MFP help please, 1200kcal cannot be correct?

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  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    Thank you, I am aware I cannot build the muscles I want whilst in deficit, but I can strengthen what I have and make a good base for when the time comes. A few weeks back I could not even run, I am now at the end of my week 3 of the 5K runner programme. Little steps in the right direction I think, and I am getting quite good at converting "normal" food into what I can eat. My OH is frequently commenting that he cannot believe that GF food tastes this good (not sure what he was expecting to be honest lol)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Bonny132 wrote: »
    Thanks all, guess I'll need to become a gym bunny or hope one morning by a miracle I wake up taller. And they say size does not matter, my calorie allowance tells me differently!

    I really enjoy exercise, but seriously that's a reason I exercise too -- the idea of having maintenance calories of 1500-1550 just doesn't work for me.

    That said, you can do a LOT just with daily activity. Increase walking throughout the day and your maintenance calories go way up -- just experiment with different activity levels and see how it affects calories. Of course, with a desk job there are limits to how active one's daily life is, but during the warmer weather when I simply walk a lot more and back when I first started (in the winter) but was forcing myself to do everything possible by foot (and tracking with my Fitbit), I could see quite a difference.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Bonny132 wrote: »
    Thanks all, guess I'll need to become a gym bunny or hope one morning by a miracle I wake up taller. And they say size does not matter, my calorie allowance tells me differently!

    it is a reasonably good reason to start exercising...the benefits of regular exercise go far beyond allowing you to eat more...but yeah...that's what initially got me off my *kitten*...it may sound like a lot but 1,800 calories for a male simply isn't and not something I wanted to live with...that was my target to lose about 1 Lb per week...I stuck with that for a few weeks without exercise and said feck it...I'm going for a run...voila...2200 calories...much better.
  • FunSizedKJ
    FunSizedKJ Posts: 67 Member
    How long have you tried eating at the 1200? It definitely takes a week or 2 for your body to get used to it. It's not a particularly terrible number, you have to just find the right foods that aren't as calorie dense so you can eat more volume of it.
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    FunSizedKJ wrote: »
    How long have you tried eating at the 1200? It definitely takes a week or 2 for your body to get used to it. It's not a particularly terrible number, you have to just find the right foods that aren't as calorie dense so you can eat more volume of it.

    Just about to finish week 3, I am not a volume eater btw and I hardly touch processed food (most processed gluten free food tastes awful, I tried at crumpet at lunch today, not doing that again in a hurry) I eat mainly meat/fish with veg, and carbs from rice-noodles, new potatoes or rice (very rarely GF pasta) and I treat myself to a GF roll (or slice of bread) or two at the weekends. I have never been much of a bread person.
  • FunSizedKJ
    FunSizedKJ Posts: 67 Member
    I understand what you're saying. But your initial question was if you put something wrong into the MFP goals because it seems low and you aren't satisfied on what the 1200 allows you, and you didn't. It's just that the food choices you are making aren't giving you as much bang for your buck as they could be (rice and noodles kill me, I love them, but they kill me). Especially if you're eating your calories back from exercising and are still hungry. That's why I suggested lower calorie food so that you will be able to eat a larger volume that will fill you up. That, in addition to maybe upping the amount of protein in the food you are eating. Playing around with the macros within the 1200 range can be a total game changer.
  • pointkoala
    pointkoala Posts: 66 Member
    I'm pretty similar.... I have it set for 1.5lb/week and it gives me 1240 cals/day. I'm 5 feet tall. It is definitely hard sometimes. And some days, if you make one mistake, then you're over and not much you can do about it. BUT keep in mind that, even if you eat 100-200 over, you are still not at maintenance. So if you regularly do 1200/day and then, one day, you do 1400..... not a big deal.

    It's difficult but I have gotten about 10 lbs lost in results so I guess it kinda works. I started in early July so it should be more than that but I didn't log for about two weeks during that time (coincidentally, I didn't lose any weight then). So back on it at the 1200 cals/day!
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    I am not hungry when I eat back my calories from the gym, I am however starving without them. As for rice and noodles, 33g (dry) rice noodles twice a week accounts for 200cals, my 1 GF roll on Sunday mornings another 200 cals, potatoes at the weekend, maybe another 200 on average, So over a week, 600 calories (If I have potatoes at the weekend I do not have rice that week)

    My meals are mainly proteins with veg, not sure how I can add even more without going into seriously low carbs, I have proteins with every meal. Carbs makes me hungry/nibbly so I do not tend to eat much of those. I eat no diet products as I try to stay clear of sweeteners, the only diet product in my cupboards is slimline tonic for when I fancy a drink with friends at the weekend (I'll have some vodka or gin and slimline tonic) I average about 50g of cheese a week (my OH hates cheese) I don't eat cereals and hardly any processed GF food (pasta once every couple of months and one roll a week my attempts on making these myself have been an absolute disaster lol)

    A typical day consists of:
    Br: 2 home made crustless mini quishes (made with eggs, veg and meat) typically around 110-120cals each
    lets round it to 250cals

    Lunch: as the above with a green salad, or a chicken breast with a green salad, or prawns and avocado salad
    lets round it to 250 cals

    Snack before the gym: Quark with berries
    another 250 calories

    100ml milk throughout the day (skimmed) for my tea and coffee (40 cals but lets round up) 50 cals

    Approx 2 liters of water during the day (I track my water on FitBit)
    Now I am 800 out of 1200 calories, leaving me with 400 for dinner

    Dinner: oily fish with steamed veg/meat or fish with steamed veg/smoked mackerel with new potatoes/beef stew with veg and rice noodles/ovenbaked chicken without skin/homemade chicken curry with 2 mini poppudoms.

    My issue with the above is that there is no room for error, anything unplanned and I am over my limit, and when I come back from the gym I am really hungry so I end up having another portion of quark with berries or rice cakes with ham or humous etc I also snack on carrot batons/mangetout etc and salsa during the day (hence not too worried about rounding up my calories)

    If anyone can improve on the above, please do feel free to give me any pointers you might have, and thank you for all the advice given above already.

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