1200 calories a day for women

CaitlinGariFoley

I'm 5'7 on 1200kcal a day but I wear a fitbit and eat most if not all of my exercise calories back every day, so I usually end up eating more like 1500-1600, sometimes up to 2000. I'm losing between 0.5-1 Kilo per week. I think it's good having such a low baseline kcal rate because it makes me work out or walk more so that I can increase my calories for the day.

04hoopsgal73

EstherOrtizLaw wrote: »

I meant to say that I've lost about 1/2 a pound a week. It's been slow but I think it's because of the heavy strength training that I do. So, I'm pretty muscular. I should probably post an updated picture so people will know what eating at 1200 with occasional increases here and there looks like on a 5'2 woman in her 40s. Lol! I'm by no means starving!

Strength training will aide a weight loss goal. Plus it gives us all those other great benefits to our life. Good work
and progress.

LegendOfErin

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

RGv2

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

That really doesn't seem correct.

A 5'2" 24 year old female at 140lbs with a sedentary office job has a TDEE of 1700 cals. I noticed that your profile indicates you want to lose 90 more lbs, so your TDEE is that much higher.

LegendOfErin

RGv2 wrote: »

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

That really doesn't seem correct.

A 5'2" 24 year old female at 140lbs with a sedentary office job has a TDEE of 1700 cals. I noticed that your profile indicates you want to lose 90 more lbs, so your TDEE is that much higher.

Yeah I don't know... I lost 90 lbs in 2013. Gained it all back and now I have basically the same amount to lose (again). I always found when I ate the recommended amount, I would either maintain or gain.

flaminica

TiffanyR71 wrote: »

I'm eating 1200 a day. I am satisfied and have plenty of energy. 1200, to stay well-nourished, is tricky- it doesn't leave much room for non-nutritive calories. I stick to it, make very healthy choices, and save up exercise calories for a couple of glasses of wine on the weekends. My TDEE is only 1800, so, to lose 1 lb a week, I need to be at 1300.

My experience is almost identical. As others have said, if you're short and middle-aged with a TDEE range of 1700-1900 and a BMR range of 1100-1300, eating at 1200 is no great challenge. Personally I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under age forty or over 5'5" (barring competent medical supervision.)

Even so I take a daily vitamin supplement, and yes every bit of food has to be nutritionally dense and pull its weight. There's no room for empty calories.

paris458

It depends what I eat, if I dont eat bread and just stick to meats and veggies I have a hard time getting to the 1200 calories. I am full. when I eat bread I usually go over 1200.

betsysjl

I saw two separate doctors One who prescribed a 1200 calorie diet, and another a 1000 calorie diet. So yes, they actually do tell you to eat a restrictive diet. One was a rheumatologist, the other an endocrinologist.

sixxpoint

You're making a huge mistake if you trust MFP's computer to calculate your daily macronutrient and calorie intake. The program does not use enough data points to accurately determine what your body needs.

Research TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and tweak your goals to suit your individual lifestyle and macronutrient targets.

WinoGelato

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

Then you are likely not tracking your calories accurately and you are eating more than 1200 calories already.

I am 5'2. I walk around 15,000 steps/day. My TDEE is around 2100. I lose weight eating 1800 cals or more.

nicoleromine

I'm sure 1200 calories a day works for some people, but I strongly encourage my friends to experiment to figure out what works for them. The goal should be to eat as much as possible while still losing weight. Last March, I started dieting by eating 1200 calories a day (because that's what I thought I had to do). I quickly burned out, and after a reverse diet, I lost weight at the same rate eating 2000 calories a day. I'm now eating 2200 calories a day and losing .5 lb/week. (For reference I'm 34 and 5'9"). Basically, don't take any calculators as gospel and experiment with your intake to find that sweet spot.

LegendOfErin

Kruggeri wrote: »

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

Then you are likely not tracking your calories accurately and you are eating more than 1200 calories already.

I am 5'2. I walk around 15,000 steps/day. My TDEE is around 2100. I lose weight eating 1800 cals or more.

You are lucky! I've tried that before, and it truly doesn't work for me.

Revonue

It's not 1,200 but I ate at 1,300 as my base for quite a while. It was workable even before I started adding exercise calories, but I'm not sure I would sprint to the nearest person and recommend it. It requires a lot of forethought in my experience, and careful attention to satiety of foods. Personally, this meant that most days I was either full but not particularly enjoying my meals or slightly hungry but having enjoyed a treat or two, lol.

Now I wouldn't consider doing that again as I burned out. The best method of weight loss is one you will do, and one that will allow a transition to maintenance without you feeling cranky/burnt out about everything. Though the loss is slower, a higher calorie count is better for energy, health, and enjoying life- or at least in my opinion.

