1200 cals a day?
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Seriously! People gain weight by overeating. How come all of a sudden, you're struggling to reach 1200? You may be underestimating your calories.I'm never really hungry by the end of the day- sometimes I have to force myself an apple or something just to reach my 1200.
I always make sure not to be under 1200
This drives me nuts! Most of us are here for the same reason , we're fat!! Certainly we didn't have a problem eating calories in the past, so why now??0 -
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
It makes perfect sense. Calories are energy. You burn energy when you exercise. Why do you think you measure burned calories? The body will turn the protien into energy. It won't use it on muscle building because it needs it as fuel. Sure you get more vitamins by eating 1200 and burning 900 than you do by eating 300 but that's not very different than eating 300 and taking vitamins. Still not healthy, probably not sustainable in the long term.
I don't even buy into "starvation mode". That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about approaching weight loss in a healthy sustainable manner. It's not a race. It's not a contest to see if you can eat as little as possible and burn as much as possible. A successful diet doesn't feel like a diet. Severe calorie restriction causes extreme low energy, insomnia, head aches, your hair to fall out, your nails to crack, severe loss of muscle tissue, digestion issues, etc... And it just sucks. I like food. I like real food, sugar, red meat, egg yolks, cheese, milk, etc.
I see you're at 150, so what you are saying makes sense for YOU. Like I said the closer you are to goal the more you'll need to eat back exercise cals. Thats what I plan on doing eventually. But for me and some others, at 269, I got a LOT of energy reserves and I am not very likely to go into a starvation mode. Personally I eat 1500-1700 per day and burn between 700-1200 per day. I have tons of energy, never feel hungry, no headaches, my hair is fabulous, sleeping like a baby, never been stronger, and I get to eat great food to boot. If that changes, so will I. My Dr. Says I'm doing great, and I'll take his advice over yours thank you very much. I fully plan on enjoying my exercise cals when I hit onederland, but for now this is doing me great!
The problem with approaches like this is that while yes you will lose weight but the majority of that is going to be muscle instead of fat and I don't know about you but i have no desire to lose weight quickly if it's going to mean i'm just a pile of mush when i get there.
I'd rather do it right and reach my goal in a healthy manner and look good naked.
Who are you to say what right for someone else is? Just because you don't agree with how someone else looses weight doesn't mean it's wrong. I've lost 90lbs before, so I know what works... For ME, and I also know that I won't be a "pile of mush". The closer I get, the more I'll eat.
Also, for those wondering why it may be a struggle to eat all their calories, I got fat eating too much of the wrong foods, when I'm eating nutrient sense foods I don't feel as hungry to eat more.0 -
Yeah people are different - I've lost 25 lbs in 1.5 months eating 1200 calories without making up for exercise and I was fine.... but then again I was 8 years younger.... and in the best shape of my life!
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
It makes perfect sense. Calories are energy. You burn energy when you exercise. Why do you think you measure burned calories? The body will turn the protien into energy. It won't use it on muscle building because it needs it as fuel. Sure you get more vitamins by eating 1200 and burning 900 than you do by eating 300 but that's not very different than eating 300 and taking vitamins. Still not healthy, probably not sustainable in the long term.
I don't even buy into "starvation mode". That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about approaching weight loss in a healthy sustainable manner. It's not a race. It's not a contest to see if you can eat as little as possible and burn as much as possible. A successful diet doesn't feel like a diet. Severe calorie restriction causes extreme low energy, insomnia, head aches, your hair to fall out, your nails to crack, severe loss of muscle tissue, digestion issues, etc... And it just sucks. I like food. I like real food, sugar, red meat, egg yolks, cheese, milk, etc.
I see you're at 150, so what you are saying makes sense for YOU. Like I said the closer you are to goal the more you'll need to eat back exercise cals. Thats what I plan on doing eventually. But for me and some others, at 269, I got a LOT of energy reserves and I am not very likely to go into a starvation mode. Personally I eat 1500-1700 per day and burn between 700-1200 per day. I have tons of energy, never feel hungry, no headaches, my hair is fabulous, sleeping like a baby, never been stronger, and I get to eat great food to boot. If that changes, so will I. My Dr. Says I'm doing great, and I'll take his advice over yours thank you very much. I fully plan on enjoying my exercise cals when I hit onederland, but for now this is doing me great!
The problem with approaches like this is that while yes you will lose weight but the majority of that is going to be muscle instead of fat and I don't know about you but i have no desire to lose weight quickly if it's going to mean i'm just a pile of mush when i get there.
I'd rather do it right and reach my goal in a healthy manner and look good naked.
Who are you to say what right for someone else is? Just because you don't agree with how someone else looses weight doesn't mean it's wrong. I've lost 90lbs before, so I know what works... For ME, and I also know that I won't be a "pile of mush". The closer I get, the more I'll eat.
