Calling all MFP's that eat to lose!!

Good for you!! Your success story is motivating to me!
I can't live on 1200 cals either..well I can do it for short teeny periods of time..but I discovered it won't be sustainable for me long term so I am eating more too, I hope I have your success!!!
Can't wait to see those success photo's!

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I currently weigh 165.5....I'm 5'7". I would like to lose...but wouldn't be depressed if I didn't lose weight. I would rather have a lower bf % and inches gone.

I am lifting heavy 3 days a week and shooting for 1-2 days of cardio.

I eat ~1630 cals per day.

i just upped my calorie intake from 1200 to 1500 yesterday! i exercise 3-5 times a week and just wasnt seeing the results i was expecting, im now hoping that by upping my calories its what my body needs! i never normally have time to sit and read through some of the topics posted, but ive learnt so much the last few days by doing so

awesome! I've been slowly upping my cals and try to net at least my BMR. All I know is that I don't want to gain it all back once I reach my goal or be skinny fat again! I want to lose fat and as little muscle as possible. It's been a slow process but I've been losing inches and more importantly improving my fitness. Also I've upped my exercise routine and it's making me more hungry! I used to be comfortable and ate well at that proverbial 1200 but now I just think that I need to fuel my body:)

still learning but anyone else who is doing this, feel free to add me too

This is almost my same situation!!! Thank you for being brave enough to post this!!!

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i upped my cals from 1200 to 1400 about 6 weeks ago and i got out of my plateau and cruised for a bit! I am 5'1", work out 3x week usually, and CW is 150ish. I am contemplating going to 1500-1600 but not sure if i should!

Amazing story!!! Keep up the good work!!

I too started off at 1200 and lost a little weight but then stopped...My weight has been fluctuating 2-3lbs so I decided to eat more calories and I'm giving it some time to see the effect it will have on me... It takes time which some people don't understand... Will you gain a few lbs?? Yes, but that's only in the beginning while your body is trying to adjust... With time it will eventually see that you are fueling it and it will let the excess weight go...

I'm right there with you! I always found the 1200 calorie limit hard to sustain. I am currently eating 1600 a day + exercise calories and feeling GREAT! I have been gradually increasing the calories and tracking the progress so that I can get a better handle on how my body processes food. I would encourage anyone trying to survive on minimum calorie requirements to ask yourself these questions 1. How long can you sustain this? 2. How is your energy level - do you FEEL like working out every day or do you drag? 3. Do you really know how your body processes the food that you eat?

Thanks for the thread....It actually makes me feel better knowing there are others out there with similar experiences AND it helps to keep me motivated.

But how? How do ou eat to lose?
I dont get the opportunity to exercise in the day so have tried to stick to 1200 cals and 30 mins walking a night
Please please tell me how to eat to lose cos i think 1200 cals is hard to sustain

Poddington.

I can get over 1200 calories just by sneezing. It isn't pretty!

Ok seriously. Eating high calorie, healthful foods like almonds, walnuts, truly whole grain foodstuffs, heck even a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (ingredient label should only read: Peanuts) all have huge amounts of healthful calories. Yes these also have fats in them, but they are the -good- fats (in moderation, which means don't sit down and have a bowl full of almonds in 1 sitting.) Pay attention to the portions.

I don't know if you used the MFP tool to calculate your calorie intake or not, but I did- and it has worked wonders for me. When I first joined I was expected to eat 1800 calories, through the course of time I have been weaned down to 1500, which has taken some practice getting the hang of. One of the best things I do is go for walks. Brisk walks are the best, at least for me, and I use my heart rate monitor to help guide my pace along with my FitBit and smart phone app (Endomondo.) Between those three I have been quite successful at walking/earning extra calories as a buffer to give myself more overall calories to eat spread throughout the day. I feel better from walking, and don't feel as intimidated by the calorie recommendation.

Which all boils down to eating to lose weight. I eat 5 times a day. 3 meals and 2 snacks through the day; all healthy content, all easy to keep track of in MFP, and my snacks easy to pack and carry.

Does it really work? Well, before January I would have 2 meals a day (skipped breakfast,) countless grazing sessions per day, and didn't do much in the way of exercise. I can't account for the calorie intake I used to have, but I do know that right now I am eating more frequently, eat more healthfully, and doing more activity- which gives me more of a calorie allowance (which means more food!) Look at where my weight is now on my ticker. All because I decided to start eating more mindfully, and a heck of a lot more active than I used to be.

So I guess I would suggest you look into letting MFP guide you through your calorie intake recommendation and try that out for a while. Good luck, whatever you decide