does anyone ?

sexymewannabee
sexymewannabee Posts: 16
edited October 21 in Health and Weight Loss
does anyone set there calories up to maintenance weight and just use exercise calories alone to lose weight, I usually set mine at 1200 a day but am getting a bit bored of the restrictions it puts on my diet, especially when socialising! so am thinking maybe set it higher and exericise harder to create the deficit?

the mfp sets me at 1330 to lose a pound a week, I usually run regularly but have got out of the habit a bit! I have set it at 1200 a day and usually burn about 250 walking the dog etc, At the moment I feel a bit stuck in a rut, have been counting calories for 2.5 years and have been up and down by about a stone in that time, depending on how well I can stick to the 1200 a day. my weight is coming off slowly which I know is fine but the food side is really hard for me at the moment, am tired alot and cold! (this has been a constant during my weight loss)

any advice?? please

Replies

  • sexymewannabee
    sexymewannabee Posts: 16
    :bigsmile:
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    bump...interesting, would like to know thoughts on this :huh:
  • damifogg
    damifogg Posts: 26 Member
    Provided the food you eat is relatively healthy, then all that matters it the net calorie figure.

    If you want to run a marathon a day and eat 10,000 calories, go for it.
    Body builders basically spend their lives either eating or training, so it's got nothing to do with how much you eat, just the net balance at the end of the day.

    I would be tempted to up the calories a bit. Go for 1500. Enjoy life and food again, just be honest with your logging and make sure you are hitting the net 1200 or 1330 that you are meant to be hitting to lose the 1lb a week.
  • AmyPearshape
    AmyPearshape Posts: 69 Member
    My advice would be, stick with what works for you to get to a healthy weight. If you are tired and cold a lot, make sure you are not anemic. Find foods that satisfy you and give you energy. Plan some unusual meals to avoid boredom.
  • maurapie
    maurapie Posts: 48 Member
    About a year ago I had set mine to 1200 and was preparing for a Physical Training Test. About two days before the test I noticed my 1.5 mile run time had decreased a lot despite feeling like I was working much harder than usual. That was when I realized that I hadn't been eating enough. In fact, my BMR is higher than 1200. The day before my PT Test, I rested a lot and actually ATE and my run time was the best it had been in months. This could be why you're feeling tired and cold lately!
  • Donners185
    Donners185 Posts: 329 Member
    I was at 1200 for a long time too, but have bumped it up now to 1400 to see what happens. I know i prob won't lose the weight as quick but like you i was starting to get sore heads and was cold and tired all the time, which is obviously our bodies way of saying 'feed me!' You should try it for a week or two and see what happens, thats what i'm doing. Good luck.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    does anyone set there calories up to maintenance weight and just use exercise calories alone to lose weight, I usually set mine at 1200 a day but am getting a bit bored of the restrictions it puts on my diet, especially when socialising! so am thinking maybe set it higher and exericise harder to create the deficit?

    the mfp sets me at 1330 to lose a pound a week, I usually run regularly but have got out of the habit a bit! I have set it at 1200 a day and usually burn about 250 walking the dog etc, At the moment I feel a bit stuck in a rut, have been counting calories for 2.5 years and have been up and down by about a stone in that time, depending on how well I can stick to the 1200 a day. my weight is coming off slowly which I know is fine but the food side is really hard for me at the moment, am tired alot and cold! (this has been a constant during my weight loss)

    any advice?? please
    It matters NOT so long as you are set for enough of a daily deficit to realize 1 lb weekly weight loss.
    Actually, it's the same thing with a different play in the numbers.

    Do what works and motivates you.
  • MissMollieD
    MissMollieD Posts: 130
    I agree that a deficit is a deficit is a deficit. If nothing else, change it up and experiment - especially if you are getting bored!! Good luck.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    I was at a stalemate for a LONG time (three months), so I finally changed things up. I used the calculator here:

    http://www.shapefit.com/calorie-intake-calculator.html#

    I put in my GOAL weight and little/no exercise. I then took the numbers in the maintenance column and the numbers in the fat loss column and met in the middle. Then I put them in an order that I was happy with-making sure Saturday was my highest cal day because that's the day we eat fellowship meal at church and spend the afternoon with my parents (basically, a cheat day without cheating)!! I eat back most/all of my exercise calories since it's set up at a loss (similarly to MFP). I just change my daily goal in the MFP system every night. :)

    I would not recommend doing the goal weight as the weight if you still have a long way to go, btw, but I'm getting close, so it works for me. It got me past my plateau and back into losing without really changing my weekly calorie allotment--just varying them by the day.
  • bjfmade
    bjfmade Posts: 543 Member
    bump
  • josery1630
    josery1630 Posts: 205 Member
    Eating only 1200 calories and then working off more will probably be counterproductive. MFP has me at 1270 to lose a pound a week and I exercise 6 days a week. I almost always eat back 80%-100% of my workout calories, because dipping below 1200 calories regularly is not good for the body. I'm losing weight at 1 lb per week just like MFP says.

    If you're tired and cold a lot, that means your body needs more fuel. Try to get closer to 1330 and I'll bet you'll be more successful. You can also shake up your workout routine a bit. Once you've become efficent at a movement, you don't burn nearly as many calories doing it as you used to. Try some interval training.

    Good luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,451 Member
    You need to eat more. With only 20-25 pounds to lose, you should be eating much more than 1200 a day.

    Your premise of "set to maintenance, and use exercise to lose" is a good plan. But your maintenance is higher than 1500-1600!

    These threads say it better than I ever could:



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/226404-bmr-maintenance

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/363561-weight-loss-6-strategies-for-success
  • maccerpops
    maccerpops Posts: 7
    find good low cal snacks. Ryvita with philly extra light and a tomato is one of mine. I sometimes add a bit of fresh chili or chili jam. staves off the afternoon hunger!
  • 2fit4fat
    2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
    to be completely honest after my first 3 kids i didnt count calories and got in the best shape of my life by just exercising! I have been trying the counting calories thing but quite honestly havent seen a good difference between them. in fact i lost weight quicker a few months ago when i didnt count calories and focused more on exercise. :-) i will be heading back that direction i think since my body seems to respond more to that. hopefully it works again! (i loved being able to eat a candy bar without thinking about how many calories it was every stupid time)

    i am honestly one of those people that thinks not everything works for everyone. you have to find what your own body responds best to. good luck! :-)
  • sexymewannabee
    sexymewannabee Posts: 16
    my maintenance calories are at 1800 ish I think and my bmr is 1450 ish I think on here which is what made me think that for months on end I have probably been under eating - especially as I had been running 5 k a 3 times a weeks and also using an exercise bike as well as walking the dog and running around after 5 children. Just lately I don have the energy and have hardly run at all.

    Most days I eat 1200 calories, tho if I am hungry after exercise I would eat maybe 150 more.

    after such a long time I feel I need to relax a bit on the 1200 calories a day thing and hope that I can find a bit more energy to get exercising again !

    Initially I was 218 lb and got down to 152lb, now I am 168 after struggling to maintain the 1200 calories and having dropped the running for a while, due to being so tired mainly. I am aneamic as someone posted before so maybe thats not helping either,

    thanks all, I am thinking up the calories and hope for some energy to up the exercise
  • sexymewannabee
    sexymewannabee Posts: 16
    :wink:
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