Am I The Only Eating 1200 Cals A Day?
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I set it to 1250 so I can be "around" 1200. I also don't eat back many of my exercise calories. It worked for me the first time around (lost 17 pounds last year, gained back 10 when stress/life/lack of exercise time hit during he school year)
I Also Dont Eat Calories Burnt Back, But When I Dont MFB Says Im Undereating **sigh**
That's because with the way MFP is set up you're meant to eat your exercise calories back, otherwise you are not netting your 1200 calories. The deficit to lose .5, 1, or 2 lbs is already built in with just your job activity. Any outside exercise is logged and the calories eaten back to keep your deficit at a reasonable level.0 -
Netting below 1200 calories is advocating a Pro-Ana lifestyle. Your body physically can't run on under 1200...it has the potential to damage your blood glucose levels, hair, nails, skin and metabolism. ESPECIALLY if you're incorporating strenuous exercise.
That said, even 1200 is pushing it for most.
If you exercise and burn the goal of, say, 350 calories and you eat the calories BACK, you would be netting 1550 and depending on your activity level, that's fairly acceptable. That is MFP's general guideline.
But let's get something straight. If you're exercising...you are NOT sedentary. Period. It doesn't matter if you work in an office chair all day. If you're busting your behind for an hour a day, it at least garners you the ability to bump it to Lightly Active.
Everyone that says that 1200/under 1200 is working for them may see initial loss, but it's not just fat. That's water weight and lean muscle mass you are potentially burning away. This isn't bro science.
Let's not forget 'starvation mode.' Though I don't believe it works quite the same way others believe it does, on such a LCD you may find your weight loss stall if you create more of a deficit than you're already creating.
From personal experience, I made the EXACT same mistakes. I was working the 1200 calorie limit, incorporating strenuous exercise and netting well below my goal. I FELT LIKE CRAP! Then, I discovered the In Place Of A Road Map thread in the forums and it completely turned my life around. Now I eat at a 586 calorie deficit from my total daily energy expenditure (TDEE -20%), I don't eat exercise calories (as they are already incorporated into my calorie limit) and don't even have to log my exercise calories anymore. I eat anywhere from 19-2,100 calories a day and I feel so much better. Been steadily losing fat and changing body composition ever since, which is exactly the intention your bodies have for weight loss. Everyone always wanted a quick fix. Unfortunately, there ISN'T one.
If you want more info about the method that's working for all the other men and women touting a 2000+ calorie diet, look into it!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
Try out the nifty spreadsheets included as well. ^_^0 -
1200 is never a good idea IMO. It seems like the default MFP estimate for most women who want to lose 2lbs a week only because its simply not healthy or medically approved without supervision to eat anything lower that. At the very least go by your BMI, even better your TDEE then create a deceit from that with exercise.0
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Always remember: MFP knows it's statistics, but it doesn't know you. Neither does anyone else on this board.
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So true. So very true!. I have mine set at a low activity level for my TDEE. If I don't work out I should be eating 1222 but if I do at least 3 times a week then it bumps up. It is all about you, your size, age, gender etc..etc... etc...
Good luck!0 -
I'm 5'2, and active. My MFP is also at 1200, but because I exercise hard-core a lot of times, I eat more. Don't be too strict, especially if you're active. It's impossible to build healthy muscle and stay healthy on that few calories!0
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I'm 5'9. With a weight loss goal of 0.5lb per week MFP gives me a net calorie allowance of 1770. So you can set realistic goals via MFP. Even this is too low for me and I almost always go over especially if I don't exercise for the day.
Psychologically I would never be able to stay human at 1200 a day (I'm usually well over that by lunchtime!) I tried 1500 for a limited time a few years ago, lost 35 pounds rather quickly which I have mostly kept off, but my abiding memory of the period was constant, all-consuming hunger and tiredness. Would rather lose weight slowly or not at all!
Having said that I am not overweight, just chasing a few vanity pounds and my body probably knows this. When I keep to the 1770 I end up losing more actually (closer to 1lb a week) but in the past few months I've gotten tired of the whole 'dieting' mindset and I'm pretty much eating at maintenance.0 -
I'm on 1200 too, though I earn between 350-800 extra calories a day through exercise which I try to eat. I'm a titch (5') who sits on her bum all day at work and at home, unless I'm at Curves or out walking to get my 10k steps a day. My work *and* hobbies are sedentary, so I that's what I set my activity level as.
