1200 cals and lifting weights

staceymcbride8
staceymcbride8 Posts: 7 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I’m new to lifting weights but I’m reading online that you need to eat any calories you work off back. But if you’re lifting weights, how do you know how many calories you have burned? I usually try to work out around 30 minutes 3 days a week by lifting weights. Nothing extravagant just trying to tone. But now I’m afraid I’m not losing weight because I’m in starvation mode. Help!!

Replies

  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    use a TDEE calculator, which will most likely give you more than 1200 calories to eat per day, then enter "1 calorie burnt" in the MFP exercise thing and don't worry about eating back any calories as you'll have more to eat anyway.

    I find the whole eating back thing too much of a fluctuation. I prefer to know exactly how much I have to eat per day regardless of how much exercise I did or didn't do.

    www.tdeecalculator.net
  • staceymcbride8
    staceymcbride8 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you both! Well I definitely don’t want to “maintain” because I need to lose about 50. I’m stuck and it’s disheartening I guess.
  • staceymcbride8
    staceymcbride8 Posts: 7 Member
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    staceymcbride8 wrote: »
    Thank you both! Well I definitely don’t want to “maintain” because I need to lose about 50. I’m stuck and it’s disheartening I guess.

    It's understandable. Are you tracking calories, weighing your food? That would be the place to start to make sure you're in a proper deficit
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    staceymcbride8 wrote: »
    Thank you both! Well I definitely don’t want to “maintain” because I need to lose about 50. I’m stuck and it’s disheartening I guess.

    It's understandable. Are you tracking calories, weighing your food? That would be the place to start to make sure you're in a proper deficit
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    staceymcbride8 wrote: »
    Thank you both! Well I definitely don’t want to “maintain” because I need to lose about 50. I’m stuck and it’s disheartening I guess.

    It's understandable. Are you tracking calories, weighing your food? That would be the place to start to make sure you're in a proper deficit
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    staceymcbride8 wrote: »
    Thank you both! Well I definitely don’t want to “maintain” because I need to lose about 50. I’m stuck and it’s disheartening I guess.

    It's understandable. Are you tracking calories, weighing your food? That would be the place to start to make sure you're in a proper deficit


    Yes ma’am. I track and weigh everything accordingly. But I have been lifting weights. I did this a few years ago and lost 40 pounds. But I was doing a few weights plus walking or bike
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    I use the cardio entry for weight lifting, I find it relatively accurate for me.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    How long have you "not been losing" for? If you have just started with lifting weights, a lot of time your muscles will retain extra water when you enter a new exercise routine. So that may be hiding your progress on the scale.
  • yuko0407
    yuko0407 Posts: 67 Member
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    You're not in starvation mode, it doesn't exist in that context. Either your losses are so small they're hidden by fluctuations or you're actually maintaining.
    This.
    I'd suggest, if you are not, to use a weight trend app (like Happy Scale or Libra) or website (www.weightgrapher.com). This will smooth the weight fluctuations and give you a better picture.

  • staceymcbride8
    staceymcbride8 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you all so much!!! I'm going to try to incorporate more cardio to see if I have any luck beginning with cardio and losing and waiting a little bit to lift and tone
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
    HOW are you tracking calories in? are you using a food scale on all foods? Ensuring to not forget liquid calories.

    how long have you been tracking and eating 1200 daily?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

  • lcoophou
    lcoophou Posts: 6 Member
    I eat 1200 a day and don't "eat back" my calories - since I'm targeting 1200. I would stick with 1200 and see if you feel like you need to eat more and move from there. Also, don't get discouraged. Depending on your starting weight, you probably will lose very slowly. I've been doing OrangeTheory for 6 months and have lost 12-15 pounds. So keep long-term progress in mind in these cases.
  • LoPotion
    LoPotion Posts: 25 Member
    staceymcbride8 wrote: »
    Thank you all so much!!! I'm going to try to incorporate more cardio to see if I have any luck beginning with cardio and losing and waiting a little bit to lift and tone

    Actually, I'd stick with the lifting - it'll help preserve your muscles while you're losing weight. :)

    How do you feel on 1200 calories? If you're starving, stressed, and sore all the time (like I was :neutral: ) then any weight you've lost can be masked by other factors, such as water retention. It's not starvation mode. Be kind to yourself. <3
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