Is consuming 1200 calories a day too little?

LauraPH7
LauraPH7 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
At the moment, since losing weight, my BMR is 1656 on the Fit2Fat tools, and 1536 (MFP). For the past month, I've been eating approximately 1200 calories a day. However, yesterday, I wasn't very hungry at all, and only managed 850 which I know is terrible. It left me with a crazy headache this morning. I've eaten some scrambled eggs and the headache is still there. I do have hypothyroid so I'm not sure if that makes any difference

Over the past month, I've gotten myself in a routine of eating 1200, and am now used to it...but I'm worried this may be too little for me. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode.

Also, should I eat back all of the calories that I burn during workouts?

Replies

  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I do 1200 calories a day and I'm fine with it...but I don't work out. At 1200 calories a day you should eat back whatever you burned off .

    I've read on here that 1200 calories is way to low and it's unhealthy. When I had a psysical 2 months ago I asked my doctor and he said it was fine as long as I felt ok and wasn't getting headaches or feeling tired.

    My advice is to check with your doctor. It seems like 1200 might be way to low for you. 850 is crazy low - don't do that again! lolol
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
    Yes, 1200 is too little for you. You should not be eating below your BMR - it's the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function. If you're working out, you'll need to eat more calories on top of that to fuel your body! Here's an excellent resource to figure out how much you should be eating:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Hope this helps :)
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    Your BMR is how many calories your body would use if you didn't get out of bed. It's the number required to support basic life functions.

    What did Fat2Fit's BMR calculator tell you you should be consuming? I've generally had great success using their numbers. I set my daily intake to their "sedentary" number, then made sure to eat back at least half of my exercise calories. This puts me at 1800-2000 on heavy workout days and 1650 on rest days.
  • Snapshotgirl
    Snapshotgirl Posts: 57 Member
    I am eating 1200 calories a day but I'm middle aged and every single pound is a fight to the death. I think it depends on your goals and how much you need to lose and also your age. I started eating at 1450 calories a day and plenty of exercise, lost some weight, stalled and so I dropped down to 1200. The weight has started to come off again. However, I don't intend to ever go less than 1200 calories, that's just unhealthy.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    starvation mode.


    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
    No such thing....

    And yes, 1200 is too little for most anyone out there.
  • wertgirlfor
    wertgirlfor Posts: 161 Member
    I'm only going off my experience, because I started out eating 1200 a day and feeling crappy all the time, then I did my BMR and ended up with something around yours (~1400-1500). Once I started eating at or slightly above my BMR (I actually did 20% less than my TDEE) I not only felt better, I started losing weight fairly consistently each week.
    So yes, you should be eating more, and if you are using the MFP tools to determine your daily calorie goal, you should eat back half if not all of your exercise calories back. However, if you use the TDEE method like I did, you would not eat the calories back.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    It depends. Are you a adult that holds down a job, runs a household and exercises several times a week? Then yes, 1200 is too low. You should definitely be eating back you exercise calories because if you aren't then you aren't getting 1200/a day. You are probably getting more like 800-1000/day. If your BMR is around 1600 then to maintain your weight you would probably need to eat around 2000 calories a day so to lose weight drop that by 200-300 calories a day and that is about what you should be eating.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Over the past month, I've gotten myself in a routine of eating 1200, and am now used to it...but I'm worried this may be too little for me. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode.

    Also, should I eat back all of the calories that I burn during workouts?

    Starvation mode.....largely myth. It takes a long time (and hard work) to screw up your metabolism

    MFP as designed expects you to eat calories back because they gave you a deficit BEFORE exercise. Making the deficit larger puts you more at risk for losing fat+muscle. If you want a lower body fat %.....you need a deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight you need to lose. For example, morbidly obese can have higher deficits (don't need to eat calories back).....but close to goal....you don't have near the reserves.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Man I like 1800 calories alone last night after I got home from the gym.....
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,491 Member
    Over the past month, I've gotten myself in a routine of eating 1200, and am now used to it...but I'm worried this may be too little for me. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode.

