Is 1,200 calories healthy?
Choromyslny
Posts: 6 Member
So I’ve been sticking to MFP’s goal of 1,200 calories a day, but I’m so tired lately and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I in general just don’t feel well on this calorie allotment. Do I just need more time to get used to it? (Are we sure that amount is healthy?)
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Replies
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Need to know your stats to make any suggestions.6
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What is your current weight? height? Age? Goal weight? How active are you? Do you exercise? Do you eat back any of your exercise calories? How much weight have you lost? How fast?8
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For some it is, for most it isn't.
Did you set your goal to lose 2 pounds a week? I would change it to 1 pound a week and it'll give you more calories.5 -
1200 can be healthy, but it doesn’t sound like it is for you. Nutrition concerns aside, fatigue and dizziness make it harder to stay active, and daily activity is really important to overall health!
I agree your goal may be set too aggressively; what are your stats?5 -
It does depend on what you're eating in those 1200 calories. You can choose foods that have a good "staying power" and will provide you with the nutrients you need ... or not.
Also if you exercise, do eat at least half your exercise calories back. The body does need fuel.9 -
I’m 5’3” female, 27 years old. Not overweight, just trying to lose a little bit. I work in retail so I’m on my feet a lot, but I set MFP to “active” to include all that. I don’t often do other exercises other than that, because it does take up a lot of my time and it’s basically kind of exercise by itself. If I do additional exercises I’ll record them and eat more to even out my net calories.3
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I used to be on a 1200 calorie diet and often felt dizzy, especially when I lifted heavy3
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1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).9
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.0 -
Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
If you don’t have much to lose (20lbs or less?) .5lbs/week is the goal people usually advise.11 -
Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
Change to 0.5lbs per week. monitor your continued progress. And re adjust after 4-6 weeks.
Your total burn for the day (tdee) doesn't appear to support your selected loss rate (1.5lbs). When people are told that it is safe to lose up to 2lbs a week, this doesn't mean that it is optimal (or even desirable, or even THAT safe) for EVERYONE.
Or it could be that you're very active as opposed to active.
In either case, eat a little bit more and re evaluate your results down the road.7 -
Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?7 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
I'm not the OP, but when I say I'm "not overweight" I mean that my weight falls within the normal BMI range for my height. Right now, for example, I'm sitting right on the edge between "not overweight" and "overweight", so I would like to drop a few kg.
Personally, I have manually set MFP at 1350 cal because I know I can lose weight with that, and I eat back about half my exercise calories.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
I'm not the OP, but when I say I'm "not overweight" I mean that my weight falls within the normal BMI range for my height. Right now, for example, I'm sitting right on the edge between "not overweight" and "overweight", so I would like to drop a few kg.
Personally, I have manually set MFP at 1350 cal because I know I can lose weight with that, and I eat back about half my exercise calories.
Well, thank you very much for taking over the OP's thread.18 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
I'm not the OP, but when I say I'm "not overweight" I mean that my weight falls within the normal BMI range for my height. Right now, for example, I'm sitting right on the edge between "not overweight" and "overweight", so I would like to drop a few kg.
Personally, I have manually set MFP at 1350 cal because I know I can lose weight with that, and I eat back about half my exercise calories.
Well, thank you very much for taking over the OP's thread.
Just pointing out that "not overweight" doesn't automatically mean "underweight" ... also pointing out to the OP that she can manually adjust the calorie goal. She doesn't have to go with the number MFP gives.
I have actually come across people here who are unaware that you can do that ... pick your own number ... but sometimes a few extra calories makes all the difference.
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The first 79 pounds came off fast for me at 1200 calories but then as I continued to educate myself about TDEE and metabolisms etc, I began to see that I may have really handicapped myself by starting at such a low number. I have 30 pounds or so to go and I have slowly increased my calories and I have lowered my goal each week to half pound and tweaked my activity level to active. It has been a process to learn but oh so rewarding and satisfying to be armed with knowledge for myself, in the context of my body.6
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
I'm not the OP, but when I say I'm "not overweight" I mean that my weight falls within the normal BMI range for my height. Right now, for example, I'm sitting right on the edge between "not overweight" and "overweight", so I would like to drop a few kg.
Personally, I have manually set MFP at 1350 cal because I know I can lose weight with that, and I eat back about half my exercise calories.
Well, thank you very much for taking over the OP's thread.
Just pointing out that "not overweight" doesn't automatically mean "underweight" ... also pointing out to the OP that she can manually adjust the calorie goal. She doesn't have to go with the number MFP gives.
It's me, I'm sure. I seem to get confused over who the OP is in a thread at least once every couple of days. Most of the time i catch it before I hit "post," but sometimes I get pulled into a multipost exchange before I start wondering how an obese female vegan suddenly became skinny hard-gainer eating chicken & broccoli three times a day.
On the "not overweight" point, I thought I was talking to the OP, who has yet to provide stats, I believe. [double checks] Yup, no stats, despite being asked for them repeatedly. Sometimes -- not always -- that's a sign of someone who doesn't want to admit they're already underweight and still trying to lose.8 -
Thehardmakesitworthit wrote: »The first 79 pounds came off fast for me at 1200 calories but then as I continued to educate myself about TDEE and metabolisms etc, I began to see that I may have really handicapped myself by starting at such a low number. I have 30 pounds or so to go and I have slowly increased my calories and I have lowered my goal each week to half pound and tweaked my activity level to active. It has been a process to learn but oh so rewarding and satisfying to be armed with knowledge for myself, in the context of my body.
