minimum amount of calories we actually consume, or is that referring to net calories? Just wondering because I looked at a report of mine and my net calories have been hovering around 1000...

    Thanks in advance!:happy:
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    That is a really good question. I think the answer is actual consumption. The net calories would be after factoring in your exercise/activity level.

    When you click on "my home" it gives you what your have eaten that day and what you have left. Those are the numbers you should go by as far as calories that count in that 1200 a day.
  • sanleecar
    sanleecar Posts: 6
    Oh boy do I wish I new. With excercising and burning calories I'm staying under the 1200 calorie amount and sometimes I feel like I'm starving to death. I'm eating 3 meals a day, I think. I usually have yogurt and coffee for breakfast. Lunch I have cottage cheese with either pineapple or peaches and I'll have a 100 calorie snack pack, then when its dinner time, I eat good because there are plenty of calories left. Then I have 1 or 2 ,100 calorie snack packs in the evening, I drink about 4-5 bottles of water a day. I can't help but feel like I am doing something wrong. I have a doctors appointment on the 7th and I'm going to ask him for suggestions. On a good note I have lost 4.5 lbs since Jan. 19th, I wonder if thats too much too fast??
  • figueres3
    figueres3 Posts: 104 Member
    To the reply directly above:

    I have the same tendency to eat really little durring the day and then eat a good dinner since I have a lot of calories left. The problem with that is the the body doesn't sense how much you're eating in a 24 hour period, it gains or looses fat based on the body's needs at that time. So in the morning, if you eat a little, your caloric need is high and it burns fat; but night comes and you are winding down and you eat a huge meal, the body doesn't need all those calories, so it stores fat.
    I read something in a Diet Handbook that said:

    "Always try to eat 4 meals
    every day, spaced out by
    at least 2 1/2 hours (you
    should be breaking up
    your meals in this manner
    for the rest of your life).
    Just "ESTIMATE" what you think you'll eat each day,
    and try your best to eat those foods as evenly as
    possible throughout the day.
    Basically, all we are saying is that you should not eat
    half of your daily calories in one single meal, because
    your body will store fat if you do that.
    One of the biggest reasons people gain weight is
    because they eat too much at ONE SINGLE MEAL and
    their bodies store those extra calories as fat tissue.
  • erin1205
    erin1205 Posts: 99
    Bamboo, I think you are right...that is pretty much what I was thinking that the 1200 referred to what is actually going in the mouth and hence, in the body. Just wanted to make sure as my net calories have not been that high, but I feel like I am eating the right amount.

    Thanks again! Keep up the great work everyone!!!
  • BAND00CH
    BAND00CH Posts: 1
    I started my nutrition & exerise program on Jan 12. I sought the guidance of a personal trainer/nutitionist. The key is do cardio.. the more often the better and for not less than 30 min each. In addition a really good well balanced diet. When you exercise you actually injure muscle that's why it hurts the next day... so make sure you eat some form of protein within 30 min after working out.
    You should eat 5 meals a day that consist of some good carbs like whole wheat mini bagle, brown rice, whole grains nothing white (remember not too many carbs because carbs turns to sugar, 2-3 oz of protein to rebuild and strengthen muscule and Calcium and not more than 30g of fat consumed for the day. Also watch the sodium intake!! Sodium causes water retention. Then lastly, 2x a week cheat at one meal. Don't go too over board, but instead of typical lunch you would have... eat at Burger King or Mc Donald's etc. This shocks your body and gives you something to look forward to!

    Another key factor is lots and lots of water!! One gallon if you can get it down. Try using Crystal light or lemon or lime juice to give it a kick. I start drinking water at 7:00 am and generally finish the first 1/2 gal by 3:00pm. I work out at 4:30pm and have no problem getting the last 1/2 gal down by the end of my work out at 5:15. The first 2 weeks of this you should feel like you are starving because it will take that long for your stomach to shrink. The last 3 days I felt fine now but yes I did feel like I was starving for the first couple weeks. I've lost 4.5lbs in the last 2 1/2 weeks. A nice healthy weight loss is between 1.5 - 2.0lbs/wk.
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
    I started my nutrition & exerise program on Jan 12. I sought the guidance of a personal trainer/nutitionist. The key is do cardio.. the more often the better and for not less than 30 min each. In addition a really good well balanced diet. When you exercise you actually injure muscle that's why it hurts the next day... so make sure you eat some form of protein within 30 min after working out.
    You should eat 5 meals a day that consist of some good carbs like whole wheat mini bagle, brown rice, whole grains nothing white (remember not too many carbs because carbs turns to sugar, 2-3 oz of protein to rebuild and strengthen muscule and Calcium and not more than 30g of fat consumed for the day. Also watch the sodium intake!! Sodium causes water retention. Then lastly, 2x a week cheat at one meal. Don't go too over board, but instead of typical lunch you would have... eat at Burger King or Mc Donald's etc. This shocks your body and gives you something to look forward to!