    Also, should I eat back all of the calories that I burn during workouts?

    Starvation mode.....largely myth. It takes a long time (and hard work) to screw up your metabolism

    MFP as designed expects you to eat calories back because they gave you a deficit BEFORE exercise. Making the deficit larger puts you more at risk for losing fat+muscle. If you want a lower body fat %.....you need a deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight you need to lose. For example, morbidly obese can have higher deficits (don't need to eat calories back).....but close to goal....you don't have near the reserves.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    GFT
    However, OP, you REALLY need to get those sodium levels down. You are way over almost every day and I suspect your body is holding water like a sponge. From your ticker, it looks like you are still in the obese category so the 1200 is probably fine, but YES you have to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories. Even obese, your body will resist dropping fat if you are not eating enough calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    If you are using the MFP method, and especially if you are eating 1200, you should eat back a portion of your exercise calories. I typically do about two-thirds (I don't eat 1200 currently, though), and it seems to be on target. I eat more when I trust the calorie count, less when I don't.

    Also, I don't think it matters whether you eat more or less than your estimated BMR, but you don't want an overly aggressive deficit. Whether your deficit is too aggressive will depend on a variety of things, like cut from your estimated TDEE (in other words, the calories you'd need to maintain) and how much you have to lose. The issue isn't starvation mode, but minimizing metabolic adaptation and muscle loss as much as possible and also just having a sustainable diet over time and feeling good enough to make progress on your exercise and fitness goals, whatever they may be. I'm trying to train myself run and bike farther and faster, and I know if I were eating 1200 and not eating exercise calories that would not be possible for me, nor would I be able to make strength gains, etc.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), NOT your BMR. It includes the exercise beyond laying in bed. It has GOT to be higher than your BMR. Here is one calculator, estimate your activity level for a given week

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    my BMR is 1656 on the Fit2Fat tools, and 1536 (MFP).

    Then figure out your calorie deficit from the TDEE.
  • IsaCaliBel
    IsaCaliBel Posts: 99 Member
    Personally that seems too low.
    I'm at 1360 and I DO eat back most of my workout calories.

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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Depends on how short you are.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    i would say you should eat below your BMR - accurate tracking is the most important thing

    eat your BMR and TRACK EVERYTHING and if that doesn't work you are most likely tracking wrong and need to accurately weigh things
  • farmerpam1
    farmerpam1 Posts: 402 Member
    I guess it depends on you. How tall, how old, how active? I'm middle aged, short and very active. I would have to be in bed all day to live on1200. I did try it at first, but my body needed more. I focused on more protein, weighing everything. I shouldn't be tired or hungry, I shouldn't be lightheaded when backpacking or cycling. I upped my calories and am still losing, I stopped thinking less is more. I need the fuel to keep active. Listen to your body, make some adjustments as you go, you shouldn't be starving or tired , you need the energy to live it up! Remember, it's a lifestyle change, not a "diet". :flowerforyou:
  • sseqwnp
    sseqwnp Posts: 327 Member
    Yes, 1200 is too little for you. You should not be eating below your BMR - it's the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function. If you're working out, you'll need to eat more calories on top of that to fuel your body! Here's an excellent resource to figure out how much you should be eating:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Hope this helps :)

    True when you're in shape. Not true when you're fat.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    i would say you should eat below your BMR - accurate tracking is the most important thing

    eat your BMR and TRACK EVERYTHING and if that doesn't work you are most likely tracking wrong and need to accurately weigh things
    You should not eat below your BMR without specific direction from a trained health professional. BMR is what you need to live.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    BMR is not some magic level to never eat below, nor is it the basis for calculating deficits. Sedentary lifestyles put a person at about 120% of BMR ... so (BMR * 1.2) - daily deficit = daily caloric goal.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    Man I like 1800 calories alone last night after I got home from the gym.....
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    You are my hero!

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