1200 calories at 5'9?

newstart1988
newstart1988 Posts: 154 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Is 1200 calories healthy for a 28 year old woman who's 5'9? I weigh 216 pounds and my goal weight is 130 pounds.

Replies

  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Doubt it. You'll have to post your current weight to allow people to calculate it, but it sounds way way too low to me. Maybe 1500 at the least, but likely closer to 1600-1800 without exercise factored in.
  • newstart1988
    newstart1988 Posts: 154 Member
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Doubt it. You'll have to post your current weight to allow people to calculate it, but it sounds way way too low to me. Maybe 1500 at the least, but likely closer to 1600-1800 without exercise factored in.

    I weigh 216 pounds and my goal weight is 130 pounds
  • ShammersPink
    ShammersPink Posts: 215 Member
    edited December 2016
    You might find this thread relevant. Not many tall women feel satisfied on 1200 calories:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10490265/anyone-5ft-8-tall/p1
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    At 5'9", it's aggressive for sure...but a good rule of thumb is to lose a max of about 1% of body weight per week. I'm assuming you put in for a 2Lb per week rate of loss. At 216 you could safely lose 2 Lbs per week for a little while...
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I believe it is lower than necessary. You should be able to lose just fine eating 1800 calories per day. That is eating that much, not netting it on MFP.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    I am 5'9" currently 175 lbs. I eat between 1500-1700 according to my TDEE. I found this link helped me for my calorie intake. 1200 is way too low for me i workout 6 days a week.

    https://tdeecalculator.net/
  • BrittanyCLaccetti
    BrittanyCLaccetti Posts: 13 Member
    That's about where I am at calorie wise, but I am 5'5 and not that much overweight. I would start with a higher count so you don't get discouraged.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    newstart1988 wrote: »
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Doubt it. You'll have to post your current weight to allow people to calculate it, but it sounds way way too low to me. Maybe 1500 at the least, but likely closer to 1600-1800 without exercise factored in.

    I weigh 216 pounds and my goal weight is 130 pounds

    216 - 130 = 86 pounds. So 2 pounds a week would be an appropriate goal (for now). MFP will give you a calorie goal before exercise.....if you plan on exercise then you need to eat a portion of those calories as well. Just plug your stats in & see what it says............

    1200 is MFP's lowest default minimum. It's more appropriate for very petite and/ or elderly women.

    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 range
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    newstart1988 wrote: »
    I weigh 216 pounds and my goal weight is 130 pounds

    Then plugging in your stats to IIFYM, and assuming only CICO (no daily exercise) a 20% deficit would be 1728 calories. Macros would be 25% Protein for 108g, 39% Fat for 75g, 36% Carbs for 156g. That's just playing with the macro sliders based on .8g/lb of body weight for your target weight. I suggest you go to iifym.com (and other calorie calculators) and play around to see what is best. I wouldn't go below a 20% deficit of your TDEE though. Google TDEE calculators, you'll find a bunch. IIFYM has one that you can enter how many times a week you exercise and for how many minutes and it'll add that into your TDEE.

    Good luck, but yea, 1200 is too low in my opinion.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    I'm 5'9" and 207 and for a 1.5/week loss, MFP gives me about 1350. I can't even go that low, so I'm aiming for 1400 + eating back part of my exercise calories. You can get the nutrients you need at 1200 with planning & good choices, but it is not an easy road and isn't sustainable for a lot of people, especially when you are tall & active at all. Personally, I would save the 1200 for when you are closer to goal and losing requires you to get by with even fewer calories.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm 5"8 and never had to go down to 1200 calories to lose weight. Is 130lbs a weight you've ever been as an adult? That is a mighty low weight for someone who is 5"9.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I'm 5"8 and never had to go down to 1200 calories to lose weight. Is 130lbs a weight you've ever been as an adult? That is a mighty low weight for someone who is 5"9.

    Agreed. Maybe shoot for 150 or 140? I guess if you go down to 130 then bulk up with muscle it could be fine, but you'll probably find 130 very skinny.
  • ShammersPink
    ShammersPink Posts: 215 Member
    edited December 2016
    I'd start at 15 or 1600 and see how you feel. If you find it hard to cope on that, you can bump it up, and still probably lose. If, after a few weeks, you feel you could cope on a bit less, you can go down.

    If you are accurate with your logging, you ought to lose at a decent rate on that. I think that 1200 is a recipe for feeling so starved that you end up bingeing. It's much easier to plan normal-ish meals on the slightly higher calorie budget.

