Why 1200 MFP?

ren3liz

So it's my understanding that 1200 is the calorie goal MFP spits out as the default for women a lot of times; it is my calorie goal presently.

I've ran my numbers through different calculators recommended here and received significantly higher calorie goals for me to lose... not sure what to do.

Stats:
F, 29, 183lb (started at 194) and losing steadily.
Sedentary desk job but I do work out at moderate intensity 3-5 days/wk.

In short, Could I be eating more?

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Probably.

What goal did you tell it? What activity level? If you tell it 2lbs/ week and sedentary, yeah, it's going to give you 1200. It's going to estimate low for your TDEE and then subtract 1000 calories a day, which would actually be less than 1200 but that's as low as it goes. Tell it 0.5 to 1lb a week and maybe lightly active. I don't think many people are as "sedentary" as MFP seems to think.

malibu927

TDEE calculators include exercise. MFP follows NEAT, which does not, and is why you log exercise separately.

If you feel satisfied with your hunger and results at 1200, then stick with it.

jemhh

MFP figures out your maintenance calories (excluding exercise) by looking at your:

• non-exercise activity level
• height
• age
• current weight

Then it takes that number and, for each half pound you tell MFP that you want to lose per week, it subtracts 250 calories. So if your maintenance number is 1800 and you say you want to lose 1 pound per week, it does the math:

1800 - (2 x 250) = 1800 - 500 = 1300

The minimum goal it will give you is 1200. In the example above, if the person chose to lose 1.5 pounds per week, the math would be:

1800 - (3x250) = 1800 - 750 = 1050

Since 1050 is less than 1200, MFP will set the goal at 1200.

Many (most?) women run into the 1200 calorie goal when chosing to lose above 1 pound per week, unless they are very heavy to start with.

ren3liz

2lb per week sedentary, you nailed it. So it sounds like I should stick with 1200 and then just eat back at least a portion of my exercise calories (and I pretty much always want to). I measure with measuring spoons, cups, and eyeball portions - I don't use a scale - so there's a good chance I'm eating a couple hundred more calories than I think I am, anyway. Either way, I'm losing... I just find that I have to be EXTREMELY diligent to keep 1200, and I don't have room for the finer things in life, like red wine.

cwolfman13

Most other calculators include exercise in your activity level and thus would include an estimate of those calories required to fuel that activity in your targets...MFP does not.

You also have to make sure you're comparing apples to apples in RE to rate of loss goals...many calculators will take a % cut from your TDEE...say 20% which may or may not be comparable to telling MFP you want to lose 1 Lb per week or 2 Lbs per week, etc.

I think most people who get 1200 are probably setting a goal of 2 Lbs per week with an activity level of sedentary (even though they're probably not) and not taking into account any exercise activity.

ren3liz

So assuming I will stick with my goal of 2lb per week for a bit longer, what is the better choice - switch my activity level to "lightly active" and see how the calorie goal changes, or keep it @ sedentary and use the "extra" calories?

I don't have a fitbit or anything like that, so my exercise calories are what the treadmill spits out at me or an MFP estimate- I don't enter things like dog walks, etc. Knowing those estimates run high I don't eat back ALL of those calories, but I'm always hungry enough to eat a portion.

ren3liz

Also, I am amazed at the people on these forums that say they aren't hungry enough to meet their calorie goal. Even a low calorie goal like 1200. I'm starving, give some of your food to me! Haha

BusyRaeNOTBusty

How long have you been eating at the 1200 calories? How fast are you losing? If you want to eat more and accept the fact that you might lose slowly, go for it. Being not miserable is pretty important to sticking with things long term, so if that glass of wine is worth it, do it.

ren3liz

I have been at this since 11/23 and have lost 11lb in total. My initial goal was 1lb per week, I upped it to 2lb per week on 1/4 participating in a weight loss competition at work. So I've lost almost exactly 1lb per week overall, loss stalled over the holidays.

(also - thank you everyone!!)

jemhh

ren3liz wrote: »

Also, I am amazed at the people on these forums that say they aren't hungry enough to meet their calorie goal. Even a low calorie goal like 1200. I'm starving, give some of your food to me! Haha

A lot of those people are eating more than they think (i.e., not accurately weighing/measuring/logging food.)

callsitlikeiseeit

ren3liz wrote: »

Also, I am amazed at the people on these forums that say they aren't hungry enough to meet their calorie goal. Even a low calorie goal like 1200. I'm starving, give some of your food to me! Haha

most of them are eating more than they think they are.

after all, if 1200 cals was enough to stuff you to the point of not being able to eat anymore, no one would have a weight problem.....

MireyGal76

This may help with how the 1200 is calculated...
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1318741/in-5-weeks-youll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working/p1

also... a decent digital scale can run about $20 - you'd be surprised how bad your eyeballs are.
GET THE SCALE. lol

if you want to see what mfp calcs your baseline at - set your goal to maintenance and check the recommended values for sedentary, lightly active, etc. Then you'll better understand what is being recommended in terms of the amount of calories you should consume.

