Deciding to eat more than 1200 calories.

kaleas
kaleas Posts: 200
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
At 138, 5'4, and a generally active person, 1200 calories is almost an impossible number to be fueled on throughout the day. My weightloss has been stalled for months. As the weather is getting warmer and I'm biking and running more again, I've decided to ditch MFP's set 1200 maximum, and take on 1600 calories a day.

Along with this, I will be going Gluten-Free, but no longer being a Vegan and add eggs and the occasional cheese back into my diet. I will still be staying away from dairy such as ice cream and milk.

I'm a little nervous that this may result in weight gain, as my day job is an 8 to 5 desk job. I bike about 30 miles a week, which will become more like 70 as the weather warms. I run 3 miles 4 times a week, and am trying to get back into strength training.

Any thoughts on if I may be making a mistake adding in 400 more calories? I'm still technically on a deficit. I'm not looking to lose more than 8 or so pounds, and am in no rush for it to happen.

Replies

  • mmstgr
    mmstgr Posts: 578 Member
    Smart cookie. Keep it simple. Since you don't have a whole lot to lose, it may seem like a long time in order to take it off. Take it slow. Maybe set your MFP so that you're losing no more than 0.5 lbs per week?
  • kaleas
    kaleas Posts: 200
    That's what it's set at, but they still want me eating 1260, and its just not nearly enough. I found myself skipping meals and generally just being tired all of the time. I'd go to bed early just so I wouldn't eat, and that seems like an unhappy lifestyle.

    I guess what I don't get is that I have friends who can eat once a day, or sustain on coffee and a granola bar till dinner. If I'm not constantly grazing and eating every few hours, I get cranky.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    With only eight pounds to lose are you sure you're not looking to 'tone up' and not just lose weight? Want a tighter butt, flatter tummy type deal? In that case you may want to look more seriously at lifting weights and eating MORE than your maintenance because being a lower weight you don't have these vast reserves of energy stored all over your body to build muscles with.

    I would calculate your TDEE and then take a small shaving off of that. Or set MFP to 'moderately active' (if you haven't already) along with losing .5 lbs a week- and then eat every single one of your exercise cals back.

    If you want to build some lean strength then you need to provide the fuel- which it sounds like you're coming around to realising on your own- great thing is you won't have to go it alone. I would check out this thread if you haven't already-
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/506349-women-who-eat-more-than-1800-calories-a-day?
  • angelxxxx
    angelxxxx Posts: 11
    I am only here 4 weeks, i lost 8 pounds the first week on 1200, and stuck to the 1200 for the other 3 weeks and lost notthing the scales didnt move an inch, it was so disheartening when i weighed in waitting for a loss, but i upped my calories by 200 calories to 1400 on thursday and i have lost 1 lb in 2 days so im happy happy , i see the 1200 works for alot of people, but i have realised it was too low for me!!! I hope you get the same results too!.
  • msrobinson77
    msrobinson77 Posts: 177
    Sounds like you have a good plan. I've been logging since August. I tried to stick to the 1200 calories at first, but felt hungry all the time and guilty when I was over my calories. I decided to increase my calories to 1500. My weight loss has been very slow (I have lost 21 pounds of my 30 pound goal),but you know what-I've stuck to it. Who wants to live a life where you can't enjoy any goodies!! With a little increase in my calories, I enjoy a glass of wine or cookie or whatever, without beating myself up over it.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Welcome to the dark side... we really DO have cookies! :smile:
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    You're my twin! I am 5'3", and 1200-1400 stalled my weight loss as well, in about the same place, and I increased to 1700 plus exercise, then to 2100 including exercise (which is about the same thing, but I have found it to be planning to eat approximately the same number of calories a day.) I am trying to be more strict and log those "little bites" here and there to make sure that I know how many calories I am really getting.

    I am grain-free, dairy-free, vegetarian. I run 4 days a week and am training for a half marathon. The rest of the time, I am doing weights, Jillian Michaels, Just Dance 3, Tae Bo, etc. I am sedentary at work, but with my daily workouts, I am considered very active.

