1200 cals

rachelpower82

Im 5ft 8 with around 50lb to lose. Ive set a goal at 2lb per week which puts me on 1200 cals, is this right? I know i'll have to cut back quite drastically along with filling up on lots of veg and low cal lean foods. I want the weight gone asap!

janejellyroll

2 pounds a week is an aggressive goal. If you choose a more reasonable goal, you will get a higher calorie goal. If you find 1,200 calories too hard (and it is, for many people), this is something to consider.

Graelwyn75

Is it more important to have the weight gone quickly or to keep the weight off in the long-term? I would say the latter is better and that 2Ibs is too aggressive with the amount you have to lose. Much better, in my opinion, to aim for 1-1.5 Ibs per week and work on making lifelong changes than to do a fast track weight loss and regain it all again. Just my opinion from having seen numerous people take the same path on here over the years.

GottaBurnEmAll

Two pounds a week is a very aggressive goal, and with 50 pounds to lose, you're not likely to see that rate of loss.

1200 is the lowest amount of calories that MFP will give you, no matter what you input.

I know it seems like a good idea to want to have the weight come off quickly, but dieting isn't just about the weight coming off.

Losing weight is just the beginning of a process of weight management that will continue for the rest of your life. The losing phase is time to establish good habits and learn all about how energy balance works, which foods satiate you best, which exercises you like to do.

Rushing through the weight loss phase misses the point of forming permanent, sustainable change.

The statistics on lasting weight loss are miserable because most people consider dieting to be something you "do" and then are "done". You never really stop managing your weight. Don't be in such a hurry. Time will pass no matter what you do.

TeaBea

rachelpower82 wrote: »

Im 5ft 8 with around 50lb to lose. Ive set a goal at 2lb per week which puts me on 1200 cals, is this right? I know i'll have to cut back quite drastically along with filling up on lots of veg and low cal lean foods. I want the weight gone asap!

1200 before exercise is the lowest default minimum (meeting nutritional guidelines). Anyway, it may be 2 pounds a week.....or it's just as low as the program will go. Weight loss will slow down as you get closer to goal too.

2 pounds a week is more appropriate for people with more than 75 pounds to lose. Fast weight loss has it's disadvantages. Drastic cuts make it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass, so you don't lower body fat % by as much as you could have.

"Clean" eating (whatever your definition is) is not required for weight loss.....it's all about calories. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat. There are a number of bodily functions that need dietary fat (example ...vitamin absorption). Plenty of people lose weight eating higher fat.....it's just choices.

JennJ323

I had about 30lbs to lose (lost 25 so far) and MFP set me at 1200 a day.. I haven't found any troubles staying under that number, on most days. I usually earn 100-200 calories in exercise each day allowing me to eat more calories. I definitely haven't lost 2lb each week, its varied. Some weeks it's .5lb some weeks it's 3lb it has really been all over the place. But none the less I am losing and find that 1200 is a comfortable number for me.

Best of luck!

walleymama

My advice if you are going that route is to make sure you exercise regularly so you can eat back more calories on those days. For example, I run 3x per week. On those days I get anywhere from 400 to 800 extra calories (depending on how far I run), which allows me to indulge a bit and not feel like I'm restricting myself. It makes it much easier to stick to my own goal of 1300 calories on non-running days. Planning ahead is key to being able to eat that little and not get so hungry that you end up bingeing. But I really don't think it is sustainable over the long term if you have to do that every day. So find a high-calorie-burning activity you enjoy (or at least can stick with) and I'd say you can do it.

VeronicaA76

2lbs is very aggressive with only 50lbs to lose (I say "only" because there are a lot of people looking to lose well over 100). If you can eat healthy and are happy with 1200 calories, fine. It's just a hard number to hit calorie wise while making sure you are getting good nutrition as well.

If you find yourself struggling, change the speed to 1lb/week. Remember: if the plan isn't working, change the plan, never the goal.

rebeccachobat

I agree with all above, set your weight goal to 0.5 to 1 lb per week. 2 lbs a week sounds enticing I know, but trust me when I say it only damages your metabolism in the long run and makes it harder to lose weight if you hit a plateau (i.e. if you are eating at the bare minimum, you can't go down when you stop losing weight). I personally have mine set to 0.5 pounds per week so I can eat around 1900 calories a day. This ensures that when I hit the eventual platuea, I can re-evaluate my daily intake and reduce if necessary.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

rebeccachobat wrote: »

I agree with all above, set your weight goal to 0.5 to 1 lb per week. 2 lbs a week sounds enticing I know, but trust me when I say it only damages your metabolism in the long run and makes it harder to lose weight if you hit a plateau (i.e. if you are eating at the bare minimum, you can't go down when you stop losing weight). I personally have mine set to 0.5 pounds per week so I can eat around 1900 calories a day. This ensures that when I hit the eventual platuea, I can re-evaluate my daily intake and reduce if necessary.

it wont damage metabolism but it can cause adaptive thermogenesis in the long run if she were to eat 1200 for a long period of time.it wont make weight loss harder but it wont come off as fast and could result in loss of lean mass or possibly malnutrition if op is very active.

