The big 1200 vs. 1500 calorie debate!

Natasha7t2

Ok, so here is some info about why it might be better to lose weight on a daily calorie allowance of around 1400 or 1500. It's all about the metabolism:

"You should never follow a diet of few than 1200 calories for more than 2 weeks as this would result in your body holding on to your fat to protect you against future starvation. You would then lose muscle instead of fat. This is why crash diets don't work, because if you follow them for longer than 2 weeks your body's metabolic rate could slow down to conserve energy.
Muscle is energy-hungry tissue and needs calories to sustain it, whereas fat requires very little energy. So, if you give your body sufficient calories to meet its basic needs (around 1400 - 1500 calories a day for women and 1700 - 1800 for men, depending on your age and current weight), your body will not think it's starving and tick over very happily.
However, by reducing your food intake by a further 200 or 300 calories, down to 1200 calories, for just a couple of weeks, you will see a dramatic fall in weight, as, in effect, you take the body by surprise. But if you were to continue on the lower calorie level after two weeks your rate of weight loss would slow down considerably. That is why, after week two, you should increase to 1500 calories a day.
So, a daily calorie allowance of around 1400-1500 would sustain your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and cause your energy supply to fall short of its needs by about 600 calories a day. As these calories have to be found from somewhere, 600 calories worth of body fat gets burned up as emergency fuel to make up the difference.
You can reintroduce the 1000 - 1200 calories a day for a week or two every couple of months if you can cope with it. If you can, your rate of progress will be amazing, but it's important that you do not stay on it for longer than two weeks at a time...."

sarah829522

Interesting. My endocrinologist told me I wouldn't lose until I got down to 1200-1300 calories because of my IR. I think that formula for normal people will work. It just doesn't for me. As proven by the fact from October-May I lost 3 pounds. THREE. Despite using the BodyMedia arm band, tracking what I ate, working out with a trainer 2x's week and three days on my own and putting my body in a 500-1000 caloric deficit EVERY SINGLE DAY...my weight didn't start dropping until I took it to 1280-1300 cals. And now it's melting off of me.

paperpromisesx3

BUMP

Obstinate07

I have actually experience this recently. When I stick to the 1200 calories limit for more than a week, I drop only a couple of ounces. But when I increase my calories to 1300-1400, I lose a pound or two more. Your explanation was actually helpful for me to understand why this has been happening and not feel guilty when I eat over the recommended 1200 calories.

ChantalGG

I just upped my calories to 1500 and the scale has started moving down again after 1 and 1/2 months of bouncing up 2 down one at 145lbs and only eating 1200 calories. I have been enjoying my treats again. oh yeah i have also exercised way less the past week and a half. Went for every day to 2 to 3 times a week. As soon as this stops working i will change it up again. but i actually want to start building my muscles so whole diet and workout with change.

Kagard11

Makes sense!

MichelleF81

It's a bit of a generalization in my view, also I like to see statements like this backed up with cold hard facts. I've been on 1200 cals a day for a month and my weight loss hasn't stalled or slowed, it's been steady and consistent. I think it's sooo important to read a range of opinions, facts, research and reach your own conclusions rather than read one article and think 'oh it must be true'.

nikkit321

interesting - thanks

littlemili

I eat 1200, sometimes less, rarely eat back any exercise calories, have been doing this since March and have lost 25lbs and some weeks as much as 4lbs (3 last week). Stop trying to make rules for everyone!! Obviously different bodies have different needs. I am doing great eating 1200 max a day, losing consistently at a healthy rate despite having a normal BMI and I think a lot of people on 1500 would be envious of that progress.

CARNAT22

I will only ever eat 1200 cals on the rare days I take zero exercise at all. I am normally between 1300 - 1500 per day (I eat back exercise calories!)

ljbhill

I have been on 1200 calories for 7 months. In the first 5 months, I continually lost. I gave myself a cheat day on weekends and always ate back all my exercise calories. It's only in the last 2 months that I've stopped losing and that's because I'm close to goal and haven't been as strict. I'm going to mix it up with zig zagging now. The 1200 worked for me but everyone is different.

Just my two cents

MaxandHenrysMom

I think it really depends on the person's body-- height, starting weight, and frame. I've been eating 1200 (often less) and working out for about 10 weeks and have lost weight and lowered my body fat consistently. And I feel healthy and stronger. I'm small - 5'2" and small boned. I'm also 42 years old. My maintenace calories are likely to be right around 1500 calories, so 1200 is just right for sensible weight loss. Each person should listen to his/her body to find what works best.

psuLemon

This is from another one of these threads but has a good explanation. This post is by Kapeluza.

"We’ve all seen the countless threads and posts about starvation mode. Many contain a lot of misinformation and apply the concept too broadly. It’s my aim to clear up some misconceptions (of both believers and non-believers). I’m going to try to keep this simple and straightforward and easily understandable.

