Safe to do 1000 calories?
Replies
-
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »According to MyFitnessPal, "For safe weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends no less than 1000-1200 calories for women and 1200-1500 calories for men." You'll get this message if you try to complete a daily entry and your calories are not enough. Although, 1000 is pretty low and hard to maintain in my opinion. I would just up your workout to burn an extra 100+ as oppose to cutting calories.
where are you getting that info. for men it should be no less than 1500 net. and for women no less than 1200 and thats for those who are very short,sedentary or elderly or a combo of the 3.
I’m not saying I agree with it, but MFP even says 1,000 is bare mins
4 -
You’ll only get that message if you log under 1,000. If you log 1,000 you probably wouldn’t get it. I do think that’s for extreme outliers - like maybe if you’re 4’9, bed bound, and 92. I could not find a balance in my diet where 1,000 would possibly get me enough nutrients unless my entire diet was meal replacement shakes.5
-
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »According to MyFitnessPal, "For safe weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends no less than 1000-1200 calories for women and 1200-1500 calories for men." You'll get this message if you try to complete a daily entry and your calories are not enough. Although, 1000 is pretty low and hard to maintain in my opinion. I would just up your workout to burn an extra 100+ as oppose to cutting calories.
where are you getting that info. for men it should be no less than 1500 net. and for women no less than 1200 and thats for those who are very short,sedentary or elderly or a combo of the 3.
I explained in my original message when that message appears. Read it again. If u have questions re-ask me.
0 -
WhereIsPJSoles wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »According to MyFitnessPal, "For safe weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends no less than 1000-1200 calories for women and 1200-1500 calories for men." You'll get this message if you try to complete a daily entry and your calories are not enough. Although, 1000 is pretty low and hard to maintain in my opinion. I would just up your workout to burn an extra 100+ as oppose to cutting calories.
where are you getting that info. for men it should be no less than 1500 net. and for women no less than 1200 and thats for those who are very short,sedentary or elderly or a combo of the 3.
I’m not saying I agree with it, but MFP even says 1,000 is bare mins
Thanks for replying with the photo. I thought my original post explained when that alert appears but maybe not if you've never seen it.0 -
WhereIsPJSoles wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »According to MyFitnessPal, "For safe weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends no less than 1000-1200 calories for women and 1200-1500 calories for men." You'll get this message if you try to complete a daily entry and your calories are not enough. Although, 1000 is pretty low and hard to maintain in my opinion. I would just up your workout to burn an extra 100+ as oppose to cutting calories.
where are you getting that info. for men it should be no less than 1500 net. and for women no less than 1200 and thats for those who are very short,sedentary or elderly or a combo of the 3.
I’m not saying I agree with it, but MFP even says 1,000 is bare mins
Thanks for replying with the photo. I thought my original post explained when that alert appears but maybe not if you've never seen it.
That warning is really meant as a last ditch effort to posters who are already logging under 1000 calories to caution them. The lowest calorie target that MFP will set is 1200 and so to post that 1000 is the minimum could potentially encourage someone like the OP who is tempted to go for a low calorie target in order to lose weight quickly, disregarding the concerns about getting adequate nutrition and potential side effects like hair loss, fatigue, brittle nails, sallow skin, etc.
So while there is this technicality, it is confusing and could be misconstrued as supporting OP and others considering this approach so I wish people would not bring it up in threads like these.8 -
At your height, you may be able to make 1000 work for you. I know it sucks being short and trying to lose weight, it can be very sloooow. But if you find that 1000 isn't enough and you're feeling too hungry or end up bingeing as a result, you may want to stick to 1200. Keep in mind, these are all "net" calories - you'd eat back the calories you burn through exercise.
5 -
At your height, you may be able to make 1000 work for you. I know it sucks being short and trying to lose weight, it can be very sloooow. But if you find that 1000 isn't enough and you're feeling too hungry or end up bingeing as a result, you may want to stick to 1200. Keep in mind, these are all "net" calories - you'd eat back the calories you burn through exercise.
OP is losing at a perfectly normal healthy rate on 1200 cals, she has no reason to reduce them to 1000 other than impatience.10 -
TavistockToad wrote: »At your height, you may be able to make 1000 work for you. I know it sucks being short and trying to lose weight, it can be very sloooow. But if you find that 1000 isn't enough and you're feeling too hungry or end up bingeing as a result, you may want to stick to 1200. Keep in mind, these are all "net" calories - you'd eat back the calories you burn through exercise.
OP is losing at a perfectly normal healthy rate on 1200 cals, she has no reason to reduce them to 1000 other than impatience.
True. But if OP finds that her hunger levels are manageable at 200 fewer calories and she's able to get the nutrients she needs, then I don't see the issue. I know sub-1200 is greatly frowned upon, but I think a scale approach to minimum calories would be more appropriate. No fewer than 1000 for 5'2" and under, no fewer than 1200 for 5'5" and under, no fewer than 1400 for 5'8" and under, etc. A 5'9" woman eating only 1200 calories would be more dangerous than OP eating 1000, IMO.
Anyhoo - I know this is a delicate subject and don't want to argue, so hopefully OP will do what's right for her!9 -
Just the fact that you are asking should tell you NO!0
-
course, when you cut cals when you're already in deficit you not only get fewer calories but a lower intake of essential proteins, essential fats, vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients plus probably lower fibre too
so overall, you're dropping weight successfully, stick with it and look to do more exercise so you can eat more and still lose (whilst getting more good nutrition)1 -
No - patience is required for this.
