Who statrted at 1200 but raised their goal?

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SergeantSunshine_reused
SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I did this a few weeks ago and thought it would be a good idea for a post with more people telling what they raised their calories to and why! You do NOT have to eat the bare minimum to lose weight! Some do just fine, but it is not for everyone :]

I'll start. I thought as small as I am 1200 would be the max and that is what mfp put me at. They had my maintenance around 1700. But I found out my TDEE on a rest day was 2200! So I now have my goal set to 1400, but always adjust it with my TDEE so I rarely eat under 1800 anymore and the fat is still falling off me :] Many days I get up to 2400-3000 calories burned and can still eat around 2000 to lose.

What about you?
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Replies

  • louismetal
    louismetal Posts: 19
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    MFP set my goal at 1200 too, I lost weight steadily for the first couple of weeks and then plateaued. My TDEE is around 2200 too and at 5'8" I figured 1200 cals was too low especially as I've started lifting heavy!
    Raised my goal to 1500, and feel better for it, lost a pound or two too!
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    I started at 1200 for a couple of months, then raised it to 1350, then 1400, then 1500. Now I'm in maintenance. I can say, I lose weight and felt much better overall when I ate more calories.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
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    I started at 1200 but kept going over to about 1300ish but I then checked my bmr which I'm 5'8 and started at 163 so its around 1500 so now I eat anywhere between 1200-1500 and just so I stick to it I do have a spike day once a week.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Oh yea I ate at 1200 for a while actually. I was always so hungry and felt deprived really. So I had a few binges and just wouldn't lose like a wanted to. I no longer binge and feel a lot better :]
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
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    sorry double post!!
  • sharonsjones
    sharonsjones Posts: 574 Member
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    I started out at 1200 but my TDEE is 1800. I raised up my calories to 1400 and eat back almost all of my exercise calories. I am in maintenance also and I havent gained any weight and I feel better, more energy.
  • HoosierMomma1
    HoosierMomma1 Posts: 76 Member
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    I did-But it just hasn't worked for me. I've lost 8 pounds but weight loss has been stalled for a few weeks. After reading some of these posts I de died to increase my calories to 1500 and see what happens.theresa
  • gudiiya
    gudiiya Posts: 116 Member
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    That is great, I just raised mine and hoping for the same...
  • Silvercivic
    Silvercivic Posts: 156 Member
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    might be a stupid question- but how do you figure out what your TDEE is?
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
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    I started at 1200 and was hungry all the time..I decided to raise it to 1400 which is a lot more manageable and gives me a lot more wiggle room. Plus, I am still losing weight!
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
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    I spent about 8 months trying to loose the last 20lbs....eating from 1200, then went to 1350 and then 1500 and bounced up and down 3lbs...whined, cried, complained...you name it. Then one day, I read an excerpt from "New Rules of Lifting Weights for Women" and it totally broke down why eating less and exercising more reeks havoc on our bodies...why I was then in starvation mode and wasn't loosing weight. So based on the information I raised my non-workout caloric intake to 1800 and on my workout days I eat a minimum of 2000 but have gone as high as 2500. I have one cheat day on the weekend where I don't track. It broke down why CARBS ARE IMPORTANT AND PROTEIN TOO...and I adopted the 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat ratios. I eat no less than 30gr of fiber a day. I always drink a protein shake after every workout.

    I now lift way heavier, never feel hungry or deprived, I stopped carb binging, and what I have started doing is loosing fat, gaining muscle, have lost inches and the weight loss is pretty steady. So, I am a huge proponent of EATING MORE to WEIGH LESS.

    Wow, I just did the calc for my TDEE and it is 2472...so I now see why I couldn't loose a thing at 1200 or even 1600 cals...WOW...I WAS SO STARVING MYSELF!!!
  • juliep1974
    juliep1974 Posts: 222 Member
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    I never got to 1200 because I was always hungry on 1300. I raised it a couple of weeks ago to 1500 and have lost about 2 lbs. I did have an initial gain (very small) but I felt so much better when I increased it. I just increased again because I start the New Rules of Lifting for Women and they don't recommend a deficit at all so I made my deficit very small. I am so glad I upped my calories - though I may not have lost as fast, I feel like it is much more sustainable and it will be easier to switch to maintenance.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
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    How do you calculate your TDEE and your maintenance calories?
  • Happinessgrl
    Happinessgrl Posts: 92 Member
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    I did 1200 for a long time but the more weight I lost and the more muscle I gained, my body seemed to have a harder time and couldn't handle it. I was tired all the time and the weight was so very slow at coming off (it was holding on for dear life to every thing that I ate). Now, I flex it by eating 1300-1400 on days that I am not with my trainer and 1600 - 1700 on days that I am with my trainer. My body has stopped holding on to food and I am flying by losing about a pound every two days. I've been at this for 16 months and have lost 101 pounds to date (346.6 down to 245.2 this morning). I am still learning every day but I know now that 1200 is way too low for my body. I will admit though that it was so scary to up my calories, totally freaked my mind out but I did it anyway and now I am a ball of energy that is getting skinnier by the day. My motto... EAT...EAT HEALTHY...EAT OFTEN... :-)
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    I started at 1200 calories and stalled after the first couple weeks.

    I raised my calories to 1380 (lowered my goal from 1 lb/week to 0.5 lb/wk) and eat back most of my exercise calories. I try to make sure my NET is always over 1200.

    What a difference! I don't feel deprived because I have more calories to work with and I've been losing consistently ever since! :happy:
  • WMG2010
    WMG2010 Posts: 4
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    It was probably not a smart move, but I started at 1200 calories in October 2011, MFP said it should have been 1800 calories. I stuck to the 1200 and as of today, I've lost 74.8 lbs and still going! Size 24 to a 14 in 5 mo.! I feel great and energized! Not changing a thing no matter what MFS suggests!
  • darls25
    darls25 Posts: 151 Member
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    One thing I learned is that if you update the goals every once in a while it will update how many calories you eat based on the weight you are at now and your eating/ exercising history ect. :)
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    might be a stupid question- but how do you figure out what your TDEE is?

    There are quite a bit of calculators out there and they all gave me a higher one then mfp

    I actually have a BodyMedia Fit and use that for looking at my daily TDEE now :]
  • danicamper
    danicamper Posts: 44
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    might be a stupid question- but how do you figure out what your TDEE is?
    and what does TDEE mean?
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I have played around w/ the calories for about 6 weeks to see what works. When I went to 1200 calories my friends asked if I was HUNGRY! I did some research and realized I needed to start w/ my BMR. So I eat my BMR and my cardio calories back and some of my strength training calories but not many. It has worked for me.

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