Can somebody tell me where this "1200 Calorie" number came from ?
Replies
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Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
Duh! I just realized what may be the source of the discrepancy here
You've been talking in terms of TDEE, but do you realize that MFP uses NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) to calculate calorie goals, which means that your purposeful exercise is not included in it's calculations? When a person uses MFP, it's intended that the activity setting be set according to regular day-to-day activities, and that purposeful exercise be logged separately, which will add extra calories to a person's goal for the day.
You seem to have a system that works for you, so I realize you don't necessarily need this info, but it may be useful to others that come along. 7 -
heh i love that site, dude cracks me up0 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
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My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?3 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
Most of us would consider a nutrient deficiency to be detrimental to our health, so you seem to be using a...unique definition of "unhealthy."8 -
My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
It's not really that it's safe. It's that there is a doctor monitoring your health so if some damage is being done it can be caught before it gets too bad (when a layperson would notice). Often it also means that Rx supplements are being administered to avoid deficiencies and possibly blood work at regular intervals as well.
Unfortunately, some doctors simply don't know much about weight management and give patients arbitrarily low calorie targets with no further monitoring, which is no different than a person randomly choosing to undereat and accepting the risks that come with that.4 -
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
Similarly a doctor and patient may make the conscious decision to accept some risks in an attempt to mitigate other risks.
A personal pet peeve is that in general, I feel that the medical profession seldom fully articulates and describes the risks even when asking for "informed" consent. Of course a lot of that is a patient management issue: it just would take too long to fully educate everyone and have them give truly informed consent and often they would not be able to provide one anyway! So the presentations seem, to me, to sometimes push patients towards making the decisions that have already been deemed best for them!6 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.9
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Being rather new at tracking calories - I just plugged into mfp what I'd like to do and wound up at 1200 cal. I did lose about half the weight that I need to and am about 10 lbs away from my goal weight... here's the kicker, I bumped up my calories this week because I've been so tired lately. It's been a weird week, but I think my body is happier - I'm more in the 1500-1600 range now.
My mistake - plugging in losing 2 lbs a week as my goal. Yes, I'd like to do that - but it's not feasible for me to lose at that rate. ( I wish I could). I'm grateful for the forums and people that give advice - the 1200 cal is calculated by a computer and doesn't take everything into account. It seems much for feasible for me to shoot for .5 lbs a week to ditch the last 10.
This is what I plugged in for it to show I should be consuming 1200 cal daily - 42yo, 5'8" 154 lbs and moderately active. Light workouts 5x a week (I walk a lot).6 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.
Sort of scary for me at 54 going on to 55 to think that in 4 years my maintenance is scheduled to drop by over 1500 Calories! Because at 49 I lost ~72.5lbs eating ~2560 a day, and at 50 another ~11.1 eating close to 2915 a day (+/- a calorie or gram or two).
Absent the inability to do so due to medical reasons, you may want to examine the possibility of both eating more and doing more while losing at a slightly slower rate. It's too late for either of us to worry about never gaining and never losing weight, so I doubt we can emulate the gentleman's example! Take care of yourself and make sure you're not under-eating too much!2 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.
If the minimum MFP will give you is 1200, then you most likely accidentally set your profile to female, as 1500 is the minimum for men.8 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.
If the minimum MFP will give you is 1200, then you most likely accidentally set your profile to female, as 1500 is the minimum for men.
Well MFP won't set a default goal of less than 1500 for men, it will allow men to close out their diaries if they eat at least 1200 calories. So I think that is what he is saying. However it is concerning that he is choosing to eat below 1200 and then having to trick MFP to close his diary.5 -
... there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said ... He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along
Smoking helps maintain weight too. Old people's anecdotes on secrets of long life are as meaningful as lottery winners describing how to get rich.12 -
UGH, mfp gave me 1210 calories/day for 1 lb/wk, I can't do that so doing 1/2 lb/wk2
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Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.
The majority of the caloric "age penalty" is down to body composition (muscle loss) and reduced daily life activity. The good news: We have influence over both.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/
I'm female, 5'5", now weighing mid-130s, sedentary outside of intentional exercise. At age 59, while 150+ pounds, 1200 net (i.e., before eating back exercise cals, which I most certainly did), and severely hypothyroid (treated), 1200 was way too low for me. I admit I'm a good li'l ol' calorie burner . . . but I have a hard time believing that you, as a younger, likely larger, male, ought to go that low.
Sincerely: I'm concerned. Stay strong and healthy . . . or work to get there. Maybe even check in with your doctor: Calorie needs vary, but that's seriously, extremely low, unless you're very small, bedridden or mobility impaired.
Wishing you well! :flowerforyou:
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My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
It's not really that it's safe. It's that there is a doctor monitoring your health so if some damage is being done it can be caught before it gets too bad (when a layperson would notice). Often it also means that Rx supplements are being administered to avoid deficiencies and possibly blood work at regular intervals as well.
Unfortunately, some doctors simply don't know much about weight management and give patients arbitrarily low calorie targets with no further monitoring, which is no different than a person randomly choosing to undereat and accepting the risks that come with that.
Wow, thats quite some statement.
Perhaps the assumption re the Rx supplement in the US is more relevant than to us in the UK.
Dr's here recommend as low as 800 (nutrtionally balanced) calories if the benefits of getting some weight off quickly outweigh the risks. Note I say risks - not known definitely going to happen outcomes which is how it comes across here sometimes. So when we talk about safe, we need to be talking in a more complete context perhaps rather than applying the same to everyone ?
Being overseen by a doctor isnt just about being montitored for potential issues - its also about ensuring that it is appropriate for someone mentally and physically to even try a VLCD in the first place.
I went racing through the pre diabetes criteria and was nudging the T2 in Feb this year. 800 calories NET a day later (I was actually consuming 1500), and apart from still being fat, I am back in the normal ranges for the other diabetic markers (FBG, BP and waist size). My calorie intake is upto 1500 - 2000 and I net in anything between 800 and 1500, depnding on whats going on with life.
I am way more healthy than I was in Feb, I dont have scurvy, I still have my hair and teeth - there's beein an improvement in my skin and hormone balance and my sleep quality has improved immeasurabley. I am also far more inclined to exercise now it doesnt feel like I am dying after the first ten minutes.
In no way am I saying that this means its ok for everyone - it is not. But to hand out the same lines to everyone about 1200 calories being the absolute minimum before serious issues / nutrtional deficiency is probably not qite right either.
Finally, I suspect the proportion of people who struggle with maintenance is similar no matter how the weight was lost - not sure we have much scientifc study to prove it one way or the other ?
This is how VLCD are being introduced in the UK via the NHS - there is lots and lots of good information here and is worth a read for those who are interested in this subject whether you can throw your weight (sorry) behind it or not Info is power !
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#overview
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Not really sure how "I did 1500 total cals monitored by a doctor and as part of a medical treatment" contradicts a statement that 800 total has risks and may need supplementation and should only be done under a doctor's care who can monitor to see if any risks develop. I don't think one's citizenship will change nutritional needs.
One of the issues with 800 is it's really hard to get adequate nutrition, especially if one has not been experienced in thinking about nutrition on low cals. It's not actually the same as 800 net (although 800 net has other issues).
Btw, for me 700 cals would be the equivalent of running around 8 miles a day. I doubt most people who should be on a 800 cal for health risks would be doing that much physical exercise and certainly that too would be important to be monitored. (I realize that you'd burn more from something like walking or running at a higher weight.)6 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
What makes you think that anything you are saying is bringing value to this conversation? Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean it was a wise or healthy decision on your part, and when you try to defend your foolish decisions, it could be encouraging others to make unhealthy decisions as well. So capping your calories at 1200 didn't kill you. Congrats for that. It still wasn't smart regardless of what you think. There is a reason that MFP has a minimum calorie threshold for both men and women, and if you are going to argue against that threshold, you should find another place to do it.12 -
My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
It's not really that it's safe. It's that there is a doctor monitoring your health so if some damage is being done it can be caught before it gets too bad (when a layperson would notice). Often it also means that Rx supplements are being administered to avoid deficiencies and possibly blood work at regular intervals as well.
Unfortunately, some doctors simply don't know much about weight management and give patients arbitrarily low calorie targets with no further monitoring, which is no different than a person randomly choosing to undereat and accepting the risks that come with that.
Along these lines, I was watching an episode from this season's. "My 600 Pound Life". To Dr. Now it was obvious by his patient's lack of weight loss that she was not actually eating 1200 calories. After her not hitting her target weight loss goals for several months while thinking she was following the diet, he put her on a 600 calorie diet. He wanted her to actually eat 1200, and that's what happened.
It's funny watching him spit out the calculations off the top of his head, "You should have lost 50 pounds this month but you only lost 9, so therefore you are actually eating X-Y amount of calories per day."
Note: these patients have very aggressive weight loss targets, but for people their size getting the weight off fast can literally save their lives, so is more important than considerations for people who have much less weight to lose, are not monitored by a medical team, and should therefore lose it slower.4 -
OooohToast wrote: »My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
It's not really that it's safe. It's that there is a doctor monitoring your health so if some damage is being done it can be caught before it gets too bad (when a layperson would notice). Often it also means that Rx supplements are being administered to avoid deficiencies and possibly blood work at regular intervals as well.
Unfortunately, some doctors simply don't know much about weight management and give patients arbitrarily low calorie targets with no further monitoring, which is no different than a person randomly choosing to undereat and accepting the risks that come with that.
