What is the female obsession with a 1200 calorie diet?

bostonwolf

I eat 1800-2100 a day and workout 5x a week. I use the TDEE method and I lost almost a pound and a half last week. the 1200 cal a day diet is BS in my opinion. I did that diet and gained back 20 pounds because my body couldn't adjust to eating more once I tried to eat more than 1200 a day again.

I'm sure it works for some people who are very, very small, but I agree that for most people it's not appropriate, yet it seems to be the starting point for so many people I was just wondering where the idea comes from.

If people can do it without being hungry all the time go for it, I just find it hard to believe that this is the case.

rosemaryhon

I eat 1800-2100 a day and workout 5x a week. I use the TDEE method and I lost almost a pound and a half last week. the 1200 cal a day diet is BS in my opinion. I did that diet and gained back 20 pounds because my body couldn't adjust to eating more once I tried to eat more than 1200 a day again.

Do you wonder if you might gain if someday you stop working out 5x a week? Seems a similar risk to me.

1200 a day is not BS for *me* because I'm not working out/lifting very much (my daily exercise is usually a brisk walk with my dog ).

HannahJDiaz25

It is pushed by almost every pop magazine.
They say "experts" said that is the lowest amount of calories you can eat while getting all your nutrients.
They have pictures of low calorie high volume food and they swear you can stay full on that diet.
They put a picture of a gorgeous model next to their "break through diet plan" and hope you will subconsciously equate buying their magazine and following their ridiculous diets with looking like the random model in yoga attire next to the article.
(Personally I believe you should fuel your workouts, and give your body what it needs...but who am I to argue with the people who sell magazines lol)

There are also nutritionists who will put people on these types of diets, however, they have to be very careful to eat a very balanced diet while restricting the calories so severely. I don't think anyone recommends it for a long term solution (At least I hope not!)

To me it is a fad left over from the super skinny models of the nineties... Hopefully people are starting to wake up and see that strength and health does not equal starvation and super skinny... If they disagree they should look up the popular fitness models diets...those ladies eat roughly 2500 a day and look SO much better then the starved 12 yr old boy look that people seem to want. (And if you look at them a couple weeks after a competition they do not regularly maintain the super muscular look. When not competing they look feminine, strong and curvy.

Check her out...
http://ingridromerofitness.com/2012/04/30/my-diet-the-most-asked-question-ever-have-that-hot-bikini-body-youve-always-wanted/

DawnieB1977

I think that's because 1200 calories is usually the amount doctors suggest women should eat when trying to lose weight. For years I thought 1200 calories was that magic number that I shouldn't go above, and as a result I ended up putting weight on, especially in pregnancy when I had to eat more than that or I felt ill.

Saying that, I did lose half the weight I've lost by eating 1200, but once I joined MFP I realised I was wrong, and now aim for 1600. I feel a lot better for it, and have plenty of energy for work, exercise and looking after my young kids.

I went to get the pill when my son was a few months old, and the nurse was a right ***** to me and told me I should eat 1000 calories a day. I had a young baby and was exercising 5 times a week. I was furious and wrote a letter of complaint. I'd love to go find that woman now!

Loves418

I am set to 1200 I eat back most if not all my workout calories. I use a HRM so hopefully I am in the correct ballpark with what I burn. I am only 5ft tall so for me that is the right amount to lose weight. I have to be honest what I have learned about all this working out losing weight...is it is NOT one size fits all. No two bodies work the same. It is trial and error to see what fits you best.

bostonwolf

I would faint eating that little..... I lift heavy..... 2200 is my minimum I consume each day.lol

Same here, but only because I'm trying to lose fat. I still lift heavy and do cardio but try to be around 2200-2500 net. Which means I'm usually eating 3000+ calories a day.

DebbieLyn63

I thought it was because 1200 cals is MFP's minimum allowed.

^^THIS! There are many women who are older, shorter, etc that eat below 1200 as well, you just can't say it on MFP or you will get reported. 1200 is the safe number to claim. While 1200 is certainly not an appropriate amount for everyone, there are quite a few people that it works for while they are losing weight. You just need to be more careful with HOW you spend those calories, to make sure you get enough protein and other nutrients.
Some people also shoot for 1200, but don't measure everything 100% accurately, so maybe they are actually eating 1300-1400 cals. Aiming for a lower goal gives more flexibility and room for error.

BTW, 20+ years ago, 1000 calories a day was the standard amount to lose weight for most women, so 1200 is more than it used to be.

What I question is why so many people freak out when others choose to eat at that level because it works for them? If it is too few calories for them, they will soon figure it out for themselves.

Robin_Bin

I think mfp sets the intake at 1200 calories for any female who chooses to lose 2 pounds per week. Isn't that correct? If so, I would think that's why so many people come in to the forums asking about 1200 calorie diets.