Also, for those wondering why it may be a struggle to eat all their calories, I got fat eating too much of the wrong foods, when I'm eating nutrient sense foods I don't feel as hungry to eat more.0 -
i eat at least half of my excercise calories
everybody will have different things that work for them, but 300cals eating is pretty low eek, and you might find it leads to binge eating, (it does for me)
i think there are message boards that give advice from the professionals on here, might be an idea to check them out:)0 -
Yeah I'm doing that now - I guess my youth when I didn't make up for the exercise calories (I was literally running 8-10 miles x 5 a week on 1200 calories!) explains why I didn't die haha. Whenever I've tried to repeat that I get sick within a few weeks of starting an exercise program/low cal diet - and end up quitting. This time around I'm feeling much healthier and more energetic by eating to make up for the exercise.i eat at least half of my excercise calories
everybody will have different things that work for them, but 300cals eating is pretty low eek, and you might find it leads to binge eating, (it does for me)
i think there are message boards that give advice from the professionals on here, might be an idea to check them out:)0 -
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
It makes perfect sense. Calories are energy. You burn energy when you exercise. Why do you think you measure burned calories? The body will turn the protien into energy. It won't use it on muscle building because it needs it as fuel. Sure you get more vitamins by eating 1200 and burning 900 than you do by eating 300 but that's not very different than eating 300 and taking vitamins. Still not healthy, probably not sustainable in the long term.
I don't even buy into "starvation mode". That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about approaching weight loss in a healthy sustainable manner. It's not a race. It's not a contest to see if you can eat as little as possible and burn as much as possible. A successful diet doesn't feel like a diet. Severe calorie restriction causes extreme low energy, insomnia, head aches, your hair to fall out, your nails to crack, severe loss of muscle tissue, digestion issues, etc... And it just sucks. I like food. I like real food, sugar, red meat, egg yolks, cheese, milk, etc.
I see you're at 150, so what you are saying makes sense for YOU. Like I said the closer you are to goal the more you'll need to eat back exercise cals. Thats what I plan on doing eventually. But for me and some others, at 269, I got a LOT of energy reserves and I am not very likely to go into a starvation mode. Personally I eat 1500-1700 per day and burn between 700-1200 per day. I have tons of energy, never feel hungry, no headaches, my hair is fabulous, sleeping like a baby, never been stronger, and I get to eat great food to boot. If that changes, so will I. My Dr. Says I'm doing great, and I'll take his advice over yours thank you very much. I fully plan on enjoying my exercise cals when I hit onederland, but for now this is doing me great!
The problem with approaches like this is that while yes you will lose weight but the majority of that is going to be muscle instead of fat and I don't know about you but i have no desire to lose weight quickly if it's going to mean i'm just a pile of mush when i get there.
I'd rather do it right and reach my goal in a healthy manner and look good naked.
Who are you to say what right for someone else is? Just because you don't agree with how someone else looses weight doesn't mean it's wrong. I've lost 90lbs before, so I know what works... For ME, and I also know that I won't be a "pile of mush". The closer I get, the more I'll eat.
Also, for those wondering why it may be a struggle to eat all their calories, I got fat eating too much of the wrong foods, when I'm eating nutrient sense foods I don't feel as hungry to eat more.
woah-ho, defensive much?
Do whatever you please, i do not care.
All i'm saying is when you make such a large deficit your body is going to eat up muscle, you will lose weight but you are losing lean mass in the process.
If that works for you then more power to you, i just don't think most people realize it and i'm putting that information out there so that people who do want to hold onto any muscle tone they may have, may do so.0 -
woah-ho, defensive much?
Do whatever you please, i do not care.
All i'm saying is when you make such a large deficit your body is going to eat up muscle, you will lose weight but you are losing lean mass in the process.
If that works for you then more power to you, i just don't think most people realize it and i'm putting that information out there so that people who do want to hold onto any muscle tone they may have, may do so.
What you are doing is saying it like it's a fact for everyone (making a blanket statement). I'm simply saying everyone if different, and using myself as an example. While I agree what you are saying would be true for someone who has considerably less to lose than I, it's not always true for everyone.
People just have to remember that they may need to be flexible to try new things, that may mean a variety of different things, eat less, eat more, exercise more, get thyroid checked, whatever. I have read many times that eating exercise calories has NOT worked for some.
