Can I go below 1200 calories?

fitmama0914

I've read that's not safe, but I'm guessing that's more for someone with a higher caloric need? Mfp has had my calories at 1600 for a few weeks, and I'm beginning to suspect my maintenance is around 1300. With the exception of thanksgiving, I've eaten roughly 1300 everyday. The only time I've come close to 1600 is when I've purposely overestimated. So, at roughly 1300, plus exercise, I've still maintained. Is it ok to do 1100?

Pandapotato

What's your height/weight? Do you feel hungry at 1300? What rate are you losing at now?

It's best to lose at a slower rate and eat at a level you don't feel deprived, since this is meant to be a lifestyle not a diet. But if you're short and not very overweight now, and feel full at 1300, no one will FORCE you to stay there. But if you go to 1100 and feel hungry a lot or lose really rapidly, you may want to reconsider.

Kalikel

Before you decide that you cannot lose at 1200, get a physical. Make sure nothing is wrong with you (and "I feel fine!" doesn't mean nothing is wrong.)

Discuss your goal weight and daily with your doctor. Find out what foods you and shouldn't be eating.

Then, go forward with confidence and don't worry what the rest of the world thinks about it.

Liftng4Lis

Can you open your diary?

AliceDark

What are your stats? I'm 5'4" and 124 pounds, and my observed maintenance level is around 1700. Unless you are hobbit-sized or have some medical extenuating circumstance, your maintenance isn't 1300.

bokaba

With visible neck muscles and collar bone, you can't be that overweight. Under 1200 is probably too aggressive unless you are under 5 feet or something like that. 1300 maintenance is something like 5 feet tall, 85 pounds, and sedentary.

NoelFigart1

I am a little dubious of very low calorie counts being needed as a normal thing.

I am a short, middle-aged dieter with a history of yo-yo dieting and a tendency to hypothyroid.

My overall average caloric intake over the past 60-odd days is 1660, and I've lost close to sixteen pounds.

I will note two things: I do exercise most weekday mornings (I'm a swimmer and am training for open water distance events) and I do use a food scale to weigh my food, as well as being committed to being pretty ruthlessly honest about what I'm actually eating. EVERYTHING counts. Half n half in my coffee, butter I put on my veggies, olive oil I use to cook, tastes while cooking, Every. Damn. Grape. Oh, I want a little piece of candy from the Halloween... I have to record it.

While intestine-curdlingly tedious, it has shown me how damn easy it is to fool yourself about what you're actually eating, even someone who is really good at eyeballing portions and eats very little pre-packaged food.

Until you've done that, I wouldn't say you have enough data to know for sure that you need that little.

After you've done it, you won't have any doubts. But still see a doc. It may very well be treatable.

Justin_7272

This conversation has been exhausted here; use the search function and you will find more than enough information.

Short answer; sure.

TheVirgoddess

You want to eat as much as you can will still losing weight, not as little as you can. I think 1300 for maintenance sounds really low.

terar21

Wait, so you're eating 1300 daily and you're burning for exercise as well but not losing? Chances are the 1300 isn't really 1300 or there's another issue. Because with exercise you'd already be below 1200 net. You should be losing. How are you tracking calories?

fitmama0914

I'm 5'2 and 113 pounds, with a small frame. I can wear my 10 year old's clothes, and can't even gain weight on purpose. I just store fat. At 1300, that's eating when I'm hungry. I thought my diary was open. ...My daily intake has been inconsistent because I've been trying to get to 1600, and can't. I've never had a problem with overeating, just was not very active. I don't eat much junk food, but usually pick salty over sweet when I do.

KylaDenay

Something is off here.

Liftng4Lis

Again, can you open your diary? You're obviously eating more than you think.

TheVirgoddess

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm 5'2 and 113 pounds, with a small frame. I can wear my 10 year old's clothes, and can't even gain weight on purpose. I just store fat. At 1300, that's eating when I'm hungry. I thought my diary was open. ...My daily intake has been inconsistent because I've been trying to get to 1600, and can't. I've never had a problem with overeating, just was not very active. I don't eat much junk food, but usually pick salty over sweet when I do.

I'm really confused now. If you're maintaining at 1300, and you only weigh 113, why would you cut your calories even more?

