Should I be eating my full 1200 calories?

SherryTeach

Most likely NO. You should calculate your BMR and make sure your net calories is not below that.

I really wish people would stop saying this.

BMR is just how many calories you burn laying in bed all day. Not some magic minimum number your body "needs".

At about 100 over weight my BMR is ~2000 calories. I eat a net of 1700-1810 a day to lose 2lbs a week.

To answer the OP. Unless you are very short and close to your goal you need to eat at least 1200 NET calories.

I think you are mistaken about what BMR means. While you are lying in that bed, your heart is beating, respiration is occurring, blood cells are forming, your brain is trying to grow neurons. . . all sorts of things are happening in there. All of those processes require energy in the form of the BMR calories.

Tevajane

My response to this is to not focus on the calorie count so much but pay attention to what it is that you are eating. If eating low calorie vegetables is your preference go for it. Eat nutrient dense foods that benefit your health. Most of the Vitamins in vegetables benefit your body more when they are eaten with a healthy Monounsaturated fat. They need it to be absorbed in the digestive system. Do some research on eating whole foods or Google Paleo Diet. There is a lot of information and studies to back up their claims. So far eating like this is working for me and I love to cook so it was important that I start making choices that taste great but will make a difference in my overall health. I started by doing some elimination of certain items in my diet, like dairy, and sugar. I can make great substitutions that have more nutrients and keep the flavor and consistency that I have learned to enjoy over the years. I think the hardest thing to eliminate from my diet has been grains. But I am finding interesting replacements that are great. The recipes in the Paleo books are flavorful, filling and contain nutrient dense foods.

Billswife2011

I tried to eat 1200 calories per day for one week, thinking that was the way to go. Mind you, I work out five to six days a week and my workouts are about 600 calories per workout for Zumba and I am doing the C25K three days a week and that helps me burn like 120 per workout. Long story short. I did not lose any weight, but I find that I lose weight when I eat more. I try to have a net calorie intake of about 1444 per day.

jess135177

Well first off 1200 calories is very low. Maybe figure out your TDEE and go from there. Like others have said add fat to your diet, avocados, olive oil and peanut butter are calorie dense and delicious!
I eat a lot more calories than you, especially on days I workout. I don't always eat all the calories allotted for the day, and some days I go over. For me, it all evens out throughout the week. Somedays I'm very hungry and somedays I'm not.
But ABSOLUTELY eat at LEAST 1200 calories.

molonlabe762

ABSOLUTELY

deksgrl

You eat your 1200 PLUS more on days you exercise.