I just have a hard time when people seem so black and white about things, there is a whole range of "different" or "unique" out there that don't fall into one specific catagory.0 -
What people seem to forget is a little bugger called the BMR ( Basal Metabolism Rate ) , and it's the minimum required to live. You have to be very careful in toying with the idea of eating 1200 cal, burning 700 = 500 net calories and then factoring in your BMR your calories are going to be much too low to sustain your health. I would strongly recommend that you talk to your family doctor or at the very least a nutritionist to figure out what you need to eat to stay healthy. Yes everyone wants to loose weight and yes it's a little over 3000 calories to lose 1 lbs of weight but at the end of the day you need to do it safely and in a healthy way.
Everyone here is going to have an opinion on it but in the end please make sure you talk to a professional and stay healthy.0 -
I'm concerned about how argumentative people are becoming on the boards. Look back at this thread...it's insane.
We're all here for the same reason: to get healthy. How about we provide constructive and useful advice and try not to judge one another's ideas.
I think it is important to reach your 1200 calories, and if you're working out really hard, try to supplement with appropriate protein and carbs. I'm not here because I'm fat, but rather to make sure I am eating enough calories as a recovering anorexic/exercise bulimic, so some of us do, in fact, have trouble reaching our calorie count.
I'll step off my soap box now.0 -
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
Actually yes, exercising DOES erase what you ate, your body burns those calories while you are exercising, and your body burns off the food you eat first to refill it's stores, before dipping into fat or muscle to make up the deficit. So physiologically, eating 1200 calories and burning 900 through exercise and eating 300 calories without exercising are the exact same thing.
1200 - 900 = 300
300 - 0 = 300
How can that not make sense?0 -
I'm never really hungry by the end of the day- sometimes I have to force myself an apple or something just to reach my 1200.
I always make sure not to be under 1200
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Make sure you are getting enough protein and nutrients. As long as you intake a healthy diet and you dont feel hungry, there is no sense in eating. Your body is the best advice giver to listen to. the problem with americans is they eat by a clock or by "rules" hence they are mostly over weight. Your body knows exactly what it needs when it needs it. so listen to it. if you get hungry or crave something- eat. its your body telling you it needs it.
No, most people who are overweight are overweight because their body kept telling them to eat. When you're overweight and trying to get back into a healthy mode of eating and proper nutrition, "listening to your body" is the last thing you should do. If you knew how to listen to your body, you wouldn't be needing to lose weight and work towards better health.0 -
I eat when I'm hungry- and don't when I'm not.
All my meals consist of real foods- balanced nutrition...with the exception of breakfast- I try to get all my food groups in.
Example of my day:
Breakfast:
Black Coffee w/ fat free creamer 100 cals
Fat Free Yogurt 100 cals
Lunch:
Chicken Breast (1- 4oz serving) 110 cals
Green beans (1/2 cup) 20 cals
Brown Rice (1/4 cup) 75 cals
Snack
Kashi TLC bar 140 cals
or 1/2 serving of almonds and a sm. banana
dinner will usually be the same as lunch and I'll have another coffee in the middle of the day.
I never go over my fat or carbs. I usually am always over my protein unless i've worked out a lot.
I take a multi vitamin
As to the person saying "we're here because we are fat"...i guess you could say I am fat- but I'm trying to lose baby weight- I've always eaten well and exercised. I just gained a lot of weight w/ my last pregnancy.
the whole net calorie thing was new to me..so that's where i was confused.
I didn't think this post was gonna cause so much drama0 -
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
Actually yes, exercising DOES erase what you ate, your body burns those calories while you are exercising, and your body burns off the food you eat first to refill it's stores, before dipping into fat or muscle to make up the deficit. So physiologically, eating 1200 calories and burning 900 through exercise and eating 300 calories without exercising are the exact same thing.
1200 - 900 = 300
300 - 0 = 300
How can that not make sense?
I'm sorry, maybe you are not aware. Food actually contains MORE than JUST calories. It contains nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, protiens and so on. So while exercise used the calories you eat it does NOT ERASE the actual food you have eaten. You are still getting the benefits of all the other nutrients in the food.
Your BMR is the actual number of calories required to keep your body alive. For example mine is currently 2100. By your theory everyone should net those calories, but it doesn't work that way. MFP has set me at 1510 calories per day. Its all about a deficit. Eating during weightloss serves to keep you metabolism up, teach you new habits, get all the OTHER nutrients from food and so on. OFCOURSE the closer you get to your goal the more you will need to compensate for exercise calories, but like I said before, for people, like myself, who have a lot of extra energy stores (fat, which is actually stored calories), it is not always nessecary so eat all those calories back and my body knows it ain't going to starve for a LONG time. If my medical professional is not concerned and is actually praising me, then I'm good with that.0 -
listen honey bun.... if u began to eat below or not give ur body the amount of calories it needs .. it will go into starvation mode.....now dont get me wrong ... u will lose weight but what u will be losing is muscle mass.... which is wayyyyyy bad..... ur energy is stored in ur muscles so when u eat too little ur body began to basically eat itself starting with the muscles...... i know if ur burning that amount of calories and eat those amount of calories... ur energy levels have to be low.....im just saying .....but i do wish u well on ur journey......
