Is a 1200 calorie day really realistic???? Is that what most of you are doing????
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A nutritionist would never recommend under 1500 for a healthy and sustainable diet.0
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I'm 5' 1/2" and have been doing 1200 calories for over three months with body-weight strength training and running. I eat back some of the exercise calories, but may indulge a little on a night out.
Lean protein, fiber, and veggies. Down almost 18 pounds.0 -
Thanks kgracesch, because I am at 1900 calorie and workout 2-3 times a week. I am still losing 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.0
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Is it realistic? Yes, but . . . . Is it appropriate? Maybe.
My height is 5'1.5, and I'm mostly sedentary. I started with about 1500 calories a day (?1450?), and 85 pounds to lose. As I lost weight, I let the app recalculate my calorie goals, down to 1320, and - eventually - down to 1200. So I've only been at 1200 for 2 months, and I'm (almost!) within 20 pounds of my goal weight.
I have had a number of days where reaching 1200 calories was actually a little hard for me. If I get busy or super-focused on something, I tend to not eat. I also learned where my calories were all being spent (bread, milk/cheese, and dried fruit), and curtailed those in favor of more fresh produce.
For myself, I'm pretty well accustomed to 1200 calories, now, and still get not only plenty to eat but plenty of "treats" as well, but I wouldn't recommend a goal/limit for someone with more than 20 pounds to lose, to say nothing of gender differences, activity differences, height differences, etc. Those all need to be factored in.0 -
I did it for 9 months.0
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start lifting heavy *kitten* and you won't need to go that low in calories lol0
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The first couple of days it was really hard sticking to 1200 calories, but now it's hard for me to even reach 1000 calories. It's pretty simple to stick to a low calorie diet as long as you stay away from candy, junk food, soda, and white breads. I have been eating low fat, reduced fat, low sugar, organic types of things for the past week and feel pretty good. I've already lost 4.5 lbs.
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I was on 1200 for a week and felt great, but then I started feeling hungry all the time, dizzy, and cranky. I changed from losing 2 lbs a week to one, and now I'm set at 1380 and feel great. It's amazing that 180 calories can make all the difference. I think if you don't have a set deadline for when you want to be your goal weight, you should take it slower and not lose your mind being so hungry all the time!0
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I'm 5'5", 250 lbs, female.
When I started 3 years ago, I started at 232 lbs. I started on livestrong.com who suggested 1600 calories/day or something like that. I lost weight, but was tired, cranky, horrible mood swings and hungry all the time. I hid from my friends because I knew I couldn't see them without having to go over my calories for the day. With every pound I lost, that calorie goal dropped dramatically and me feeling motivated from seeing results worked out longer and harder without eating any of my exercise calories back.
Around 200 lbs, my calorie goal dropped to 1200 and I was literally shaking all the time and terrified that if I went over, I would never lose weight. I joined MFP because I liked the community better and they suggested with my activity level that I consume around 1500 calories per day.
6 months later, I had lost 50 lbs. It was great. I could shop without paying the fat tax on clothes. People treated me better. My (now ex)boyfriend stopped cheating on me for awhile (like 2 weeks).
Then winter came and I couldn't stay warm, I was shaking all the time, hallucinating, my mood swings got progressively worse. And then I landed in the hospital. When I got out, I had lost my job and could no longer afford food, my gym membership and all of my efforts went to finding work. I found a job at a fast food establishment and decided to go back to school.
I struggled to avoid the freshman 15 and in that process gained 60 lbs.
Fast forward to today. Trying to lose it all again. Better educated, more prepared to do this without literally starving myself. MFP suggests 1630 calories for me. It's not enough for me.
I've set my goal to 1800, however, I find that is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM I can eat to not have the shakes. Most days I eat between 2300 and 2500 calories. I've been losing. Not as fast as I did the first time, but I don't feel as crappy and I don't hide from my friends in fear of going over my calorie goal.
I'm sorry for writing all of this. It has just occurred to me that no one is going to read this or give a crap.0 -
extremelygrumpycat wrote: »I'd not survive on 1200 a day and I have no idea how others do it. Your body needs fuel. I'm on 1790 a day and losing no problem!