Drinking a glass or two of OJ, having an ice cream after dinner, or some fancy coffee drink from Starbucks can easily get you those 300 extra calories.

Try focusing on calorie dense foods (avocado, cottage cheese, full at dairy, etc) and maybe doing some strength training.

KylaDenay

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm 5'2 and 113 pounds, with a small frame. I can wear my 10 year old's clothes, and can't even gain weight on purpose. I just store fat. At 1300, that's eating when I'm hungry. I thought my diary was open. ...My daily intake has been inconsistent because I've been trying to get to 1600, and can't. I've never had a problem with overeating, just was not very active. I don't eat much junk food, but usually pick salty over sweet when I do.

Wait I'm confused. Why would you want to go under 1200? I am not understanding what you are trying to accomplish here. You are wearing your 10 year old's clothes!

Serah87

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm 5'2 and 113 pounds, with a small frame. I can wear my 10 year old's clothes, and can't even gain weight on purpose. I just store fat. At 1300, that's eating when I'm hungry. I thought my diary was open. ...My daily intake has been inconsistent because I've been trying to get to 1600, and can't. I've never had a problem with overeating, just was not very active. I don't eat much junk food, but usually pick salty over sweet when I do.

I am 5'2, 45 yrs old and at the moment weigh 113 pounds, my maintenance calories is around 2400-2600 calories, to lose weight, 1 pound a week, I did 1800-2000 calories.

OP you 30 yrs old, you mostly definitely should be eating more and your BMR is more then 1300 cals.. JS

fitmama0914

I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. Yes I'm tiny, but all of my fat sits on my belly. And, sorry, I forgot to factor in inches lost, and became more concerned with weight. In my long term goal, I don't care if I weigh 20 pounds more, as long as it's muscle. Or mostly. In reality, I don't own a scale, and when I went to the Dr yesterday, I think some part of me had expected to have lost weight, but I hadn't.

KylaDenay

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. Yes I'm tiny, but all of my fat sits on my belly. And, sorry, I forgot to factor in inches lost, and became more concerned with weight. In my long term goal, I don't care if I weigh 20 pounds more, as long as it's muscle. Or mostly. In reality, I don't own a scale, and when I went to the Dr yesterday, I think some part of me had expected to have lost weight, but I hadn't.

Then maybe it is time for you to do a body recomposition.

fitmama0914

KylaDenay wrote: »

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. Yes I'm tiny, but all of my fat sits on my belly. And, sorry, I forgot to factor in inches lost, and became more concerned with weight. In my long term goal, I don't care if I weigh 20 pounds more, as long as it's muscle. Or mostly. In reality, I don't own a scale, and when I went to the Dr yesterday, I think some part of me had expected to have lost weight, but I hadn't.

Then maybe it is time for you to do a body recomposition.

That's basically my goal. But calories and macros confuse me, because pretty much every calculator is different, so initially, that was going to be my question here. I do bodyweight work outs 3 times a week, yoga twice a week, and usually Leslie sansone on Saturday. Half hour to 40 mins each (recently) . And in the calorie counters I've been calling it light exercise.

Unknown

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KylaDenay

MrM27 wrote: »

fitmama0914 wrote: »

KylaDenay wrote: »

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. Yes I'm tiny, but all of my fat sits on my belly. And, sorry, I forgot to factor in inches lost, and became more concerned with weight. In my long term goal, I don't care if I weigh 20 pounds more, as long as it's muscle. Or mostly. In reality, I don't own a scale, and when I went to the Dr yesterday, I think some part of me had expected to have lost weight, but I hadn't.

Then maybe it is time for you to do a body recomposition.

That's basically my goal. But calories and macros confuse me, because pretty much every calculator is different, so initially, that was going to be my question here. I do bodyweight work outs 3 times a week, yoga twice a week, and usually Leslie sansone on Saturday. Half hour to 40 mins each (recently) . And in the calorie counters I've been calling it light exercise.

Go lift some heavy weights.

This

fitmama0914

Scoobys workshop says for recomp, I need between 1700 and 2000 depending on exercise (wow), and for -20% 1600. I guess I'll stick with 1600 for now and see where it takes me. The only weight I have access to right now are my kids, lol.