AnnPT77

ren3liz wrote: »

So it's my understanding that 1200 is the calorie goal MFP spits out as the default for women a lot of times; it is my calorie goal presently.

I've ran my numbers through different calculators recommended here and received significantly higher calorie goals for me to lose... not sure what to do.

Stats:
F, 29, 183lb (started at 194) and losing steadily.
Sedentary desk job but I do work out at moderate intensity 3-5 days/wk.

In short, Could I be eating more?

For a while, at least (and maybe permanently, if you're fine with a slower loss rate), I would think, based on my experience:

My SW was 183, same as your CW. I'm 60 y/o, 5'5". For about 3 months, I ate at 1500 gross while estimating calories & portions, so was probably really eating more like 1700-1800 if not more, and lost 2lbs/week most of that time. When I started to level off weight-wise around the high/mid 150s, I joined MFP & started weighing/logging my food & exercise. I did 1200 net for a few weeks, 1500-1700 gross (from eating back exercise), and resumed losing around 2 pounds a week.

Once I got to about 20 pounds above goal, I increased calories until I lost at 1lb/week, then at 10 pounds above goal, increased again to go to 0.5lb/week.

A *much* smaller me (60 pounds down, 123-ish pounds) burns fewer calories, of course, so I'm now eating at 1560 net to lose the 0.5 pounds weekly, and seem to be pretty much on that rate. (I'm "reverse dieting" to coast into maintenance at this point, very close to goal.) I do have a higher calorie budget than MFP estimates for this loss level (maybe because I'm more muscular than average for my age? I dunno.). But you're quite a bit younger than I am.

trjjoy

I weigh about 95% of the things I eat. And it happens on some days, like today, that I come in at less than 1200 calories for the day. I'm not starving, even though I hiked Table Mountain yesterday. Low-cal jelly, cucumber slices, black tea (no sugar and no milk), and enough water are what get me through successful days like today. I also find that a late breakfast is very helpful, ie my eating ''window'' is smaller, eg from 1pm to 8pm.

acarmon55

ren3liz wrote: »

2lb per week sedentary, you nailed it. So it sounds like I should stick with 1200 and then just eat back at least a portion of my exercise calories (and I pretty much always want to). I measure with measuring spoons, cups, and eyeball portions - I don't use a scale - so there's a good chance I'm eating a couple hundred more calories than I think I am, anyway. Either way, I'm losing... I just find that I have to be EXTREMELY diligent to keep 1200, and I don't have room for the finer things in life, like red wine.

Mine is 1.5 and sedentary and it set me to 1200 as well. I only measure with spoons and cups and the eyeball. I have only started logging again 10 days ago for a challenge at work as well. I feel your pain of giving up the finer things and on some days feeling like I am starving and constantly think about food. Other days I am fine. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone!

BusyRaeNOTBusty

ren3liz wrote: »

I have been at this since 11/23 and have lost 11lb in total. My initial goal was 1lb per week, I upped it to 2lb per week on 1/4 participating in a weight loss competition at work. So I've lost almost exactly 1lb per week overall, loss stalled over the holidays.

(also - thank you everyone!!)

If you aren't super duper hungry and are content eating where you are for the sake of the competition, go for it. I'd make sure you are strength training and getting adequate protein. You are risking muscle loss losing that fast.

WalkingAlong

ren3liz wrote: »

Also, I am amazed at the people on these forums that say they aren't hungry enough to meet their calorie goal. Even a low calorie goal like 1200. I'm starving, give some of your food to me! Haha

A lot of them are in their first week or two of 1200 and are laser focused on their eating and the idea of weight loss, which can cause you to feel satisfied on little. Especially if they're really focusing on getting in lots of produce and lean protein and water. It typically changes.

Merkavar

You say you have already been losing weight, are you losing at a rate you want? Then you are eating the right amount of food.

Losing too fast, then eat more.

Forget the calculators, you sound like you have real life data you can use.

morganfitnesspal

Ive managed to lose close to 60lbs this year. My one piece of advice......eat more food!!! For something to work, it has to be sustainable longterm and 1200 calories isnt sustainable. Youll just end up regaining all the weight you lose. Id suggest using the online calculators to determine how much food you need to maintain your current weight and then cut 100 cals/day each week until you create a 400 calorie deficit. It wont produce fast weight loss, but youll be able to stick with it. Id also recommend eating at least 600 calories for breakfast. It really helps control night time cravings.

JimKeegan555

MireyGal76 wrote: »

also... a decent digital scale can run about $20 - you'd be surprised how bad your eyeballs are.
GET THE SCALE. lol.

I have a scale, I was waaay off eyeballing. Buuut a serving (30g) of 5yr cheddar (love it too much lol) is much larger than I thought.

