1200 calories and not eating back exercise calories, how do

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  • lammy13
    lammy13 Posts: 7
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    thank you everyone that really helpful, because im now eating healthy i find that i can have 3 big meals as the calories are so low, maybe i will have to introduce snacks inbetween meals to help make up my calories!! should i just eat extra calories on the days i excercise??
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    When the weight loss stops coming off, chances are you need to *increase* your calorie consumption. Chances are that you've built some muscle through your exercise and that extra muscle needs *more* fuel, not less in order to keep burning off the fat. I'd try bumping up your calories and eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories back to boot in order to keep your metabolism burning hot so your body doesn't resort to starting to 'eat' muscle instead of fat.

    this.

    and one way to consume those extra calories is with a protein shake. a scoop or two of powder, some fruit juice, and some frozen berries. i can adjust mine based on how much i burned. its usually a lot easier to take down after a work out then solid food too, even late at night.
  • cassblue21
    cassblue21 Posts: 207
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    You should definitely eat back most of your workout calories. Your body needs the extra fuel. If you do not consume enough calories your body will start storing fat. Also, have you done your measurements??? That always helped me when I didn't see any movement on the scale. You should see improvements in your measurements.

    Doing the measurements is really good. I have lost several inches over the last month, just still no weight so it has me very discouraged! Guess I will just have to be happy with that for awhile yet. *le sigh*

    :) Have a wonderful day.
  • lammy13
    lammy13 Posts: 7
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    When the weight loss stops coming off, chances are you need to *increase* your calorie consumption. Chances are that you've built some muscle through your exercise and that extra muscle needs *more* fuel, not less in order to keep burning off the fat. I'd try bumping up your calories and eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories back to boot in order to keep your metabolism burning hot so your body doesn't resort to starting to 'eat' muscle instead of fat.

    this.

    and one way to consume those extra calories is with a protein shake. a scoop or two of powder, some fruit juice, and some frozen berries. i can adjust mine based on how much i burned. its usually a lot easier to take down after a work out then solid food too, even late at night.


    i was taking sculptress shakes by maxitone? but i was worried this would make me bulk but it sounds like i should carry on taking this then!! do i consume the normal 1200 on the days i dnt work out? when i did the bmr it said mine was like 1350
  • jh8753
    jh8753 Posts: 1 Member
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    if you know you are going to work out that day, eat the workout calories before you workout. I agree that you wouldn't want to eat a bunch of calories after dinner before bedtime. This way you HAVE to workout to avoid having an excess of calories!
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    When the weight loss stops coming off, chances are you need to *increase* your calorie consumption. Chances are that you've built some muscle through your exercise and that extra muscle needs *more* fuel, not less in order to keep burning off the fat. I'd try bumping up your calories and eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories back to boot in order to keep your metabolism burning hot so your body doesn't resort to starting to 'eat' muscle instead of fat.

    this.

    and one way to consume those extra calories is with a protein shake. a scoop or two of powder, some fruit juice, and some frozen berries. i can adjust mine based on how much i burned. its usually a lot easier to take down after a work out then solid food too, even late at night.

    i was taking sculptress shakes by maxitone? but i was worried this would make me bulk but it sounds like i should carry on taking this then!! do i consume the normal 1200 on the days i dnt work out? when i did the bmr it said mine was like 1350

    if that is your BMR, then you should not consume less then 1350. and a protein shake will not make you bulky. even endurance athletes that want leaner bodies benefit from protein shakes, as it helps replenish your body much needed building blocks to repair and maintain itself.

    i bet many people here wish all it took was a protein shake to make them bulkier.
  • jnpippins
    jnpippins Posts: 3 Member
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    1. At minimum, to keep yourself alive, you need 1,200.
    2. Please, "eat back" your exercise calories
    3. If you have hit a plateau, I recommend that instead of cutting back your calories to a ridiculous 1,200 calories (and make your metabolism slow down) you do several things:
    a. make sure your calories are coming from whole foods. If they aren't "switch" out a less than nutritious snack (like a hundred calorie pack of oreos) and opt for a fruit or a boiled egg or a serving of greek yogurt or a serving of cottage cheese
    b. throw the myfitnesspal fat, carb, protein ratios out the door b/c they are completely erroneous. Your ratios should be at 35% protein, 40% (good) fats, and 25% carbs. So increase your protein significantly. While protein is calorie packed it actually takes your body a lot of work (calories) to break it down too. That thermal effect is a good thing!
    c. don't be afraid of the good fats ratio. Good fats help you produce and stabilize your hormones. A starvation diet actually gets them completely out of whack and will increase hormones that actually make you hungrier. You need good fats to help you continue to make good choices. Good fats also make your cells more permeable or "softer". This means that good things like (nutrients and hormones) can enter your cells more easily (increasing your metabolism) and toxins can more easily be taken out of your cells (keeping you healthier all around).
    d. I don't know how much you weight or what your activity level is but a good rule of thumb to follow as far as a safe calorie count that you can lose weight with but not get your system out of whack is this: if you are sedentary take your weight and multiply by 10. (In other words you are giving yourself 10 calories per pound of bodyweight. If you are moderately active take your weight and multiply by 12. If you are very active multiply by 14. Myfitnesspal gives everyone the generic 1,200 calories and then based on your activity gives you an extra amount of calories. Using your personal weight plus multiplying by 10, 12, 14 gives you a more individualized calorie count.

