Why 1200 calorie goal is not a healthy choice?

peleroja

eshnna wrote: »

Alright I went to this website http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator

Which gave me these based on the data that I inputted:

Daily Calorie Requirements:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1281
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1986
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1586

Projected Weight Loss:
.8 per week
3.22 per month
41.3 per year

I don't know why but I like more calories! I food.

From what you've said, that seems about right. Just ensure that you're counting everything accurately if you want to get those results (weighing your solids, measuring your liquids, and including everything, even liquids, condiments, and cooking oils). If you aren't, you can be accidentally eating hundreds more calories than you intend and that will slow or even halt weight loss, especially if you have a smaller deficit (400 calories/day in your case).

atypicalsmith

peleroja wrote: »

eshnna wrote: »

Alright I went to this website http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator

Which gave me these based on the data that I inputted:

Daily Calorie Requirements:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1281
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1986
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1586

Projected Weight Loss:
.8 per week
3.22 per month
41.3 per year

I don't know why but I like more calories! I food.

From what you've said, that seems about right. Just ensure that you're counting everything accurately if you want to get those results (weighing your solids, measuring your liquids, and including everything, even liquids, condiments, and cooking oils). If you aren't, you can be accidentally eating hundreds more calories than you intend and that will slow or even halt weight loss, especially if you have a smaller deficit (400 calories/day in your case).

Of course if you gain weight on this, it isn't working very well.

eshnna

I'll test it out! My suspicion though is that I have been underestimating my food intake anyway so I might as well have already been doing it.

eshnna

My apple watch gives me a resting calorie estimate of about 1930 so it does sound about right.

acorsaut89

urloved33 wrote: »

glassofroses wrote: »

It's unhealthy because it's a blanket 1200. Like for example, I am a woman of 5ft9 height, and I'm expected to eat the same 1200 cals as a woman who is 5ft2. It's not taking into account all the variables. If you can safely eat at 1200, good for you, but for some of us, it's just isn't possible.

Wow I am five ft tall and they put me on a 1200 cal a day program too,. Its the same as the bmi not taking into account muscle mass.

This confuses me . . . and is a prime example of why BMI shouldn't be the end all be all of determining what your body needs. I'm 5'10 and I weigh ~250lbs. I'm obviously not small, but I'm a runner and I work out 6 days/week. Now, if we were assuming my caloric needs do not take into account my muscle mass and the fact that I am nearly a foot taller than you and I only "needed" to eat 1,200 calories/day my body would HATE me. And I'm not say starvation mode, I'm saying my body would just plain out hate me - my body wouldn't perform like I need it to, it wouldn't recover, my muscles wouldn't grow, nothing. There is no way that at the weight I'm at that nothing else needs to be taken into consideration. Everything needs to be taken into consideration - on Tuesdays when I do two classes from 6:30-8:30 I burn approx 950 cals . . . I need to eat more, I just do. I also need to be more aware of the nutritional value of the foods I consume.

So I'm not exactly sure what the bolded parts mean . . . because figuring out cals needed/day doesn't have a whole lot to do with your BMI (there probably is correlation between BMI and a range of calories, I'm not a doctor though) but more so with your body's needs and your own TDEE. Someone who weighs 200lbs with 30% BF vs. someone who weighs 200lbs with 20% body fat have drastically different needs. Granted their BMIs may be different - as in one is taller than the other - but still, you should figure out what's right for your body and your needs and what you do on a daily basis. Don't just go with the blanket 1,200 cals/day to lose weight program. Maybe you do need that much, maybe you need more . . . but do the research to figure that out before saying "they" put you on this "program"