If you cut your calories too low in an effort to "hurry things along," you will inevitably give up and eat ALL THE FOOD, because we can't live on 1,000 calories for an extended period of time. Slow and steady really does win the race.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »At your height, you may be able to make 1000 work for you. I know it sucks being short and trying to lose weight, it can be very sloooow. But if you find that 1000 isn't enough and you're feeling too hungry or end up bingeing as a result, you may want to stick to 1200. Keep in mind, these are all "net" calories - you'd eat back the calories you burn through exercise.
OP is losing at a perfectly normal healthy rate on 1200 cals, she has no reason to reduce them to 1000 other than impatience.
True. But if OP finds that her hunger levels are manageable at 200 fewer calories and she's able to get the nutrients she needs, then I don't see the issue. I know sub-1200 is greatly frowned upon, but I think a scale approach to minimum calories would be more appropriate. No fewer than 1000 for 5'2" and under, no fewer than 1200 for 5'5" and under, no fewer than 1400 for 5'8" and under, etc. A 5'9" woman eating only 1200 calories would be more dangerous than OP eating 1000, IMO.
Anyhoo - I know this is a delicate subject and don't want to argue, so hopefully OP will do what's right for her!
But why risk it? She is short but at her current weight may need those 200 calories in nutrients.1 -
Try eating the same calories but different macros (as in paleo-ish / atkins-ish / keto-ish) and see if that doesn't help you feel if you are accomplishing more along the lines of what you want to do.
You don't have to go no carb / just try to hover around 100 carbs a day; that's enough to help you lose inches and burn fat.
For example:- Breakfast - 1 HB egg + 1 small precooked boiled potato (resistant starch) 90 calories (add a splash of olive oil if you need to) just add the calories
- Snack # 1- 1 TBS plain peanut butter 90 calories (with hot tea or coffee; if you add 1/2&1/2 add 47 calories)
- Lunch - 8 oz Chopped veggies red and green cabbages, carrots, broccoli, jicama, bell peppers, radishes and celery with salt and raw apple cider vinegar + 3 oz turkey or chicken (182 calories)
- Snack # 2- 1 TBS plain peanut butter 90 calories (with hot tea or coffee; if you add 1/2&1/2 add 47 calories)
- Dinner gives you 748 calories to play around with (I generally have a meat/poultry/fish with lots of cooked mixed veggies and a moderate carb, as in half a serving of pasta or rice)
18 -
I am petite (5 ft tall) and i currently weigh 152.6 pounds. I have lost 9 pounds so far while having on 1200 calories. My maintenance calories suggested is 1670 calories to not lose any weight. If i keep my diet to 1200 calories then my weekly calorie loss would be 3290 calories only, meaninf that I won’t even lose a pound per week. I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds but then that would mean to have 1000 calories. Is it okay thing to do? I want to lose my fat, not muscles!
No, this is not a good idea. "I want to lose XX pounds per week" this is where the problem lies. We don't get to choose any weight loss goal we want to and keep it healthy.
1200 calories (before exercise) is a minimum to help you reach nutritional goals. Is a dietician helping you accomplish this on 1,000 calories? Are you eating an exact prescribed diet daily, are your receiving vitamin injections or the like?3 -
Thanks everyone for their input. I am gonna stick to 1200 calories because i can feel that i would lack energy in case of 1000 calories. I am interested to find out that I tend to eat about 1400 calories over the weekends, could i eat 1120 on weekdays to balance it out? Thanks guys. You guys rock
4 -
Thanks everyone for their input. I am gonna stick to 1200 calories because i can feel that i would lack energy in case of 1000 calories. I am interested to find out that I tend to eat about 1400 calories over the weekends, could i eat 1120 on weekdays to balance it out? Thanks guys. You guys rock
Some people like to stick to a weekly calorie goal, instead of a daily calorie goal. There's nothing wrong with that.
So 1200 x 7 would be 8400. You could divide those 8400 calories up throughout the week as you see fit.
I often eat lower a couple times a week to account for eating more on the weekends.1 -
Thanks everyone for their input. I am gonna stick to 1200 calories because i can feel that i would lack energy in case of 1000 calories. I am interested to find out that I tend to eat about 1400 calories over the weekends, could i eat 1120 on weekdays to balance it out? Thanks guys. You guys rock
Yes, you can do this as long as you’re averaging out within your calorie range. Many people save calories for the weekends, and it’s an especially popular strategy for people in maintenance.
Weight loss is a slow process for us short folks, but just be patient with it. I’m about your height and maintaining around 115 pounds. It took a lot longer to lose weight the closer I got to my goal because my deficit became very small. It will happen as long as you stick with it, though.
3 -
Try eating the same calories but different macros (as in paleo-ish / atkins-ish / keto-ish) and see if that doesn't help you feel if you are accomplishing more along the lines of what you want to do.
You don't have to go no carb / just try to hover around 100 carbs a day; that's enough to help you lose inches and burn fat.
For example:- Breakfast - 1 HB egg + 1 small precooked boiled potato (resistant starch) 90 calories (add a splash of olive oil if you need to) just add the calories
- Snack # 1- 1 TBS plain peanut butter 90 calories (with hot tea or coffee; if you add 1/2&1/2 add 47 calories)
- Lunch - 8 oz Chopped veggies red and green cabbages, carrots, broccoli, jicama, bell peppers, radishes and celery with salt and raw apple cider vinegar + 3 oz turkey or chicken (182 calories)
- Snack # 2- 1 TBS plain peanut butter 90 calories (with hot tea or coffee; if you add 1/2&1/2 add 47 calories)
- Dinner gives you 748 calories to play around with (I generally have a meat/poultry/fish with lots of cooked mixed veggies and a moderate carb, as in half a serving of pasta or rice)
you lose inches and fat in a deficit. you dont need to lower carbs to do so. some days I manage to eat more than 250g of carbs and have no issues losing fat.5
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions