1,200 calories is too much

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lrachel011
lrachel011 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I gain weight when I eat that much, my "treat days" are between 1000-1200 calories, so if I eat the amount that mfp is recommending me to to eat, then I'll just gain back the weight that I've already lost. Does anyone else eat a lot less than what they're supposed to and find that it works for them?
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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    I looked at your diary and think if you tighten up your logging, you will find you eat more than you think you do.

    How tall are you, what do you weigh, and what's your goal weight?
  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
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    Are you weighing everything with a scale?
    By everything, I mean even olive oil, butter, a little bites of food. Are you eating back your calories?

    You'd have to be 4'11" or shorter to gain weight with 1200.
  • jessathemessa
    jessathemessa Posts: 65 Member
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    I have to agree with @kshama2001. In your diary, I see number of berries instead of grams. I see slices of items instead of measurements. It is very easy to make mistakes when guessing how much food you're eating. Also, the quick calories, unless it's a packaged item, is likely off too. You could be eating far more calories than you think.

    I'd suggest getting a food scale and really logging your food to see how much you are actually eating daily, and then go from there.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
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    I'm fairly certain if you were only eating 1000-1200 on "treat days" you wouldn't be here asking advise on how to continue to lose weight. Either you're not overweight to begin with or you have an ED. How tall are you? WHat do you weigh currently? How old?
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    Fujiberry wrote: »
    Are you weighing everything with a scale?
    By everything, I mean even olive oil, butter, a little bites of food. Are you eating back your calories?

    You'd have to be 4'11" or shorter to gain weight with 1200.

    OP is an 18yo female. I'm thinking 2'11" or shorter might gain on 1200 with that metabolism.

    Anyway, you've been at this 3 days and you quick-add calories and guesstimate servings so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • douglawrenson
    douglawrenson Posts: 2 Member
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    lrachel011 wrote: »
    I gain weight when I eat that much, my "treat days" are between 1000-1200 calories, so if I eat the amount that mfp is recommending me to to eat, then I'll just gain back the weight that I've already lost. Does anyone else eat a lot less than what they're supposed to and find that it works for them?

    Losing weight is easy, losing fat requires eating just slightly less than the body requires to run itself efficiently, The nutrients provided via the diet are a bodily requirement, including protein, carbohydrates, essential fats, and dietary fiber

  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
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    Please understand that I'm not saying this to come off as mean or make you feel stupid. Calorie counting seems straightforward, but there's a lot of other factors that make it tough, including figuring out the amount you need, and logging your intake accurately. The likelihood that 1,200 is "too high" to lose is very slim. 1,200 calories is the intake recommended for a 2-3 year old child. Honestly, it is basically impossible for you to gain weight on a 1,200 calorie diet unless you are an extremely small person or have a severe, untreated thyroid condition.

    I'd encourage you to really evaluate whether you're tracking your intake accurately. I'd also suggest you avoid eating back exercise calories, as they're generally overestimated. Unless you are weighing your solids and measuring your liquids (unfortunately we're just not that great at estimating!) then you're probably eating far more than the 1200 you think you are. When I first started out I wasn't losing on my calorie goals and thought the goal was the problem, until my friends here told me I needed to get weighing. The difference between what I thought was a portion and what really was a portion was crazy - I found out I was eating up to 500 calories MORE than I thought I was, as those differences added up through the day. Don't forget that nibbles, and "just a tastes" should be counted in your log too.

    If you're a particularly small person, your margin of error with calories will be pretty small, so it's especially important to account for it as much as possible with accurate measurements. If you can, try to see a dietitian for professional support with your eating.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    Fujiberry wrote: »
    Are you weighing everything with a scale?
    By everything, I mean even olive oil, butter, a little bites of food. Are you eating back your calories?

    You'd have to be 4'11" or shorter to gain weight with 1200.

    I'm 4'11 and 1200 is exactly what it takes for me to lose 1/2 a pound right now (close to goal). I certainly don't gain weight at 1200!! (and just for the record, I actually eat closer to 1400 because I earn calories from exercise. I'm short but I still like to eat!)
  • lrachel011
    lrachel011 Posts: 34 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I looked at your diary and think if you tighten up your logging, you will find you eat more than you think you do.

    How tall are you, what do you weigh, and what's your goal weight?

    I definitely don't eat more than I think I do, in fact I put in more calories than I eat just in case, and I always round up. Sometimes even too much, my dinner was around 520 but I rounded it up to 600, and I always weigh my food aswell. Yesterday I really wasn't hungry so I had 3 chocolate truffles, coffee and a rice cake. It added up to 280 but my diary says more than that.

