Calorie Deficit

teenytinyprincesspea

So...
I am currently eating 1200 calories a day. There's a ton of different information on how many calories you should eat for weight loss depending on weight... Is that safe and alright??

quiksylver296

Depends on your current height and weight. And whether you can stick to it for the long term.

I am a 42 year old woman, 5'9", 170 pounds, and I'm losing on 2015 calories per day. I would freak out and binge after a week or two of trying to eat only 1200 calories a day.

A wise rabbit once said, "She who eats the most, and still loses, WINS!"

nicholerohrer

^ agreed. Play around with the numbers and see what works for you. If you can lose at 1400-1500 (or even more!) a day, go for it. 1200 sounds like a good idea in theory, but realistically it's just not much food. THAT BEING SAID, I eat around 1100-1300 Mon-Fri and eat closer to maintenance (1800) on the weekends. I'm still able to lose 1lb per week that way. It's about what works for you!

TeaBea

It's the lowest default minimum (one-size-fits-all). If you are petite and inactive it should be fine.

The thing about large deficits though is it makes it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass, so you don't lower your body fat % by as much as you could have.

SashaQ1381

I am only 5 feet and weigh 135.7 lbs. (as of last week). I have a desk job in a 'one floor' office (so it's not like I can do any variation of stair master). And no regimented working out just yet. I want to get my diet in order.

I started my diet at 1200 calories per day, two weeks ago. Most days I do make it below that number depending on what I eat and some days I don't. I will go over by a 100-ish, give or take. I haven't yet weighed again, but my tummy seems to have receded a bit after two weeks of this calorie count. (I did not have access to a weighing scale the first week.) My clothes fit a bit better from Day 1 to today.

Also, I do not feel hungry. I have a 2 year old who constantly keeps me on my feet, and yet I feel that the food I ate was adequate for me to keep me satiated for decent amount of time.

When I started my diet, I did not buy any special foods. I decided to start it off with what I already had in the fridge. I will finally go shopping THIS weekend and will make sure to pay closer attention to the nutrient/calories of the food items.

midlomel1971

That seems low to me. I'm 5'8 and I've been eating 1500 (that's not including calories I've "earned" with exercise) and I'm rarely every hungry. I look at my log and it seems like I'm eating a lot.

GottaBurnEmAll

It's the bare minimum. I started out with it because I'm old, short, and was sedentary.

As I lost weight, I became more active. I conscientiously did so because I did not want to face the rest of my life eating a paltry amount of food.

I agree with the dearly missed Wise Rabbit. Even though I try not to view food through my former fat girl eyes, food isn't a bad thing. The food I love is good stuff. I love things like cottage cheese and potatoes and butternut squash and tomatoes and avocado and nuts and strawberries. Having teeny amounts of them is just sad making. Having filling portions of them and still losing while eating anywhere from 1700-1800 calories a day even though I'm 5'1" and 54 years old and relatively light (current weight is 120) makes me happy and keeps me satisfied.

PrincessMel72

I'm very short (just 5') so I set mine at 1200 as well. I work a desk job and do exercise at the gym, 30 mins per day on the stationary bike, light to moderate pace, 5 days per week. I tend to eat roughly 1100-1200 during the week and then higher on weekends, sometimes hitting 2000. I've lost 13lbs since February.