Wow, thats quite some statement.
Perhaps the assumption re the Rx supplement in the US is more relevant than to us in the UK.
Dr's here recommend as low as 800 (nutrtionally balanced) calories if the benefits of getting some weight off quickly outweigh the risks. Note I say risks - not known definitely going to happen outcomes which is how it comes across here sometimes. So when we talk about safe, we need to be talking in a more complete context perhaps rather than applying the same to everyone ?
Being overseen by a doctor isnt just about being montitored for potential issues - its also about ensuring that it is appropriate for someone mentally and physically to even try a VLCD in the first place.
I went racing through the pre diabetes criteria and was nudging the T2 in Feb this year. 800 calories NET a day later (I was actually consuming 1500), and apart from still being fat, I am back in the normal ranges for the other diabetic markers (FBG, BP and waist size). My calorie intake is upto 1500 - 2000 and I net in anything between 800 and 1500, depnding on whats going on with life.
I am way more healthy than I was in Feb, I dont have scurvy, I still have my hair and teeth - there's beein an improvement in my skin and hormone balance and my sleep quality has improved immeasurabley. I am also far more inclined to exercise now it doesnt feel like I am dying after the first ten minutes.
In no way am I saying that this means its ok for everyone - it is not. But to hand out the same lines to everyone about 1200 calories being the absolute minimum before serious issues / nutrtional deficiency is probably not qite right either.
Finally, I suspect the proportion of people who struggle with maintenance is similar no matter how the weight was lost - not sure we have much scientifc study to prove it one way or the other ?
This is how VLCD are being introduced in the UK via the NHS - there is lots and lots of good information here and is worth a read for those who are interested in this subject whether you can throw your weight (sorry) behind it or not Info is power !
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#overview
I'm honestly not sure how anything you posted makes my post "quite some statement".
Nothing you posted contradicts that eating less than 1200/1500 consistently is a risk for most if not all. Something being risky or dangerous doesn't mean everyone who does it will suffer some kind of consequences. If someone jumps off a bridge and survives, does that mean it's not right to tell people it's risky to jump off a bridge?
The 800 calorie diabetes diet is A RISK. All the official info I've seen about it clearly states it is a risk, but that you might decide along with your doctor's guidance that it's worth that risk to avoid the greater risks associated with diabetes that you haven't been able to get under control by other means. It's suggested you work with a dietitian to ensure you are getting enough nutrition on such low calories.
If a random internet stranger posts on these boards that they are going to eat 1000 cals per day so they can lose weight faster, and there is no way for me to know for sure what they know or don't, how truthful they are being in their posts, and what underlying conditions they have that they might not even know about, I'm comfortable with this general guideline, and with what I said earlier about VLCDs.10 -
I honestly am not putting much stock in this because I feel there is unreliable (and poorly available) information for US. I see a dietician. I don't know how they decide on these numbers. They don't tell you everything, you have to research and figure out for yourself what's good for you.
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katarina005 wrote: »I honestly am not putting much stock in this because I feel there is unreliable (and poorly available) information for US. I see a dietician. I don't know how they decide on these numbers. They don't tell you everything, you have to research and figure out for yourself what's good for you.
your dietician should be able to walk you through exactly how they determined their recommendations for you and they should review periodically and adjust...if they aren't doing then - then IMHO they are setting you up for failure in the long-run if you can't afford to continue seeing them or something else changes
i use an online nutrition service, not a RD, but the chief science office has a PhD, so i trust him - i get my macros reviewed weekly (sometimes twice weekly by a coach) and we tweak my numbers every 2 to 3 weeks based on feedback. They tell me how they calculate (protein is a fixed number, but they will increase it if you ask; carbs/fat are more dynamics depending on the person)2 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
What makes you think that anything you are saying is bringing value to this conversation? Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean it was a wise or healthy decision on your part, and when you try to defend your foolish decisions, it could be encouraging others to make unhealthy decisions as well. So capping your calories at 1200 didn't kill you. Congrats for that. It still wasn't smart regardless of what you think. There is a reason that MFP has a minimum calorie threshold for both men and women, and if you are going to argue against that threshold, you should find another place to do it.
And worth noting that this poster's profile states, "I don't really care about being 'healthy'".8 -
katarina005 wrote: »I honestly am not putting much stock in this because I feel there is unreliable (and poorly available) information for US. I see a dietician. I don't know how they decide on these numbers. They don't tell you everything, you have to research and figure out for yourself what's good for you.