    Another key factor is lots and lots of water!! One gallon if you can get it down. Try using Crystal light or lemon or lime juice to give it a kick. I start drinking water at 7:00 am and generally finish the first 1/2 gal by 3:00pm. I work out at 4:30pm and have no problem getting the last 1/2 gal down by the end of my work out at 5:15. The first 2 weeks of this you should feel like you are starving because it will take that long for your stomach to shrink. The last 3 days I felt fine now but yes I did feel like I was starving for the first couple weeks. I've lost 4.5lbs in the last 2 1/2 weeks. A nice healthy weight loss is between 1.5 - 2.0lbs/wk.

    You've made me want to go home and dig out my college materials. I took Nutritional Biology in college and boy did it help me out a lot but I guess the reason that so many of us are over weight is because we "know what to do, but chose not to do it". *sigh* :smile:
  • ConnieLynn
    ConnieLynn Posts: 242 Member
    To the reply directly above:

    I have the same tendency to eat really little durring the day and then eat a good dinner since I have a lot of calories left. The problem with that is the the body doesn't sense how much you're eating in a 24 hour period, it gains or looses fat based on the body's needs at that time. So in the morning, if you eat a little, your caloric need is high and it burns fat; but night comes and you are winding down and you eat a huge meal, the body doesn't need all those calories, so it stores fat.
    I read something in a Diet Handbook that said:

    "Always try to eat 4 meals
    every day, spaced out by
    at least 2 1/2 hours (you
    should be breaking up
    your meals in this manner
    for the rest of your life).
    Just "ESTIMATE" what you think you'll eat each day,
    and try your best to eat those foods as evenly as
    possible throughout the day.
    Basically, all we are saying is that you should not eat
    half of your daily calories in one single meal, because
    your body will store fat if you do that.
    One of the biggest reasons people gain weight is
    because they eat too much at ONE SINGLE MEAL and
    their bodies store those extra calories as fat tissue.

    This is very helpful.

    Thank you,

    Connie Lynn
  • AtlantaSara
    AtlantaSara Posts: 91
    I'll let others chime in but I do think its the calories consumed vs the net calories - otherwise you would only be able to loose a pound per week. I made that mistak in my first three weeks and could not for the life of me figure it out... my net calories were always around 1,000 -1,600 and I was exercising and burning between 500 and 800 calories per work out. Then it hit me -- In order to loose 2 pounds per week, I need to net about 750 calories. Which means consume 1200 and burn around 600 per work out. I'll let you know how it turns out at the end of the next two weeks.
  • mmtarase
    mmtarase Posts: 9
    What helps me not starve during the day is to fill my food diary out in the morning. I fill in what I'm going to have for dinner, then breakfast and spread the reast of the calories out during the day for lunch and snacks. It helps me a lot to do it this wey. And stops me from overeating at any one time.
  • melathon
    melathon Posts: 246 Member
    Hmmm...I could be wrong, but I really think the answer to the original question is NOT calories consumed, but net calories. If a person burns 1600 calories/day at rest (that's my BMR) and then does 500 calories of exercise, if that person only eats 1200 calories, I believe that's almost "starvation mode"--that person is at a 900 calorie deficit for the day. It makes no sense for someone to eat only 1200 calories, regardless of whether they burned 200 or 1000 through exercise. More calories burned = more calories need to be eaten. If this person does no exercise, then they would eat 1200 calories, but exercise would always add more calories.
    When we log in our exercise, it automatically adds calories to our day to make sure we're eating enough. I think the easy answer to this question is to just eat how much MFP is telling us to eat - it does the math for us.
    But this is just what I think...
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
    Hmmm...I could be wrong, but I really think the answer to the original question is NOT calories consumed, but net calories. If a person burns 1600 calories/day at rest (that's my BMR) and then does 500 calories of exercise, if that person only eats 1200 calories, I believe that's almost "starvation mode"--that person is at a 900 calorie deficit for the day. It makes no sense for someone to eat only 1200 calories, regardless of whether they burned 200 or 1000 through exercise. More calories burned = more calories need to be eaten. If this person does no exercise, then they would eat 1200 calories, but exercise would always add more calories.
    When we log in our exercise, it automatically adds calories to our day to make sure we're eating enough. I think the easy answer to this question is to just eat how much MFP is telling us to eat - it does the math for us.
    But this is just what I think...