    I'm currently 120 lbs, 5'4 and my goal weight is about 110 or so.

    I guess maybe it's because I've recently been put on medication that lowers my appetite, and I never normally have much of an appetite anyway. So my body's probably just used to very little food. I'm thinking that if I did eat 1200 calories, I would initially gain weight but then it would gradually fall back down again as my body adjusts?

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Your diary is sloppy. You're eating more than you think.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    How would you know - you've only logged two days.
  • Vanilla_Lattes
    Vanilla_Lattes Posts: 251 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and eating 1400 to lose 1lb/week. I do not exercise. You're not adding something up right.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    "The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about." Wayne Dyer.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Iron_Feline wrote: »
    How would you know - you've only logged two days.

    QFT!
  • lrachel011
    lrachel011 Posts: 34 Member
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    Guys just to be clear here I've been dieting for 2 weeks now, but just kept a diary in a notebook. And I love how you all think you know exactly what I'm eating, I'm not eating more than I think I am because I've lost 5lbs in not even 2 weeks
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
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    lrachel011 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I looked at your diary and think if you tighten up your logging, you will find you eat more than you think you do.

    How tall are you, what do you weigh, and what's your goal weight?

    I definitely don't eat more than I think I do, in fact I put in more calories than I eat just in case, and I always round up. Sometimes even too much, my dinner was around 520 but I rounded it up to 600, and I always weigh my food aswell. Yesterday I really wasn't hungry so I had 3 chocolate truffles, coffee and a rice cake. It added up to 280 but my diary says more than that.

    I'm currently 120 lbs, 5'4 and my goal weight is about 110 or so.

    I guess maybe it's because I've recently been put on medication that lowers my appetite, and I never normally have much of an appetite anyway. So my body's probably just used to very little food. I'm thinking that if I did eat 1200 calories, I would initially gain weight but then it would gradually fall back down again as my body adjusts?

    Someone put you on medication that lowers your appetite? I hope that's a side affect and not the reason you're on the medicine, given you're already well within a healthy weight.
    Why so low? At 110 lbs you would be at the very bottom of a healthy bmi-dangerously close to underweight.
    Instead of looking at the calories you should look at the quality of the food you're chosing. Truffles and a rice cake? There's no nutrition in that. Your body is starving for nutrients.
    Do you exercise?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Can you provide your stats please?
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    60638172.jpg
  • lrachel011
    lrachel011 Posts: 34 Member
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    lalepepper wrote: »
    Please understand that I'm not saying this to come off as mean or make you feel stupid. Calorie counting seems straightforward, but there's a lot of other factors that make it tough, including figuring out the amount you need, and logging your intake accurately. The likelihood that 1,200 is "too high" to lose is very slim. 1,200 calories is the intake recommended for a 2-3 year old child. Honestly, it is basically impossible for you to gain weight on a 1,200 calorie diet unless you are an extremely small person or have a severe, untreated thyroid condition.

    I'd encourage you to really evaluate whether you're tracking your intake accurately. I'd also suggest you avoid eating back exercise calories, as they're generally overestimated. Unless you are weighing your solids and measuring your liquids (unfortunately we're just not that great at estimating!) then you're probably eating far more than the 1200 you think you are. When I first started out I wasn't losing on my calorie goals and thought the goal was the problem, until my friends here told me I needed to get weighing. The difference between what I thought was a portion and what really was a portion was crazy - I found out I was eating up to 500 calories MORE than I thought I was, as those differences added up through the day. Don't forget that nibbles, and "just a tastes" should be counted in your log too.

    If you're a particularly small person, your margin of error with calories will be pretty small, so it's especially important to account for it as much as possible with accurate measurements. If you can, try to see a dietitian for professional support with your eating.

    Thank you for actually genuinely expressing your opinion politely. I just added a post saying that I'm on medication that causes me to have a lower appetite, so I think that my body is just used to less food. And I only drink water and maybe a cup of coffee every day.

  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Day to day weight gain isn't reflective of your overall trend. If you're still in the beginning stages of tracking, give yourself a bit loinger before writing off 1,200 as a good number for you.

    Medication can definitely influence appetite and if you've been eating less than 1,200 and increase you'll probably see a water weight gain the next couple days. As a female you'll also have natural water fluctuations if you experience a menstrual cycle.

    I've lost over 95 lbs and my weight always is different from day to day. It will go up one day, then maybe another, and then drop, before going right back up. If you want to see your trends, I'd recommend www.weightgrapher.com to track your weigh-ins - it helps to see the trend over time, rather than just comparing to your last weigh-in number.
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