    When I initially upped my calories, weight jumped up 4 lb, then stabilized for a couple of weeks, and this week it started dropping down again to where it was before I increased them. Hoping to see it continue to drop.
    At 138, 5'4, and a generally active person, 1200 calories is almost an impossible number to be fueled on throughout the day. My weightloss has been stalled for months. As the weather is getting warmer and I'm biking and running more again, I've decided to ditch MFP's set 1200 maximum, and take on 1600 calories a day.

    Along with this, I will be going Gluten-Free, but no longer being a Vegan and add eggs and the occasional cheese back into my diet. I will still be staying away from dairy such as ice cream and milk.

    I'm a little nervous that this may result in weight gain, as my day job is an 8 to 5 desk job. I bike about 30 miles a week, which will become more like 70 as the weather warms. I run 3 miles 4 times a week, and am trying to get back into strength training.

    Any thoughts on if I may be making a mistake adding in 400 more calories? I'm still technically on a deficit. I'm not looking to lose more than 8 or so pounds, and am in no rush for it to happen.
  • kim_mc
    kim_mc Posts: 321 Member
    I'm 5'4" and 129 lbs. Have been trying to get down to 120-125 for long time and not able to do it. I have also been eating at a defecit for a long time. About a year and a half! Even at 0.5 lb/week MFP was giviing me abotu 1400-1500 calories a day and then I realized that I'm not so sure I want to lose the weight. I want to replace the fat with muscle.

    I kep losing weight but my body still "looked" the same and that's not what I wanted. So this week I upped my calories to maintenance and now get about 1700-1800 calories plus exercise. I'm also scared that I'm going to gain but I think I'm going to give it a month or two and see what happens. I think I could get over the number on the scale if I started looking better.

    I couldn't eat that little anymore! I was tired all the time and never wanted to do anything and I was crabby not being able to eat very much. So I'm going to give it a shot and see what happens!!

    Good luck to yo- I think it's worth a try!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Welcome to the dark side... we really DO have cookies! :smile:

    I love this :)
  • swilk627
    swilk627 Posts: 245 Member
    I just increased to 1600 calories too! I'm excited because I think it will be very good for me.
  • marla_jones
    marla_jones Posts: 45 Member
    bump to read later
  • Lanna74
    Lanna74 Posts: 203 Member
    You're doing the right thing.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Set your loss to 0.5 lbs a week and eat accordingly. I think upping your cal is a great idea and eating your exercize calories too......at least half to 3/4 of them. I upped my calories after a stall and stopped working out for 1 month to see what would happen and I lost 14 lbs.
  • helena260
    helena260 Posts: 83 Member
    You have a good plan so go for it!!
  • ShawnaCurley
    ShawnaCurley Posts: 82 Member
    You have to eat to lose, otherwise your body is going to start hoarding your fat, thinking it's starving. And I try not to eat my exercise calories at all. I've lost 9lbs so far, and I eat well. So something's working here! Everyone is diffeerent though, so your just gonna have to ry a few things until you find what works for you. Good luck with your journey!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If you've been at a severe deficit for a long time, you may see a slight gain when you up your calories. This is your body adjusting to more food - it is normal, it is common, it will come back off. So, don't freak out and lower your calories again. Give your body at least a month to adjust. :)
  • ahartmanpt
    ahartmanpt Posts: 4
    I am a personal trainer and have worked with many women in your same situation. Its best to think of our bodies as a fuel tank but sometimes, if we starve our bodies, the system goes into "safe mode". Some women, if they have too few calories, actually lose less weight then if they were to "boost" or "turn on" their metabolisms by supplying it with just a few more calories and maintaining the burn they have been producing. Now, this doesn't work for everyone and I'm NOT a nutritionist....therefore, my suggestion, try it for a few weeks. If it works for you that's great, if not, cut back down.

