Cals and Exercise - I'm Confused Please Help

SmileyShazza

SmileyShazza

New member
Please can someone clear something up for me.

I am following a calorie controlled diet of 1200 cals a day.

I have been using a website called which adds up calories for you and works out the amount of cals burned through exercise.

I had been eating 1200 cals a day and then doing around 500cals worth of exercise a day but I hadn’t been losing any weight whatsoever.

When I checked it said that I had only been taking in 700 cals a day so would this then have led to my body going into starvation mode?

If I am exercising should I be eating extra calories to accommodate it but still aim to eat 1200 cals after I have taken my exercise?
 
Stop right w here you are and start readingt the stickied threads int he forum...

You'll especially want the stickied threads in the nutrition forum that explan how to set a calorie range forf yourself
 
Just curious...

What led you to believe that 1200 calories would be an appropriate intake? Maybe it is, I don't know all the facts. I'm just curious what line of reasoning you used to come up with that number.

Thanks.
 
The Food Focus website worked it out for me ()

You input your current weight (it was 13st 8lbs when I started) and what your target weight is (9st 7lbs) and how much you want to lose per week (maximum of 2lbs per week). It then works out how many calories you should be eating each day to lose weight.

It tells me that I should be eating 1200 net calories (i.e. after any exercise) each day to lose 2lbs per week. I started off ages ago eating the 1200 cals daily and lost 3lbs the 1st week but that was without exercising.

I had originally got a bit confused and thought that I was to eat 1200 calories and then exercise on top of that which would then burn off the calories I put in but you actually have to eat a bit extra on the days you exercise so that your total amount shows 1200 (or as close as you can get) each day.

During the time that I was doing it incorrectly I didn’t really lose much weight. I swim most days for around 45 minutes which it gives you 440 calories for as an activity (you input the exercise you have done in minutes and it works out the calories burnt) but at the same time I was only eating a total of 1200 calories during the whole day, some days less than that. I actually have a small appetite and find eating more than that very difficult.

I now think I actually wasn’t eating enough at that time.

Last week I made sure that I took in the 1200 cals each day and on the days I exercised I ate extra by occasionally eating extra things like dried fruit and nuts which have good fats but are quite high in calories and eating pasta with my salad at lunchtimes etc. Last week I lost 2.75lbs which I think is down to filling in the Food Focus website correctly.

As you can see in comparison to the start of the year I did no exercise whatsoever but I have increased this by a massive amount. Swimming four to five times a week, three gym sessions and as many walks as I can fit in. I can see my body shape changing but the scales hadn’t been going down really.
 
So how much would you suggest I need to aim for?

I am actually finding it very easy, as I say I don't eat much anyway, never have done. My weight seem to have increased firstly as I have got older but I did stop exercising for quite a while.

Now I take regular exercise again I want to try and combine that with a good diet/eating plan so I can try and work on the bulk of my weight.

I am losing inches from all over but ideally would like to see some difference on the scales too.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received. :)
 
The stickied threads in the nutrition forum, will guide you to an approximate range of calories...

The stickied threads on On Topic, are worth aread for yourself as well- especially the one entitled Scale mentality.. and the stickied threads in the exericse forum will give you an idea of how to maximize your workouts..
 
Steve said:
Just curious...

What led you to believe that 1200 calories would be an appropriate intake? Maybe it is, I don't know all the facts. I'm just curious what line of reasoning you used to come up with that number.

Thanks.
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Hi I'm new here, but I also eat 1200 kcal per day. I read it in some fit-magazine that 1200 is appropriate amount for female if she wants to maintain her weight and 1000kcal if she wants to lose a few pounds.
I remember (even though it was 10 years ago) that the same thing said our high school nutritionist.

Obviously there has to be something wrong about it, since I'm eating 1200 and I'm losing weight.
GOD!!! It's like I'm still in Middle Ages about all these, aren't I ??

maleficent I can't find that nutrition sticky :blush5: - could You point me to it?
 
Hi I'm new here, but I also eat 1200 kcal per day. I read it in some fit-magazine that 1200 is appropriate amount for female if she wants to maintain her weight and 1000kcal if she wants to lose a few pounds.
I remember (even though it was 10 years ago) that the same thing said our high school nutritionist.
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1200 calories seems to be the one size fits all number for most of the fitness magazines -note these magazines also do a lot of advertising for the diet pills that will magically take pounds off your body and give you rock hard abs too :)

Reality is - 1200 calories for the majority of people (and i'm talking those with more than 10-15lbs to lose) isn't realistic or sustainable for the long term... As long asa a person is accurately keeping track of their calories and not fudging-- weighing and measuring is effective... then ahigher number of calories is appropriate and gives you wiggle room down the road when you do need to adjust -if you start at 1200 calories -then you've got no where to go..
 
wicked witch said:
Hi I'm new here, but I also eat 1200 kcal per day. I read it in some fit-magazine that 1200 is appropriate amount for female if she wants to maintain her weight and 1000kcal if she wants to lose a few pounds.
I remember (even though it was 10 years ago) that the same thing said our high school nutritionist.
Click to expand...

I don't believe anyone should get their information about diet and exercise from fitness magazines. That information right there is ridiculous.
 
I don't believe anyone should get their information about diet and exercise from fitness magazines. That information right there is ridiculous.
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Well! One gets the information where one can!
maleficent , I hear You - this forum is definitely an eye-opener !
 
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maleficent said:
that's a pretty blanket generalization - not all fitness magazines are full of worthless information...
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but...if you are just starting out and have no clue what you are doing, you won't know what is good information and what is bad..so i would say just stay away from the magazines for the purpose of getting good, healthy, solid information. but thats just my two cents.
 
LandonsBaby said:
No information is better than terrible information. Wouldn't you say?
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No! I would never say that! I am a strong believer that information is a power!
I was judging this diet on results. Which I had. I admit I should look further then that!

Beside if You see that someone is obviously wrong You could add something more than only ‘that information is terrible’ or ‘ridiculous’… Because that’s not helpful at all.
I can learn from my mistakes :)

And it wasn’t like if I came here and said: let’s all start 1200/day.
Steve was curious why 1200, I got curious why he is so curious LOL :D(because that diet is really popular in my circle of friends) so I gave my reasons. I didn’t come here to preach anything, just looking for some support while losing weight.

So peace LandonsBaby ;)

SmileyShazza-> I apologize for off-top in your thread
 
you're going to get better info out of a fitness magazine, like Shape or Fitness, however generic the advice might be -rather than out of the women's magazines sold at the checkout stand that promise 20lbs in 10days...
 
maleficent said:
you're going to get better info out of a fitness magazine, like Shape or Fitness, however generic the advice might be -rather than out of the women's magazines sold at the checkout stand that promise 20lbs in 10days...
Click to expand...

Well, my mistake, I was assuming she got that kind of information out of one of those women's magazines at the checkout.
 
wicked witch said:
Beside if You see that someone is obviously wrong You could add something more than only ‘that information is terrible’ or ‘ridiculous’… Because that’s not helpful at all.
I can learn from my mistakes :)
Click to expand...


Mal had already mentioned some things to you about calories so I didn't elaborate. I didn't want to be a nag. :D
 
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