1200 calorie diet

cnash1303
cnash1303 Posts: 42
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm training for a 5k so I usually run an hour to an hour and a half every day. When I don't run, I try to keep a 1200 calorie diet. I'm 168 lb male and pretty active. Trying to lose 18-20 pounds. Point is, I easily burn 1000 calories a day, so what is to few calories?

Replies

  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 252 Member
    i juswt read 1800 is the lowest me should eat
  • Carri1
    Carri1 Posts: 82 Member
    Do you enter your "running" into the exercise thingy? If you do you will see that you can eat probably a lot more than 1200.
    I hope this helps! :)
  • marynmarty
    marynmarty Posts: 89 Member
    I was told by my doctor that 1200 calories was good for me. I do an hour of exercise everyday and eat roughly 1200-1300 calories a day. I usually leave behind at least 1000 calories if not more. It seems to be helping me a lot. I range from 1-2 pound weight loss every week and so far I'm down almost 54 pounds. I think it's different with everyone. So you have to see if it's working for you and then either change it up or keep going. Now I'm to the point where I have to force myself to eat 1200 calories which sometimes I don't make it but afraid then it turns into starvation mode. It gets sooo much easier as you go. Anyways I think your doing good :-) Good Luck on your run!!!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    You're going to obliterate your metabolism. A male at 19 years old needs a whole truckload more than 1200 calories a day. Jesus dude, you're still growing! The lowest an ADULT male, as in someone that has stopped growing, should eat is 1600 calories a day - LOWEST. Seriously, re-evaluate what you are doing NOW. I'm 22, 5'9" and 270+lbs and eating 2500 a day. I am not a runner of any kind, let alone a long distance runner burning over 1000 cals a day. Your body simply won't be getting enough nutrition from so little. Seriously, do some reading on your BMR and TDEE and then re-evaluate because at the moment you're heading down to the road to a severe Eating Disorder.
  • carolyns19
    carolyns19 Posts: 51
    You should definitely eat back your calories so that you don't lower your BMR. Once your body gets adjusted to living on such low cals, you won't be able to go up in order to "maintain" in the future. So unless you want to only eat 1200 cals a day for the rest of your life-- up them! Just eat healthy, clean foods and the weight will come off.
  • Jen8np
    Jen8np Posts: 50 Member
    I agree with the above, you need much more! Here are some posts that help a ton. You may need to crunch some numbers but once you do it its easy and will make you super strong for your run!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/552129-there-is-a-big-difference-between-eating-more-to-lose-weight


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
    man, i wish i burned 1000 calories a day training for a 5k. i just had my first 1000 calorie day last week when i ran 10 miles and did crossfit...
    but yeah. you definitely need to eat way more. calculate your tdee and subtract 500-1000 from that and eat back your exercise calories.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Point is, I easily burn 1000 calories a day, so what is to few calories?
    You are already there. My bmi is 19.4 and I eat much more then you.
  • JackboyE
    JackboyE Posts: 32 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/permanent-metabolic-damage-qa.html
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    As a runner myself, nutrition is key! Not getting enough daily will destroy your endurance. From someone training for a half marathon and female 1200 calories is not enough for me. Also if you are doing a 5K why are you running 60-90 minutes to train for it? Average time is around 30 minutes; don't over do it.
  • slynn28
    slynn28 Posts: 93
    My goal is 1200 but when I workout I eat more than 1200 bc of my calories I burn.. I don't always eat all my extra calories but I eat some.
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