1200 Calories a day!
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I would say if you are sticking to 1200 calories and that is how much you need to eat to lose weight you don't have much weight to lose or its too low. If it's too low and you plateau where are you going to go? down to 1100? You will also be miserable that is a very low amount of food. I would agree with everyone else, go 1 or 200 calories down from your BMR or TDEE (up to you which one) that way you will lose weight and when you stall you just drop it a little more or increase your exercise. just a suggestion.
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I am on 1320 according to MFP- however when I exercise i always have more calories which it give me. I TRY to keep my net under 1100 or 1200 max. I have been losing slowly at this rate.5 to1 lbs a week.
Why?
If MFP gives you 1320 then the aim is to stick to a net amount of around 1320, not to try to keep your net 100 - 200 under that.0 -
Endless_Journey wrote: »I had 1200 calories a day for a year. I was suppose to increase my daily calories to 2500. On average I burn 2,000 Mon to Friday. Sunday 3,500. It can be said by having just 1,200 daily you are putting your body into starvation mode. That means the body will store it as fat. So by increasing you fuel your body, train harder, burn more calories. I played a dangerous game by having so few to start of with. Happy to say that's changed and so far have lost 110lbs.
No it cannot be said that having just 1200 daily you are putting your body into starvation mode and your body will store it as fat.
That is just silly nonsense.
For SOME people 1200 calories is the right level for sensible weight loss.
For others it is too few.
Generalising about the amount is pointless without knowing the stats of the individual.
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Based on the information I provided MFP calculated my need at 1200 calories a day as well. I do, however, eat back most if not all of my activity/exercise calories. I probably end up between 1400-1700/day on average and am losing at a rate I am very happy with.0
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MFP set my calories at 1200 but I couldn't eat just that amount--I was always hungry. I set my number to 1300 or 1350 and could do that. They expect you to eat back your exercise calories, so use the exercise log, too. That helped me keep to my calorie goal.0
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how do you increase your calorie intake? right now mine is 1200 and I would like to increase it to at least 1400-1500.............0
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So much sadness in this thread. No wonder there is a high percentage of gaining back the weight.
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Mine is 1800 per day goal, although some days I end around 1500 after subtracting my exercise. I am aiming for 1 lb per week and about 50 total, although I have been losing more like 2-3/week, which is probably water weight or something
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For me 1425(mainly)-1550(sometimes) _ i lose about 0.8 lb perweek about 3.2 lb per month0
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texasf1ght wrote: »I see a lot of people freaked out by the 1200 cal goal. MFP gave me that goal even when I started around 200 lbs. I'm still on 1200/day at 171. I'm 5'4", and I have it set on lightly active because I'm a teacher and walk around a good deal during work. When I workout I usually eat back half the calories, so I'm eating closer to 1400 cals/day. It's been a very slow process even at the 1200 goal. I work out 5-6 days per week doing a variety of cardio exercises and lifting.
People "freak out" over 1200 because it's a minimum DEFAULT. Any woman 4'6" tall.....or 6' tall can get a goal of 1200 calories....if her weekly goal is high enough.
The point is 1200 is appropriate for a small percentage of women (older AND petite).....but 1200 is only common because so many have overly aggressive weight loss goals. Large deficits make it hard for our bodies to support existing lean muscle. Moderate paced weight loss is a higher percentage of fat lost.
Pound per week goals
75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range0 -
I'm at 1200 based on my age, height, and a 1.5 to 2lb weekly weight loss. I am not a vegetarian, but enjoy cooking vegan and vegetarian meals which give me a lot of nutrition for my calories. I've tried some of Hummusapien's recipes, which are on this sight and they are delicious!0
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Depending on your information we gave the app does it just give us a calorie goal a day?0
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DaTruBlondie wrote: »Depending on your information we gave the app does it just give us a calorie goal a day?