    Even if you forget about the 130lb goal, you still have quite a way to meet a healthy BMI (169lb or less), and you won't manage it if you are totally starving all the time.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Didn't you have a post about binging? If I'm mistaken, my bad. If that is the case, however, you may find that sticking to a calorie goal that low makes it worse for you. Just something else to consider. I agree with the others that it's too low. Just trying to add some perspective on just one of the reasons why.
  • ICameToGetDown
    ICameToGetDown Posts: 958 Member
    I am 5'9" and currently 199 :-)
    Started at 275 and have been at 1600 calories on average for the past 5 months and losing average 0.7 lbs a week.
    I don't feel the need to loose real fast as I want to be successful long term.
    My opinion is that 1200 is too restrictive.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    ICameToGetDown wrote: »
    I am 5'9" and currently 199 :-)
    Started at 275 and have been at 1600 calories on average for the past 5 months and losing average 0.7 lbs a week.
    I don't feel the need to loose real fast as I want to be successful long term.
    My opinion is that 1200 is too restrictive.

    We started at the same weight! Only I started 5 years ago! Lost a 35 lb chunk then, and now 40 lbs with MFP. I think my average has been 1600 as well... having to dig a little deeper now. If I had started at 1200, I would have lasted about a week ;)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, just wanted to add that even if you leave your goal at 1200, that is without exercise. If you focus on getting a decent amount of activity in every day, you can get a couple of hundred more calories. That being said, I would be miserable on 1200. I am 5'4" and I settled for slower weight loss so that I wouldn't get hangry and punch people in the face. 1500 is about as low as i can bear!
  • NewGemini130
    NewGemini130 Posts: 219 Member
    I'm 5'7" and started at 230. I'm still going strong on 1200, with a few "diet breaks" along the way. You're taller, and lighter but bottom line is you can do it, you will get used to it (I have) and you'll see progress! But like others say- if it's too restrictive you can easily be higher. Just start something for a few weeks, then adjust as needed!
  • newstart1988
    newstart1988 Posts: 154 Member
    Thanks for all the help everyone!
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I would go absolutely INSANE on 1200/day. Actually, I did once, for about 9 months, it was such a terrible experience that it turned me off actively trying to manage my weight for years.

    I've successfully lost from 270 to 165 lbs over the last two years eating about 1800 cal/day and walking about an hour a day. This is an eating level and exercise level I can live with long-term. I'm only losing at about 0.5 lbs/week now, but I'm stopping at 160 lbs because I have a large frame.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    1200 seems low. I aim for 1800 to 2000 when losing. Can you actually adhere to 1200 calories for a long period of time? This isn't a sprint. A higher goal might be more sustainable.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    newstart1988 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the help everyone!

    Have you figured out what you're going to do? :smile:
  • newstart1988
    newstart1988 Posts: 154 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    newstart1988 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the help everyone!

    Have you figured out what you're going to do? :smile:

    I'm going to try to eat between 1200 to 1500 calories
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    Personally, I would go crazy trying to eat only 1200 calories. I know from past experience that I will drop weight at 1900 to 2000 calories. But everyone is different:-) Try the 1200-1500calories. Log accurately and use a food scale. If you are ravenous, don't be afraid to raise your calories.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    OP I am 5'8" and tried 1200 daily calories for a period of time and was really miserable. I didn't feel well, the body slowed down, I got tired, and run down.

    Honestly, take care of your body and find a sustainable calorie range. Going too low for your height and activity level will not work out in your favor. That is why learning your TDEE will help. Then you can calculate a reasonable deficit from that baseline-- Ex. Subtract 250 calories a day to lose 0.5 pounds a week or subtract 500 caloties a day from TDEE to lose 1 pound a week.

    I was surprised to discover my TDEE is higher than I originally thought, which is why I was so hungry on 1200 calories a day. I will never go down that low again.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    ShammersPink wrote: »
    You might find this thread relevant. Not many tall women feel satisfied on 1200 calories:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10490265/anyone-5ft-8-tall/p1

    This is a great thread ^
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Probably not.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    newstart1988 wrote: »
    Is 1200 calories healthy for a 28 year old woman who's 5'9? I weigh 216 pounds and my goal weight is 130 pounds.

    For a few weeks when your motivation and willpower is high it won't kill you but it may lead you to crash and burn and fail

    I posted on your other thread that I believe your goal weight is inadvisable...aim at a healthy BMI which st your height goes up to 169 and reassess when you get near

    You sound like I used to feel in my decades of yo yoing and if I could give myself back the n any advice it would be

    Stop
    Breathe
    It's not all or nothing and weight on scale is irrelevant to how strong, fit, attractive and yes how sexy you feel

    Log calories accurately by weight on a digital kitchen scale
    Walk more
    Do some progressive resistance
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