Nope... MFP just won't go below that (1,200). So for a 2 lb/week loss (which is not recommended for anyone near goal which basically equates to 1,000 calorie deficit per day and a sedentary person, who may not be burning 2,200 per day, the setting won't go below 1,2000. However, for an active woman who is very heavy, MFP may set the calories at over 1,200 even for a 2 pound loss. (By the way, that doesn't even include any additional calories for exercise above and beyond the daily activity level.)

bostonwolf

I am set to 1200 I eat back most if not all my workout calories. I use a HRM so hopefully I am in the correct ballpark with what I burn. I am only 5ft tall so for me that is the right amount to lose weight. I have to be honest what I have learned about all this working out losing weight...is it is NOT one size fits all. No two bodies work the same. It is trial and error to see what fits you best.

Totally agree. I think because I"m 6'3 and currently around 290 I just find eating that little food shocking.

ninakale

Here are my stats:

127 pounds, 5'3. I want to lose about 5 pounds. I have a desk job. MFP gives me 1200 calories to lose .7 pounds per week (net, not gross). That is just how it is for some people who may not have too much weight to lose.

I personally use TDEE -20, however, it is not that far off.

I do Stronglifts, so I eat more on my lifting days, and if I am hungry, I eat. But if my goal is to lose weight I have to have a deficit.

bostonwolf

I thought it was because 1200 cals is MFP's minimum allowed.

^^THIS! There are many women who are older, shorter, etc that eat below 1200 as well, you just can't say it on MFP or you will get reported. 1200 is the safe number to claim. While 1200 is certainly not an appropriate amount for everyone, there are quite a few people that it works for while they are losing weight. You just need to be more careful with HOW you spend those calories, to make sure you get enough protein and other nutrients.
Some people also shoot for 1200, but don't measure everything 100% accurately, so maybe they are actually eating 1300-1400 cals. Aiming for a lower goal gives more flexibility and room for error.

BTW, 20+ years ago, 1000 calories a day was the standard amount to lose weight for most women, so 1200 is more than it used to be.

What I question is why so many people freak out when others choose to eat at that level because it works for them? If it is too few calories for them, they will soon figure it out for themselves.

All of which means you are doing no accounting for the individual and their needs when the tools are readily available to do so and saying "eat this because I say so."

Sorry, but I could not disagree more with this post. 1000 calories was dead wrong 20 years ago, just as wrong as 1200 calories is for 95% of the population today.

katy_trail

they think eating as little as possible is the answer. the end.

bostonwolf

Here are my stats:

127 pounds, 5'3. I want to lose about 5 pounds. I have a desk job. MFP gives me 1200 calories to lose .7 pounds per week (net, not gross). That is just how it is for some people who may not have too much weight to lose.

I personally use TDEE -20, however, it is not that far off.

I do Stronglifts, so I eat more on my lifting days, and if I am hungry, I eat. But if my goal is to lose weight I have to have a deficit.

If you are doing Stronglifts, why is your goal to lose weight? isn't it more accurate to say your goal is to lose fat and add muscle?

TheDoctorDana

Well. if they are new, they haven't read through all of the advise or the arguments that have taken place here yet. When I was growing up, that is what all diet were, 1000 - 1200 cals. They probably learned it from their Tab and Faygo (sp?) drinking moms who learned it from their doctors. That is what I understood to be the case until I came here. I know it gets tiring repeating the same things to these posters but remember, no question is a stupid or dumb question and if people are rude or impatient with the posters they might leave never learning the truth. I was an elementary school teacher. If I got angry and snappy every time a new student asked me the same questions as the previous students, it would have made my teaching ineffective.

kitka82

It's a governmental guideline - a minimum intake to maintain reasonable health.

Most websites and magazines won't advocate lower for fear of being sued.

People are impatient, ala, push it to the max regardless of individual needs.

All of this. Exactly.

MightyMouse19

Yea, that's what MFP suggested as daily caloric intake. I've been using the app on & off but I'm new to the forums. Trying to change things up to get better results & be healthier. What should a healthy calorie diet be working out 4x a week? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

theCarlton

I thought it was because 1200 cals is MFP's minimum allowed.

This is why.

There is no "female obsession" with 1200 calories.

MeIShouldB

I just posted a thread about this. I went in for my physical this morning and told my doctor I'm on 1750 per day and she said that is fine as long as I don't go under 1500, that is too drastic. So 1200 must be really bad.

Sqeekyjojo

For the last however long, women in particular were inundated with instructions to eat far, far less than 1,200. 1,000 was for the boring, lazy people, but real motivated individuals could easily access in the press diets of about 450 kcal daily for the 'lose half a stone in a week'/'slim to fit your jeans/little black dress' quick fixes.

Plus all the fuss about the Cambridge Plan and other VLCDs and no suggestion of ever eating back any exercise calories.



As a result, 1,200 seems a lot to many women, they've been brought up to think it's too much to lose weight. And ingrained misconceptions are hard to beat.




Personally, I'm at a low calorific level as set by MFP because I can't always exercise, partly through illness and partly because I'm lazy. I eat more when I do exercise and still lose.

geekette411

I'm 5'4", closing in on 50, and sit at a desk programming all day (9 hours work, 2 1/2 hours driving round trip). No matter what amount I say I want to lose, MFP tells me 1200. And it works for me.