    I hope this helps and that I didn't overwhelm you!
  • lammy13
    lammy13 Posts: 7
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    ok thank you, i did my bmr on here but the app was what reccomended me to consume 1200 a day which is why thats all i have been consuming, so would ur advice be to consume 1350 on days that i do not work out and obv eat back my calories on the days i do? really appreciate ur help!
  • lammy13
    lammy13 Posts: 7
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    @ jnpipins!! thanks a lot really helpful :) i just did the equation and it worked out at 1668 calories
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    ok thank you, i did my bmr on here but the app was what reccomended me to consume 1200 a day which is why thats all i have been consuming, so would ur advice be to consume 1350 on days that i do not work out and obv eat back my calories on the days i do? really appreciate ur help!

    yes, on days you don't work out, 1350 is great. and consume the exercise calories. but remember, this is not absolute. you do need a certain bit of trail and error.

    also, keep in mind that your body acts more on a week to week basis, rather then day to day.

    for instance, if you eat 1350 on monday and don't work out, and tuesday you work out and burn 500 calories, but can only eat half the exercise calories, thats ok, because you'll probably be a little more hungry then normal on wednesday, and hey, that day you can eat an extra 250 calories because they are leftover from yesterday.
  • xtracee
    xtracee Posts: 1
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    thank you everyone that really helpful, because im now eating healthy i find that i can have 3 big meals as the calories are so low, maybe i will have to introduce snacks inbetween meals to help make up my calories!! should i just eat extra calories on the days i excercise??

    What you should be doing as opposed to eating 3 BIG meals a day, is eating 4-5 small-portioned meals a day. If you spread your meal times out 3-4 hours apart, you will find that you feel hungry less. This also helps keep you on a balanced eating schedule as well as aids in increasing your metabolism.

    You need MORE, not BIGGER..
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    thank you everyone that really helpful, because im now eating healthy i find that i can have 3 big meals as the calories are so low, maybe i will have to introduce snacks inbetween meals to help make up my calories!! should i just eat extra calories on the days i excercise??

    What you should be doing as opposed to eating 3 BIG meals a day, is eating 4-5 small-portioned meals a day. If you spread your meal times out 3-4 hours apart, you will find that you feel hungry less. This also helps keep you on a balanced eating schedule as well as aids in increasing your metabolism.

    You need MORE, not BIGGER..

    not true. there is no scientific evidence to support that more frequent meals are more beneficial to losing weight then having three larger meals. one friend of mine actually takes in most of his daily calories at one sitting.

    yes, some people benefit from multiple meals for the reasons you listed, but it does not increase your metabolism, and breakfast will not "jump start" it either.

    personally, i like eating multiple times during the day, but nothing stops me eating a lot at night, or in the morning.
  • cassblue21
    cassblue21 Posts: 207
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    @jnpippins: Thanks! That really does help alot!
  • janadaley
    janadaley Posts: 3
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    Remember too that your metabolism works best when you eat 6 small meals a day. Try 3 meals and keep 3 snacks around 100 calories each.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Remember too that your metabolism works best when you eat 6 small meals a day. Try 3 meals and keep 3 snacks around 100 calories each.

    Meal frequency is irrelevant! I would love to help you get losing. Send me a message if interested.
  • brutusman
    brutusman Posts: 3 Member
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    Cass,

    Its easier said than done, but try experimenting a bit with the daily calories. If you are starving that is not good. For me, proteins and foodsa little higher in fats keep me from getting hungry and blowing my whole day on a pigout.

    You have obviously been successful, just need to adjust your plan a bit to get you where you want to go.
  • Snookydoops
    Snookydoops Posts: 3
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    5-6 meals DOES help many people. Jana's advice is good.
    I'd also check you're getting enough protein at each meal - and that your 1200 aren't all high sugar foods too.
  • ezramedic
    ezramedic Posts: 119
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    This has helped me a lot. I have started to stall out. I knew I was suppose to eat back at least some of my exercise calories (I mostly just listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry) but I didn't realise that as I start to plateau, I should be upping my calories.

    Thanks everyone!
  • terinee
    terinee Posts: 4 Member
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    My doctor said to eat back 1/2 of the calories from working out, but definitely eat more!
  • dragonflybird
    dragonflybird Posts: 232
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    Yikes definitely eat more. I lost a lot of weight eating 1200 calories without eating back exercise calories, but 5 months later gained it all back. My trainer said that it is if you were to lost 50 pounds in a year, that is realistic and anything more than that is not very healthy. Just saying from my own experience and words from my trainer.

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