is 1200 calories to low?
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Well I would tell you to eat more like other people have, but I see you are saying that you haven't lost weight in 3 to 4 months; the only way that happens is if you're actually eating too much. So my next question is if you weigh your food on a food scale because if not you're eating way more than you think.0
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morganpalmer9 wrote: »morganpalmer9 wrote: »vegasleo79 wrote: »OP, you mean 1200 plus eating back some/most of the 400 calories burned? I think that's ok since you probably don't have much to lose, if any and it gets harder and harder the closer you are to your ideal weight. Or do you mean 1200 flat out without eating back exercise calories? Now that would be way too low.
Yes, right now I eat 1,200 calories and thats it. regardless of what I exercise or burn that day. And I don't know how much to eat back in because my calorie burn is always at like 700-800, which i know is not true lol. I just wasn't sure if I should be at say, 1400 just to be safe?
Then you're too low. You may lose the couple lbs that you're after, but still may not like the results because you sacrificed more of the weight in LBM than fat and didn't change your BF% much....if at all.
You're dead center for a healthy BMI. To get the results you're looking for you should be invstigating a recomp.
How did you get 1200 for a calorie goal? I just ran a quick calculation and that's TDEE -50% and definitely not advised, especially for someone of your height/weight/activity level.
in MFP that's what it gives me. I put in I'd like to lose a lb a week and that I work 6 times a week for around an hour and it tells me 1,200 calories. What exactly do you mean by recomp?
1 lb per week is too aggressive for you, and even though you entered in that you work out 6 times a week MFP still doesn't adjust for that.
Recomp = Lowering your BF% while you stay roughly the same weight.
Okay. I'm not super concerned about dropping weight at this point as much as I just want to lose some body fat leftover, so I guess recomp would be what I Need to do. Any suggestions on how to go about that as far as workouts/calorie intake?0 -
Well I would tell you to eat more like other people have, but I see you are saying that you haven't lost weight in 3 to 4 months; the only way that happens is if you're actually eating too much. So my next question is if you weigh your food on a food scale because if not you're eating way more than you think.
This was about to be my next question as well. There's no way you wouldn't lose weight if you work out that much and were actually only eating 1200 gross cals.0 -
Well I would tell you to eat more like other people have, but I see you are saying that you haven't lost weight in 3 to 4 months; the only way that happens is if you're actually eating too much. So my next question is if you weigh your food on a food scale because if not you're eating way more than you think.
yeah I do diligently0 -
Well I would tell you to eat more like other people have, but I see you are saying that you haven't lost weight in 3 to 4 months; the only way that happens is if you're actually eating too much. So my next question is if you weigh your food on a food scale because if not you're eating way more than you think.
This was about to be my next question as well. There's no way you wouldn't lose weight if you work out that much and were actually only eating 1200 gross cals.Well I would tell you to eat more like other people have, but I see you are saying that you haven't lost weight in 3 to 4 months; the only way that happens is if you're actually eating too much. So my next question is if you weigh your food on a food scale because if not you're eating way more than you think.
This was about to be my next question as well. There's no way you wouldn't lose weight if you work out that much and were actually only eating 1200 gross cals.
I always weigh my food and stick to my meal plan 98% of the time. That's why I'm so confused
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Again, don't really care about weight just wanna lose fat0
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Then to be honest with you, something is amiss. Sorry but there is something that just doesn't add up about the facts you've provided.
Anyway, if you want to lose fat and you don't really care about dropping weight, recomp really is the best you can do.
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I think this level of exercise is not productive for fat loss. Do you have a rest day? You don't have to alternate workout days, but I think that would be helpful. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels.
As you are lifting, I would be interested to know what your protein consumption looks like. Are you losing inches/gaining muscle?
You don't want to lose muscle mass from too low calories/low protein. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs and I consume more (according to my diary) and exercise less and fat is falling off of my body. Feel free to IM if you want to discuss. (No, I don't take weird supplements or eat "diet" foods.)0 -
when I first started MFP my goal was to eat 1200cals and I was also running 5km 3times a week and walking a lot.The weight really dropped off without much thinking. I am 5'3" and went from 146lbs to 118lbs. I found it very difficult at one stage to run.. got very heavy legs and felt tired all the time during exercise so in the end I realised my body wouldn't work without eating back at least say 75% of the cals I gained from the exercise. I think you may find something is amiss.. are you longing everything.. drinks, cappucinos etc? I found on a low intake of cals. I went to bed most night hungry and slept rubbish because of it. I have since put on some of my lost weight am currently 125lbs and am currently trying to reach a happy medium between being happy with me, eating more mindfully, and having energy to get through my day. I believe I have a slow metabolism.. not sure if that helps:) .. one thought are you eating the same thing each day.. I have heard that our bodies do get sluggish always eating the same thing and I imagine that is the same if we do the same thing often.
