1200 calories a day - enough?

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  • khariemendoza
    khariemendoza Posts: 3
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    Hi Christine,

    Maybe this site http://fitnessvideosandplans.com/ can help you to get better understanding on how to lose wight fast and in a healthy way. You'll get great advices and tips that I'm sure you'll gonna love to follow and apply.

    I am looking forward to see your changes soon.
  • ChristineDiet
    ChristineDiet Posts: 719 Member
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    this for 'JDbeckers'. Hope you find it. x
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Ok so i am curious about number of calories as well... We are almost the same size, I'm 5'8 and my starting weight was 210 (i'm currently 205) When i signed up myfitnesspal set my calories at 1200 so i'v been tryingvto eat around 1200 calories a day. According to the calorie counter linked above at freedieting.com it says i should be eating 1808 for fat loss or 1648 for extreme fat loss and according to helloitsdan i need to be eating about 2000 calories. I'm soooo confused. Why did myfitnesspal.com set my calories so low if i should be consuming way more than that.

    Help :-)

    This is what I mean about confusion.

    Dan also said to me that I need to eat 2000 calories a day, whereas MFP had set it for 1200 losing 2lbs a week. I have changed it to 1lb a week loss and it's put it at 1620 cals a day. So now I'm thinking I will try that, but I'm kinda scared, I don't want to eat more and end up gaining, but don't want to not eat enough and not lose the weight! I'm going to try the 1620 for the next 2 weeks and see what happens. (It's just that holiday in May - 17 weeks to go, 2 weeks of experiment is quite a lot then!) x

    Just to ease your mind. DON'T be concerned about a gain right after you increase calories. An increase in calories leads to an increase in glycogen storage, which can lead to an increase in water weight. So don't panic on that. The real key is that the body will be more willing to burn fat reserves if you eat enough calories to fuel yourself. Fat is an endocrine organ, meaning it's responsible for the creation and regulation of several hormones in the body, particularly appetite controlling hormones and reproductive hormones. Because of this, the body doesn't like to get rid of it, other than small bits at a time. If you're eating enough food, your body will be comfortable burning fat, because it knows it can replenish it if necessary. If you aren't eating enough, your body will be afraid about burning fat, because it needs it for all those functions. That's why slow steady weight loss is much more successful, as the body can slowly adjust. So don't stress over a small gain. You will adjust and start losing again.

    Also, 2 weeks is not enough time to experiment with something, at least a month is better, and really 3 months is best.
  • amethyz
    amethyz Posts: 2
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    When you want to lose weight safely and for the long-term, you need to focus on losing no more than 2 pounds per week. Nutritionists and health experts say that 2 pounds per week is a healthy rate of weight loss for most people, and steady weight loss will get results in the long-term.
  • Jme2012
    Jme2012 Posts: 106 Member
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    So Is it safe to assume that what MFP says about the 1200 calorie a day for a 2 pound a week weight loss + eating back (sometimes) your workout calories a day is OK???
    Sorry I am 5'5 and have 50+ pounds to lose and want to make sure im on track,
    I work our 5x a week. Just dont want to get discouraged....
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    If I may say, in looking at your diary you are eating a ton of "dirty carbs" and not nearly enough protein. Personally I think MFP has the setting way too high on carbs and way too low on protein. Try to stay within 30 carbs per meal and match it with some high protein. You have to start somewhere but its good to tweak your diet after awhile to incorporate some better foods and they will go a lot further too. In addition, please patient, it takes time to lose weight and its very easy to get frustrated. I agree with others that a 2 lb a week weight goal is somewhat unrealistic as a life style change. Best of luck to you
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    So Is it safe to assume that what MFP says about the 1200 calorie a day for a 2 pound a week weight loss + eating back (sometimes) your workout calories a day is OK???
    Sorry I am 5'5 and have 50+ pounds to lose and want to make sure im on track,
    I work our 5x a week. Just dont want to get discouraged....

    Bad idea.
    TDEE is appx 2200 so only cut to 1600.

    Keep in mind that losing lean mass can effect your heart.
    Your heart is a muscle.
  • chrinsky
    chrinsky Posts: 16 Member
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    This is a great article... it made so much sense to me

    http://ext-app-mfp.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/208407-how-to-repair-a-damaged-metabolism-stavation-mode

    good luck to you too!

    Thank you SO much for posting that article! Very informative!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Set your goals for 1 lb weight loss per week.
    NO MORE!
    And eat lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies.
    Do both cardio and resistance exercise.
    AND EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES~!
    That's it.

    pretty much this. work on making healthy lifestyle changes - but keep in mind that you cant do this quickly, and 1lb loss per week is reccommended, especially if you dont have a massive amount of weight to lose. you havent put your starting weight on so i am only guessing.

    When i started i was set to 1200 cals to lose 1lb per week, and i am 5ft5. i stuck to it for about 3 months and lost about a pound each week and then upped my cals to lose 1/2lb when i was close to my goal. everyone is different though, and as you are quite tall, 1200 cals might not be enough for your body to shed the weight.

    and yes, eat back the exercise calories, especially if you burn over 500 cals a session when you work out. good luck!
    It's simple but so hard.
    I have failed time and time again.

    I do not think I have it in me to punch back from obesity again.
    The prospect of gaining weight scares me at this stage of my life.

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