This is very dependent on age(and present weight)....at 50 years old, this may change for you
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punkrockgoth wrote: »I'm 5'5", 250 lbs, female.
When I started 3 years ago, I started at 232 lbs. I started on livestrong.com who suggested 1600 calories/day or something like that. I lost weight, but was tired, cranky, horrible mood swings and hungry all the time. I hid from my friends because I knew I couldn't see them without having to go over my calories for the day. With every pound I lost, that calorie goal dropped dramatically and me feeling motivated from seeing results worked out longer and harder without eating any of my exercise calories back.
Around 200 lbs, my calorie goal dropped to 1200 and I was literally shaking all the time and terrified that if I went over, I would never lose weight. I joined MFP because I liked the community better and they suggested with my activity level that I consume around 1500 calories per day.
6 months later, I had lost 50 lbs. It was great. I could shop without paying the fat tax on clothes. People treated me better. My (now ex)boyfriend stopped cheating on me for awhile (like 2 weeks).
Then winter came and I couldn't stay warm, I was shaking all the time, hallucinating, my mood swings got progressively worse. And then I landed in the hospital. When I got out, I had lost my job and could no longer afford food, my gym membership and all of my efforts went to finding work. I found a job at a fast food establishment and decided to go back to school.
I struggled to avoid the freshman 15 and in that process gained 60 lbs.
Fast forward to today. Trying to lose it all again. Better educated, more prepared to do this without literally starving myself. MFP suggests 1630 calories for me. It's not enough for me.
I've set my goal to 1800, however, I find that is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM I can eat to not have the shakes. Most days I eat between 2300 and 2500 calories. I've been losing. Not as fast as I did the first time, but I don't feel as crappy and I don't hide from my friends in fear of going over my calorie goal.
I'm sorry for writing all of this. It has just occurred to me that no one is going to read this or give a crap.
I read it, I give a crap
Sounds like you know what you are doing this time..when I read about the shakiness I was going to tell you to up your protein but, your protein seems to be good. I used to get shaky when I had blood sugar issues...have you had that checked out??
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Yes, it's very realistic if you eat healthy and filling foods.0
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1200 is a little low for me, I can manage on 1300 though as long as I plan my meals for the day. I do better if I exercise as the extra couple of hundred calories really helps. I don't always manage to stick to 1300 calories on the odd day but still lose if I stick to it the rest of the week.0
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OP, and others, you might benefit from reading this thread and the links provided in the OP. There is a lot of good info in there. It isn't sugar coated, which is my favorite part...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1
Anecdotally, I am 5'2, and have lost about 30 lbs and am transitioning into maintenance. I also was set at 1200 cals because I put in that I wanted to lose quickly. I was constantly over cals, but still losing. I started reading the forums, understood more about TDEE and setting reasonable goals to preserve muscle mass. I upped my cals to 1500 (net, I always eat back my exercise cals) and kept losing about 1 lb/week. When I had lost about 15 lbs, I changed my goal to about 1700 net, about the same time I got a FitBit, and continued to lose weight predictably (just under half pound/week), and I eat back all my FitBit adjustments.
Can people do 1200 cals/day? I guess. Do you really want to? If you can eat more and lose weight, why wouldn't you want to? I never understood why some people wear the 1200 cals as a badge of honor.
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Info: Age, 25; Height, 6'0": SW:207; CW: 189; GW: 155.
For me, 1200 calories every day was not sustainable for very long. I was able to stick to it for maybe 2 months, but not after I began exercising. 1200 calories was impossible to maintain when working out every day. I was dissatisfied and tired so I decided to modify my calorie goals by listening to my body. Since then, I have developed a kind of adjustable plan so that I feel as satisfied as possible at the end of each day.
After some experimentation, I decided on a range of 1200-1800. It all depends on what my body is telling me. I wake up with the loose aim of consuming 1200 calories (more as a mind trick to prevent over eating). Some days, I feel ravenous. Rather than fight my body by trying to maintain that 1200 calorie limit (a recipe for disaster), I increase my calorie intake in one of two ways:
(1) I consume up to 1800 calories, but hold myself to stopping if I feel satisfied before that limit.
(2) I aim for roughly 1200 NET calories by eating 80% of my workout calories ( since exercise equipment is always overestimating).
