going up from 1200 calories per day what do people think?

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jessof89
jessof89 Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I've been doing 1200 calories for 2 weeks now and was thinking about moving them up a bit what would people recommend going up to, i was thinking 1400 but with the amount of exercise i'm doing i'm not to sure.
Thanks
Jess
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Replies

  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
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    The calories you should eat to lose weight differ from person to person. I had the most success at 1600 calories a day on my own. It took me a little over a year to lose 50 pounds, but I was really proud of that! Obviously, I've gained it all back, but that's due to running into health issues. Now I'm on a medical weight loss plan, so I'm not going to admit to my calorie limit now. Ugh!

    If you're hungry all the time, then you definitely need to eat more. If you feel tired and sluggish, you need to eat more.
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    Going from 1,200 to 1,400 wouldn't hurt to try. Give it a shot if it's something you're thinking about.
  • Pinkmaddycat
    Pinkmaddycat Posts: 175 Member
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    when i upped my cals from 1200 to just over 1400 my weight loss picked up momentum and it really worked for me and that was with out any exercise at all!
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    I would check my maintenance first. My losing weight calorie was supposed to be 1200 but my maintenance was only 1400 which made me realise just how careful you have to be.
  • cinasana
    cinasana Posts: 40
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    Hi Jess,

    I also made the same switch about 2 months ago. 1200 to 1400. It was just enough to keep me satisfied. Amazing what an extra 200 calories or so per day can do. I dropped 4 pounds since increasing my calorie intake (which apparently was to be expected according to my nutritionist...who gawked at the idea of eating a measly 1200 per day).

    Most importantly- it makes you feel less restricted.

    Jenny :)
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    well, if you're exercising you should be eating back your calories anyhow. Since MFP sets 1200 as the minimum NET calorie intake I'd bet you should be eating even MORE than 1400 calories when you take your workout into account (depending on what you're doing).
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Some folks have great success upping their calories, losing more weight than they did with a more restrictive goal.

    But even if you're NOT one of those people, I'm personally of the opinion that it's better to eat a little more, feel a little more satisfied, and lose weight a little tiny bit slower... and be able to stay on plan over a longer period of time.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    i'd recommend as much as you need to not feel hungry. I actually agree with my BMR reading around 1850calories
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I've broken a few plateaus by eating more..... in about 14 months I've lost 105lbs. I currently eat 1800-2000 calories... On intense workout days I eat more. I work out 6-7 days a week.

    sw 303.4 (1/1/11)
    cw 198.4
    gw 160
    29 y/o 5'6''
  • samantha1373
    samantha1373 Posts: 23
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    when you upped your calories to 1400 did you hit a week or two where you gained? I know for me 1200 seems to fit really well if i go over i gain easily or so it seems!
  • kimiec
    kimiec Posts: 62
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    I upped my calories about a week and a half ago and at first I didn't think it was going to work to be honest I had gained 3 pounds but as of today I have lost the 3 pounds and a half pound more. I think for me it was a good idea. I was just to hungry with the 1260 I was on. I think for everyone it's different but if your hungry all the time then I would say yes do it. But give the change a fair chances but if it doesn't work for you than you can always go back to the 1200 calories.
  • liz3marie
    liz3marie Posts: 211 Member
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    I have recently upped mine up from 1200-1300 to 1400-1600. There's even been 2 or 3 days I've had 1700-1850 in the last 2.5 weeks and I have to say I'm liking this a lot better. I feel like I'm more like a normal person :p. Also my weight loss is just as good as it was when it was lower! And on a normal day I only burn 200-400 calories in exersize. I think give it a try its difficult when you only have 1200 calories a day and honestly a lot more women need more than that!
  • Jackie9950
    Jackie9950 Posts: 374 Member
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    I noticed when I was on the 1200 cals, I would lose for awhile, plateau and then wobble back and forth between about 5 lbs. If I splurged in the slightest I would immeadiatley gain! It was frusterating. Once I decided to increase my cals (I increased to 1485 via my BMR) I felt better, had more energy, and after the first week I started to lose weight steady. I weigh myself every morning and when I did the 1200 cals my weight was everywhere! I really love my diet now that I have increased them! If you are considering it I would friend "helloitsdan" He is the guru of setting your macros. He also has a group on here that is set up to help anyone who wants to increase your cals and lose weight. Hope this helps!
  • sparkly96
    sparkly96 Posts: 120
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    You didnt say why you were thinking about eating more calories and posting a question like this will most likely get you a whole bunch of different answers that may confuse you. Bottom line is listen to your body and see what works for you. If you are working out then yes up your calories. Also if you are hungry up your calories. I eat 1200 calories, more or less depending on the day but usually stay within that limit. I also dont work out everyday. You will get people on here saying thats not enough but that works for me and everyone is different. Play around with your caloric intake until you get to a comfortable level .Also give your body time to adjust to different calorie levels and dont expect too many changes to happen in a few days. Speaking to a doctor or nutritionist may be helpful too and they can let you know what you should be consuming on a regular basis based on yrou body type and activity level.
  • gleechick609
    gleechick609 Posts: 551
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    I noticed when I was on the 1200 cals, I would lose for awhile, plateau and then wobble back and forth between about 5 lbs. If I splurged in the slightest I would immeadiatley gain! It was frusterating. Once I decided to increase my cals (I increased to 1485 via my BMR) I felt better, had more energy, and after the first week I started to lose weight steady. I weigh myself every morning and when I did the 1200 cals my weight was everywhere! I really love my diet now that I have increased them! If you are considering it I would friend "helloitsdan" He is the guru of setting your macros. He also has a group on here that is set up to help anyone who wants to increase your cals and lose weight. Hope this helps!