WrenTheCoffeeAddict

I aim in-between 1200 and my TDEE, at about 1600. Because, learning from experience, my body hits a plateau at 1200, and I don't lose weight. But too high, and I just gain gain gain. So 1600 is a safe zone for me.

ren3liz

Thank you everyone! I find that if I can burn a few hundred calories and then eat 1400-1600 I am fine. But if I try to do a straight 1200 I'm shot, hangry, emphasis on the angry.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion here but I'm resistant to using a food scale. I just don't like the idea of weighing everything I eat because food means so much more culturally than grams of macros, at least to me. I think that would take some of the enjoyment out of eating and cause me some stress. It's something I would reconsider if I needed to, but for now what I'm doing is working.

Cheers everyone! The insight from experienced folks is much appreciated.

ren3liz

Also P.s. I think I'll change my goal back to 1lb per week and see what MFP gives me- at 1.5lb it stays at 1200. Thx all!

MireyGal76

ren3liz wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I find that if I can burn a few hundred calories and then eat 1400-1600 I am fine. But if I try to do a straight 1200 I'm shot, hangry, emphasis on the angry.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion here but I'm resistant to using a food scale. I just don't like the idea of weighing everything I eat because food means so much more culturally than grams of macros, at least to me. I think that would take some of the enjoyment out of eating and cause me some stress. It's something I would reconsider if I needed to, but for now what I'm doing is working.

Cheers everyone! The insight from experienced folks is much appreciated.

I don't like the scale much either... So I don't use it all the time... But it was worth the experience because it helped me learn. Why not get one and use it here and there. If you're close in your estimates... Then don't use it.

morganfitnesspal

There's a blog by an obesity doc in Ottawa that you might find useful. http://www.weightymatters.ca/

The videos on the right hand side are a good place to start.

WalkingAlong

ren3liz wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I find that if I can burn a few hundred calories and then eat 1400-1600 I am fine. But if I try to do a straight 1200 I'm shot, hangry, emphasis on the angry.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion here but I'm resistant to using a food scale. I just don't like the idea of weighing everything I eat because food means so much more culturally than grams of macros, at least to me. I think that would take some of the enjoyment out of eating and cause me some stress. It's something I would reconsider if I needed to, but for now what I'm doing is working.

Cheers everyone! The insight from experienced folks is much appreciated.

I don't use my scale much when I do log. I used it to sanity-check my portions years ago and occasionally pull it out for a re-check on very calorie laden foods like nut butters. But overall I know what a half cup of rice looks like, or a tablespoon of nut butter or ounce of cheese. It's a worthwhile exercise to weigh some foods you eat really often, like your bowl of cereal, and just see if it's what you thought it was. Then go from the visual of where it hits the bowl.

Sumiblue

If you are hungry set your goal to a slower rate. Bingeing is often the result of a too-aggressive deficit. Slow, steady loss is still losing. I have a Fitbit Flex so it gives me a better idea of actual daily TDEE. I'm set to sedentary, .5lb/week and I eat back my exercise calories. I would be vey hungry on 1200 calories & I'm 5'2" & 118 lbs.

scfarrant

My calorie goal on MFP is 1200 and it is barely achievable without exercise. In fact, I'm not certain that I have had a single day of 1200 (net) without adding extra calories to spend through effort! It works out at about 1400-1500 in reality.

I agree with the others that you have to find something sustainable and if you are feeling hungry all the time, that is not sustainable. Having said that, there are loads of food choices that are filling but not very calorific (I'm looking at you veggies!). Something to check is your daily total nutrition: are you macros right and are you getting all your required vitamins and minerals.

I don't eye-ball and I don't weigh but I do use measuring spoons for everything (tsp/tbsp/cup etc). Seems to be working okay for me.

franny0510

personally, I wouldn't go by a calculator. see what works for you. 1200 is hard if you are exercising - you have to be really careful about when you eat your carbs. it's not always about the amount you eat, but more what you eat......

_lyndseybrooke_

2lbs/week? Why? And sedentary means just that...sedentary. If you're putting crazy stuff into your settings, you should expect crazy results. Yes, you should eat more than 1200 calories a day.

As for the scale, I don't get your logic. Food means WAY more to me than macros - as my profile says, I like food more than I like people. Weighing my food only means I actually know what my macros are. If I'm using cups and eyeballing portions, I have no clue how many calories I'm actually eating. You may be losing at a steady rate now, but if you stop losing while using your estimation method, how are you supposed to know what adjustments are necessary for you to start dropping pounds again? Weighing doesn't take any enjoyment out of eating. It's just a couple of extra minutes of preparation. It's the only way to accurately log your intake. I mean, it's your decision, but let's be honest about the reason - you just don't want to do the extra work. And that's fine; no need to sugarcoat it.

I lost most of my weight on 1850 calories/day. I have a desk job and I was lifting weights 4-5 days per week with very little cardio. I was losing about a half a pound a week, which is perfectly fine by me. It's not a race, and I refuse to be miserable and hungry all day just to lose 2 pounds per week for no good reason.