In practice I eat around 1600-1900 calories a day and I can't say that it's hard to stay under the red line unless I eat something especially naughty (like suet dumplings last week). I sometimes have a hard time stuffing my diary with enough calories actually! There's no way I'm anorexic or starving myself. I like my food too much!
Beware, because a lot of people on here may freak out at you for mentioning '1200 calories', forgetting that not everyone is the same height, age, weight and activity level as they are. If you are female, short and inactive during the day it's mostly likely fine as long as you try to net 1200 after MFP has subtracted what you burnt doing exercise. Eat those extra calories, you've earned them! it also means you can have treats and 'pay' for them with some extra exercise. As others have said though, you may need to adjust things slightly to suit yourself because not everyone's body works the same.0 -
Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly. Personally I try to eat around 1200. Also, if you switch up your calorie count everyday, like 1300 one day and then 1200 the next, it keeps your body guessing and your metabolism higher.0
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I lost 60 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet for 6 months then I hit a plateau and I haven't lossed any weight at all since Feb, everybody keeps telling me its because my calories was too low and now my body needs to adjust I have increased my calories and still can't lose.0
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I lost 60 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet for 6 months then I hit a plateau and I haven't lossed any weight at all since Feb, everybody keeps telling me its because my calories was too low and now my body needs to adjust I have increased my calories and still can't lose.
It takes time to restore your metabolism. You cannot lose weight while you do that.0 -
Yes, I'm on a 1200 calorie diet. I do exercise a lot so I eat back some of the earned calories; definitely "not all of them." I'm 5'8". I would be starving if I didn't. I also need to have that little bit of chocolate every day.0
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Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly. Personally I try to eat around 1200. Also, if you switch up your calorie count everyday, like 1300 one day and then 1200 the next, it keeps your body guessing and your metabolism higher.
"Doctors say" no such thing. It depends on the needs of the individual patient.0 -
Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly. Personally I try to eat around 1200. Also, if you switch up your calorie count everyday, like 1300 one day and then 1200 the next, it keeps your body guessing and your metabolism higher.
Not entirely true, but I would assume MOST doctors would request that their patient eat more than 1,200 calories.
My doctor has also never told me to switch up my calorie count... but that's only one doctors opinion. I find that interesting... I wonder if there is information out there as to it's effectiveness.0 -
Always remember: MFP knows it's statistics, but it doesn't know you. Neither does anyone else on this board.
YES! YES! YES! YES! Some MFP members need this SMACKED on their forehead. With a hammer. Specifically all the "nutritionists" on here. I don't care if you have 4,000+ posts, that doesn't make you a health genius. My body is DIFFERENT than your body.
Sorry, done whining.
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Nope, you're not the only one. I was doing 1400, but I recently set my MFP to take off 1.5 pounds per week, so it set me back to 1200 and stepped my exercise goals up by quite a bit. I'm glad, because I found it hard to eat 1400, even without exercise. Sometimes I eat back my calories, sometimes I don't. I always end up with a deficit at the end of the day, sometimes bigger than others.0
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I did the TDEE thing when I started back doing weight training and regular work outs and I lost 2 lbs in 2 months. I talked to my trainer and she basically put me on the diet she eats when she's traininer for a fit competition and once I'm at goal she'll help me slowly get back to a maintenance way of eating. My diet says NOTHING about how many calories I need to take in, she's more focused on the amount of protein, carbs and fat. When I enter it into MFP it comes out to must over 1200. BUT I lost 4 lbs the first week and so far another 3 this week. It was just the jump start that I needed. I know this isn't sustainable but I don't intend for it to be. I'm excellent at maintenance... it's the losing I needed help with.0
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I did the TDEE thing when I started back doing weight training and regular work outs and I lost 2 lbs in 2 months. I talked to my trainer and she basically put me on the diet she eats when she's traininer for a fit competition and once I'm at goal she'll help me slowly get back to a maintenance way of eating. My diet says NOTHING about how many calories I need to take in, she's more focused on the amount of protein, carbs and fat. When I enter it into MFP it comes out to must over 1200. BUT I lost 4 lbs the first week and so far another 3 this week. It was just the jump start that I needed. I know this isn't sustainable but I don't intend for it to be. I'm excellent at maintenance... it's the losing I needed help with.