KelGen02

I will say that when I first started I too set up a 2lb loss each week because I wanted it gone, 95lbs to lose and who had time for that. I quickly changed that tune when I started losing my hair and had bald patches in my long blonde hair from the lack of nutrients I was getting from having such an aggressive loss each week. That was eating primarily plant base, lean meats, nuts/seed and healthy fats. Which is still how I eat now but I changed my loss to 1lb loss a week and increased my workouts for a larger burn and was able to eat far more. I have lost 70lbs thus far and have actually slowed the last 25lbs to .5lb a week to get myself more costume to what maintenance will look like. Hair is thinning far less (thankfully i had really really thick hair) and my bald spots have grown about and inch or so... Yay!!!! Diets are quick and usually short term results before the weight is gained back. Lifestyle changes take a little bit more time and are hard as hell, but looking back 8 months I am so glad that made this about being healthy and fit rather than a number on a scale because, I never believed I would have loss all this weight never mind have a whole new outlook on food and its purpose. Good luck!

monikalama

I've been working out for a month regularly 5 days a week. Eat 1200 most days but so far I've only lost about 3lbs in total. It sucks but just have to persevere with it I guess. Oh and I hope to lose about 25lbs.

Veganvibesss

I eat 1200-1300 a day and I think It may be to much because I lost over 60 pounds but have hit a plateau for a really long time.. I weigh 155, 5 foot 6

MichelleSilverleaf

Veganvibesss wrote: »

I eat 1200-1300 a day and I think It may be to much because I lost over 60 pounds but have hit a plateau for a really long time.. I weigh 155, 5 foot 6

155 puts you around or close to what would be a healthy range for that height (I had looked it up before I started on MFP, I'm the same height). If you want to keep going down, it's going to be slow and your tracking will have to be 100% on point.

Rebnurse1977

Ive been at this for only 2 weeks so im no expert, but also have around 50 pounds to lose. Im also doing 1200 cals and feel good. Protein shake for breakfast, subway sandwich for lunch, greek yogurt snack, and a healthy dinner (steak, chicken, fish) with a small side, tgen usually another small snack (yogurt, popcorn, etc). Somedays I feel fuller than b4 I started counting calories! Just go by what your body tells you!

HarlemNY17

Graelwyn75 wrote: »

Is it more important to have the weight gone quickly or to keep the weight off in the long-term? I would say the latter is better and that 2Ibs is too aggressive with the amount you have to lose. Much better, in my opinion, to aim for 1-1.5 Ibs per week and work on making lifelong changes than to do a fast track weight loss and regain it all again. Just my opinion from having seen numerous people take the same path on here over the years.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with losing 2lbs a week when you're far away from your goal . When you're closer to your goal then you decrease to 1.5lbs and so on . Also losing at a 2lbs won't cause you to gain weight back , losing 2 pounds is meant for ppl that have a lot to lose . What causes you to gain weight is your relationship with food.

bbell1985

I personally don't think a two pound loss per week with 50 pounds to lose is "too aggressive". I do believe in calories being too low for comfort, happiness, health and adherence. I would try a 1 pound per week loss first and see how you do/feel.

DresdenSinn

Just think that at a 2lb loss a week at 1200kcal/day, it's still going to take 6 months to lose 50lbs (without exercise), that's going to take some serious discipline, dedication, and motivation...good luck.

managematics

The research I have seen suggests that a good goal for sustainable weight loss is 10% over a 6 month period. I have generally tried to set my goal at that level and budget my daily net calories that way and then if I beat it, it's great and I've done better than the goal.

For losing 2lbs/wk MFP might be right at 1200cal/day, but it's just an approximation. The important thing to remember is that is NET CALORIES. It will be much easier to maintain the level of calorie deficit for 2lbs/week loss with significant exercise than through diet alone.

Christine_72

I'm 5'8' aswell and had 30lbs to lose, i set it to 0.5lbs a week from the get go, plus i eat some of my exercise calories back.
I did try 1200 calories and lasted a whole 3 miserable days... I have recently put on 4lbs and am trying to lose it again, mfp gave me 1460 calories for .5lbs a week which is a struggle! Thank goodness for exercise calories.

Sabine_Stroehm

So smart of you to check in!!