Simply put, to maintain weight loss I work out every day, I listen to my body and endeavor to eat only healthy, nutritious food. I may be doing it wrong, but I feel great!
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I have a question (which may be silly): If MFP recommends that you do 1200 calories, is that to eat 1200 (then workout) or is that 1200 net what you eat with your exercise?
I've seen some mixed responses on here.0 -
MFP expects you to eat your exercise calories back. So that 1200 calories is BEFORE exercise. If I burn 200 calories, I add that to the 1200. If you are in "weight loss" mode I would be careful how many exercise calories you eat back.0
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start lifting heavy ***** and you won't need to go that low in calories lol
I don't see how exercise helps though.
If you have to eat X calories to lose Y amount of weight each week, and you exercise and eat it back, you're back to the same X calories. So why go through the discomfort of exercise on top of it just to end up where you started?0 -
maillemaker wrote: »start lifting heavy ***** and you won't need to go that low in calories lol
I don't see how exercise helps though.
If you have to eat X calories to lose Y amount of weight each week, and you exercise and eat it back, you're back to the same X calories. So why go through the discomfort of exercise on top of it just to end up where you started?
lol idk just ask all the heavy lifters on here who can lose weight on 1.8k-2.5k a day or recomp on 2.5-3.2k a day and you'll have your answer
that is actually a pretty wild question, you basically asked "why not just put in as little effort as possible"0 -
maillemaker wrote: »start lifting heavy ***** and you won't need to go that low in calories lol
I don't see how exercise helps though.
If you have to eat X calories to lose Y amount of weight each week, and you exercise and eat it back, you're back to the same X calories. So why go through the discomfort of exercise on top of it just to end up where you started?
To preserve lean muscle.
To improve cardiovascular health.
Because many people enjoy it.
Also MFP is designed to include your calorie deficit into your baseline. If you exercise and eat it back, you aren't back to zero deficit, you are back to the deficit that MFP set up for you to lose weight based on the stats you entered when you set up your profile...
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That's great. My nutritionist has me between 1700-2000 calories a day and hitting specific macronutrient ranges. I'm 5'10 and 145. I workout 4-6 days a week (walking, swimming, Pilate's, light lifting) nothing crazy! I find it is all about balance and if I hit my numbers I'm able to lose .5 a week and maintain the weight I want.Thanks kgracesch, because I am at 1900 calorie and workout 2-3 times a week. I am still losing 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.
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That's great. My nutritionist has me between 1700-2000 calories a day and hitting specific macronutrient ranges. I'm 5'10 and 145. I workout 4-6 days a week (walking, swimming, Pilate's, light lifting) nothing crazy! I find it is all about balance and if I hit my numbers I'm able to lose .5 a week and maintain the weight I want.Thanks kgracesch, because I am at 1900 calorie and workout 2-3 times a week. I am still losing 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.
I have to add I enjoy food too! Soemtiwms I eat a huge burger from a bar or ice cream on the weekend! Moderation is friendly.
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MFP says I should eat 1200 cal/day to lose 0,5 kg/week but I increased it to 1400 cal. Feeling pretty good with the amount of food now.0
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Everyones needs are going to be different, based on their goals. Personally, I see 1200 as a base, where you are earning more through exercise.0
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3dogsrunning wrote: »Urban_Princess wrote: »The calorie goal is based on the information you input when you joined. Did you choose 2lb/week loss? With 35lbs to lose, that's pretty aggressive.
Also, if you are exercising, you should be eating at least a portion of your calories back.
For reference, I'm 33, 5'4" and 144 and I eat 1,800 calories a day to lose.
holy famoly, you are stunning! Similarly, I'm 27, 5'4''..but I eat 1200 or less. my SW was 240 and I have lost eating 1000-1200 (very quickly, mind you) and I work out 5-6 times a week. I don't know if I could eat anymore (and do it without feeling guilty). I really wish i could eat 1800
@Urban_Princess ... I am 45 and 5ft even! MFP set my calories at 1000! I am so full now it is not funny! I do not know how people eat more than that! I started at 228 and am now 195 in 10 weeks!! YAY! I exercise everyday now, but am still not hungry even tho not eating over 1000-1100!
