1200 calories & eating back exercise calories - help!

Sid1988
Sid1988 Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

I've been reading alot of posts on here and there are so many contradictions, i understand different methods apply to different body types but i'm getting a bit confused.

i am 5"6 and 145lbs and my goal weight is 133lbs. MFP has allocated me 1200 per day, i'm not finding it a struggle sticking to this. I will sometimes eat back my exercise calories and sometimes i wont.

But i have read a few times that if you only eat 1200 calories then you wont lose weight and need to eat more? i'm trying to lose as much weight as i can in the next five weeks but i want to do it in the healthiest way possible, but i am considering not eating back my exercise calories just for these five weeks then after my holiday (the reason why i'm trying to lose weight) go back to eating the exercise cals back.

I want to clarify -

do i HAVE to eat back my exercise calories? If i don't will my body go into starvation mode and store fat?

am i actually going to lose weight?

all opinions, advice, stories, own expiriences appreciated.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • rblakeman
    rblakeman Posts: 25
    I think the only way to know if you will lose weight is to see what happens. If you notice that you get 'stuck' if your net calories go lower than 1200, then obviously you want to eat your exercise calories so that you are netting at least 1200. If you don't eat your exercise calories, and you continue to lose weight, then it is likely not a problem in the short-term.

    I have looked at a variety of websites to calculate the number of calories I need to maintain my weight...it ranges from 1500 to 1800...so if I eat 1200, I have a deficit of 300 to 600 calories (so MFP has given me a deficit by giving me a goal of 1200). If I exercise without eating the calories back, I can have a larger deficit. If I am going to eat my exercise calories back, I often have to 'force' myself to eat something, because I eat so much protein that I can really be satisfied on 1200 calories. My plan is to mix it up...some days I will eat my calories back, some days I won't. I don't think it's good to go too long with less than 1200 net calories, as there is a risk of going into starvation mode; but based on my history, I don't think it is detrimental for me to do it a few days a week. I think you have to keep track of your intake and exercise and see what works for you.
  • HilsScott
    HilsScott Posts: 10
    I can only comment from personal experience and I found I stopped loosing weight when I was on 1200, so I'm now on 1300 and loosing weight steadily. I tend to eat back all my exercise calories.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm 5'5 and started at 160 pounds with a goal of 135. I ate at 1200 (plus exercise calories) for about the first month, then realized that I wasn't going to lose the two pounds a week I selected, so I switched it to one pound a week and got around 1350. When I got within 10 pounds of my goal, I switched to a half pound a week, and got around 1500. That was where I noticed the most changes to my body and how I felt.

    Two pounds a week is mostly only a realistic goal if you have 75 pounds or so to go. When you're close to your goal, you should aim for a smaller deficit and a smaller weekly loss. You're training your body right now. Personally? I'm glad I didn't train my body to survive on the bare minimum, because now that I'm maintaining (over a year now), I can eat pretty much whatever and how much I want as long as I stay active.

    You'll still lose weight at 1200. But it's probably not the optimal calories for your body and situation and you run the risk of losing a disproportionate amount of lean muscle mass.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I lost weight at 1200+exercise calories. What I found, though, is that it wasn't really enough (for me) to support vigorous exercise (such as martial arts/weightlifting) -- I started having to leave class to get some sugar in so I could finish out, even when I'd eaten before. It was fine for daily life/walking though.

    After my car broke down I dropped back down for a bit since I couldn't get much exercise in other than walking/calisthenics anyway. It did accelerate my weight/inches lost. But now that I've got my car back I'm (after I get home, I'm at maintenance now) going to set it back to 1lb/week so I can do the more vigorous activities I love again.
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    Bump
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member

    do i HAVE to eat back my exercise calories? If i don't will my body go into starvation mode and store fat?

    am i actually going to lose weight?


    The less you eat and the more you move, the more weight you will lose. You won't go into starvation mode and store fat at 1200 calories.
  • marystingley
    marystingley Posts: 25
    I'm allowed 1200 on here and usually eat less and never eat back my exercise calories and lose weight pretty quickly. I lost almost 2 pounds just last week.
  • secretcylon
    secretcylon Posts: 5
    I was on 1200, stopped eating back my exercise calories and my weight loss stalled. I started eating them back and it started again. I now eat more like 1350 (to lose 1.5lb instead of 2lb) AND eat my exercise calories, and the weight loss has really picked up. Just my experience anyway. That said, eating 1200 for the first month worked a treat, but for long term it doesn't work for me.

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