1000 or 1200 calorie minimum?

Kayla647

Which is it? This app went from a 1200 min to 1000 for women. So I've be eating 1050-1100 a day to get over the 1000 calories. My dr said as long as I'm not faint or dizzy I'm eating enough.

mitch16

Are you extremely short or small of stature?

malibu927

Not feeling faint or dizzy doesn't mean you're eating enough.

MFP's default minimum for women is 1200 calories, but it will allow you to close your diary out if it's above 1000. However, the majority of people don't need to eat that low for weight loss. What are your stats?

Kayla647

Yes that's what I meant the diary can now close at 1000 I'm 5ft 4.5" was 255lbs when I started lost 15 so now at 240 just finished supper I'm closing my diary at 1074 today

malibu927

I suggest that you eat more unless your doctor has okayed eating such low calories. The goal given to you by MFP is something you should be reaching.

middlehaitch

Ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietician. 1075 cals is too low for anything more than a very occasional day.
If you carry on with such a large deficit I would also get your doctor to supervise your weight loss and do blood work to monitor you for deficiencies bi monthly. A dexa scan for muscle and bone loss would be good to.

If you don't want to work closely with a medical team, eat at the deficit MFP gives you to lose 1.5-2lbs a week and focus on nutrition.

Cheers, h.

Lounmoun

The National Institutes of Health indicates that eating plans of 1,500 calories for men, and 1,200 calories for women, are safe and effective in achieving weight loss. To align with these guidelines myfitnesspal has implemented a separate calorie minimum for males of 1,500 calories per day. Previously, the minimum was 1,200 calories for both men and women

From https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1375583-a-message-about-myfitnesspal-s-updated-nutrition-goals

I have observed that completing the diary with the web site and different versions of the app gets a slightly different warning message but in more than one place 1200 is the minimum recommended calorie goal. Allowing you to close the diary with less than 1200 calories does not mean it is your goal to do so. Eat the amount you are supposed to.
If you have trouble reaching your calorie goal rethink the type of foods you are eating. Maybe include more fats or carbs.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

I'm 5'4" and started at 179lbs. MFP has never given me a goal below 1200.

Jingsi84

Am I missing something? OP’s doctor told her that her calorie intake was appropriate as long as she didn’t experience any side effects. Isn’t it possible that her doctor has determined her particuar risk of heart disease, stroke, HBP, diabetes, gout...etc outweigh any possible risk of going below a general recommended minimum? This is not uncommon for doctors to do. MFP is great and all but blind devotion in the face of medical advice is absurd. Seemed to me OP wasn’t asking if she needed a second opinion but rather questioning why MFP was allowing her to close her diary at 1000.

karahm78

Her Dr doesn't sound very knowledgeable about nutrition, not being weak or faint is a very vague guideline

lucerorojo

Well if her doctor told her to eat only 1000 calories and is monitoring her, that's one thing.

I started at 237 lbs. and to lose 2 lbs. per week I was eating about 1450 calories according to MFP. And I'm 52 (5'4") so I'm close to the height of the OP. Gradually I reset my goals until I had lost about 28 lbs., and was down to 1200 per day. I reset again to lose 1 lb. per week because it was too little food for me, so that I could eat between 1500-1600 calories.

We are all different, but unless her doctor told her to eat that little, it seems like she could eat more and still lose.

lemurcat12

karahm78 wrote: »

Her Dr doesn't sound very knowledgeable about nutrition, not being weak or faint is a very vague guideline

I suspect it's that most doctors assume people can't count calories accurately. Usually when doctors recommend a low level (outside of a supervised diet) they are assuming overweight patients won't be able to maintain anything really low, I think.

Unless the doctor prescribed something or, ideally, OP is working with a dietitian, I'd take the "eh, doesn't matter" from the doctor here as essentially no advice at all.

amyepdx

Except she’s just starting out. 1 lb a week at her current weight is at least 1600. With 100 lbs to lose, she’s looking at at least a year. OP - that’s not a bad thing. That’s how you learn long lasting habits that will allow you to maintain. Eating only 1000 is not sustainable and is bound to end in binging and giving up.
I started at the same weight and I’m heading into Year 3 - total loss 95 lbs with 25 still to go. There is no way I could have kept losing if I had started out with such low calories.

megs_1985

Most docs don’t get much nutrition education and any good doctor would refer you to a dietician. Just because you don’t feel dizzy doesn’t mean you are properly feeding your body. Calculate your BMR, that is the minimum you need to fuel your body if you were in a coma. Add on your daily non exercise activity and you’ll need more calories.

tinkerbellang83

So the way I am reading this, the doctor hasn't set her at 1000 calories, has just told her that if she feels faint or dizzy that's when she isn't eating enough, which is pretty vague.