What is Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode – aka survival mode, famine response, adaptive thermogenesis

Starvation mode is a reaction to inadequate energy. If your food intake is too low to meet energy requirements, the body starts accessing inside sources. It will attempt to access fat stores first, and in the highest proportion. If you have a lot of fat stores, most of the energy will come from fat, and a little from muscle. If you have less fat stores, most will still come from fat, but a higher percentage will come from lean tissue, such as muscles. The leaner you get, the more difficult it is for the body to access fat quickly.

When the body perceives intake to be too low and energy stores (fat) to be inadequate for making up the difference quickly, it begins to compensate to prolong survival. First, it slows metabolism (the rate at which you use energy.) If intake continues to be too low, it then begins to access muscle, because it is easier and faster. The loss of lean tissue further slows metabolism. If this cycle continues for a significant period, at the right levels, it results in an ever-decreasing metabolism. This means a person can eat less and less (to a point), and still have slow or no weight loss because the body’s energy requirements have decreased. Remember that total energy requirements include BMR, daily activity and purposeful exercise.

Who is at Risk?
Most people with large amounts of fat stores are not at risk of starvation mode. This is usually women over 35% body fat and men over 25% body fat, but there is no exact point. They have sufficient energy stores to supplement the body’s needs for energy (however, they still have other needs that must be met, such as vitamins and minerals). The closer a person is to a healthy BMI, the higher risk and consequences of starvation mode.

When Does it Happen?
It doesn’t happen by skipping a meal or even a whole day or at 1200, 1000, or any other random cal number. Typically, metabolism will begin to decrease after about 72 hours of significantly inadequate intake. But this is dependent on the individual’s specific situation – what the energy requirements are, how much fat they have, and the exact level of intake. The loss of lean tissue begins sometime later. It could be days, weeks or months. It may be at 1200 for one person, and 2000 for another. Again, it depends on the individual and will be a different point for everyone.

Then Why are Anorexics Skinny?
Anorexics were “normal” weight at some point. They began decreasing intake and using up fat stores. How long this takes depends, again, on energy requirements and actual intake. The body has a “range” in which it feels comfortable accessing fat, without decreasing metabolism too much or burning too much muscle. As an average, this is between 250 and 1000 calories below maintenance requirements. When you drop below this range, the body begins starvation mode reactions. Anorexics WERE in starvation mode at some point – but they continued to decrease intake. There is a level of extreme calorie restriction and lack of fat stores at which starvation mode turns into actual starvation. The body is adaptable, but it has its limits. At this point, the body has no choice but to burn everything – fat, muscle, organs, hair, skin, etc - simply to sustain bodily functions. Severe anorexia is the result of continuous extreme calorie restriction and malnutrition (typically below 500 cals). You can try it their way. But remember, a lot of them develop horrible diseases from malnutrition and many of them die.

But Some People Claim You GAIN Weight in Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode itself will not cause weight gain. However, a combination of starvation mode, binges, and carb loading, can cause weight gain. Once the metabolism decreases, your energy requirements are lower. So you have to eat less just to maintain your current weight. The body has become more efficient at using and storing energy. But most people have a hard time maintaining a very low intake consistently for long periods. So if your typical intake is 1000 (just an example), but you have occasional binges of 3000 and the binge is mostly carbs, the body can’t use all of that at one time anymore. So the body shuttles it to fat storage. This won’t be a huge gain, but a lb or two a month maybe. It’s not dramatic, but if someone lives this way for years, they can gain a decent amount of weight. "

psuLemon

Here is some other research I have done. Hope you enjoy. But a quick jist. i could easily lose 10 lbs if I dropped my caloric intake by 1000 (I eat 3000 currently). Here's the issue with that. I would lose muscle not fat. This would slow my metabolism and make things worse. Below is some documentation on why.

There are several institutues that have research the needs of a body to maintain proper body function and all have come back with 1200 calories for women and 1500 for men (this includes teh Nation Institute for Health and American College of Sports Medicine). Decreasing your calories to below these standards (which are very low to start with) can affect your long term weight loss. Decreasing below your Basal Metabolic Rate can slow your metabolism, decrease thyroid function, decrease muscle mass, and have adverse affects on several organs, digestion, etc...

When you reduce the calories too low, your body may not go into starvation mode but your body doesn't function properly. Also, over time, if you don't eat enough, your body will store fat due to the metabolism slowing down. Your metabolism is contolled by the amount of muscle you body has. The more muscle, the faster your metabolism is (unless you have a thyroid issue or other medical condition). The AmericanCollege of Sports Medicine suggest 1.2 - 1.4 g of protein per kg of weight.