If your dietician won't explain to you how they do their calculations or answer your questions, then you need to fire them and find someone who will help you understand. You're paying this person to give you professional advice. If they leave you feeling like you have to do your own research, then you're not getting the service you paid for.4 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
What makes you think that anything you are saying is bringing value to this conversation? Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean it was a wise or healthy decision on your part, and when you try to defend your foolish decisions, it could be encouraging others to make unhealthy decisions as well. So capping your calories at 1200 didn't kill you. Congrats for that. It still wasn't smart regardless of what you think. There is a reason that MFP has a minimum calorie threshold for both men and women, and if you are going to argue against that threshold, you should find another place to do it.
And worth noting that this poster's profile states, "I don't really care about being 'healthy'".
Good call out, I hadn't seen that. Just because that poster isn't interested in being healthy, that doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't strive to be.0 -
Menopause women- 1800 calories to maintain/ 1200calories to loose.
Certain ages of children are recommended this number but should be based on age to size of the child my 2yr old sons Dieticians have him on 1200-1400calories a day average 1300+ he’s the size of a 5yr old boy tall y development is at a faster rate than his peers.
This number is meant to be for older women definitely not for breastfeeding moms! Pregnancy! Men! Or younger women who have not reached Peri menopause!
Men -2500 maintain
Regular Female non menopausal- 2000 cal to maintain
Women breastfeeding -2300-2500cal maintain
Menopause 1800 to maintain (1200 to lose)
Children scales based on age y mostly sizes
Anyone missing limbs would consult a doctor for the numbers they should have.
12 -
JRsLateInLifeMom wrote: »Menopause women- 1800 calories to maintain/ 1200calories to loose.
Certain ages of children are recommended this number but should be based on age to size of the child my 2yr old sons Dieticians have him on 1200-1400calories a day average 1300+ he’s the size of a 5yr old boy tall y development is at a faster rate than his peers.
This number is meant to be for older women definitely not for breastfeeding moms! Pregnancy! Men! Or younger women who have not reached Peri menopause!
Men -2500 maintain
Regular Female non menopausal- 2000 cal to maintain
Women breastfeeding -2300-2500cal maintain
Menopause 1800 to maintain (1200 to lose)
Children scales based on age y mostly sizes
Anyone missing limbs would consult a doctor for the numbers they should have.
No, just no. You can't just throw calorie figures out there like this and assume that all people are the same size and have the same needs. This is why MFP has you input your stats before providing a calorie goal. The numbers you quote above may work for some people, but they definitely don't apply to me, nor would they apply to a very large percentage of people on this site.12 -
JRsLateInLifeMom wrote: »Menopause women- 1800 calories to maintain/ 1200calories to loose.
Certain ages of children are recommended this number but should be based on age to size of the child my 2yr old sons Dieticians have him on 1200-1400calories a day average 1300+ he’s the size of a 5yr old boy tall y development is at a faster rate than his peers.
This number is meant to be for older women definitely not for breastfeeding moms! Pregnancy! Men! Or younger women who have not reached Peri menopause!
Men -2500 maintain
Regular Female non menopausal- 2000 cal to maintain
Women breastfeeding -2300-2500cal maintain
Menopause 1800 to maintain (1200 to lose)
Children scales based on age y mostly sizes
Anyone missing limbs would consult a doctor for the numbers they should have.
I'm 53, post-menopausal, athyroid, and lost on 1700 calories and maintain on somewhere between 2000-2300 calories per day. There is no one-sized fits all calorie limit.
6 -
JRsLateInLifeMom wrote: »Menopause women- 1800 calories to maintain/ 1200calories to loose.
Certain ages of children are recommended this number but should be based on age to size of the child my 2yr old sons Dieticians have him on 1200-1400calories a day average 1300+ he’s the size of a 5yr old boy tall y development is at a faster rate than his peers.
This number is meant to be for older women definitely not for breastfeeding moms! Pregnancy! Men! Or younger women who have not reached Peri menopause!
Men -2500 maintain
Regular Female non menopausal- 2000 cal to maintain
Women breastfeeding -2300-2500cal maintain
Menopause 1800 to maintain (1200 to lose)
Children scales based on age y mostly sizes
Anyone missing limbs would consult a doctor for the numbers they should have.
There is no "standard" number of calories that is universally correct for people in these categories. I agree that 1200 is too low for most young women (and many other women who aren't especially young), but it will be necessary for some who are (for example) very petite or bedridden.
And I'm menopausal, not all that big (5'5"), but I lose (not maintain!) on 1800 (net, though slowly; if I ate 1800 gross, I'd lose way too fast for my current size (mid-130s pounds)). Starting off on MFP, well into overweight BMI and already menopausal, 1200 was seriously too low for me, made me lose way too fast, and left me weak and fatigued.
The numbers in the quoted post may be kind of representative, ballpark numbers that are a way to imagine the magnitude of differences between average people in various groups, but they're not useful for setting a personal calorie goal.5
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