I'm basically in this same boat. I lost the majority of my 65 pounds quickly, eating 1200-1400 per day. That was all well and good, but definitely difficult as far as fitting food in to that goal. I was dizzy on occasion. I lost 2lbs per week on average. I realized that I could not continue that path as I got closer to my goal. I've got about 10 pounds to go, so I've slowed down to .5lb per week. I'm losing that or slightly more, happy to be eating more and happy to be learning about my body and caring for it. I did not think I had less energy eating 1200 per day, but now that I am eating 1500ish I can feel the difference.3 -
Choromyslny wrote: »I’m 5’3” female, 27 years old. Not overweight, just trying to lose a little bit. I work in retail so I’m on my feet a lot, but I set MFP to “active” to include all that. I don’t often do other exercises other than that, because it does take up a lot of my time and it’s basically kind of exercise by itself. If I do additional exercises I’ll record them and eat more to even out my net calories.
You are about same height as me, 20 years younger than I was when I started to lose weight and I put myself as lightly active allowing for a job in which I moved around but was not heavy manual work
If you are not overweight then by definition you cannot have much weight to lose
I was over weight - although not by a lot - I had 10kg or 22lb to lose to get to where I am now, with current BMI of 23.
You should have your rate set at 0.5lb per week if you have little to lose. As i did also.
Myy calorie allowance was 1460.
Hard to see how yours could be less - so, No, I dont think 1200 is healthy for you.
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1200 is no problem as long as you make sure you get all your minerals, vitamins etc in. I'm on 1200-1309 cals since years. Maybe being vegan makes it easier for me to bulk to make sure i get everything i need. Sometimes i eat less, sometimes i eat more, but most of the time stay between 1200 and 1300. I feel great, not hungry, but it might not be for everybody.4
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
No, I’m not underweight. I’m 123 lbs and 5’3.” I just want to lose about 10 lbs which would still put me in my healthy weight range.
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5'3" and 123lbs is right in the middle of normal weight - you might want to consider recomping rather than losing weight (essentially gaining lean muscle mass and losing fat mass)9
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You are absolutely right to reconsider the calorie goal if you are getting dizzy spells. The “cure” is to eat more. You can try adding 100-200 calories a day and see if you keep losing weight (and stop getting dizzy).7
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Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, I set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
No, I’m not underweight. I’m 123 lbs and 5’3.” I just want to lose about 10 lbs which would still put me in my healthy weight range.
You are currently in the healthy weight range so losing another 10lbs will put you closer to the low end of the healthy range and a BMI of under 20.
0.5lb per week is a healthy rate of loss when at a healthy weight already.
You are active so you'll be able to eat a lot more and lose. As an example I am an inch shorter and I can lose 0.5lb a week (if I wanted to) eating 1750-1800 calories. I'm not as active as you either and I'm in my late 40s.7 -
deannalfisher wrote: »5'3" and 123lbs is right in the middle of normal weight - you might want to consider recomping rather than losing weight (essentially gaining lean muscle mass and losing fat mass)
I don’t understand why people on this forum love to say this. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be on the low end of a “normal” weight range. People have different builds and some also prefer to look lithe.
OP - I agree with the previous advice that you should set your weight loss to .5 lbs a week and see how you feel with a few more calories to eat.9 -
because picking an arbitrary number just to lose 10lbs may not be healthy...the OP already has dizzy spells from not eating enough5
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she is also heavily active with her job, so recomp may give her more sustained energy through the day4
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Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Choromyslny wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »1200 calories isn't MFP's goal. It's the goal you told MFP to give you, probably by choosing an overly aggressive weight loss goal (2 lbs a week?) and by categorizing yourself as sedentary when you may not be (sedentary means you spend most of the day sitting or lying down, stirring to do little more than attend to your physical needs -- eating, personal grooming, and such).
Like I said in a comment before, set MFP to “active.” Also I have it at 1.5 pounds a week.
I see that you also said you're not overweight. 1.5 lbs a week is too aggressive for someone who is not overweight.
Does "not overweight" mean that you are actually underweight?
No, I’m not underweight. I’m 123 lbs and 5’3.” I just want to lose about 10 lbs which would still put me in my healthy weight range.
.5 pounds, this is the appropriate amount with only 10 to lose. Being at an already healthy weight and trying to get leaner will only prove difficult doing an aggressive rate of loss. You will lose muscle doing it too aggressive and the idea is lose body fat and maintain your muscle. Hormonal issues can happen when we try to lose weight too quickly, you want to be comfortable losing weight and not have side effects, like sleep issues, fatigue, etc.
That said, you need a .5/week rate of loss, assure you get ample protein to help with muscle sparing and weigh and log your food accurately and be patient.
I get wanting to be leaner, I have no issues with this, but if you were to add strength training (even as you get closer to the 5 pounds left) and move to recomp you will get some really good results with changes in body composition and not to mention health benefits too.
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I never tried the 1200 calories mfp gave me (even for 1lb per week loss). I upped it to 1450, and generally felt pretty weak and not like myself. I then decided to incorporate two days per week where I eat 1850 calories, for an avg 1550 per day. Ever since adding those two higher days, I've felt much better, with more energy (giving me more incentive to workout/move more, so more calories burned anyway). I am still losing .75 -1.0 lb per week.
So like others, I'd recommend going up 200-300 per day.
Btw, I'm female, 5'6", cw 145. I do eat back half of my exercise calories.5 -
You may be more active than what MFP is calling active, and when you are in the middle of the normal BMI trying to get to the bottom 1.5 lb/week is too aggressive (at least when you are only 5'3). I'd start by changing it to 1 lb/week (maybe even .5) and monitoring how you are losing. I'd also eat more if you feel week or dizzy -- that's a big tipoff, especially since you are already a normal weight.
I know .5 lb seems slow, but as you get leaner there's more risk of losing more muscle as a percentage of loss, which is why focusing on body comp is a good idea.3
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