True words.
People talk about eating when you're hungry and don't when you're not. The only problem with that, IMO, is our hunger is skewed. Unless you've been eating healthy for years and have been active as well, I doubt a lot of people actually know what true hunger or lack thereof (how much of that is psychological? as well). 1200 cals should be your minimum. Actually, I don't completely agree with 1200 cals. either. I lean more towards BMR (eat that many calories and exercise how much you want without eating any cals back), but I'll roll with the 1200 cals. If you exercise, eat and/or drink back those 1200 calories.
I use MFP as my food & exercise diary as well as community. I can care less about how much they recommend I eat to lose weight (1200 cals), because MFP is a company afterall just like any of the other companies banking on the diet industry.0 -
listen honey bun.... if u began to eat below or not give ur body the amount of calories it needs .. it will go into starvation mode.....now dont get me wrong ... u will lose weight but what u will be losing is muscle mass.... which is wayyyyyy bad..... ur energy is stored in ur muscles so when u eat too little ur body began to basically eat itself starting with the muscles...... i know if ur burning that amount of calories and eat those amount of calories... ur energy levels have to be low.....im just saying .....but i do wish u well on ur journey......
At first I was going to say if you are still hungry, absolutely, eat them back, but if you are not then don't, BUT what is said above makes really more sense. You definitely don't want to burn muscle mass. It is actually excellent advise.... how bout at least eat some of them back.... a good portion of them back. If you weren't suppose to eat them the calculations for them would not be there either, make sense?0 -
No. This would be the same as eating 307 calories. Would you ever think eating 307 calories is okay?
That makes NO sense. exercising does not erase what you ate. During weightloss the main function of eating is to provide you with nutrients like protien, vitamins and so on... The closer you are to your goal, the more exercise cals you *may* need to eat to prevent starvation mode, but for people with a lot to lose, it takes a lot more than that to put you into starvation mode... thats why you burn fat.
Actually yes, exercising DOES erase what you ate, your body burns those calories while you are exercising, and your body burns off the food you eat first to refill it's stores, before dipping into fat or muscle to make up the deficit. So physiologically, eating 1200 calories and burning 900 through exercise and eating 300 calories without exercising are the exact same thing.
1200 - 900 = 300
300 - 0 = 300
How can that not make sense?
I'm sorry, maybe you are not aware. Food actually contains MORE than JUST calories. It contains nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, protiens and so on. So while exercise used the calories you eat it does NOT ERASE the actual food you have eaten. You are still getting the benefits of all the other nutrients in the food.
Your BMR is the actual number of calories required to keep your body alive. For example mine is currently 2100. By your theory everyone should net those calories, but it doesn't work that way. MFP has set me at 1510 calories per day. Its all about a deficit. Eating during weightloss serves to keep you metabolism up, teach you new habits, get all the OTHER nutrients from food and so on. OFCOURSE the closer you get to your goal the more you will need to compensate for exercise calories, but like I said before, for people, like myself, who have a lot of extra energy stores (fat, which is actually stored calories), it is not always nessecary so eat all those calories back and my body knows it ain't going to starve for a LONG time. If my medical professional is not concerned and is actually praising me, then I'm good with that.
Yes, but if you eat below your BMR and you create too much of a deficit your body is going to do everything that it can to survive - this means it will hang onto fat and cannibalise your muscle, because muscle burns more calories than fat and is therefore expendable.
Then when you try to eat more calories, or eat a 'normal' diet, your body will easily store these as fat. Your maintenance level of calories will be stuck at the lower end.
People are offering their advice to you and you just seem to be incredibly defensive and the whole "I'm sorry, maybe you are not aware..." is just plain rude.
We're only trying to help, and to point out that you can lose weight and eat more calories, and that you need to fuel your body in order to get it to thrive.
I'm hoping that my advice might actually stand for something/anything as I've been at this a long time *looks down at ticker* whereas you just seemed to dismiss Rachel as she is already weighing in at 150lbs.0 -
lets all put the claws away and i guess agree to disagree
valid points have been made and it's now up to the individual to take action
thanks for all the comments0 -
lets all put the claws away and i guess agree to disagree
valid points have been made and it's now up to the individual to take action
thanks for all the comments
good job
Each to their own !!0 -
lets all put the claws away and i guess agree to disagree
valid points have been made and it's now up to the individual to take action
thanks for all the comments
Agreed 0 -
Ok, what exercise are you all doing to burn 800+ calories in a day????? Please share0
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