My trainer wants me to break my 1200 calorie diet every 10-14 days. He says it'll be good for my metabolism to surprise my body. I am so scared to! I was thinking of doing it today at a mexican restaurant with some friends. But I am nervous. I am always scared I'll fall off the deepend and over do it. I am also only 5 pounds from finally breaking out of the 200's. Maybe I should hold out until after I get past 200. ALso, if I did do it how do I know what is too far? 2 cheese enchiladas, beans and rice? I don't even think I would feel good after that! He keeps telling me to listen to him that he knows what he is doing and I want to respect that but maybe I'm not ready. Help!

I say do it...with my fingers crossed.

Put it this way...I have not broken my diet at all since starting last November and the pounds have been coming off ridiculously slowly. I've been officially stalled since October. I'm about to embark on a two week exercise break while still watching calories. When I come back from the exercise break, I plan to enter a new way of eating like your trainer wants.

I think the scale will pop up for a day or two or three. I think you should watch your salt intake. I think you should not eat to the point of stuffing yourself. But I think the trainer may be right.

I think I have made my own body really efficient on very few calories.

At some point, you're going to break your diet. It's inevitable. I'd rather do it occasionally on purpose and prove to myself that I can step back on the wagon right away than to wait until it happens accidentally and then really freak out.

For the record, I have one day each week (or two) - usually the weekend - where I eat a little more, and I do think it is good to keep the body from adjusting to lower calories all the time.

I think it's definitely a good idea to break the 1200, but maybe you should do it in a more controlled way? Eat 1500 calories of good for you food instead of splurging on an unhealthy meal.

If I were going to do it - I wouldn't do it at a Mexican restaurant. Chips, cheese, margaritas - once you start eating, talking, socializing - you could completely blow your calories for days. And once you go dramatically off the rails, it can be difficult to recover (the whole "well, I blew that, let's give up" mentality).

I do think 1200 per day is kind of low, but if my trainer wanted me to up my calorie count, I would add healthy calories to my diet - nuts on salad, avocado to sandwiches, sesame oil in my stir fries.

+1 ^^^

1200 seems very low to me.
unhealthy low.

I was on a diet before and I was eating only 1000-1200 calories a day. The weight was barely coming off and I was working out very hard. I talked to the right trainer and he corrected me and once I started eating better the weight started dropping off.
Is your trainer a personal trainer or ALSO a nutritionist?
SOme trainers only know how to work out, they don't always tell you the right things about your diet. I know because I have been thru all that.

Your body needs the proper fuel.
I am 190 lbs. You need more like 1500-1700 calories a day.

Go talk to a different trainer. A trainer who is also a certified NUTRITIONIST.

I agree with Glory87. Mexican is generally extreeemly dense food. Delicious, but a little too delicious. Up the calories now and again. Like sparring around the boxing ring. Mix it up. The super efficient human body can adjust to lower and lower amounts of fuel. Don't want it to, got to keep it a little confused.

Actually 1200 is okay. New scientific research has shown that you don't need to eat that much more because you weigh more and even WW has cut back on the points for a lot of heavier people. 1200 is enough to get adequate nutrition.

I'd also plan a 1500 calorie day but it would be good food, not Mexican junk. I'd eat more protein and maybe a baked potato. Just my choice, may not be something you'd like.

I started weighing 356 pounds back in 1971 and my friend who joined with me was 147. We both got the same number of exchanges and we both lost. So how much you weigh is not really a reason to eat more.

1200 calories is pretty low. You could still lose weight at 1500 or even 1600 calories. Initially, after increasing your calories you will notice a jump on the scale, but that is NOT fat. It is water weight and it will go down in a few days. Once in a while eating closer to RMR is not a bad thing. Whether it is intentional or not, sometimes it just happens.

However, I don't believe having "free days" where you eat anything you want is a good idea. Eat wholesome and healthy foods and it will definitely be okay to go over 1200.

I don't think that's a bad idea. I do a "cheat" day every couple of weeks, and it hasn't slowed my loss at all. I don't go crazy - I just eat "regular" food and go a couple hundred calories higher. Maybe try something like that?

When I followed WW strictly years ago, I had s-l-o-w weight loss except for the weeks that I DID allow myself the splurge (and ironically it was for a mexican meal with friends - and two cheese enchiladas, rice and 12 chips/salsa was my splurge) ... those weeks I'd show a more considerable loss. I never wanted to believe it but it was time and again, so then I started working in a splurge meal every week and a half or so and it worked! Good luck. Try it a few times but get right back on track afterward and you should be fine.