    Good luck!
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
    A deficit is a deficit! I really struggled on 1200 a day and my weightloss stalled completely at one stage. I lost the most by eating 1400/1500 so go for it & well done.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,534 Member
    I'm not trying to start a war, but are you eating your exercise calories? Or perhaps you have your activity set too low -- when I started, I chose sedentary, but I soon decided that was just not enough calories. Good luck.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    It's ok! I've found everytime I upped my cals, I was nervous, BUT...it's worked! :) I am now set at .5 lb a week and it's been great. :)
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    At 138, 5'4, and a generally active person, 1200 calories is almost an impossible number to be fueled on throughout the day. My weightloss has been stalled for months. As the weather is getting warmer and I'm biking and running more again, I've decided to ditch MFP's set 1200 maximum, and take on 1600 calories a day.

    Along with this, I will be going Gluten-Free, but no longer being a Vegan and add eggs and the occasional cheese back into my diet. I will still be staying away from dairy such as ice cream and milk.

    I'm a little nervous that this may result in weight gain, as my day job is an 8 to 5 desk job. I bike about 30 miles a week, which will become more like 70 as the weather warms. I run 3 miles 4 times a week, and am trying to get back into strength training.

    Any thoughts on if I may be making a mistake adding in 400 more calories? I'm still technically on a deficit. I'm not looking to lose more than 8 or so pounds, and am in no rush for it to happen.

    Please, you will not gain "weight" here. Maybe just the weight of the meal itself. I think you will find that your metabolism increases and your better prepared athletic performance-wise. Your fine!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,426 Member
    I looked at your Food Diary for the last few days and you are consistently leaving 200-700 calories left uneaten!

    This is your problem, right here.

    You have to eat those, since you are already at a healthy weight, you are creating a huge, unsustainable deficit by doing that.

    Figure out your ACTUAL activity level, not the fake Lightly Active one you have set. Eat those calories. Then eat the exercise calories too.

    Geez. No wonder you aren't losing.

    Go to the sticky posts at the top of General Diet and Weight Loss Help. You don't really understand how this works.
  • kaleas
    kaleas Posts: 200
    For the longest time I stopped recording any exercise I did and would still try to eat around 1200 calories, because there were days thanks to being a typical 23 year old, I would go out and drink more than two beers, and figured it all kind of evened out. After playing with a TDEE site, even on a low activity level, I maintain at almost 2000 calories, which makes me realize why I wasn't happy eating 1200 calories, especially after a day of biking to class, walking several miles, and then going for a run.

    Ill keep you all up to date over the next month and see how this goes!
  • cjr312
    cjr312 Posts: 23 Member
    I think you're doing the right thing by uping your calories. I just increased my goal intake by another 100 calories today as well. I don't exercise everyday, but I want to eventually and when I realize that I'm in the routine, I'm going to increase the calorie goal again. Go for it as long as your are exercising!
  • kirstand
    kirstand Posts: 76
    i was set on a similar calorie intake with mfp too when first started and set my activity level at lightly active. i soon found that i couldnt stay anywhere near (under) that, so i changed my setting to very active for the extra 200 or so cals a day.
    i do a lot of exercise during most days and this amount (1420) seems ok...
    good luck.
  • meancoffeebeans
    meancoffeebeans Posts: 4 Member
    I really try to stay between 1200 to 1300 a day even though I am allowed 1520. It's hard. The battle between being cold/tired/shaky and keeping my calories in line is tough. The goal has always been to increase the calories once I hit my target weight and offset with exercise. It just makes sense.

    I think you are on the right track. If you're active, and it sounds like you are, then compensating with extra calories is absolutely the right thing to do. Good luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,426 Member
    If you are tired, shaking, hungry, not losing any weight, having to go to bed so you won't eat.....you're doing it wrong.





    Seriously, I lost over 50 pounds by eating enough. Every day I ate all my exercise calories. And often went over. It has been five years and I'm still doing that, and I have only gained a few pounds (under ten). And I'm on the road to re-lose them. By eating. I always have enough food and I'm never shaky or tired.

    I regained the few pounds because I quit logging and couldn't exercise. And broke my foot, couldn't walk for three months.


    .
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