Please Help!
mistyrn83
Posts: 19
Ok I keep reading over and over that 1200 cals is to low. Ive been "trying" for 1200 cals (sometimes over sometimes less) because that is what myfitnesspal put me at when i entered my info. I put info into another site and it told me 1600 cals as a absolute min. I have been losing usually 1-3lbs a week. I exercise at least 5 days a week generally for at least an hour cardio and strength training. I am now at 201lbs ( I sooo hated to post that just so you know)... wondering more cals or not?!?!?!?!
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Replies
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Dear misty,
Its sounds like you are doing great. I think you should keep doing what you are doing. sure sounds like it is working for you.
you have been losing very nicely at what you have been doing.(its working for you and your seeing progress).!! If i were you
Stay on the path you are on. Then when you stop loseing , change thing up .... None of us got this way over night, and we
won't take it off over night. Keep up the good work. you are on your way to a new you;!!!!
someone who cares, in kansas
1200 to 1500
TJ 0 -
A group of friends and I had this discussion at a party we were at. One of them works at a hospital, not sure of her exact role but she does work with people who need to lose weight. She said between 1200 to 1400 depending on your current weight is a healthy goal for wanting to lose weight. 1600 and up is if you want to maintain your weight and not lose.
Why are you exploring other sites for calorie counts? The big question is do you feel hungry? Do you still have energy? I'm not sure how many calories you earn through exercise, but if you are tired and hungry it may be a good idea to try and eat some of them back. Exercise is great but your body needs energy to recover from it. Look at what you're eating and whether it's a filling choice compared to other options.0 -
The other sites give you a number that factors in your workouts. MFP does not. So on this site when you workout, your number goes up and that's what you should eat. I wasn't eating my exercise calories and was stuck at the same weight for months. Then I started eating them and started losing again. So the days I don't workout, I eat the number MFP gave me when I filled out my profile and on days I workout, I eat that number plus the extra calories I earned. It's working for me.0
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Thanks for this.... I believe im going to try to eat more of my exercise calories. I looked and they average 400-800 five days a week. Another ques...I usually dont get to workout until after work so like 430 thats when i see i have all these extra calories. On the days I know for sure I will be working out should i try to add extra cals throughout the day instead of just at the end of the day???0
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personally, i wouldnt eat below your BMR - yes youre losing now, but you run the risk of losing more muscle along with the fat.
i eat my bmr (1845) and eat my exercise calories (sometimes up to 700) and i lose about 1 lb a week, even when slacking on exercise and going over calories.0 -
yea thas what i doThanks for this.... I believe im going to try to eat more of my exercise calories. I looked and they average 400-800 five days a week. Another ques...I usually dont get to workout until after work so like 430 thats when i see i have all these extra calories. On the days I know for sure I will be working out should i try to add extra cals throughout the day instead of just at the end of the day???
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1200 calories is enough for most people, but it's what you eat that leads up to the 1200 calories, heck you could drink 1200 calories a day, easily.
If you find balance in your diet and eat the right foods 1200 calories can really make you full and content. I don't drink any of my calories at all - with one exception - Protien Shakes, other then that - water only.
Of course 1200 does not work well for a 6'5 300 lb man, generally speaking.
If you feel 1200 calories isn't enough or you are still hungry, you can look into exactly what you are eating or find a lifestyle change that allows more calories (but those options are usually specific about what should be eaten to take in those calories. :-)
It's give and take. :-) Most important is that you find something doable for you and something you can do forever so you can maintain your weight loss.0 -
I do not drink any of my cals either! Some days it works fine some days im starvin!! Usually at night when i have more down time to think about it!0
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i wouldnt agree that 1200 is enough for most people - i see multiple threads a day here of people eating 1200 and theyre starving. yes, part of it is what theyre eating...but i know when i was doing 1200-1400 i was eating lean meats, as much veggies and fruit as i could, and healthy carbs and i was starving and *****y. anything below 1550 or so and i get grouchy, and tend to have binge days..
i do much better now netting 18450 -
I am 5'2, and im netting 1660 a day. Figure out for BMR and your TDEE. The 1600 or so that you were told to aim is a defecit already, so yes you will lose weight, anything less than that and you are going to lose lean muscle.. NOT GOOD. I am not knocking 1200 calorie "diets". I too tried that at the begining, and lost literarlly 5 lbs and plateued, I was tired and cranky and in a week I was craving all the bad stuff. I upped my calories to 1600-1800 and eat back some of my workout cals and the weight has dropped off.
