1200 calorie diet? But what about if you exercise?

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charm1018
charm1018 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am at a loss. I am working my tail off at the gym. I do not seem to be losing weight steady enough. Am I suppose to stick to my 1200 calories with or without exercise?:sad:
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Replies

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Please don"t! if you choose to eat 1200 cals, PLEASE eat your exercise calories back - you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't....
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    You eat back what ever you burn with exercise. So if you are set up at 1200 and you burn 400 you eat 1600 and are still netting 1200.
  • fpueblo
    fpueblo Posts: 241 Member
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    Please don"t! if you choose to eat 1200 cals, PLEASE eat your exercise calories back - you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't....
    ^^agreed^^ if you are exercising eat the calories back you body need the fuel and nutrition.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    You need to NET 1200 calories, at least. For some people, their bodies still need more than this to function normally. By "net", I mean, what you eat, minus what you burn, should equal at least 1200 calories a day. A 1200 calorie a day diet already has a significant deficit built in, and you could lose weight without any actual exercise at this calorie level (though you would lose a lot of muscle tissue). I was at 1200 calories a day for a while, but when it got to a point where I was working out 5-6 days a week, I realized by body really needed more "base" fuel than this, so I upped it to 1650, and I eat back a handful of my exercise calories, though not all of them. I never net less than 1200 calories a day.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Please don"t! if you choose to eat 1200 cals, PLEASE eat your exercise calories back - you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't....

    this,

    Please forget the 1200 number that gets thrown around here so often and so misguidedly.

    Workout out your BMR and calorie needs FOR YOURSELF! You are an individual with individual needs and requirements, set your diet out as such instead of following this number blindly.

    A good place to start would be

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
  • Sevio
    Sevio Posts: 181 Member
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    I don't know your "stats" as in how much you weigh currently, how much exercise you are doing etc. But I would have to say that 1,200 is too low.
    Might I suggest the Group~ Eat More, Weigh Less on here....
    It could give you insight on your BMR (resting metabolic rate), your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). And you can go from there at how many calories you should be eating.
    On my higher workout days, I tend to eat more, since your body is like a furnace and it needs to refuel especially after working out.
    Hope this might help you.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    It depends on what you want your cut to be: if you have a 1700 (sedentary) TDEE and want to lose 1 lb a week then you need to have a 1200 goal (500 cal a day cut, and 3500 calories in a pound, seven days in a week). Then you can exercise and eat back all your cals and still maintain your cut. If you didn't eat back it would just add to your cut (therefore losing faster than 1 lb a week, which may be too agressive for you).
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    I don't know your "stats" as in how much you weigh currently, how much exercise you are doing etc. But I would have to say that 1,200 is too low.

    Just arbitrarily saying that 1200 is to low is idiotic. 1200 goal is common for shorter women who aren't way overweight. :grumble:
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    1200 is your base, when you exercise you eat back those calories. MFP has already given you a deficit based on the activity level you have chose. Now go exercise so you can eat!! ;)
  • junejadesky
    junejadesky Posts: 524 Member
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    Track your exercise here on MFP an then be sure that you eat back your calories that you burn so your "net" is never below 1200. I speak from experience on this. I was losing weight quickly and all the sudden 2 years ago it stopped. I couldn't understand it because I had become a very active person! I finally went to my doc and met with a dietitian who helped me figure out that I had not been eating enough! My body was in a true "starvation" mode.

    For instance, if you have a 1200 calorie goal for the day but you burn 300 at the gym, you would only "net" 900 calories for the day and your body would experience an energy deficiency. Eat back those 300 calories because your body needs it. I track here because it will calculate what I am supposed to eat based on my exercise. MFP has saved me and the weight is coming off again! It has been hard because I feel like I'm eating too much but it's really opening my eyes to how much I've been under eating!

    Good luck!
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    In before someone brings up "starvation mode"...

    --P
  • Sevio
    Sevio Posts: 181 Member
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    I don't know your "stats" as in how much you weigh currently, how much exercise you are doing etc. But I would have to say that 1,200 is too low.