If MFP gave you 1000 calories you set up you goal during the glitch. MFP is not supposed to give you less than 1200 calories and it has been fixed now.
I should also add, I've done the lower calorie and tons of cardio, lost a bunch of weight and looked great. The real struggle came when I moved into maintenance.shadow2soul wrote: »Urban_Princess wrote: »The calorie goal is based on the information you input when you joined. Did you choose 2lb/week loss? With 35lbs to lose, that's pretty aggressive.
Also, if you are exercising, you should be eating at least a portion of your calories back.
For reference, I'm 33, 5'4" and 144 and I eat 1,800 calories a day to lose.
holy famoly, you are stunning! Similarly, I'm 27, 5'4''..but I eat 1200 or less. my SW was 240 and I have lost eating 1000-1200 (very quickly, mind you) and I work out 5-6 times a week. I don't know if I could eat anymore (and do it without feeling guilty). I really wish i could eat 1800
@Urban_Princess ... I am 45 and 5ft even! MFP set my calories at 1000! I am so full now it is not funny! I do not know how people eat more than that! I started at 228 and am now 195 in 10 weeks!! YAY! I exercise everyday now, but am still not hungry even tho not eating over 1000-1100!
@ptkat28 - You might want to re-set your goals. There was a glitch a while back where people were getting calorie goals below 1200. 1200 is the minimum calorie goal MFP will give a woman (excluding glitches).
You can read more about the minimum here:
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1375583-a-message-about-myfitnesspal-s-updated-nutrition-goals
Thanks you guys!! I will re-calculate and see what happens! I don't want to do something wrong!!! I have tried to eat up to 1200, but I am just too full!!!
I'm SO jealous you get full after 1000 calories. I'm on 1850 and sometimes go to bed with my tummy rumbling 0 -
maillemaker wrote: »start lifting heavy ***** and you won't need to go that low in calories lol
I don't see how exercise helps though.
If you have to eat X calories to lose Y amount of weight each week, and you exercise and eat it back, you're back to the same X calories. So why go through the discomfort of exercise on top of it just to end up where you started?
I'm not understanding this objection. One of the benefits to exercise is you get to eat and imbibe more.
I lose at around 1700 kcal per day, but when I am losing I eat about 2200-2500 per day because I exercise hard. Those extra several hundred calories make a huge difference to me.
So I still net 1700 or so, but I get to eat a heckuva lot more food.
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I started at 1200, but found that I my body did not do well at all. I have a higher metabolism, so I have to eat every 4 hours. I have set mine at 1380. I feel better now. I can sustain my lifestyle changes at the higher calorie count.
For reference, I am 5'4" and 127 lbs.0 -
I get
16200 -
I'm a five-foot, 56-year-old relatively sedentary female, and I do nicely on 1200, meeting macros and micros, and fitting in a small treat every day. I don't get hungry, and I'm able to eat pretty much anything I like. Part of what I do to help myself is to make the time to eat; to relax while I'm eating; and to really enjoy it.0
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Urban_Princess wrote: »The calorie goal is based on the information you input when you joined. Did you choose 2lb/week loss? With 35lbs to lose, that's pretty aggressive.
Also, if you are exercising, you should be eating at least a portion of your calories back.
For reference, I'm 33, 5'4" and 144 and I eat 1,800 calories a day to lose.
holy famoly, you are stunning! Similarly, I'm 27, 5'4''..but I eat 1200 or less. my SW was 240 and I have lost eating 1000-1200 (very quickly, mind you) and I work out 5-6 times a week. I don't know if I could eat anymore (and do it without feeling guilty). I really wish i could eat 1800
@Urban_Princess ... I am 45 and 5ft even! MFP set my calories at 1000! I am so full now it is not funny! I do not know how people eat more than that! I started at 228 and am now 195 in 10 weeks!! YAY! I exercise everyday now, but am still not hungry even tho not eating over 1000-1100!
Somewhere along the line you had to have been eating more than 1000 calories. If I am correct your profile says that your goal is to lose 108 lbs. How did you gain that.
I started out with 100lbs to lose...I know how I gained that weight...I ate waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than 1000 calories.
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