Higher calorie intakes shouldn't scare people off of weightloss.
try fit to fat radio, it has every calculator that you need.0 -
I do not drink any of my cals either! Some days it works fine some days im starvin!! Usually at night when i have more down time to think about it!
I know the first month I did this it was really hard to find things that didn't soak up all my calories, but filled me up.
There is a gluten free popcorn with butter that I love and that is really filling, also almonds, peanuts, pistachios...usually filling enough I don't eat lunch until 1 or 2 pm.
I also like to do protein shakes when I am hungry and low on calories, they really, really fill me up. Specially if it's later in the day.0 -
the weight loss seems about right. How do you feel though? Are you feeling good or weak? If not weak, I would say stay where you are, it seems to be working. Good luck!!0
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I don not feel weak, usually have loads of energy! Mainly just feel like i want more to eat then allowed ecspecially in the evenings. Also do not want to slow metabolism down if i could be having better results with some more calories..... ya know ?!?!0
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Then definitely start eating back your exercise calories! Quite frankly, I bet your BMR is higher than 1200 as well. I read something very interesting on an earlier post: that when you're not getting enough calories, the body releases endorphins that make you feel more energetic for awhile - it's the body's way of giving you enough strength/stamina to go hunting. When extra calories aren't forthcoming, it will then slow down to preserve basic life functions, and quite often you won't feel hungry at all. This, to me, explains that commonly reported phenomena that people who have recently begun lower calorie diets often report feeling energetic, and why anorexics often say they're not hungry.I don not feel weak, usually have loads of energy! Mainly just feel like i want more to eat then allowed ecspecially in the evenings. Also do not want to slow metabolism down if i could be having better results with some more calories..... ya know ?!?!0 -
Interesting!0
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I am normally one who says "EAT MORE!!!!!!"
However, it is working really well for you, eating 1200 a day. 1-3 lbs a week is huge!
If your truely hungry then, I do think you should add on maybe 100-200 calories a day for a week or two and see if you have
good results. You can keep adding 100 calories a week untill you find a happy place maybe?
Great job and keep up the good work!
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Ok I keep reading over and over that 1200 cals is to low. Ive been "trying" for 1200 cals (sometimes over sometimes less) because that is what myfitnesspal put me at when i entered my info. I put info into another site and it told me 1600 cals as a absolute min. I have been losing usually 1-3lbs a week. I exercise at least 5 days a week generally for at least an hour cardio and strength training. I am now at 201lbs ( I sooo hated to post that just so you know)... wondering more cals or not?!?!?!?!
If you are losing 1-3 lbs a week, whatever you're doing is working!0 -
Thanks for this.... I believe im going to try to eat more of my exercise calories. I looked and they average 400-800 five days a week. Another ques...I usually dont get to workout until after work so like 430 thats when i see i have all these extra calories. On the days I know for sure I will be working out should i try to add extra cals throughout the day instead of just at the end of the day???
I find what helps me is preplanning. I will literally enter my food and my exercise for the next day and see where it leads me for calories whether I'm higher or lower. I try to stick to what I have written but if I do change things I will make the changes with MFP. I find it made things a lot easier than trying to stick to the amount prior to exercising, then exercise at night only to end up with +700 calories to consume within a 2-3 hour period.0 -
I do not drink any of my cals either! Some days it works fine some days im starvin!! Usually at night when i have more down time to think about it!
you usually feel like you are starving after a work out??? i usually do
just be sure to eat back your calories and if you want to spread them through out the day it won't hurt you
you probably need it
keep up the good work!!!!
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0 -
I am normally one who says "EAT MORE!!!!!!"
However, it is working really well for you, eating 1200 a day. 1-3 lbs a week is huge!
If your truely hungry then, I do think you should add on maybe 100-200 calories a day for a week or two and see if you have
good results. You can keep adding 100 calories a week untill you find a happy place maybe?
Great job and keep up the good work!
^^^^^
THIS
I agree:bigsmile:0
This discussion has been closed.
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