1200 calories?

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  • dedgjonator
    dedgjonator Posts: 35
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    Im lucky if I manage 800 calories I day. I feel full but force myself to eat because i know this little amount of calories are very bad. However analysing my diet at the end of the day Im nearly always above recommended amounts of sugar and carbs. Im trying to make better choices but its going to take me a long time to change.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    WOW!
    I eat 1980 Cals Dailey, But I'm also a Runner and I lift weights, My head would be spinning if I ate 1000 /1200cals every day.
    So far I've lost 4 stone in weight and 4 dress sizes - So must be doing something right!

    You have to Fuel a workout!

    I normally eat 1200 calories by noon. I don't know how anyone gets by on that or less for an entire day.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Yes but you also have to understan that every person is different and what works for one may not work for someone else. I eat a 1000 calories to lose weight but to maintain i do eat alot more. At the end end of the day it is what works for you, and being negative doesn't help anybody.

    This sounds like crash dieting to me. If maintenance is so much higher than 1000 calories, why do you feel the need to swing that pendulum so far back and forth?
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
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    The reason why you probably find it hard to eat 1200 cals or more is because you are eating diet food. This kind of food is not healthy. Low fat items and low this and that are not healthy food choices. If you switch to whole food and non-processed foods you shouldn't have a problem reaching your calorie goal.

    The other factor is that with 1200 cals you are definitely not going to be getting a nutrient dense diet with meat, dairy, etc and all those things your body needs. Veggies are healthy sure, but they aren't the only thing your body needs. You most likely aren't getting enough fats or protein if you eat this low in calories.

    On top of that, the reason why you aren't hungry is because your metabolism is very very low. What's happening is that your body is so used to eating that low that if you try and eat more it feels like you are stuffing yourself and you might gain weight. The reason this is a bad thing, and why all these ladies that have posted here to say that they eat so low are not doing the best thing for their body is because if you EVER stop eating a starvation level diet, you will gain weight because yes, you've crashed your metabolism.

    There is help though, you have to do a reefed and eat at maintenance or above for a few weeks. If you do this, you'll be able to eat sooooo much more food and be much more healthy and still lose weight after the reefed.

    A good site is Eat More 2 Lose Weight and they have a lot of info on this topic. I doubt you'll follow my advice but you are welcome to look at my diary (I use calorie cycling so some days I eat 1700 -- my low days, and other days I eat 1900 or 2300 or so). You are welcome to look at my pictures and see that eating this much has not caused me to get fat or prevent me from losing weight. That said, I am very active so that comes into play but if I were to eat 1200 cals, I can tell you that I would NOT be able to be active or build the muscle I have now. All the best.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Im lucky if I manage 800 calories I day. I feel full but force myself to eat because i know this little amount of calories are very bad. However analysing my diet at the end of the day Im nearly always above recommended amounts of sugar and carbs. Im trying to make better choices but its going to take me a long time to change.

    You definitely aren't eating enough and I know from previous posts that the reasons why are because you are a "picky" eater to the extreme. Being near the recommended amounts of sugar and carbs will not make up for a lack of protein and fat in your diet. Based on your previous post, and now this post, I urge you to please seek nutrition advice from an expert.
  • stackhead
    stackhead Posts: 121 Member
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    For me, being 5'2 and 130lbs and a sedentary lifestyle, according to MFP my resting calorie burn is 1,650. Many people will agree that to lose weight you need a calorie deficit of about 500.

    There's the important stat, you're a short, small woman. The OP isn't. Don't apply the same reasoning to what is needed for your weight loss to hers (in terms of calorie level) and tell her that 1200 is fine for her.

    OP - You can lose weight on 1000 calories. You can. You'll lose a lot of muscle though, which means when you get to goal the amount you will have to eat to maintain will be drastically smaller than someone else of equvialent stats. Which further means that you run the risk of gaining a bit when you stop restricting because you won't be aware of the difference in your calorific needs. I also imagine that after a while you'll be tired and cranky and you run the risk of nutritional deficiencies.

    You also run the risk of binging by being so restrictive - I say that without looking at your diary, but I can only assume you've cut alot out of your diet to get so low.

    At 300lbs odd you can easily eat 2000 calories a day and lose at a nice steady pace by eating things like... full fat diary, nuts, using oil when cooking and even *gasp* the occasional chocolate/sweet treat of your choice.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth.

    1200 calories is roughly the basal metabolic rate of a small, inactive woman. Basal meaning the very least that person should be consuming.

    You should be eating more than that... simply because, if you continue to eat too few calories for a prolonged period of time, you will do more harm than good to your body's natural process. Hormones, including ones that regulate your metabolism, will eventually be all out of whack (amongst other things).

    If your calorie allowance is "too much food" for you at the moment, feel free to consume more calorie dense foods to reach it.

    ^^^^This
    ^^^^This
    And more of THIS^^^^^^

    Ladies, please PLEASE eat more than 1000 calories per day, and at the very least 1200. Even a tablespoon of peanutbutter will get you there sometimes.

    And for anyone that is running at less than 1000 calories and has 300 left, cake certainly is an option if it fits in your macros.

    Not one single person on this site is going advise eating more than 1200 to sabotage them or secretly hope they gain weight. We have been around a while and have had experience with what works and what does not. I, for one, was doing the whole 1200 per day, sometimes under, and found myself stalled, in a bad mood and tired all the time. Learning from the people on MFP I came to realize I was not eating enough, so it took a while to wrap my head around it but I raised my calories and BOOM, started losing again. I lost my last 5 lbs I wanted to lose, and I am in my 40s.

