1200 calories a day for women

bclarke1990

I'm a 24 year old male losing weight on 1500. It's probably too low, but I eat filling meals and try to get lots of high volume nutritious food and I'm doing alright. Oatmeal, chicken, vegetables, eggs, etc. Some days I feel pretty hungry at night but I've lost almost 90 lbs so it's a temporary sacrifice and it seems to work for me.

I don't know if women feel less "hungry" than men on similar calories, since men tend to burn more, but speaking from experience if you make good food decisions and avoid sugary/fat junk you can make it on 1500 and lower.

lthames0810

I made the mistake of calulating on Scooby what my maintenance will be at my goal weight. (Shouldn't have looked ahead.) At age 60, 5'6", I'll only have a TDEE of 1375, without taking into consideration that I'll be even older by the time I hit goal.

May as well learn to cope with 1200 a day since 1375 isn't significantly better.

SuggaD

lthames0810 wrote: »

I made the mistake of calulating on Scooby what my maintenance will be at my goal weight. (Shouldn't have looked ahead.) At age 60, 5'6", I'll only have a TDEE of 1375, without taking into consideration that I'll be even older by the time I hit goal.

May as well learn to cope with 1200 a day since 1375 isn't significantly better.

I looked at this. Ouch!

shadowfax_c11

I had a Dr tell me to do 1200. I'm 5'5 at the time was 276 and live a very active lifestyle including working in animal care, farrier work and practicing martial arts 6 hours a week or more. Luckily for me I don't think very highly of Drs in general and that advice specifically. Although I did try 1400 for a few days and lost a lot of weight really fast and was exhausted and miserable and unable to use my brain at all. Then I found MFP. Plugged in my stats, put on a Fitbit and started eating what the app said. It has been 7 weeks. Currently down 18 pounds.

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spzjlb

I'm like many other posters. I am 50 yrs old and 5 ft 4 in, eating in this range for 5 months. 1200 cals is tough at the start, but like the others, once I learned to manage my nutrition, it is OK and I can fit in small snacks, too. There is very little wiggle room, however, so eating at a restaurant or a special supper will easily put me over. ON THE OTHER HAND, if I didn't drink alcohol, 1200 cals would be piles easier for me. But, that is my choice. Plus, I exercise a bit every single day to give me a little more calories to eat.

Liftng4Lis

I need more, thus the earn with exercise part of it for me.

callsitlikeiseeit

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

I need more, thus the earn with exercise part of it for me.

thats why i started exercising LOL

i love it now. still feels strange saying that

Liftng4Lis

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

I need more, thus the earn with exercise part of it for me.

thats why i started exercising LOL

i love it now. still feels strange saying that

YES! This is whack! ......okay, except lifting....and biking.....oh and sex. These are all exercises I can get on board with

lizfiz50

1330 is low for me and I'm still significantly overweight and tall. It's do-able, but you need to be smart about how much nutrition you're getting. I was really under-eating at one point and nearly fainted at work.

DeadsAndDoritos

MFP puts me at 1210 per day to lose 1lb per week. I find it very hard to stick to and have been going over this limit a lot (even with eating back exercise calories) so my actual loss is more like 0.5 lbs per week.

Lexicpt

I have my goal set to 1200 calories, but they definitely vary day by day. Most days I net between 1200 and 1500. On my "bad" days (weekends), I net at maintenance or a little below. The days that I eat at 1200 are usually my "calorie make up" days.

Terrymichelle

At 5'1 131lbs with 16 pounds to go I feel 1200 calories is perfect for me. Actually, I'm usually so full after dinner I can barely stand it lol. I normally see about 1.5 lbs lost a week. Especially now toward the end. I try to stick to just about 1200 and don't normally eat my exercise calories back unless I indulge on the weekend.

alexistexas33

Ah okay, thanks for all the replys! I mean MFP is telling me to eat 1900 a day. In 15 weeks i already lost 37 pounds. I am 5'5 but I think my age plays a part in it too

BlueIdyll

I think it's definitely easier for us shorter folk to stick to 1200 and feel satisfied. I'm barely 5'2" and 23 years old, and the first time I kept on with MFP I lost about 15lbs. For 5'5" I'd go up to maybe 1400. 1200 seems a little low with those 3 extra inches!

snowflakesav

1200 calories a day is reasonable for weight loss. Readjust what you think a serving size is. Most apples are easily two servings. A sandwich is generally enough for two meals. Serving sizes are just out of control.

