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

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  • MummaSue
    MummaSue Posts: 242 Member
    Bump - don't want to lose this thread :O)
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    i want to up my calories aswell but im worried i will gain as i only eat around 1200 a day whats the best way to do it without gaining what sort of things should i include in my diet xx

    best way not to SEE a scale gain is to do it without increasing the mass of what you're eating in the slightest. Swap OUT things like cucumber and celery for snacks--your typical "Diet" staples--and replace it with carrots WITH hummus. You'll up the calories and get healthy fat in.

    Add nuts, avocado, seeds, olive oil, and others sources of FAT because it's calorie dense and won't really change the bulk of your food much.

    I personally think you should brace yourself for a 1-3 pound gain before you start losing and fill your day with whatever you truly WANT to eat that fits into your calories AFTER your nutritional needs are met. So, once you have enough protein and fat then just eat what you fancy--BUT more food = more mass (aka poop) and more weight on the scale for a little while.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I'm wondering the same thing. I've been at 1200 calories for 5 months now. I've pretty much got to my goal weight but i have recently considered eating around 1400-1450. I exercise 5 days a week. HOPEFULLY i wont start gaining weight. I've pretty much hit a plateau where i am now but i'm pretty happy with my weight but want to tone. Does nyone have any suggestions since i've been at 1200 calories for a while?

    well 1400-1450 calories is SURELY not maintenance. You should be maintaining on well over 1800-2000 calories with 5 days a week exercising (I'm making an assumption because looking at your profile picture you seem rather tall). Start by upping the fat and swapping out "diet" food for real food--hearty bread, more calorie dense veggies, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish.
  • BazAbroad
    BazAbroad Posts: 248
    personally if your training that much then eat well, fuel that body and train hard.
    Its not just about dropping weight but transforming your body shape into the shape you desire and that lifestyle change that comes with the training and dropping those bad habits that took you off track in the beginning.
    Burning off loads of cals allows you to eat some of them back. Enjoy that perk, you earned it.
  • moonsforeyes
    moonsforeyes Posts: 228
    I hated only being limited to 1200 calories. I was always hungry and almost always binging after a week or so. It was a vicious cycle. After upping to 1400 calories, I not only lost more weight and wasn't hungry, I didn't binge!
  • smfrog1978
    smfrog1978 Posts: 2 Member
    BUMP
  • emelou6
    emelou6 Posts: 9
    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:

    thank you - this is great info!!!
  • MJ7910
    MJ7910 Posts: 1,280 Member
    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.

    i agree. when i want to cut weight i eat 1600... maintenance 1900ish... and i am only 5'4" 125
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
    Bump- http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/
  • mrsjennifermaffei
    mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
    I seem to overeat still and have to work out super hard to get myself back on track but lately I've seen that if I eat 1400 calories and exercise for a bit it makes the weight melt off.
  • SilentRenegade
    SilentRenegade Posts: 243 Member
    I went from 1200 to 1400 to 1600 to 1800. Each time my weight loss picked up momentum. I float between 1600-1800 and sometimes 2000. Depends on my activity level that day. I enjoy it much more!
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I started at 1,200 and last a few days, but I've bumped that up to 1,500 and eating back about half my exercise cals. When I get closer to my goal I plan on gradually increasing my cals to be closer to my maintenace level.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    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

    It totally depends on your Basal Metabolic Rate, and your activity level. Check in "My Home" and "Goals" to see what your new caloric defecit would be (or if there is one) and it should give you a good idea.
    Whatever you do, you should do it gradually though.
  • boobee32
    boobee32 Posts: 450 Member
    wow..according to Dans site, I my BMR calories that I should be eating at no exercise is 1661. I am currently at 1230. That is a huge difference. I am currently gaining and losing the same few pounds. Gain and lose Gain and lose. I am always hungry at night. Should I up them?
  • MissLuana
    MissLuana Posts: 356
    I was at 1200 for about 2 months and was constantly hungry and tired. Anytime I "messed" up during that time, I gained instantly. I've now adjusted MFP for 1.5 pounds a week which took my calorie intake up to 1450/day. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Now I'm losing the 2 pounds per week I was supposed to lose at 1200 calories. I'm hardly ever hungry (unless I've eaten too many sweets and wasted the calories that way) and my energy has improved greatly.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    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.

    I agree! my goal is 1700. Enough to be satisfied, it doesn't feel like a struggle most days and if it turns out my maintenance level is in this range, that is OK too.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    wow..according to Dans site, I my BMR calories that I should be eating at no exercise is 1661. I am currently at 1230. That is a huge difference. I am currently gaining and losing the same few pounds. Gain and lose Gain and lose. I am always hungry at night. Should I up them?

    Yes! You shouldn't consistently eat below your BMR. If that seems like too much food for you, you might up it slowly over time. Like 100 calories/day for a week, then another 100, etc., taking you a month to add in that 400 calories. At least that's how I've been doing it and it worked well as I saw no jump up on the scale and it took awhile for my stomach to get used to the bigger quantities of food.
  • lmd172
    lmd172 Posts: 172
    bump
  • boobee32
    boobee32 Posts: 450 Member
    Well, I think I am going to try to up mine a bit. Maybe I will feel like doing some exercise when I do...I stay so tired all the time now.
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
    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/

    According to this site, using the BMR calculator, I should be at 1660 calories a day, instead of 1200! I'm seriously considering upping it, because my situation was just like yours, I've lost a bunch, now it's just kind of flip flopping back and forth.
  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 797 Member
    Realistically you shouldn't dip below a 500 calorie deficit, the 1200 calories is awefully low, even if it does provide faster results, its only short term and most people cannot stick to that, especially if they add in exercise. I eat 1600 calories Plus most of my exercise calories, I've been really happy after switching the past few weeks and the scale is moving again
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Well, I think I am going to try to up mine a bit. Maybe I will feel like doing some exercise when I do...I stay so tired all the time now.

    I was fatigued a lot before I started upping my calories. It makes a huge difference in my energy levels. In fact, since I zig-zag my calories throughout the week, if I start feeling fatigued, I'll look at the last couple of days eating and, quite often, I find that I'm a bit on the low side and eat more and this often fixes the problem.

    Also, if my muscles are seriously sore/tired from exercise, above and beyond the norm, I'll review my diary and find that I'm either too low in calories or too low in protein. Eating more, especially protein, can take the soreness away.
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