1200 calories

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Karmyeboo
Karmyeboo Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
At 5'2 weighing 166lbs with a goal weight of 133lbs, there is a suggested 1200 Calories. I've also noticed that a lot of people on here are consuming so little.
I feel conflicted because having trolled the net it's as if that is dangerously low and does do no good for preserving muscle or the metabolism, basically it's just above starvation mode?
I'm not sure whether I should up it from 1200 to between 1350-1500??
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Replies

  • theawill519
    theawill519 Posts: 242 Member
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    How active are you?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    That is pre exercise and should I assume that you have your profile set to 2lb per week?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    1200 is a default minimum AND it's before exercise. That said most women can lose weight and eat more.

    If 1500 is sustainable, if it's where you will be the most consistent, you can over ride the number. Pick what's best for YOU, not a default.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    You could try the more comfortable range and see how far down it will take you. You can always eat les or exercise more, or both, if needed to reach your final goal.
  • SpeedRacer13
    SpeedRacer13 Posts: 104 Member
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    I agree with Katkins3...experiment with different ranges and amounts of exercise. I find that there are weeks where I will eat 1200 per day and NOT lose...and weeks where I eat more and lose.
  • Rayvis1014
    Rayvis1014 Posts: 36 Member
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    I'm 5'2, 44 years old, and weigh 127 lbs. I eat anywhere from 1,500-1,800 to lose and 2,000-2,300 to maintain, depending on how active I am. MFP ALWAYS gives me 1200 for a default. I got a Fitbit (which I LOVE) and it shows me my TDEE every day and also automatically adds my exercise calories. I do nothing but walking (about 10,000 steps per day) and am able to lose and maintain just fine using the extra calories it gives me.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I average 1200 and stay quite full. If you eat a lot of fruits and veggies, it's not hard to remain full on 1200. If you don't fill your diet with HoHos and ice cream, you can the nutrients you need, too.

    The Internet isn't a great source for health info. The more I read, the more I realize how things that aren't true get repeated over and over until people believe that it is true. See your doctor, get a referral to a dietitian and the. Try out what they recommend. If you don't lose after a few weeks, then drop the calories.

    Try to eat as much as you can while you lose. You're going to want to cut back your calories as you go along and if you begin at 1200, you don't have much to cut!
  • Karmyeboo
    Karmyeboo Posts: 33 Member
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    Thank you for everyone's replies, I think I may go up to 1500 for now.
    I'm going to start exercising in 2 weeks time.

    Why would I cut back my calories the further I go along? I'm about confused
  • Tahlia68
    Tahlia68 Posts: 204 Member
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    When I started MFP it came up with 1200 per day but I changed it to my own deficit of 1460! It's what you want at the end of the day. Good luck. :smile:
  • mjffey
    mjffey Posts: 72 Member
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    I'm on 1200 cals and have to plan ahead every week to make sure i get that at least. I fill in my 3 meals and a snack and still are sometimes under the 1200. After 25 years of dieting because i always thought i was too heavy ( 74 kg at the heaviest), my body has become used to low cal intake. I'm not hungry that's my problem. I'm 55 female 1.65m. Current weight 68.4kg.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Karmyeboo wrote: »
    Thank you for everyone's replies, I think I may go up to 1500 for now.
    I'm going to start exercising in 2 weeks time.

    Why would I cut back my calories the further I go along? I'm about confused
    The belief is as you lose your weight your body will naturally burn less calories, which is true. But what i found, as i lost weight, i also became more active and my tdee stayed the same. You may or may not experience that.

    If its any consulation the average women i know is losing at 1700 to 2100 calories a day. Having said that stsrting at 1500 is probably a good idea until you get in a good rythm with calorie counting. I would modify your macros to add more protein. So 40% carbs, 30% fats and 30% pro is a good start. Also, when you do exercise i would recommend resistance or weight training as it will help maintain your muscle (making you look leaner) and helps maintain metabolic functions.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
    edited July 2015
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    mjffey wrote: »
    I'm on 1200 cals and have to plan ahead every week to make sure i get that at least. I fill in my 3 meals and a snack and still are sometimes under the 1200. After 25 years of dieting because i always thought i was too heavy ( 74 kg at the heaviest), my body has become used to low cal intake. I'm not hungry that's my problem. I'm 55 female 1.65m. Current weight 68.4kg.
    Your body isnt used to 1200 calories, your body is probably used to a certain volume. And you probably choose very low calorie foods. Its easy to add calories when you add fats such as avocados, full fat dairy (yogurt, ice cream, etc) or nuts/butters.
  • mjffey
    mjffey Posts: 72 Member
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    Dear psulemon. Thanks for the advice. Being vegan I indeed add nuts to get me over the 1200 cals.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    remember -1000 calories a day is the recommended maximum deficit not the recommended deficit :-)
  • LeeArmani
    LeeArmani Posts: 2 Member
    edited July 2015
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    My current intake is average 1200 a day. I am certainly not starving and it can be done by eating lots of fruit and veg, and some protein. Remember quite often by eating these foods it naturally breaks down the fat in your body. Yes, there are occasions when I would go over, which is fine. But overeating on veg is hard to do cause of the low calories of the food itself, yet it keeps you satisfied for longer - hence no snacking on cakes, crisps, biscuits, no white bread etc. I am 5'3 (1.6m) and have lost 29lbs from January (2015) to date. My start weight was 84.5kg (Jan 2015) and I am now 70.8kg. Still on my way to my goal weight (60kg) and I'm sure I will get there slowly but surely. NB: my calorie intake started at approximately 1300-1500 cals per day. I do incorporate some exercise 3-4 days a week.
  • tiffanycompton33
    tiffanycompton33 Posts: 56 Member
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    I'm 5'2 and said I had a sedentary lifestyle and have mine set at 1/2 a pound a week and my calories that MFP gave me are 1420. I eat somewhere between 1420-1500 every day. This is way more sustainable for me. I started at 157 and have worked my way down to 145 and still says 1420.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    Karmyeboo wrote: »
    Thank you for everyone's replies, I think I may go up to 1500 for now.
    I'm going to start exercising in 2 weeks time.

    Why would I cut back my calories the further I go along? I'm about confused

    Because as you lose weight the amount of energy it takes to do your daily activities goes down.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Sounds like you have your goal set too aggressively. Additionally, remember that that is a base and you will be earning more through exercise.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    1200 calories sounds pretty miserable.
  • flaminica
    flaminica Posts: 304 Member
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    Set your calories higher. Try setting your loss to 1lb per week or do it manually. 1200 is too aggressive for someone your age with 30 to lose. There's a rule of thumb around that says set your desired loss to 0.5lbs per week per 25lbs of extra weight.

    If you hang around here long enough and read the various "1200" threads (they crop up a lot) you'll see a pattern. Women doing 1200 calorie diets successfully and not complaining of hunger are usually:

    a) Over 50,
    b) Under 5'3", and
    c) Generally losing 50+ lbs.

    I'm two of the three and even I set mine higher than that.

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