    Dan is great. This is the site he gives all of us to run our numbers and he has a group, "Fuel the Machine!"
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/
    Use the military body fat calculator and then the BMR calculator
    It will give you a chart of what to eat according to activity/fitness level
    Set MFP to that number, Protein and Fat to 30%

    Macros work out to be 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass, .45 grams of fat per lean body mass, carbs will fill in the rest.
    Adapting a strength routine is great too. Stronglifts 5x5 is awesome and New Rules of Lifting for Women is great too!
    Give yourself 2-4 weeks. Weigh and measure!

    I have been on high calories since November. I am 5'5 1/2 eating 1850 - 2200 calories daily :happy:
  • jessof89
    jessof89 Posts: 23
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    wow well done that's amazing :)
  • jessof89
    jessof89 Posts: 23
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    You didnt say why you were thinking about eating more calories and posting a question like this will most likely get you a whole bunch of different answers that may confuse you. Bottom line is listen to your body and see what works for you. If you are working out then yes up your calories. Also if you are hungry up your calories. I eat 1200 calories, more or less depending on the day but usually stay within that limit. I also dont work out everyday. You will get people on here saying thats not enough but that works for me and everyone is different. Play around with your caloric intake until you get to a comfortable level .Also give your body time to adjust to different calorie levels and dont expect too many changes to happen in a few days. Speaking to a doctor or nutritionist may be helpful too and they can let you know what you should be consuming on a regular basis based on yrou body type and activity level.

    I want to increse them as i don't want to plateau at the same weight also i don't want to decrease my metabolism to much. I also get hungry at night so i think i need to have a super or light snack which usually i dont allow for. :)
  • rmdann
    rmdann Posts: 1 Member
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    congratulations on your success.

    Do you eat back your exercise calories?
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    when you upped your calories to 1400 did you hit a week or two where you gained? I know for me 1200 seems to fit really well if i go over i gain easily or so it seems!

    When I was eating at 1200, I gained easily, too. Just a small splurge, even if it was in my calorie limit but just something more calorie-dense like a small piece of cake, would make me gain. I started to actually eat my exercise calories (I usually burn about 400-500/day) and didn't see those little gains anymore and kept losing. Upped my calories to 1300/day+exercise calories, still losing and can have splurges without gaining. Recently upped to 1400/day+exercise calories, still losing and can have some fairly good sized splurges without gaining. It's weird and so counter-intuitive but it seems to be working for me. I'm going to stay at 1400 for another few weeks and then raise it to 1500 and see if that still works. I wanna see how far I can push this, LOL.

    Anyway, you might give it a try. You might see a small gain for the first week or two but, give it a month, and see if you don't drop again. The extra food is wonderful. I actually don't even feel like I'm on a diet anymore.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    Hi, I've been doing 1200 calories for 2 weeks now and was thinking about moving them up a bit what would people recommend going up to, i was thinking 1400 but with the amount of exercise i'm doing i'm not to sure.
    Thanks
    Jess

    I'd go into Tools and see what your BMR is and then eat at least that each day+exercise calories. It's OK to move up slowly, like adding 100 or 150 calories/day for a few weeks before adding more. Once you get to eating at least your BMR+exercise calories, if you're losing at level after a month or so of eating that way, you might even try adding more. That's my plan. Enjoy the extra food!

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