AliceDark

Look into You Are Your Own Gym, by Mark Lauren. It's bodyweight strength training, so you don't need anything to get started.

jacksonpt

How confident are you in your logging? Many people aren't honest about their logging, don't log completely, and rarely if ever weigh/measure what they eat. When you log 1300 calories, are you sure you're really eating 1300 calories?

fitmama0914

Honestly I'm confident until dinner. I rarely eat breakfast, and when I do, it's hard to screw up logging it, or lunch. And I usually try to overestimate everything else. I'm trying to come up with a doable meal plan, because I don't have much control over what I eat. I live in a 2 family household, and share dinner time. I don't usually cook, because my sister and I are polar opposites with food. She generally doesn't like what I cook because I don't drown everything in butter and salt, and she boils her vegetables in butter. Yes. So, I try to eat very little. I need to come up with healthy stuff I can eat with minimal cooking, or prep ahead of time.

0somuchbetter0

Serah87 wrote: »

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I'm 5'2 and 113 pounds, with a small frame. I can wear my 10 year old's clothes, and can't even gain weight on purpose. I just store fat. At 1300, that's eating when I'm hungry. I thought my diary was open. ...My daily intake has been inconsistent because I've been trying to get to 1600, and can't. I've never had a problem with overeating, just was not very active. I don't eat much junk food, but usually pick salty over sweet when I do.

I am 5'2, 45 yrs old and at the moment weigh 113 pounds, my maintenance calories is around 2400-2600 calories, to lose weight, 1 pound a week, I did 1800-2000 calories.

OP you 30 yrs old, you mostly definitely should be eating more and your BMR is more then 1300 cals.. JS

Sorry to highjack the thread, but how do you DO that?!?! I'm only a couple of years older than you, one inch taller, 65 lbs heavier, and I can't net more than 1400 to lose weight! And I'm hungry! Tell me your secret!

ETA: I just read your profile -- you are inspiring! Congratulations!! Now if I could only find 2-3 extra hours in the day I could work out the way you do. LOL

amusedmonkey

If you are maintaining at 1300 (only possible in VERY few cases like being very short and thin+thyroid problems and possibly a lost limb), you are likely underlogging food and/or overlogging exercise. You can either pay better attention to these aspects, or change to 1100 as you mentioned. It will not be dangerous since what you are an overlogger and would eat over that number anyway.

terar21

Hmmm, well I took a look at your diary and are all of those homemade logs things that you personally put the nutritional facts in for? If not, then your calories are really just estimated and probably not close to what you're eating.

But beyond that, it's definitely time for you to focus on strength training. Search for posts on incorporating weights into your weekly routine. Purely focusing on cutting calories will make you lose weight (as long as your logging accurate from this point forward) but it won't take care of the belly fat problem. Train your body.

WinoGelato

terar21 wrote: »

Hmmm, well I took a look at your diary and are all of those homemade logs things that you personally put the nutritional facts in for? If not, then your calories are really just estimated and probably not close to what you're eating.

But beyond that, it's definitely time for you to focus on strength training. Search for posts on incorporating weights into your weekly routine. Purely focusing on cutting calories will make you lose weight (as long as your logging accurate from this point forward) but it won't take care of the belly fat problem. Train your body.

^^ All of this. You have a lot of generic food entries that don't completely add up. 1/2 cup mashed potato - 65 calories. So there's no butter or milk in your mashed potatoes?

Generic Apple plus 2 tbsp peanut butter - 150 cals. 2 Tbsp of PB by itself is usually more than 150 cals so how can that plus an apple be less?

I also still am not entirely clear on what your goals are. You don't want to lose weight, so what did you enter into the system, that you want to maintain? Is that where you are saying MFP gave you 1600? Where did the 1300 come from?

Again - if you aren't looking to lose weight, which it doesn't sound like you should be at your current stats - you should look into more strength training options.

fitmama0914

I actually didn't know that about the Apple and pb thing. Usually I do a search for the individual ingredients in stuff, and log it that way. ..like with the homemade stuff. And sometimes I do forget the little stuff, but not always. My goals have been changing as I go along. I suspect that I am more into yoga and running. So basically, regardless of end weight, I want to lower my bf and have enough muscle to have some definition, and strength.

NerdieMcChub

MAINTENANCE at 1300????