Low calories and exercise. I just can't!!

shanise06
shanise06 Posts: 8
edited December 24 in Motivation and Support
Hello all.

I'm having a hard time being on a 1,200 calorie diet while working out. I mean, by the time I get home, I'm starving and all I want to do is eat dinner right that moment. Early mornings don't work well for me b/c I have a 1 year old and a carpool-- blah blah blah

My questions is this:
I'm on the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 diet right now to jump start my weightloss (I gained 6lbs in 20 days!!), and with that plan the calories are set. I still track with MFP but when I include exercise it says I have more calories remaining. If I eat those remaining calories, won't I just negate my workout? Also, what are good post and pre workout foods? I usually do about 20-30 mins of cardio.

Thanks so much in advance.

Replies

  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.
  • vestarocks
    vestarocks Posts: 420 Member
    ^^^^^ This ^^^^^^
  • faithstephenson
    faithstephenson Posts: 280 Member
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.

    This! I agree completely.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Eat more! 1200 is just not enough! At least, you should NET 1200 after your exercise. You can try nuts as a good snack, and of course veggies! You can add me as a friend! I have learned a lot since January.
  • gogogo53
    gogogo53 Posts: 17 Member
    :smile:
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    You are from SLP? I used to live there. Now I am in Blaine
  • JAT63
    JAT63 Posts: 17 Member
    I agree with Jen, slim fast is a short term fix, it’s all about portion control, eat lots of fruit & veggies, less meat, but more fish. I think your calories are too low...stay around 1,400 and exercise, if you go to low your body thinks your starving and will store the fat for survival.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Eating those calories does not negate your workout. It fuels your workout. 1200 is already enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight and you will still have that deficit if you replace your workout calories.
  • tlaker
    tlaker Posts: 82 Member
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.

    Smart girl!!! :)
  • pushnhard
    pushnhard Posts: 51
    Hey Lady-
    Don't fret. I would also recommend dropping that liquid mess. I'd recommend small meals throughout the day...Say like 300-400 calories per. When you don't eat your calories back, you are then at a deficit, which probably puts you under 1200 calories a day thereby slowing your metabolism and you may tend to be slow to lose weight. You can "friend me" if you'd like. I will help keep you motivated! You can do it....don't give up!
  • agerena007
    agerena007 Posts: 51
    Hey, dont give yourself excuses but use it as your motivation. You can!!! I think your hungry because your not eating, if I am correct that slim 3-2-1 diet consists of a shake??? Im not sure. Anyway, just eat but beware of what your eating. Instead of fast food, make home cooked meals. Eat more veggies and fruits, less carbs and fat. As far as exercise 20 minutes make a difference. I was told by a wise mfp friend to eat your calories, because the less you eat the more you gain, your body goes into starvation mode and tends to hold on to the fat already inside.... Not to say that I am a great listener, lol. But i do eat and consume so much water I might as well be a water fountain....I hope this helps. Good luck!
  • scott1646
    scott1646 Posts: 110 Member
    I was on a 1150 calorie program, I would work out in the morning a few hours before breakfast and when I got home, I would be starving like crazy. I decided to change that, I would eat a protein bar and then go work out and when I had break fast I would add an additional 300 calories to my meal.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    : Low calories and exercise. I just can't!!

    Then just don't!

    Eat an appropriate amount of food for the exercise you are doing

    1200 cals is rarely it.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    i agree with everyone else. up the calories and ditch the shakes. i've lost more weight eating between 1,500 and 1,800 and exercising than i have with an extremely low calorie diet. i do p90x though so i'm keeping my calories around 1,800. you just have to play with it and figure out what works for you. :)
  • MeadowSong
    MeadowSong Posts: 171 Member
    Slim Fast will kill you! It's high in sugar, has little real food and will increase your hunger. Also, like the other posters have said--you have to fuel your workout. Unless you are pretty little, I'd start with more than 1200 cals and STILL eat my exercise calories. Just don't cheat. Eat real food. Lots of veggies, lean meats and whole fruits--watch the things that cause your blood sugar to skyrocket without feeding your body anything useful!
  • MsMargie1116
    MsMargie1116 Posts: 323 Member
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.

    ^^^^^ What she said!!! ^^^^^
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Eat your calories! You need to have enough food to fuel your body and help it to run efficiently. I say dump the slim fast and follow a plan that is sustainable. Don't worry about jump starts b/c eating healthy and maintaining it is a long term thing. You are so hungry b/c you aren't eating enough :) Eating exercise calories is a blessing for me.

    ^Good Advice. Also, search Eat More, Weigh Less and look at fat2fitradio.com. Both will provide a lot of information about why you don't have to eat 1200 to lose weight.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    Eat more! 1200 is just not enough! At least, you should NET 1200 after your exercise. You can try nuts as a good snack, and of course veggies! You can add me as a friend! I have learned a lot since January.

    agreed. I recently upped my calories from 1400 to 1600-1800 and finally started losing weight again. Maybe you should look into the group Eat More, Weigh Less for some good advice and some tips. Good luck!
  • julie2475
    julie2475 Posts: 28 Member
    Im exactly the same , I have been on slimfast for 10 days now and am starving after workout! I try not to eat my exercise calories as I am only planning using this for 4 weeks and want to use it as a kick start and then introduce another meal into the day! I just try to fill up on fruit in between bars! Good luck, add me if u want xx
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Eat your exercise calories.
  • JOEYJACKMOM
    JOEYJACKMOM Posts: 72
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

    Great resource to get better numbers and advice about how much to eat!!!
  • konerusp
    konerusp Posts: 247 Member
    EAT MORE !EAT MORE!EAT MORE.