On days I don't exercise it is adequate. I eat more as I exercise.

Especially as I get older learning to eat smaller portions is an adjustment I need to make.

Saving a ton of money eating appropriate sized meals...sharing at restaurants. There are plenty of up sides to making the adjustment to eating less.

cld111

I tried doing 1200 calories and I wanted to kill everyone. haha. I love my food! I am pretty active, so it's just not enough. I can see how it could be OK for some people who are really sedentary. But if you can eat more and still lose weight, why not??

Lexieberry

I eat, realistically, around 1200-1400 a day, and feel full.I say just make sure you're eating food that actually has substance in nutritional value instead of empty calories that leave you feeling hungry in the end

Angiefit4life

I have MFP set to .5 loss per week and I get 1220 cals. It's based on your stats. I am not hungry but yes of course I could eat more (the reason why I am using MFP) but I am satisfied. I am 159 days in and have lost 34#.

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tomatoey

Doctors do recommend it, because some study or other established that it was safe. It's ludicrous for most people imo.

Angiefit4life

MrM27 wrote: »

amwcnw wrote: »

I have MFP set to .5 loss per week and I get 1220 cals. It's based on your stats. I am not hungry but yes of course I could eat more (the reason why I am using MFP) but I am satisfied. I am 159 days in and have lost 34#.

Ouch, 1220 calories at .5 per week? You must not be active the slightest bit.

No, sadly I am not. I have an autoimmune disease akylosing spondylitis. I do try and get some walking in on my good days. And I had lost some weight before starting my streak on MFP:).

rocknrollfire

everyone is different. i would lose my mind on only 1200/day. even when i had myself set at 1600-1800/day i found i was often irritable, lethargic, and my exercise performance/endurance suffered. buuut i work full time at a physical job and walk or cycle everywhere. now i'm at 2300 which probably seems very high but is the only way i've been able to make this whole thing work for me.

(fwiw i'm a 26 year old woman and i'm only trying to lose .5lb/wk - looking more for general lifestyle + health improvement than rapid weight loss)

debrag12

I'm 5.1, on 1700+ a day and losing nicely. I couldn't manage on 1200 a day, I tried and failed, maybe I could manage it on a day I don't get off the coach but a work day no way. This is me and I applaud those who can, I like my sauces, dressing, meat etc too much lol

At my goal weight my TDEE would be around 1500, getting less as I get older my BMR would be 1280

debrag12

snowflakesav wrote: »

1200 calories a day is reasonable for weight loss. Readjust what you think a serving size is. Most apples are easily two servings. A sandwich is generally enough for two meals. Serving sizes are just out of control.

On days I don't exercise it is adequate. I eat more as I exercise.

Especially as I get older learning to eat smaller portions is an adjustment I need to make.

Saving a ton of money eating appropriate sized meals...sharing at restaurants. There are plenty of up sides to making the adjustment to eating less.

I sandwich 2 servings? I hope there are fries with that. A sandwich we can pick up in a supermarket (uk) would no way be 2 serving but a sandwich in a restaurant (usa) maybe.

laurenmw1990

Hi,
I have been on a STRICT diet of no more than 1200 calories a day, and I feel great! I am also 5'10... I use MFP to track every bite lol and I still have the energy to work out 4 times a week, and walk everyday... it is totally doable, as long as you are committed. One thing I found using the App, was that you can eat ALOT of GOOD food for 1200 calories, if you are tracking it correctly! I also have a young child, who requires a lot of movement, with soccer and swimming.

kathygolean

Sent you a friend request. I'm trying to stay 1200 cals/day. Not always successful....

Queenmunchy

I'm super short and can easily (and do) eat low calories in a day. My meals are very plant based, and I often wonder what kinds of nutrients I'm missing.

glasshalffull713

Stacyandsilas wrote: »

I think the same thing. I personally feel like I'm starving all the time if I have less than 1400 a day.

Me too!

brightsideofpink

Just wanted to say that those ladies who replied saying they were over 50 or self-identified as 'old' look great! I'd have never have guessed your age. So while its a bummer that you're stuck with less calories, you do look awesome!