So your trainer put you on her cookie cutter diet that is suited to her? I'm going to take a wild guess here that you weigh more than her? (hence you losing a lot of weight at her calorie intake)
((C+P)*4) +(F*9) = Calories0 -
Yes me, sometimes it is difficult to manage 3 meals a day with this deficit but I usually eat more and either burn it off or just accept it.0
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yes 1200 doesnt work for anyone..................
unless u ar e under 1 20 pounds0 -
Hey There..
I've been Reading Posts And It Seems Like Everyone Is Eating 2000+ Calories.And They Think 1200 Is Too Low.But Then MFP set me for 1.2 A Day.Is There Anyone Else On 1200?
I am on 1200 calories per day, there are loads of people on MFP doing the same, however, many never post on these forums because of the anti-1200 calories brigade.0 -
I was wondering the same thing. Most days I'm having trouble getting in 1200, but that's what my dietician recommended. No way I could consistently do much more than that and still eat healthy foods. I think both myfitnesspal and sparkpeople defaulted to between 1200 and 1500 for me.0
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Always remember: MFP knows it's statistics, but it doesn't know you. Neither does anyone else on this board.
YES! YES! YES! YES! Some MFP members need this SMACKED on their forehead. With a hammer. Specifically all the "nutritionists" on here. I don't care if you have 4,000+ posts, that doesn't make you a health genius. My body is DIFFERENT than your body.
Sorry, done whining.
Exactly everyone is different that's the point I always argued in my kinesiology classes. Everyone has been raised differently, are a different height, age, weight, build, have different tastes etc etc and their environment and schedules are different. No one is exactly the same a lifestyle change has to be adapted to the individual. Suggestions are always good but counting calories works because every one can adjust their personal situation to this type of weight loss and maintaining. It also allows people to take control of their weight loss and lifestyle change and take responsibility for their choices. We are not herd animals we can't be all lumped together in one category in weight loss it doesn't work.0 -
I am on 1200 calories as well. Unless I exercise...it
Adds 200 addtl calories. Jennifer0 -
read this.... the article is pasted a few comments down.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017045-a-very-interesting-and-informational-read-on-deficits0 -
MFP has set mine too at 1200cal. At first, I've been losing consistently without exercise. then I upped it a bit to 1300 and I still lose a pound a week. This week I started working out ~30mins everyday but not eating all of my calories back.. I just need to see how it works out when I weigh in on the weekend.0
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MFP put me at 1210. I don't eat over that and I don't eat back my exercise calories!
I'm 5'4" and 188lbs.
Do what feels right. Personally, I'm not hungry at this amount so I'm fine, but if you're hungry, eat 0 -
Mines set me for 1400 calories a day and after I exercise I usually end up at only taking in maybe 900 calories a day. I eat 5 times a day so I am never hungry. I am also on the Insanity workout and menu plan and I have lost 37 lbs since January. My husband has lost 57 lbs.0
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I personally eat at 1800 based on my TDEE. I also personally believe no one should eat at 1200 calories as for most people that's the amount they need to perform all bodily functions in a coma. I would encourage you to do some research about your TDEE. You'll have bigger short term weight losses at 1200 but I think you'dd find it's not a sustainable diet for the rest of your life. This should be a life long journey, not a 2 month sprint you give up on because you're hungry all the time!
Good luck!0 -
I'm at 1200. It depends on your height and the weight you start at. I'm a really small person 5ft so 1200 should be fine. I'm not walking around hungry all day or anything like that. I do usually go over as I always have something sweet or a glass of wine, but unless I eat out it stays under 1500.
BEST of luck!0 -
Netting below 1200 calories is advocating a Pro-Ana lifestyle.
Simply not true for everyone, especially for short women with super petite frames such as myself. These blanket statements are the one thing that annoys me on MFP.
Everything else is amazing though. :flowerforyou:0
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