    Just arbitrarily saying that 1200 is to low is idiotic. 1200 goal is common for shorter women who aren't way overweight. :grumble:

    Sorry for being so idiotic.. I guess I should have said the "for me" it is too low and that I also did not know if she is short, tall or her weight...
  • hucksmom1
    hucksmom1 Posts: 8
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    You should add in your exercise calories. 1200 calories should be your net after exercise. For example: if you burn 300 calories exercising, you should take in 1500 calories. Subtract the 300 you burned & your net calories will be 1200. Also keep in mind that it is not safe to go below 1200 calories a day, so you have nowhere else to go once you hit a plateau. And you will hit a plateau after awhile. I had to then increase my net calories for a couple of weeks (up to my maintenance calories for each day), then go back to the 1200 plus increase my workout intensity to break through the plateau. Best wishes to you! It's hard work & takes time but it will be worth it!
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    Track your exercise here on MFP an then be sure that you eat back your calories that you burn so your "net" is never below 1200. I speak from experience on this. I was losing weight quickly and all the sudden 2 years ago it stopped. I couldn't understand it because I had become a very active person! I finally went to my doc and met with a dietitian who helped me figure out that I had not been eating enough! My body was in a true "starvation" mode.

    For instance, if you have a 1200 calorie goal for the day but you burn 300 at the gym, you would only "net" 900 calories for the day and your body would experience an energy deficiency. Eat back those 300 calories because your body needs it. I track here because it will calculate what I am supposed to eat based on my exercise. MFP has saved me and the weight is coming off again! It has been hard because I feel like I'm eating too much but it's really opening my eyes to how much I've been under eating!

    Good luck!

    This! The human body NEEDS that fuel. And for me, I plateaued after about 5 weeks at 1200 calories, and started losing again once I upped my calories by 450 a day.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    My body was in a true "starvation" mode.

    Whoops. Too late. We have a winner!

    --P
  • mrsjennifermaffei
    mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
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    You won't gain weight back by eating your exercise calories. Yes eat them back though!
  • nikkiprickett
    nikkiprickett Posts: 412 Member
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    Track your exercise here on MFP an then be sure that you eat back your calories that you burn so your "net" is never below 1200. I speak from experience on this. I was losing weight quickly and all the sudden 2 years ago it stopped. I couldn't understand it because I had become a very active person! I finally went to my doc and met with a dietitian who helped me figure out that I had not been eating enough! My body was in a true "starvation" mode.

    For instance, if you have a 1200 calorie goal for the day but you burn 300 at the gym, you would only "net" 900 calories for the day and your body would experience an energy deficiency. Eat back those 300 calories because your body needs it. I track here because it will calculate what I am supposed to eat based on my exercise. MFP has saved me and the weight is coming off again! It has been hard because I feel like I'm eating too much but it's really opening my eyes to how much I've been under eating!

    Good luck!


    This!


    I recommend getting new rules of lifting, they have one specific on for women and the original is for men. It has a formula for what your cal intake should be. MFP is very inaccurate when gauging this!
    This is the link that another MFP put on here to the formula
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538943-how-to-calculate-calorie-goals-according-to-nrolfw


  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I don't know your "stats" as in how much you weigh currently, how much exercise you are doing etc. But I would have to say that 1,200 is too low.

    Just arbitrarily saying that 1200 is to low is idiotic. 1200 goal is common for shorter women who aren't way overweight. :grumble:

    well just to play devils advocate.....a 5"2 30 year old woman who weighs 120lbs (which would be normal weight range) would have a bmr of 1327. Considering that most people here are going to be overweight her statement is not totally idiotic, in fact it's probably correct for the majority of people here.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    In before someone brings up "starvation mode"...

    --P
    Why? Starvation mode exists and it can make you gain weight, so it is important to bring up, even if it is mentioned 10000000 times.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    I don't know your "stats" as in how much you weigh currently, how much exercise you are doing etc. But I would have to say that 1,200 is too low.

    Just arbitrarily saying that 1200 is to low is idiotic. 1200 goal is common for shorter women who aren't way overweight. :grumble:

    well just to play devils advocate.....a 5"2 30 year old woman who weighs 120lbs (which would be normal weight range) would have a bmr of 1327. Considering that most people here are going to be overweight her statement is not totally idiotic, in fact it's probably correct for the majority of people here.
    This. She is trying to lose weight, so obviously her body requires more than 1200 MOST LIKELY and if it doesn't, she may be underweight to start..unless she is totally short as well, no offense meant.

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