OP I am a couple of inches taller than you, but was the same start weight, if you want this to work in the long haul and you haven't been given any specific instructions from your doctor, there is no reason for you to be eating so little. I was losing 1lb per week on 1500 net per day and eating all of my exercise calories back, actual intake of 1800-2200 calories depending on how active I was.

I think a good start and something that is already mentioned above is understanding how the calorie allowance MFP gives you is calculated:

TavistockToad

given your stats there is absolutely no need to eat that little. you could probably double it and still lose weight.

callsitlikeiseeit

im 5'1 and lose about 2 pounds a week when i stick close to 1200. anything less (other than the totally random day or so) isnt healthy or safe.

animatorswearbras

I personally can't eat below 1400 cals on the regular so I would say 1200 is probably the absolute minimum for most and I'm 5'5", but if OP can maintain it and is under doctor supervision then I don't think it's toooo big of a problem. I however don't believe it's sustainable and you have to be very aware that alot of people who go on very low calorie diets end up yo yoing because it is unsustainable long term and you're more likely to throw in the towel and crack.

Be mindful that this is a marathon not a sprint you don't have to punish yourself, do a deficit you can maintain for a year without breaking your spirit. Good luck OP I hope you find the right balance, but if you do intend to stay so low keep in regular contact with your clinician.

JeromeBarry1

If the app allows some women to 'close' their diary and announce a successful day with only 1000 calories, it indicates to me that UA have determined that their civil liability is zero.

gogetemrogue

I'm 5' 6" 245 pounds, and a couple weeks ago I only ate around 1000 calories because I forgot to eat my 250 calorie after dinner snack. (It was logged and everything!) I felt fine...until the day after I got a really bad headache during my usual 16 hour fast, and my sensible lunch that is fine for me every other day was suddenly not enough. Even after eating my dinner after work I felt faint and I had to take a nap upon getting home.

This might not happen to you day one of 1000 calories, but it could happen over time, or make you more susceptible to binging or just diet burnout in general, not to mention that you have to really pack those 1000 calories with the macro and micronutrients your body and brain need to function properly--which is why you really should not be doing this unless under the close supervision of a registered dietitian. Even then, it may still be against MFP's guidelines to post about it here, which may cut you off from a support network if that is a consideration for you.

malibu927

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

If the app allows some women to 'close' their diary and announce a successful day with only 1000 calories, it indicates to me that UA have determined that their civil liability is zero.

IIRC, the warning still pops up but they can send to their feed

ladyhusker39

There's a difference between being under the supervision of a doctor trained in medical weight loss and asking a GP if what you're doing is OK .

GP's are not trained in nutrition/dieting.

The reason it's suggested to as a doctor before you start a program isn't to get specific advice. It's to confirm that you have no health concerns that need to be addressed before subjecting your body to a diet or new exercise program or that you don't need to be referred to a specialist for guidance. I don't know which is the case for OP.

WinoGelato

OP, why are you concerned with what the minimum is? You should be asking, "what's an appropriate calorie target that enables me to achieve my weight loss goal while getting adequate nutrition, maintaining lean body mass while I'm losing, doesn't feel like I'm depriving myself, and provides me energy to complete my daily activities and exercise"

It's likely given your stats that you can lose weight at a good pace eating far more than the minimum that MFP will allow you. In fact most people don't need to go that low in order to lose.

As a wise rabbit used to say, "the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses".

kommodevaran

Are you logging correctly? How fast are you losing - how long have you been eating like this, how long has it taken you to lose those 15 pounds?

hopiemama33

It sounds like calories that low could lead to a more rapid loss. When I've lost quickly I have ALWAYS gained it back, (and often added to it!). Now I am telling myself I don't need to lose weight fast, I need to lose weight FOREVER.

amyepdx

On another thread she’s excited about her cheat day this weekend so I don’t think we have to worry after all.