1,200 - but what if you're eating good food?

randomtai

Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

You should ask your doctor.

Than decide what you want.

Who's most? :huh:

The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

In for the hyperbole.

Scoot over!

brower47

I know the general consensus is that 1,200 is far too low for the majority of people.

I think people only thinks that's the general consensus because it's a popular mantra among many prolific posters. I'm pretty sure that a good portion of this site's users know, and some of us will even speak up and say, that 1200 for someone with excess body fat is usually fine, which is why MFP uses it as a floor.

I think only people think that's the general consensus because it's difficult to get all of your micros on a diet of 1200 calories and it doesn't leave much if any room for nutrient sparse foods that most people love. It's also an insufficient amount of energy for most active people. I'm pretty sure that a good portion of this site's users know, and most of use will even speak up and say that most people, except the obese, should not attempt a 1200 calorie diet without a very nutrient intense diet. Most of us will say that because we actually care about your overall health in the long term instead of pushing terrible advice that could harm health and negatively affect adherence.

Mr_Knight

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

There are many contexts where that is actually true - that a deluxe pizza is more of what your body needs than a baked chicken breast.

k8blujay2

To the OP. Personally, I think it depends on what your goals are. I could not do a 1200 calorie diet regardless of it's composition because it's too few calories for me. I also don't see a problem with treats on occasion either, it keeps me from craving and binging later which would derail my goals far faster than if I account for them in the first place. It doesn't make either better or worse, just different.

jwooley13

I don't know your height and weight stats, but 1200 may very well be just fine for you. Be sure and make sure you're getting a good amount of fat and protein though. If you wind up needing more calories to hit those macros, then definitely up your calorie count.

When I was on 1200, I had to let myself have more cheat meals because I was feeling pretty deprived a lot of the time. When I went up to 1450, I almost never had a cheat meal and so my weekly net loss wound up being about the same, except I felt a lot better about myself.

It's personal preference, but be sure you're still fueling your body with what it needs!

k8blujay2

Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

You should ask your doctor.

Than decide what you want.

Who's most? :huh:

The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

In for the hyperbole.

Scoot over!

I haz room.

WinoGelato

I know the general consensus is that 1,200 is far too low for the majority of people. But is this still the case if somebody is eating a great diet? This would consist of no "treats" but tonnes of veg, nuts, seeds, pulses.
I find when home cooking a meal, it's so easy for a BIG meal to be under 400 calories when all the ingredients are completely natural. Plus dairy is kept to an absolute bare minimum (soon to be none) and meat isn't in my diet (ethical reasons).
Surely this is better than an 1,800 calorie a day diet with a treat or 2? Or is it not?
And also people say that it's not a happy way to live and hard to keep up - but how can it be when you're eating two or 3 BIG meals a day and then a snack too?!

Ok, let's talk about the bolded part. Suppose you do eat 1200 calories a day of a great diet, and 1200 is your calorie goal. Suppose my calorie goal is 1800. I eat 1200 calories of the same exact great diet that you do, then fill in the remaining 600 calories with whatever foods fit into my calorie, macro, and micro goals. How would the 1200 calorie diet "better" than the 1800 calorie diet? If you are claiming that you are able to get adequate nutrition on your 1200 calorie great diet, then all my nutrition needs would also be met from the 1200 calorie great diet portion of my intake, right?

^^stop with your logic and common sense!

Also, I saw the thread last week in which deluxe pizza was deemed "heathier" than baked chicken breast. The expanded context, since taking things out of context makes it difficult to paint an accurate picture, is that baked chicken breast provides primarily one type of macro - protein. On the other hand, deluxe pizza provides carbohydrates, fats, and protein in the form of crust, sauce, cheese, vegetables, and meat toppings. A a component of the whole day's intake, pizza could easily be deemed the better choice compared to chicken if one has worked it into their daily calorie allotment.

WinoGelato

Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

You should ask your doctor.

Than decide what you want.

Who's most? :huh:

The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

In for the hyperbole.

Scoot over!

Make room for me!
A piece or two of deluxe pizza will, in all likelihood, provide more nutrition than a chicken breast would. Neither is bad, or good, or better or whatever.

Is there room for me and my dog? We have pizza!!

And lots of ice cream...

BombshellPhoenix

Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

You should ask your doctor.

Than decide what you want.

Who's most? :huh:

The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

In for the hyperbole.

Scoot over!

Make room for me!
A piece or two of deluxe pizza will, in all likelihood, provide more nutrition than a chicken breast would. Neither is bad, or good, or better or whatever.

Is there room for me and my dog? We have pizza!!

And lots of ice cream...

