1,200 calories too low?

Sweet13_Princess

Hello everyone!

I just started myfitnesspal this week and, mathematically it says if I want to go from 180 to 125 pounds by June, that I have to eat 1,200 calories a day. Do you think this is too low?

The reason I'm asking, is that I'm having a difficult time meeting the requirement just eating three times a day, with no snacks! Also, I find that am starving at night time, a couple of hours after supper. As a result, I end up going over the 1,200 calories because I need a late night snack to tide me over before bed.

I'm pretty sedentary during the day.... I'm a high school English teacher. However, I go to the gym about 4-6 days a week and do a cardio/weights workout each day.

Let me know what you think!

Shannon

H_82

I'm not sure what foods you've been eating....are you eating any of your exercise calories? I usually don't eat ALL of mine, but I do dip into them the majority of the time.

missyhse

If you go to the gym that frequently make sure you are eating your exercise calories too, if you don't your deficit is too high and not healthy.

ashlee954

1200 NET cals is typically the minimum a woman should eat. This means 1200 cals on top of anything burned through exercise. If you are hungry eat back your exercise calories. The deficit to lose weight has already been created by MFP when you set your goals. Exercise is just an added bonus. If your goal is set at the minimum of 1200 and you are burning 500 then you should probably eat some of those cals back, as you do not want to slow your metabolism and ultimately impede your weight loss.

sanrog

I am at 1200 calories a day and at first it did seem to low but I have learned to eat low calorie choices so I can eat more. I usually eat 3 meals and have enough left for a snack at night. I also make sure to exercise everyday so I can have more to eat. I usually eat most of my exercise calories and I am still losing.

jdsouthernbelle

1200 is really the minimun you should be eating.

I eat at least 4 times a day...sometimes 5. I have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, sometimes an afternoon snack and dinner around 7.

It is better to eat several times a day ....smaller meals....that way you don't feel like you are "starving"

If you are exercising 4-6 xs a week...you should probably be eating back some of your exercise calories to bring you back up to the 1200 for the day.

SHBoss1673

this may help.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

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ErinMarie25

I eat 1340 a day. 1200 is minimum. I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and then dinner. Sometimes I will have sugar free jello after dinner if I am feeling a little hungry.

End6ame

I found MFP to use the lowest end of the spectrum when determining weight loss calories. Use the Mifflin equation (calculator link below) it has generally been determined to be the most accurate of the formulas out there. Subtract 20% from you maintenance calories and you should be good. I would not go below 30% of maintenance though; the 1200 as bare minimum is just a rough guideline.

http://www.diet-blog.com/05/how_to_calculate_your_daily_calorie_needs.php

Juliane_

I think it depends on your body. I know for me I'm only 5 feet and for my frame 1200 is more than enough. I have done weight watchers so 1200 calories for me seems like a lot of food for now. You can eat a lot of food on a net 1,200 a day. It just depends on where your calories are coming from.

yakoali

1200 seems too low. Besides 1.72 lbs a week which is what you have to lose to be at 125 on June 1 is a bit too fast in my opinion. I wouldn't aim for more than 1.5 lbs a week, otherwise you will be losing too much lean body mass in addition to fat and slowing down your metabolism.
The way I go about my calories is I calculate my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) including workouts and subtract about 20% from it. This becomes my daily calorie goal. Then I divide it into 5 meals (normal meals, not snacks) - not equally but in such a way that my lightest meal is dinner. So far this worked as a clock - 1.5 lbs per week (which is still too high, I may need to increase my calories) and I am never hungry. Then I enter these custom goals into MFP.
MFP guided calculator gave me about 400 calories a day less then what my own calculated goal is and put me below my basal metabolic rate which is never advisable. It also thinks that I'd be losing only 168 calories during one 30 minute cardio and in reality I lose about 400 calories during 30 minute cardio. And then when it breaks down your calories it's too low on protein and too high on fat in my opinion.
You can find a TDEE calculator online - just google it. Good luck!

alska

thats how many cals it set for me. yesterday i did great .. n i had cals left over!! but today lol i don't think i will make it. i think i'm going to go over it

i have 759 cals left for dinner/snack .. my dinner comes to 780 cals .. so its not that much over .. n i won't eat a snack .. which is ok .. i didn't eat one yesterday.

i just started yesterday

katiegreaterthan3

I think that maybe you have set yourself too high of a goal to reach in too short of a time. You should probably stick to no less than 1400 a day and then supplement also with exercise but dont add more calories to it for exercising. Real life is not the Biggest Loser where you lose 100lbs in 6months. Slow and steady is the best and then you dont end up with that nasty baggy skin.