WinoGelato

nicoleromine wrote: »

I'm sure 1200 calories a day works for some people, but I strongly encourage my friends to experiment to figure out what works for them. The goal should be to eat as much as possible while still losing weight. Last March, I started dieting by eating 1200 calories a day (because that's what I thought I had to do). I quickly burned out, and after a reverse diet, I lost weight at the same rate eating 2000 calories a day. I'm now eating 2200 calories a day and losing .5 lb/week. (For reference I'm 34 and 5'9"). Basically, don't take any calculators as gospel and experiment with your intake to find that sweet spot.

I totally agree. If you can eat more and still lose weight, why would you not want to try?

WinoGelato

LegendOfErin wrote: »

Kruggeri wrote: »

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

Then you are likely not tracking your calories accurately and you are eating more than 1200 calories already.

I am 5'2. I walk around 15,000 steps/day. My TDEE is around 2100. I lose weight eating 1800 cals or more.

You are lucky! I've tried that before, and it truly doesn't work for me.

You mentioned 15,000 steps/day. Are you using a FitBit or some other tracker? How many calories does it say you are burning? There are about 5 basic variables in calculating TDEE - gender, height, weight, age, and activity level. You and I are both 5'2 females with roughly the same activity level. I am assuming you weigh more than me, because your ticker says you have 90 lbs to lose, and you are younger than me. Therefore your TDEE should be about the same as mine, if not higher, but you should definitely be able to lose weight eating more than 1200 calories. I'ts not luck. It is basic math, calories in vs calories out.

LegendOfErin

Kruggeri wrote: »

LegendOfErin wrote: »

Kruggeri wrote: »

LegendOfErin wrote: »

I am 5'2" and I am not big on exercise (I just walk around 15,000 steps a day). So if I eat more than 1,200 calories in a day, I usually see a gain.

Then you are likely not tracking your calories accurately and you are eating more than 1200 calories already.

I am 5'2. I walk around 15,000 steps/day. My TDEE is around 2100. I lose weight eating 1800 cals or more.

You are lucky! I've tried that before, and it truly doesn't work for me.

You mentioned 15,000 steps/day. Are you using a FitBit or some other tracker? How many calories does it say you are burning? There are about 5 basic variables in calculating TDEE - gender, height, weight, age, and activity level. You and I are both 5'2 females with roughly the same activity level. I am assuming you weigh more than me, because your ticker says you have 90 lbs to lose, and you are younger than me. Therefore your TDEE should be about the same as mine, if not higher, but you should definitely be able to lose weight eating more than 1200 calories. I'ts not luck. It is basic math, calories in vs calories out.

Yeah I have a FitBit tracker. I've been using MFP for 4 years now, and this is just how it's been for me. Lost 90 lbs before, I can do it again (just harder psychologically the second time). I have tried different variations of calories, and I have done the calculations before. It's old news to me. This is just how my body is.

frogs777

Makes me wonder why mine is so low then, 5 ft 4 in, 51 years sedentary lifestyle, 'only' got 14 lbs to lose yet asked for a loss of 1 lb a week - calorie intake 1,180... ?

maidentl

frogs777 wrote: »

Makes me wonder why mine is so low then, 5 ft 4 in, 51 years sedentary lifestyle, 'only' got 14 lbs to lose yet asked for a loss of 1 lb a week - calorie intake 1,180... ?

If you were given a number below 1200 you must have done so on the app before they fixed the glitch. Try it again or try using a computer.

fr3smyl

I have been eating at 1450 cals/day and losing at about 2lbs/week. I know this won't continue as I have only been doing this for 35 days.
It also started with 80lbs to lose.
I tried staying at 1200cals (recommended for 1lb/week loss) but quickly raised it to 1250, then 1300, finally 1450 cals/day.
I don't know how this will work in the future. I guess I'll wait and see.

fr3smyl

Oh, I am 5'2" and 36 years old.

fr3smyl

Okay really 5'1.5"

paperpudding

frogs777 wrote: »

Makes me wonder why mine is so low then, 5 ft 4 in, 51 years sedentary lifestyle, 'only' got 14 lbs to lose yet asked for a loss of 1 lb a week - calorie intake 1,180... ?

I thought 1200 was minimum app would default to.