    Me thinks you are right. :tongue:

    That is why my answer is always, think of excersing as a reward...you are rewarding yourself with more calories to eat (just eat appropriately).
  • rhondababy
    rhondababy Posts: 119
    Definitely! Your goal should be for your NET calories to be in the 1200 range. Though if you add so many calories to your 'pot' by exercising that you are unable to eat it, don't force yourself. Otherwise, you are doing the same thing as cutting your calories too low without exercise- causing your body to panic a bit and hold on to the fat.
  • SEHines
    SEHines Posts: 7
    I have to agree with Melathon, for the past month I've stuck to comsuming 1200 calories. I work out six days a week burning between 500-700 calories each day and this past month I gained a pound. I was crushed but my personal trainer say's i've been in starvation mode and if i don't increase my calories he's gonna cut back my weekly workouts. So I've paid attention to him and what this website says I should take in and heck I even feel better. I was starving to death each day but I wanted to stick to the 1200. But now it's 3 meals a day and two snack's for me. I'm lookin forward to the next weigh in.
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
    Oh boy do I wish I new. With excercising and burning calories I'm staying under the 1200 calorie amount and sometimes I feel like I'm starving to death. I'm eating 3 meals a day, I think. I usually have yogurt and coffee for breakfast. Lunch I have cottage cheese with either pineapple or peaches and I'll have a 100 calorie snack pack, then when its dinner time, I eat good because there are plenty of calories left. Then I have 1 or 2 ,100 calorie snack packs in the evening, I drink about 4-5 bottles of water a day. I can't help but feel like I am doing something wrong. I have a doctors appointment on the 7th and I'm going to ask him for suggestions. On a good note I have lost 4.5 lbs since Jan. 19th, I wonder if thats too much too fast??

    eating large at night might be your killer here
    try to space out your intake more. especially in the morning and lunch time.
    Also, coffee (caffeine) may give you energy, but it is also known for retaining water and weight.
  • lnsbaseballmom
    lnsbaseballmom Posts: 3
    These are great suggestions and I am following almost all of them. I drink two 32 oz bottles of water a day and sometimes it's 3. I'm staying right at my 1200 calories a day and am on the treadmill for 30-45 mintues every other day if not every day, burning over 200 calories and then I do ab and leg exercises.

    BUT.......I am not losing any weight. I am getting so discourages.

    HELP!
  • Families_R_Forever
    Families_R_Forever Posts: 630
    Hmmm...I could be wrong, but I really think the answer to the original question is NOT calories consumed, but net calories. If a person burns 1600 calories/day at rest (that's my BMR) and then does 500 calories of exercise, if that person only eats 1200 calories, I believe that's almost "starvation mode"--that person is at a 900 calorie deficit for the day. It makes no sense for someone to eat only 1200 calories, regardless of whether they burned 200 or 1000 through exercise. More calories burned = more calories need to be eaten. If this person does no exercise, then they would eat 1200 calories, but exercise would always add more calories.
    When we log in our exercise, it automatically adds calories to our day to make sure we're eating enough. I think the easy answer to this question is to just eat how much MFP is telling us to eat - it does the math for us.
    But this is just what I think...

    Me thinks you are right. :tongue:

    That is why my answer is always, think of excersing as a reward...you are rewarding yourself with more calories to eat (just eat appropriately).
    This is also something I have been taught and it makes perfect sense. Heidi
  • markfloyd
    markfloyd Posts: 69
    Calories? :ohwell: Oh my!! I just consumed a Birthday Dinner served by Uncle Sam. Once I entered everything in, I had exceeded all daily totals in one meal. :laugh: But, that T-Bone and Lobster sure was delicious. :bigsmile:
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
    These are great suggestions and I am following almost all of them. I drink two 32 oz bottles of water a day and sometimes it's 3. I'm staying right at my 1200 calories a day and am on the treadmill for 30-45 mintues every other day if not every day, burning over 200 calories and then I do ab and leg exercises.

    BUT.......I am not losing any weight. I am getting so discourages.

    HELP!

    on the days you are working out do you only eat 1200 calories? If you are burning 200 calories in your workout you should eat as many of those as you can to help refeed your body.

    Think about it this way. If you only eat 1200 calories and then burn 200 your total caloric intake for the day is now 1000, 200 below what is recommended for healthy weight loss.

    If you eat 1400 calories, burn 200 in your workout then your caloric intake for the day is 1200, right where you want to be.

    by not eating enough calories you are telling your body to retain the fat to help feed it.