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Then to be honest with you, something is amiss. Sorry but there is something that just doesn't add up about the facts you've provided.
Anyway, if you want to lose fat and you don't really care about dropping weight, recomp really is the best you can do.
Agreed. Something doesn't add up, but to get to the goals it sounds like you have, recomp is the best answer.0 -
DorkothyParker wrote: »I think this level of exercise is not productive for fat loss. Do you have a rest day? You don't have to alternate workout days, but I think that would be helpful. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels.
As you are lifting, I would be interested to know what your protein consumption looks like. Are you losing inches/gaining muscle?
You don't want to lose muscle mass from too low calories/low protein. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs and I consume more (according to my diary) and exercise less and fat is falling off of my body. Feel free to IM if you want to discuss. (No, I don't take weird supplements or eat "diet" foods.)
Thanks! I messaged you-0 -
morganpalmer9 wrote: »morganpalmer9 wrote: »vegasleo79 wrote: »OP, you mean 1200 plus eating back some/most of the 400 calories burned? I think that's ok since you probably don't have much to lose, if any and it gets harder and harder the closer you are to your ideal weight. Or do you mean 1200 flat out without eating back exercise calories? Now that would be way too low.
Yes, right now I eat 1,200 calories and thats it. regardless of what I exercise or burn that day. And I don't know how much to eat back in because my calorie burn is always at like 700-800, which i know is not true lol. I just wasn't sure if I should be at say, 1400 just to be safe?
Then you're too low. You may lose the couple lbs that you're after, but still may not like the results because you sacrificed more of the weight in LBM than fat and didn't change your BF% much....if at all.
You're dead center for a healthy BMI. To get the results you're looking for you should be invstigating a recomp.
How did you get 1200 for a calorie goal? I just ran a quick calculation and that's TDEE -50% and definitely not advised, especially for someone of your height/weight/activity level.
in MFP that's what it gives me. I put in I'd like to lose a lb a week and that I work 6 times a week for around an hour and it tells me 1,200 calories. What exactly do you mean by recomp?
I don't see how that is possible. I'm 5'3", losing 1lb/week, and I get 1340 cal before I even add any workouts. This isn't adding up.0 -
DorkothyParker wrote: »I think this level of exercise is not productive for fat loss. Do you have a rest day? You don't have to alternate workout days, but I think that would be helpful. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels.
As you are lifting, I would be interested to know what your protein consumption looks like. Are you losing inches/gaining muscle?
You don't want to lose muscle mass from too low calories/low protein. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs and I consume more (according to my diary) and exercise less and fat is falling off of my body. Feel free to IM if you want to discuss. (No, I don't take weird supplements or eat "diet" foods.)
Wait.....you think that @morganpalmer9 's exercise level is not productive for fatloss, but then jump to the assumption that maybe she's purely accidentally performing a near perfect recomp?
OP, like was said on the previous page...something doesn't add up.
If you really were netting as little as you say you are, you'd be losing weight. You're doing a ton of exercise 6 days a week, say you're eating at TDEE -50% (which gross is about as much as my 7 year old), but haven't lost any weight in 3-4 months.
I agree that she doesn't want to lose any LBM from too low a calorie/protein intake, but something else just isn't adding up.0 -
jandsstevenson887 wrote: »morganpalmer9 wrote: »morganpalmer9 wrote: »vegasleo79 wrote: »OP, you mean 1200 plus eating back some/most of the 400 calories burned? I think that's ok since you probably don't have much to lose, if any and it gets harder and harder the closer you are to your ideal weight. Or do you mean 1200 flat out without eating back exercise calories? Now that would be way too low.
Yes, right now I eat 1,200 calories and thats it. regardless of what I exercise or burn that day. And I don't know how much to eat back in because my calorie burn is always at like 700-800, which i know is not true lol. I just wasn't sure if I should be at say, 1400 just to be safe?
Then you're too low. You may lose the couple lbs that you're after, but still may not like the results because you sacrificed more of the weight in LBM than fat and didn't change your BF% much....if at all.