Yep, the way the calculates your caloriea is by your inputs. It will takes your stats (height, weight, age) and your lifestyle (sedentary, lightly active, etc...) and come up with a estimated total daily energy expenditure (aka maintenance calories). From there it ask you what you want to lose and it will create a deficit or surplus based on your rate (2 lbs is tdee - 1000 calories, 1 lb is tdee - 500) and all in between. The only limiting factor is mfp will not allow anything under 1200 calories.
Since the lifestyle factor does not include exercise and you already have a deficit, is why you are supposed to eat back exercise calories.
What mfp doesnt tell you is what is an acceptable per week loss. While 1 to 2 lbs is the general normal, it doesnt mean that you should go aggressive, especially if you are lean. What mfp and other sites dont tell you are the associated issues with high deficits, especially for those who do not know nutrition and the requirements (higher protein with resistance training) and precautions required to minimize things like muscle loss and minimizing adaptive thermogenesis.0 -
sandimejia25 wrote: »Thanks so much for all your comments!
I'm feeling just fine with what I am eating. Altough I am calculating how many calories I'm taking in according to the meals online. The 1200 calories end up being 1500 more or less since I don't use exact measurements.
I am 5'1 and currently weight 128. So the suggested calorie intake was 1200 to meat my goal of 120 in 5 weeks. With 2-3 days of exercise.
I have now men recording my meals for 5 days. 4 more weeks to go!
Good luck everyone!!
Actually, it's not four more weeks to go because to maintain that weight, you will still need to be careful about your calories. I'm 5'1" and currently 106 pounds. Maintaining my current weight requires that I stay about about 1300 calories a day. But I'm also 60 so that is a factor.0 -
how do you increase your calorie intake? right now mine is 1200 and I would like to increase it to at least 1400-1500.............
Change either your activity level - are you really a sedentary 45 hr weekly desk job/commute with no kids and outside exercise a bump on the log all evening and weekends?
or more honestly Lightly Active.
And/or change your weight loss goal - did you pick 2 lb weekly with only 20 lbs left to lose - then better to pick 1 lb weekly.
Both those options that you picked made the eating goal where it is.
And in case you missed it in many of the comments to this topic - the eating goal given by MFP is ONLY on non-exercise days. Because that's what it starts the math with. Eating less than day with no exercise.
You exercise though, you burn more, you eat less to burn fat, you'll be eating more than day with no exercise.
So log your workouts and meet your daily eating goal.0 -
AnnePotter1 wrote: »I'm at 1200 based on my age, height, and a 1.5 to 2lb weekly weight loss. I am not a vegetarian, but enjoy cooking vegan and vegetarian meals which give me a lot of nutrition for my calories. I've tried some of Hummusapien's recipes, which are on this sight and they are delicious!
How long did you start? And have you lost weight as the calorie intake projected?
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chismmegan wrote: »I'm set on 1200 calories also. I changed my goal to 1lb a week and it only gave me 70 extra calories..so I just went back to 2lbs a week. Which I am absolutely not doing so I don't know where MFP is getting these numbers.
Because MFP will not let you choose a calorie goal below 1200. You will not lose 2lbs a week eating 1200 calories.
FOR EXAMPLE: If your current maintenance calories are 1770, and you chose 2lbs per week, that's 1000 calorie a day deficit. So your calorie goal would only be 770. That's NOT ENOUGH food for your organs to function properly. So the lowest MFP will set any female is 1200. That's why when you change it to 1 lb a week you only get 70 more calories. In the calculation you are actually getting 500 more calories, but you'd never be set up at only 770 in the first place.0 -
I'm at 1200 a day too. I eat back some exercise calories so I end up actually eating around 1400 which seems to be manageable but I have to be careful. I find logging everything I eat helps a lot to keep me accountable but I do find it tough.0
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courtneylykins5 wrote: »It's not too hard when you get used to it. But I don't have a plan per se other than saving most calories for a big dinner. I eat what I want and swap out higher calorie foods for lower calorie substitutions when I can and when they are palatable. Feel free to add me. My diary is open to friends.
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