Exercise and calorie counting

12Sarah2015
12Sarah2015 Posts: 1,117 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I was just wondering if you bother with the 1200 calorie thing if you do lots of exercise?

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    What do you mean? Can you provide a bit more information, and also possibly your stats?

    1200 isn't really a thing. It's the lowest calorie goal MFP will give you as it kind of still provides sufficient nutrition. But this is for people who have very little to lose. And you're supposed to eat the calories from exercise back. Thus if you eat 1200 and exercise for 300, then you eat 1500.
  • 12Sarah2015
    12Sarah2015 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I usually eat 1200 to 1300 calories, but I find I lose more on 1200. Trying a low carb diet though I’m not feeling that hungry. And I feel less hungry after exercise…not sure why. So just what does the high fat low carb say?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Doesn't matter if you put Shell gasoline or Costco gasoline in your car, it still won't get you to the beach on an empty tank.

    Calories = energy.

    1200 is way too low unless you're tiny, female, and literally sit on your couch all day.

    If you're new to low calorie and new to HFLC, then there is an adjustment period and that's probably why you don't feel hunger - yet. Or it's possible you're eating more than you think. It's easy to eat more than 1200 on HFLC unless you're logging every bite with a food scale set to grams. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so very easy to under-estimate by a 100 calories or more on that spoonful of peanut butter.

    Check out the Low Carbers for more info:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,216 Member
    12Sarah2015 wrote: »
    I usually eat 1200 to 1300 calories, but I find I lose more on 1200. Trying a low carb diet though I’m not feeling that hungry. And I feel less hungry after exercise…not sure why. So just what does the high fat low carb say?

    Faster weight loss isn't necessarily better.

    Too-fast loss:

    * Increases health risks
    * Can compromise energy level (cause fatigue)
    * May make it hard to stick with the process long enough to lose a meaningful total amount of weight
    * Limits ability to get excellent nutrition
    * Can compromise exercise performance so slow down fitness gains
    * Risks relatively more loss of lean tissue - which is difficult/slow to rebuild
    * Can impair appearance (look haggard, thinking hair, brittle nails)
    * Long term, may have hormonal effects that spike hunger, reduce calorie burn, and/or increase water retention
    * . . . and more.

    Will those things for sure happen? No. But the faster the loss, the higher the chances that they will.

    The right course is to find the sensible, sustainable calorie level and weight loss rate that keeps you healthy, energetic and happy all the way to goal weight (and helps you learn the activity and eating habits you'll need to stay at a healthy weight permanently).
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    12Sarah2015 wrote: »
    I usually eat 1200 to 1300 calories, but I find I lose more on 1200. Trying a low carb diet though I’m not feeling that hungry. And I feel less hungry after exercise…not sure why. So just what does the high fat low carb say?

    Faster weight loss isn't necessarily better.

    Too-fast loss:

    * Increases health risks
    * Can compromise energy level (cause fatigue)
    * May make it hard to stick with the process long enough to lose a meaningful total amount of weight
    * Limits ability to get excellent nutrition
    * Can compromise exercise performance so slow down fitness gains
    * Risks relatively more loss of lean tissue - which is difficult/slow to rebuild
    * Can impair appearance (look haggard, thinking hair, brittle nails)
    * Long term, may have hormonal effects that spike hunger, reduce calorie burn, and/or increase water retention
    * . . . and more.

    Will those things for sure happen? No. But the faster the loss, the higher the chances that they will.

    The right course is to find the sensible, sustainable calorie level and weight loss rate that keeps you healthy, energetic and happy all the way to goal weight (and helps you learn the activity and eating habits you'll need to stay at a healthy weight permanently).



    All of this! And TO, also consider this: imagine you eat only 1200 calories and you exercise for about 300. That's pretty much the same as only eating 900 calories. That's neither healthy nor sensible. And you can't thrive on this even though you might currently think you can.

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