You're dead center for a healthy BMI. To get the results you're looking for you should be invstigating a recomp.
How did you get 1200 for a calorie goal? I just ran a quick calculation and that's TDEE -50% and definitely not advised, especially for someone of your height/weight/activity level.
in MFP that's what it gives me. I put in I'd like to lose a lb a week and that I work 6 times a week for around an hour and it tells me 1,200 calories. What exactly do you mean by recomp?
I don't see how that is possible. I'm 5'3", losing 1lb/week, and I get 1340 cal before I even add any workouts. This isn't adding up.
Are you close to the OP's current weight? If not, that would most likely account for the difference.0 -
I have pretty much exactly your stats (5'5", 126 lbs) and I have been eating around 1700 cal/day (with 30-60 minute workouts at least four times a week) and I'm getting dizzy and lightheaded, presumably from the calorie drop. (Just a month ago I was still breastfeeding and probably eating nearly 2500 cal/day.)
Have you done a detailed analysis of your BMR/TDEE? If you are reasonably active your TDEE (even without exercise like HIIT) might be significantly above your BMR, which is probably around 1200-1300, just based on mine from similar stats.0 -
If you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation/preservation mode and changes your metabolism to hold on to body mass. (I'm not an expert by an stretch, but everyone I've ever read on the subject has said the same thing, so it's probably fairly well-established in the nutrition/weight loss community.)0
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If you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation/preservation mode and changes your metabolism to hold on to body mass. (I'm not an expert by an stretch, but everyone I've ever read on the subject has said the same thing, so it's probably fairly well-established in the nutrition/weight loss community.)
Starvation mode is a myth
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/0 -
DorkothyParker wrote: »I think this level of exercise is not productive for fat loss. Do you have a rest day? You don't have to alternate workout days, but I think that would be helpful. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels.
As you are lifting, I would be interested to know what your protein consumption looks like. Are you losing inches/gaining muscle?
You don't want to lose muscle mass from too low calories/low protein. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs and I consume more (according to my diary) and exercise less and fat is falling off of my body. Feel free to IM if you want to discuss. (No, I don't take weird supplements or eat "diet" foods.)
Wait.....you think that @morganpalmer9 's exercise level is not productive for fatloss, but then jump to the assumption that maybe she's purely accidentally performing a near perfect recomp?
OP, like was said on the previous page...something doesn't add up.
If you really were netting as little as you say you are, you'd be losing weight. You're doing a ton of exercise 6 days a week, say you're eating at TDEE -50% (which gross is about as much as my 7 year old), but haven't lost any weight in 3-4 months.
I agree that she doesn't want to lose any LBM from too low a calorie/protein intake, but something else just isn't adding up.
Yeah I'm just as confused honestly. I have an appointment with a nutritionist next week and maybe they can tell me what I'm doing wrong0 -
morganpalmer9 wrote: »DorkothyParker wrote: »I think this level of exercise is not productive for fat loss. Do you have a rest day? You don't have to alternate workout days, but I think that would be helpful. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels.
As you are lifting, I would be interested to know what your protein consumption looks like. Are you losing inches/gaining muscle?
You don't want to lose muscle mass from too low calories/low protein. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs and I consume more (according to my diary) and exercise less and fat is falling off of my body. Feel free to IM if you want to discuss. (No, I don't take weird supplements or eat "diet" foods.)
Wait.....you think that @morganpalmer9 's exercise level is not productive for fatloss, but then jump to the assumption that maybe she's purely accidentally performing a near perfect recomp?
OP, like was said on the previous page...something doesn't add up.
If you really were netting as little as you say you are, you'd be losing weight. You're doing a ton of exercise 6 days a week, say you're eating at TDEE -50% (which gross is about as much as my 7 year old), but haven't lost any weight in 3-4 months.
I agree that she doesn't want to lose any LBM from too low a calorie/protein intake, but something else just isn't adding up.
Yeah I'm just as confused honestly. I have an appointment with a nutritionist next week and maybe they can tell me what I'm doing wrong
I'm out for the weekend, but if you unlock your diary we may be able to give you some better advice/info.
Also, what lifting program are you following?0 -
If you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation/preservation mode and changes your metabolism to hold on to body mass. (I'm not an expert by an stretch, but everyone I've ever read on the subject has said the same thing, so it's probably fairly well-established in the nutrition/weight loss community.)
Actually no....no it's not.0
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