    I only walk for an hour each day since i have knee issues,and i eat between 1700-1800 cals a day,still losing 1 pound a week!!first few weeks you up your cals u might see a few pounds go up,but it will all come off.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    I just can't do shakes. There's no substance so I feel like I've had 200 calories of chocolate water. Eat a sandwich and some veggies instead.
  • dlcam61
    dlcam61 Posts: 228 Member
    Slim fast is loaded full of sugar & crap. Eat sensible (steamed veggies, fresh fruits, whole grains, healthy omega fats, lean proteins) and stay away from over processed chemical crap like that. It won't help you in the long run. I just think Chemical Crap storm and move on because that's what processed light, fat free and diet foods are. Chemical crap that wreaks havoc on your body. Also, try increasing your calories to 1400-1500 and see if that helps. That's still a caloric deficit. My thought is that you are loading up on carbs & sugar which do not satisfy the appetite for long and leave you starving for more soon. Fast blast of energy but an even faster loss of it which leaves you starving and tired, sometimes cranky. Hang in there! :flowerforyou:
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
    Eat more! 1200 is just not enough! At least, you should NET 1200 after your exercise. You can try nuts as a good snack, and of course veggies! You can add me as a friend! I have learned a lot since January.

    ^^ this :drinker: Your body isn't happy with such low calorie intake. Also check your protein intake if it is too low you'll be hungry and fatigued and eventually grumpy. Upping your protein will help you feel full longer. Feel free to add me. I see you are in SLP. I am in Brooklyn Center. Best of luck to you. And eating back excercises calories won't negate anything as only eating 1200 calories a day is a macro in and of itself already has you at a calorie deficit. If you are afraid to eat all of the excercises calories back start with maybe eating back 1/3 of them and go from there.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Eating back your exercise calories does not negate your weight loss and let me see if I can explain why.

    You need to eat 500 fewer calories than your body burns every day to lose 1 pound per week. When MFP figures the number of calories you need to eat it takes a look at your activity level (most people set it to sedentary), your height and weight and figures out how many calories your body burns doing nothing but sitting on the couch all day. It then subtracts 500 from that (or 1000 for two pounds per week) and tells you to eat that many.

    If you have your activity level set to sedentary or lightly active then MFP is not factoring exercise into your plan. So if you were to burn calories by exercising you're now creating a larger deficit, possibly a larger one than your body can handle. If you eat back all of those calories you still have the original 500 calorie deficit that MFP created for you and you know that you'll have enough fuel for your body to keep up the higher activity level.

    If you don't want to eat back your exercise calories you can set your activity level higher so that MFP factors in your exercise in its initial calculations.

    Does that make sense?
  • Cambrendle
    Cambrendle Posts: 104 Member
    Hey Lady-
    Don't fret. I would also recommend dropping that liquid mess. I'd recommend small meals throughout the day...Say like 300-400 calories per. When you don't eat your calories back, you are then at a deficit, which probably puts you under 1200 calories a day thereby slowing your metabolism and you may tend to be slow to lose weight. You can "friend me" if you'd like. I will help keep you motivated! You can do it....don't give up!

    ^^^This feel free to add me too. I'm in the learning process too, once you see the gobs and GOBS of food you can eat and still have calories left over and wonder how you're ever going to eat that many calories - it completely changes your relationship with your food.
  • shanise06
    shanise06 Posts: 8
    Eat more! 1200 is just not enough! At least, you should NET 1200 after your exercise. You can try nuts as a good snack, and of course veggies! You can add me as a friend! I have learned a lot since January.

    ^^ this :drinker: Your body isn't happy with such low calorie intake. Also check your protein intake if it is too low you'll be hungry and fatigued and eventually grumpy. Upping your protein will help you feel full longer. Feel free to add me. I see you are in SLP. I am in Brooklyn Center. Best of luck to you. And eating back excercises calories won't negate anything as only eating 1200 calories a day is a macro in and of itself already has you at a calorie deficit. If you are afraid to eat all of the excercises calories back start with maybe eating back 1/3 of them and go from there.

    This makes perfect sense to me. I'm just so defeated, and stressed. I wad exercising and eating 1600 calories a day, and dis not lose a single pound. That just discouraged me, and I stopped trying :-( now I'm 12lbs heavier than I was the first time I tried! I just want results.
  • shanise06
    shanise06 Posts: 8
    I agree with Jen, slim fast is a short term fix, it’s all about portion control, eat lots of fruit & veggies, less meat, but more fish. I think your calories are too low...stay around 1,400 and exercise, if you go to low your body thinks your starving and will store the fat for survival.
    I agree. I think my calories are too low, but I'm so desperate! I feel like I've tries everything, numerous times and saw NO results. I tries the 1600 a day with a friend of mine and worked out 3-4 times a week and I lost .5lbs in 2 weeks. *sigh* I will give up the Slim fast this week, but I just don't know if I can stay on a good path on my own.
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