Sweet13_Princess

Thanks for all of the great ideas everyone. I think part of my problem is that I was thinking the 1,200 calories was total calories, regardless if you exercised or not. I wasn't getting the idea of NET calories, which factors in how much you burn while exercising and actually opens up the doorway for a small snack (at least for me).

It's been about a week now since I started and I think I'm finally starting to make the adjustment. I wasn't starving today, although I do feel a little tired. I'm going to give it another week and see how it goes.

I do know that my biggest expenditure is breakfast. I have been eating nutri-grain bars forever and I am sick of them, so I switched to Strawberry Pop-Tarts which are my favorites. I don't believe they have much nutritional value, but they sure taste good!*LOL* At 410 for two, I definately have to switch to something else when I run out. If I can slim down breakfast, I think it will help me in other areas of my day.

As for my goal being to aggressive, I'm in agreement. However, I would like to keep it that and see how close I can get. If I can meet 130-135 I'd probably be happy and my wedding gown would probably fit nicer.

Shannon

juliasmadre

I'm not sure if you like cereal, but I've found that shredded mini-wheats (frosted) are a great option for me. With milk its about 200 calories, and it fills me up for a long time with all of the fiber! I love breakfast food and I have struggled to find ways to slim down that first meal (my fav was waffles with lots of syrup and butter:)....so I know what you are going through! Also yogurt is a great breakfast food too. Good luck! I'm trying to lose weight for my sister's wedding in June as well:)

katiegreaterthan3

Keeping your calories low and still staying full also have a lot to do with WHAT you eat. Remember that fiber and protein keep you fuller longer and cholestoral slows the absorption process providing you with more time before your body cries out "IM HUNGRY!" Make sure that the foods you eat are high in fiber and protein and have some fat/cholestoral. You will notice a huge difference. Knocking out those simple sugars like nutrigrain bars and fast absorbing grains, pop-tarts, instant oatmeal, etc and supplementing with no added sugar, complex carbs will boost your metabolism and energy. For breakfast I usually have an apple, 2% string cheese and 8oz of soy milk.

amakenm

I wouldn't go lower than 1200 for more than a day or two. I like to do a light day (under 1500, I'm 6'3") a couple of times a week, I just feel better. Agree with Katie, I generally have 1 or 2 organic eggs (raw or fried), 3-4 oz of canned red salmon (w bones n skin), 2 tbsp of organic coconut oil, 2 tsp cod liver oil. Really filling. I'm good till lunch and frequently have to force myself to eat. I alternate salmon with a vegetarian whole food optimizer shake, and on rare occasions will have organic oatmeal with a little stevia (my new ice cream). If I eat raw natural foods, I can eat more, feel fuller with less cravings, and be healthier. I usually keep my total sugar under 10 grams a day, and don't miss it at all anymore.

AmberHeartsDisney

i think you need to add more fiber to your diet.

Sweet13_Princess

Again, thanks for the ideas everyone! I'm going to try pulling in some healthier breakfast options. I think it will keep me from feeling hungry all day. I just purchased oatmeal bars, which appear to be a bit healthier than the nutrigrain and pop-tarts I was eating earlier. I can't really cook at my desk, so it has to be something on the go. If I get a good deal on protein bars, I might go with some of them.

The 1200 calories isn't too bad, now that my body has adjusted. I didn't factor in the net calorie idea, but now that I have additional calories left over after exercising that I can eat, it really helps!

I got off track over Halloween because we had guests staying with us, but starting today it's back to the old grind!:-D

Shannon