    Hope that helps.
  • lnsbaseballmom
    lnsbaseballmom Posts: 3
    jessneill,

    that clears everything up. I stick to the 1200 calories very strictly.

    I've heard many things about working out also. One person has told me that you should only work out every other day and the other has told me you can work out 5 days a week and rest two. Any perspective on this?
  • MurielDebroy
    MurielDebroy Posts: 4
    I have some insight on that one. For most exercising you can work out 5 days week and rest two but only if you are not sore the next day or if you rotate the parts of the body that you are working an example of this is weight lifters will work abs and arms on one day, the next they work legs and back while their other muscle groups repair themselves. It is very important to let your body repair completey (ie. stop being sore) so that you do not injure yourself along the way and believe me an injury is far worse for losing weight. If you work out all of your muscle groups leave a day in between workouts. Also keep in mind that while your muscles are repairing you are still burning because your body needs the extra calories to repiar the tissue.

    Hope that helps
  • lnsbaseballmom
    lnsbaseballmom Posts: 3
    Thanks. I'll take all the advice I can get.
  • erin1205
    erin1205 Posts: 99
    Wow, thanks for the input everyone! I appreciate the feedback...so the consensus is to have net calories no less than 1200. So, if say you don't exercise on Sunday and your BMR is around 1500...1500 calories (or your BMR) is your max. This is because MFP factors in the 500 cal deficit.....

    I know that sounded like a statement, but i meant it more as a question...am i on the right track?
  • rseman
    rseman Posts: 50
    Wow, I just went through this entire thread and my head is spinning from all the info :ohwell:

    I was originially having a problem staying at 1200 calories. Now I am having a hard time reaching 1200 but I'm not hungry and I am NOT losing any weight at all. And I am going to the gym. All that jazz.

    So is my body starving even though I'm not? I am going to :explode:
  • sanleecar
    sanleecar Posts: 6
    Okay, I'm blonde here so tell me if I got this right LOL!! I start with 1200 calories, if I burn 200 calories, then I am at 1000 calories but still have to eat 1200?? Here I was saying wow, at the end of the night after excercise and eating I have 230 calories left!! Thats bad right? I need to come out even?? Oh boy this is more difficult than I thought or should I say confusion city!!
  • Loretta_Jo
    Loretta_Jo Posts: 609 Member
    Wow, I just went through this entire thread and my head is spinning from all the info :ohwell:

    I was originially having a problem staying at 1200 calories. Now I am having a hard time reaching 1200 but I'm not hungry and I am NOT losing any weight at all. And I am going to the gym. All that jazz.

    So is my body starving even though I'm not? I am going to :explode:

    A few years ago there was a couple of weeks that a lot was going on and I was way busy. The scales were not moving at all. I went back and looked at what I was eating and found that I had only eaten around 850 calories a day. :noway: I bumped up the calories to 1200 and 1400 and I started losing again.
    Hungry or not your body still needs the food to function. You have to eat to lose. Sounds odd I know but it is the truth.
    Even now if I only eat 1200 calories day I don’t lose as well until I eat closer to 1400 calories a day.
    :flowerforyou:
  • pam0206
    pam0206 Posts: 700 Member
    Right. Look at it this way......if you are allowed 1200 calories a day, you already have your deficit built in....That means that the site is already figuring -500/cals per day which would equal 3500 cals in one week. (If you have a deficit of 3500 cals at the end of the week, you should lose 1 pound/week.) So, if you exercise and burn 200, you actually should be eating 1400 cals that day.
  • tiliquinones
    tiliquinones Posts: 59
    Oh boy do I wish I new. With excercising and burning calories I'm staying under the 1200 calorie amount and sometimes I feel like I'm starving to death. I'm eating 3 meals a day, I think. I usually have yogurt and coffee for breakfast. Lunch I have cottage cheese with either pineapple or peaches and I'll have a 100 calorie snack pack, then when its dinner time, I eat good because there are plenty of calories left. Then I have 1 or 2 ,100 calorie snack packs in the evening, I drink about 4-5 bottles of water a day. I can't help but feel like I am doing something wrong. I have a doctors appointment on the 7th and I'm going to ask him for suggestions. On a good note I have lost 4.5 lbs since Jan. 19th, I wonder if thats too much too fast??

    You might want to add more fruits and vegatables and eat more balanced meals through out the day. That will help you from feeling like you're starving to death and still continue w/your weight loss. Those 100 calorie pack snacks are great but they do lack a lot of vitamins and mineral that your body needs. Also breakfast is very important so you should add more calories to it , try eating an equal amount of calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner and have two healthy snacks.
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