For the last week I’ve been sticking to a 400 calorie plan (400 calories 3xs per day for a total of 1200 calories per day) well, the results are in and they’re quite surprising!
On the 1200 calorie plan I decided that I could eat whatever I wanted as long as my calories stayed within that range. There has always been a huge argument that you can eat whatever you want as long as calories in vs calories out are in the proper amount. What a horrible week! I have never felt SO tired or unmotivated than I have this week on the 1200 calorie plan.
My cravings were intense, I ate a whole host of bad for me foods and I was cranky, miserable and had NO desire to keep up with my exercise/training regime. It was really odd because even though I was enjoying the food for the first few days, (what a treat to be able to eat what I wanted to at any given time) my mood, skin, enthusiasm, and drive suffered. I didn’t want to do anything! So yes, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, a burger for lunch and pasta for dinner were all awesome and within the 1200 calorie range, but I’ve never felt worse! SO that leads me to believe what I already knew…it doesn’t ONLY come down to calories! IT’S ABOUT THE FOODS YOU EAT! None of the foods were giving me the proper energy I needed, plus the calories for me were too low because I’m EXTREMELY active and my entire exercise plan got the boot for the week because I had no energy. I basically treated it as, hey, as long as I only eat 1200 calories who cares WHAT I eat? It was a very bad idea and I am suffering from HUGE sugar cravings and I had a headache everyday last week.
Would I recommend strictly relying on the concept of calories in vs calories out? No, not for me anyway. I know what my body needs and wants and how to properly fuel it so I can reach my fitness goals. Did I lose weight?….here’s the funny part- I actually GAINED 3 pounds! How is this possible you ask? Stress, water weight, too much sodium, not enough exercise, not enough motivation to exercise and all the wrong foods.
On tomorrow’s post I’ll be starting another diet and will give you all the details of what will be happening for the week. Stay tuned!