In! I'll bring the Talenti sea salt caramel pops!

diannethegeek

Here's the chicken vs. pizza thread for those who missed it last week: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1394222-be-smart-don-t-fall-for-fads-and-scams

It's not that there's no difference between spinach and potato chips or pizza and chicken breast, but that they can all be part of a healthy diet when you look at the whole picture. Context matters. A diet of only spinach would leave you deficient in various nutrients just as a diet of only potato chips would. It's the overall diet that matters, not the individual foods that make it up.

WinoGelato

Sounds like we've got a MFP potluck going...I'll bring the potato chips! Or the spinach. I can't tell the difference.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

nicsflyingcircus

I know the general consensus is that 1,200 is far too low for the majority of people.

I think people only thinks that's the general consensus because it's a popular mantra among many prolific posters. I'm pretty sure that a good portion of this site's users know, and some of us will even speak up and say, that 1200 for someone with excess body fat is usually fine, which is why MFP uses it as a floor.

Chiming in as one of those people with excessive body fat. I -try- to consistently eat 1300ish these days. I was on 1200 (or I will admit, somewhat lower, but not extremely so) . I get 125g+ of protein daily, 40+ of fat, 25ish of fiber and the rest is carbs(yes I know fiber is carbs). I am slowly working my way up to eating more! If my weight loss looks good on 1300ish for two more weeks, then I will up to 1400 and etc.

I have been eating sub BMR for 4 months, BUT (and it's a big FAT butt, lol) I started at a BMI of 54. That's right, fat as fat can be. 375.3 lbs on a 5'9" woman. Through my journey I have been educating myself and my "diet" (what I eat, not what I am doing) has improved. And yes, I still eat out. In the past 10 days, I've had chick fil a, Five Guys, Logan's Roadhouse, Moe's and mexican at lunch with a friend. Oh, and ice cream, chocolate(almost daily) and birthday cake!

For people with not much to lose, or who don't pay attention to their macro and micro-nutrients, 1200 is not likely the best bet.

CyberEd312

Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

You should ask your doctor.

Than decide what you want.

Who's most? :huh:

The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

In for the hyperbole.

Scoot over!

Make room for me!
A piece or two of deluxe pizza will, in all likelihood, provide more nutrition than a chicken breast would. Neither is bad, or good, or better or whatever.

I want a seat on this bench too, been modding here for quite awhile and can't recall ever hearing Most MFP posters saying that there is no difference between potato chips and spinach... but maybe I overlooked these posts.. I am one who has always voiced there are no good or bad foods except maybe foods we as individual may just not like would be the only ones I can see that we would avoid. But in the same breathe I have always added "are there more nutritious foods then other, well that is a no brainer but it does not mean you can't balance out your meal plan to fit in the foods you do enjoy....

WinoGelato

Here's the chicken vs. pizza thread for those who missed it last week: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1394222-be-smart-don-t-fall-for-fads-and-scams

It's not that there's no difference between spinach and potato chips or pizza and chicken breast, but that they can all be part of a healthy diet when you look at the whole picture. Context matters. A diet of only spinach would leave you deficient in various nutrients just as a diet of only potato chips would. It's the overall diet that matters, not the individual foods that make it up.

I forgot which specific thread that was on, and now that you linked it, I wish I could forget again. What a freaking train wreck that was.

RGv2

I know the general consensus is that 1,200 is far too low for the majority of people.

I think people only thinks that's the general consensus because it's a popular mantra among many prolific posters. I'm pretty sure that a good portion of this site's users know, and some of us will even speak up and say, that 1200 for someone with excess body fat is usually fine, which is why MFP uses it as a floor.

And far too many posters don't discern between eating 1200+working off 600 for a net of 600, or eating 1800 working off 600 and netting 1200. Or sometimes the OP points out they are netting 1200 (which is fine for them), and others pile on completely ignoring it.

lemurcat12

The pizza vs. chicken hypothetical (the chicken was not specified as "baked" or even "roasted" (which is how I normally cook my chicken), nor was it specified as breast) is from a recent thread. Not that any of that matters--it might shock and horrify Kalikel, but it's also perfectly possible to think that a roasted skin on, bone in thigh or leg is healthier in a particular context than a skinless, boneless breast, however cooked.

With respect to the pizza, the point was made that how healthy a particular food is depends on the overall diet and what else is eaten, and there are contexts in which pizza (which had been identified as some kind of "cheat" food)--and in particular, homemade pizza--would be preferable from a health context than chicken.

One obvious such example is when your diet is lower than you like on vegetables or carbs.

This is not super complicated.

It also obviously does not support the claim made about most people in this thread. Indeed, the point in part was that there ARE differences between chicken and deluxe pizza (deluxe pizza contains all three macros and vegetables, by definition) and that which was preferable depends on what you are looking for. If low on protein, high on carbs, go with the chicken. If low on vegetables and fiber, a pizza on a whole wheat crust with lots of vegetables might well be a better bet.

I get that everyone understands this, but since I remember the other thread, figured I'd give the background.

Edit: I see that was already covered more than adequately!