I think there's a difference between upping your calories now and again, and "blowing it" at a Mexican restaurant. If you feel you can handle eating a little extra at a Mexican restaurant, that wouldn't be awful. Many of us find, however, that one chip leads to a basket.

If you feel you want to follow your trainers' advice, it might help you keep control to just have an extra snack...

How you will know how many calories are in the food is because you use a calorie tracker, yes? Or you look it up on the restaurant site, yes?

No, I would not eat 2 cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. That's a huge amount of calories! Instead, if I were going to go for Mexican, I would have 1 beef taco and 1 chicken enchilada, a la carte. Skip the rice and beans completely--you do not need that added filler food. They aren't that good in most Mexican restaurants anyway!

I don't believe that you should be eating at 1200 calories because it is probably below your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). I was lighter than you to start, and I lost on 1350 a day.

ETA: Oh, and no tortilla chips from the basket! Or if you do want to have some, count out SIX of them.

Jay

it is actually a really great idea..... your trainer is right. but if you are going to do it, do it RIGHT
Having a *cheat* day is also known as a refeed, or reload ...body builders, figure athletes and individuals trying to get down to really low levels of body fat use this technique all the time!
Whats happening with your body is that your good hormones are falling, your bad hormones are rising, and your body is metabolically adapting to the 1200 cals per day... eventually it will all meet up in the middle, and your BMR will have dropped so much that you *maintain* on 1200 a day, and not LOSE..... you dont want that to happen, do you?

the idea behind the refeed is to flood your body with happy hormones, and raise them back up to the right levels ( i am obviously oversimplifying this for explanations sake) so that your bmr goes back up a little, and you can continue losing fat

in order for this to be effective, you need to eat AT or ABOVE your maintenance calories for a day or 2..... upping 2 or 300 wont make any difference, as far as resetting hormone levels. Also, in order for it to work, you need to make sure the surplus of calories is coming from High(er) glycemic index carbohydrates... adding an extra serving of protein and fat wont make a difference. Carbohydrates play a keep role in keeping out hormone levels (especially leptin) happy. Pastas are an excellent choice, and cereals and chocolate, even-- sweet potatoes and squashes as well!. If you are going to limit anything, limit the fat a little bit... it will naturally be higher anyway, from eating more food

hubpages.com/hub/All_About_Refeeds

"When doing a reefed it will be important that you're choosing foods that are high in carbohydrates while lower in fat as these will have the larger impact on the body fat regulating hormones in the body, or more specifically, leptin.
With cheat days, you're still utilizing the higher calorie intake like you are with refeeds but there is a slightly greater chance of fat spill-over and regain since you're taking in fat and carbs. With a reefed, this chance of fat gain is very low since dietary fat is restricted and you're focusing on purely carb-rich foods.

For you this means you'll come out of the reefed with a faster metabolic rate therefore a faster rate of fat loss, a reduced overall hunger level, saturated stores of muscle glycogen (the storage house for muscular energy), and usually, a much more positive attitude. Refeeds can do just as much for your mental state while on a diet as cheat days do"





Remember, the key is a caloric SURPLUS. for you, id say 2500 ish...... good place to start.... ONE DAY of 2500 cals will NOT make you gain your weight back... you will definitely see a TEMPORARY increase on the scale, from water weight, and it might not even show up for a couple days.....
Keep in mind that when you increase your carbohydrates, your body is automaticvally going to store a LOT of water along with the glycogen that the sugar gets stored as... thats why they are called carboHYDRATES. if you expect it, it wont have to completely derail you...... within a week all the water will be back off again, and you will be primed for fat loss!

Ideally, we shoudl ALL take breaks (recommended 1 week diet break every 8-12 weeks of hardcore dieting down) The same recommendation is made for training breaks, as well.

In any case, think of it as taking 1 step backwards to move 2 steps forward. Do it right, and ENJOY

"The purpose, as I see it, of carb refeeds is the restoration of leptin levels in the dieter. As we know, caloric restriction reduces leptin levels. With lower leptin comes increased hunger and reduced adherence to a diet. Cravings arise. Energy wanes, immunity suffers. The lack of leptin elicits the cascade of hormones that down regulate metabolism and energy expenditure. Your muscles use less energy and become more efficient – but weaker and less effective. Menstruation and fertility become issues. Dropping calories even more just makes the problem worse. You need to restore leptin, at least for a bit, to right the path. A carb refeed can help you achieve this"

Mkroyer, thank you. Beautifully and simply written.