However, in practice, eating 1180 vs eating 1200 isn't really going to make any difference, that's only a difference of a mere 20 calories.

jsarbee

I'm 5'2", in my 40s and have been assigned 1230 by MFP since January. I've lost 42 pounds. It's definitely doable and as someone said, as long as I make good, healthy choices, I don't feel hungry during the day. However, I exercise 4-5 days/week so on days when I exercise, I eat between 1330-1350 calories. At this stage of things 5+ months in, it doesn't feel like I'm dieting anymore, it just feels like I'm paying attention to what goes into my body so I can make good choices. If I know we're going to have a higher calorie dinner, I adjust breakfast/lunch/snacks to accommodate it. I'm not hungry, tired, lethargic or foggy; to the contrary, I feel better than I can remember feeling in years.

anaamaai

You should check out http://funeralformyfat.tumblr.com/eatingenough If you do the calculations she provides it will give you the calories that work for you. I love her & I've gone by the calculations & lost weight

ashellynn

It is really different for everyone. I am 56 years old and losing weight is much more difficult. MFP said I should do 1400 per day for a one pound loss per week. It worked for a two months, but it took longer than a week for a pound. I found I was maybe having a 1/2 pound loss. Then I stopped losing altogether. So I dropped it to 1200. I started losing again, but it is still slow. It has been 4.5 months and I am only down 11 pounds. I do not add calories for my fitness. I am doing the 10,000 steps a day! So if I deducted the 600-700 calories I exercised, I am netting about 600-700 calories a day! Count your blessings that you lose as quickly as you do. Some days I try and boost my weight loss by only eating a 1000 calories and yes at 1200 I sometimes feel like I am starving!

salygrl

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i did it for 2 months.

it was a horrible 2 months

i did learn i love to exercise though LOLOL

mine is set at 1450 and i still lose about 2 pounds a week (i do workout 5 times a week and eat back some, and sometimes all, of those calories )

salygrl

I've been doing this for a few months and only lost maybe 6lbs. I'm very frustrated to say the least. I've been running, walking, doing body pump and combat. Yes, there are days I eat all of my exercise calories and sometimes I've not exercised and over ate. I'm finding the 1200 calories is too low for me because I am hungry. Yes my body has changed because I'm building muscle and it takes less space but why isn't the scale moving?! If I've "technically" eaten 1450 calories like you, what am I doing wrong? I'm 5'6 And 156lbs. I have a desk job but do workout at least 5 days

salygrl wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i did it for 2 months.

it was a horrible 2 month


i did learn i love to exercise though LOLOL

mine is set at 1450 and i still lose about 2 pounds a week (i do workout 5 times a week and eat back some, and sometimes all, of those calories )

fr3smyl

salygrl wrote: »

I've been doing this for a few months and only lost maybe 6lbs. I'm very frustrated to say the least. I've been running, walking, doing body pump and combat. Yes, there are days I eat all of my exercise calories and sometimes I've not exercised and over ate. I'm finding the 1200 calories is too low for me because I am hungry. Yes my body has changed because I'm building muscle and it takes less space but why isn't the scale moving?! If I've "technically" eaten 1450 calories like you, what am I doing wrong? I'm 5'6 And 156lbs. I have a desk job but do workout at least 5 days

salygrl wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i did it for 2 months.

it was a horrible 2 month


i did learn i love to exercise though LOLOL

mine is set at 1450 and i still lose about 2 pounds a week (i do workout 5 times a week and eat back some, and sometimes all, of those calories )

It's probably because I have more weight to lose than you. The closer you are to normal weight got your height the slower the weight loss.

ShapingTheLaw

SALYGIRL: You say the scale hasn't moved for you but have you lost inches? I weight train too and do cardio at least 5 times a week. I have an example of weight training with cardio vs. cardio only. A good friend of mine who is my height, 5'2. I am a year older than she is. We both have children. We both eat healthy. She lost over 50 lbs. doing cardio only. She weighs about 4 lbs lighter than me but I'm "smaller" in size than she is. My point is that although she is lighter, she's bigger than me. It's the weight training with cardio verses just cardio that makes a difference on the scale. You might also want to weigh your food intake and measure rather than eyeballing what you eat. When I first tried it, I found that I was eating waaay over my calorie limit. I want to also mention, that this is MY experience. I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. I'm not an expert and I don't know you. Just like to share my experience.

salygrl

Thanks for your response. I do both cardio and weights. I have lost inches. Although that also has come to a stop. Those haven't moved in at least 2 months. I do weigh my foods but I'm also guilty of eyeballing too. I'm just hungry. I'm at a loss now as to what to eat to keep me fuller but is low in calories. I love to eat! If I'm supposed to eat 1200 a day and I burn 400 in exercise(I use a heart rate monitor), should I eat the entire 400? MFP increases my calories when I log activity. I've never been more confused.