    Being thin is one thing, being healthy is another. There is a good deal of damage we can do to ourselves by not giving our bodies the nutrition it desperately craves.
  • CJloves
    CJloves Posts: 6
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    Is it possible that people just eat lots of low calorie foods like I do? I eats lots of food and a lot of it is just low cal, I feel full and I don't want to eat those extra calories all the time. MFP tells you you're not eating enough if you add your workouts and go back up but its not because you haven't eaten enough. If you feel full, you are fine. Your body would tel you if you're hungry so listen to it.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I've been "successfully" using this app for over a year. Most days I eat right under 1000 calories. Today, I actually hit 1200. I don't have the usual eating schedule that other people do because I work 3rd shift. To me, it just doesn't sound healthy to eat just to have met a calorie goal that day. Even when the app tells me to recalculate my calorie goals, I rarely do. I know that if I'm allowed 1500 calories per day, I will not make smart choices past a certain point. I'll just say, "Oh I have 300 calories left to eat... WHERE IS THAT CAKE?!!!?!?!?!" Better to eat less with smart choices.

    Why? If you have the calories left....what's wrong with cake?
  • baileysmom4
    baileysmom4 Posts: 242 Member
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    I tend to think that if you are logging your calories on this site (and have no idea how many calories is in the food you are eating) you never really know for sure if you are getting 1200 calories or 2000 because of the incorrect entries on here. Unless you put every thing you eat on here yourself and know it is correct, I bet you are eating more than 1200 and don't even know it. I think that is why 1200 calorie diets work for newer people to this site. They are really eating more than they think they are! :noway:
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    I've read a ton of articles debunking "starvation mode". Although the authors do acknowledge that having a low-calorie diet can effect your health and metabolism negatively, most agree it will take about a year. For me, being 5'2 and 130lbs and a sedentary lifestyle, according to MFP my resting calorie burn is 1,650. Many people will agree that to lose weight you need a calorie deficit of about 500.

    :noway:

    No. Just...stop. Many people will not agree that a 500 calorie deficit is the magic number that will help you lose weight. I've been on these boards for a long time and I have never heard that here. All you need is a consistent deficit to lose weight. The amount of calories in that deficit are determined by the time period allocated towards losing that weight. You would still lose weight at a 300 calories deficit if you consistently stick to the plan for a longer period of time.

    Also, as another woman said, you are very petite and so your diet would not work for many others.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I've been "successfully" using this app for over a year. Most days I eat right under 1000 calories. Today, I actually hit 1200. I don't have the usual eating schedule that other people do because I work 3rd shift. To me, it just doesn't sound healthy to eat just to have met a calorie goal that day. Even when the app tells me to recalculate my calorie goals, I rarely do. I know that if I'm allowed 1500 calories per day, I will not make smart choices past a certain point. I'll just say, "Oh I have 300 calories left to eat... WHERE IS THAT CAKE?!!!?!?!?!" Better to eat less with smart choices.

    Cake shaming. Reported.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    MFP says I burn 1800 or so calories a day on sedentary life style and say I need a 500 cal deficit..

    I can't do 1300 cals..

    I did get a bodymedia fit and found that on avg day I burn 2600 cals with no exercise and around 3000 with some. They recommend I eat at least 1900 cals a day.. that is 600 more than MFP.. needless to say I am not starving and still have a great deficit.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    Actually...it is more like...If you eat under your BMR you are not getting the things your body needs to function.....this is unhealthy, dangerous and REALLY STUPID.
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
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    MFP says I burn 1800 or so calories a day on sedentary life style and say I need a 500 cal deficit..

    I can't do 1300 cals..

    I did get a bodymedia fit and found that on avg day I burn 2600 cals with no exercise and around 3000 with some. They recommend I eat at least 1900 cals a day.. that is 600 more than MFP.. needless to say I am not starving and still have a great deficit.

    Exactly!!! MFP suggestions are garbage. BMF is a much better gauge. Also, a 500 cal deficit is not good for many people. Personally I prefer a 15% cut off of TDEE. Slower sure, but much more sustainable.
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
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    Is it possible that people just eat lots of low calorie foods like I do? I eats lots of food and a lot of it is just low cal, I feel full and I don't want to eat those extra calories all the time. MFP tells you you're not eating enough if you add your workouts and go back up but its not because you haven't eaten enough. If you feel full, you are fine. Your body would tel you if you're hungry so listen to it.

    It I possible, but it's not healthy. Low cal foods and diet foods are not nutrient dense foods. Veggies are great but your body needs fat and protein too. Fat is essential for regulating hormones and you wont lose fat very well and you wont build muscle very well without it. Diet foods are definitely not healthy (such as low fat this and that and low cal snack packs, etc.)
  • DeltaZero
    DeltaZero Posts: 1,197 Member
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    HOLD THE PHONE.


    HOLD IT.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants




    That wasn't linked in here yet.



    Read it.

    Live it.


    Be a boss.


    And stuff.





    bacon.cake.icecream.oreos.what?
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    I should mention that they have my deficit set for 750.. I avg right around it but I can honestly say I don't every feel like I am starving..If i am hungry, I eat.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    HOLD THE PHONE.


    HOLD IT.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants




    That wasn't linked in here yet.



    Read it.

    Live it.


    Be a boss.


    And stuff.





    bacon.cake.icecream.oreos.what?

    ^^^This...and let me tell you again BACON!~
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    I had a maple bacon chocolate bar the other day...it was a spiritual moment.

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