So for a 150 lb person, that comes to 88-95g of protein


150/2.2 = 68.1
68.1*1.2 (1.4) = 88/95g


Obtaining that much protein would be difficult with 900 calories, considering 400 of those calories would have to be from proteins alone. keep in mind the below.

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Here is a link with some good information.

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

Also, keep in mind, when you don't eat enough calories, your body utilizes proteins from your muscles to fuel your body and holds onto the fat. If you want to run an experiement on your, go get some body calipers or get someone to test you to calculate your total body fat. Work out for 30-60 days and go back to see if anything has changed. Even if your weight changes or doesn't, if you haven't been able to decrease your overall body fat, then you aren't gaining lean body mass (LBM). In fact, there are many cases that I have seen women lose 10 lbs but there overall body fat was unchanged. This means, that your body lost weight by losing LBM. The lower the LBM, the slow your metabolism, the lower it will take to lose weight, the quicker you will plateau and so forth. I can't tell you how many people I have worked with that have hit a plateau and each time, we increased their calories and the weight loss started again. You may just have not hit that point yet but I would highly suggest you reconsider your method.

Beside, if you can eat more food and lose just as much weight, why wouldn't you?


Hope this is helpful, I just want to make sure you aren't hurting your body. Below are some links with some good information in them. Enjoy


http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/reference_calorie.asp

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

AlsDonkBoxSquat

You put your post in quotes but failed to mention the source you are quoting.

I was set at1200 calories (never less) per week for 4 months and lost 30 pounds. I'm now rset to 1400 net for maintenance. MFP tried to set me at 1600 for maintenance, but my weight is staying steady at 1400. I normally eat back half my exercise calories. Everyone works differently, this is how I work.

psuLemon

You put your post in quotes but failed to mention the source you are quoting.

If you are refering to my second post, if you read the first sentence, it says I did it. And in fact, I did write it. Below is the post that is the source for both post.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/311640-confused-about-the-magic-1200

GreenGettingLean

I am by no means a doctor, but I can certainly vouch for this being true for me! I lost 5 lbs my first two weeks on MFP at 1200 calories. Since then, I haven't lost ANYTHING. Not even a fraction of a pound. Even when I sneak a peek and weigh myself at night, the scale is stuck! A few days ago I upped my calorie intake to 1390 and altered my goals to lose half a pound a week, so I am hopeful that the scale will budge soon.

psychofied

This is my plan for this week!

cinderella29292

i read some­ where that u can minimize this effect of slo­wing metabolism by doing calorie cycling ­like 5 days of 1000 calories n 2 days 1500

ohthatbambi

Interesting. My endocrinologist told me I wouldn't lose until I got down to 1200-1300 calories because of my IR. I think that formula for normal people will work. It just doesn't for me. As proven by the fact from October-May I lost 3 pounds. THREE. Despite using the BodyMedia arm band, tracking what I ate, working out with a trainer 2x's week and three days on my own and putting my body in a 500-1000 caloric deficit EVERY SINGLE DAY...my weight didn't start dropping until I took it to 1280-1300 cals. And now it's melting off of me.

Each of us is different and what works for one does not work for all! Sometimes that seems forgotten here at MFP! Glad you figured out what works for you! I think that everyone should experiment a little and see what works best for their body! There is nothing more frustrating than restricting your intake and exercising your buns off to get little or no results!

So the moral of my story is...just b/c someone wrote it on the internet does not make it true for you! The only way to know for sure is to test the theory and find out for yourself!!!

Nikkiairforcewife

Interesting. I'm guessing my 2200-2300 calories a day and dropping 2.5 to 3 lbs. a week must be working for me since I'm still quite heavy. And I've only been doing this since June. Maybe when I'm nearer to my goal of 147 things will be different.

saltorian

The problem I have with this post is this: There is a very big difference between, say, a slightly pudgy 5' tall woman eating 1500 calories a day vs a heavier 5'10" woman eating 1500 calories a day. For the shorter, lighter girl, 1500 calories might be too much. For the taller woman who still has a lot of weight to lose, 1500 calories a day is probably not enough. These "one number fits all" declarations are kind of worthless.

lottabody1

Thanks ladies, this is so helpful!, I lost about 20lbs in 3 month, but not because i was dieting, i was going through a loss and just did not eat! then i put myself on a 1200 cal diet, and sometimes i didnot eat that much, so now i began to see the weight go up, so now i know why thanks!

VeganGal84

Interesting! I tend to stick between 1200 and 1500 net calories (as in, I eat most of my exercise calories).

liftingbro

Depending on size, 1200 calories could work just fine. If you're 5 feet tall, chances are that's not too few calories if you are eating your exercise calories. If you are a 5'8" woman, 1200 is probably not enough.

From personal experience, muscle mass also plays a role. I'm 5'6" about 228 right now but I had been a powerlifter and wrestler for the better part of my life and just got out of shape. At my peak, I was 185 -190or so at 12% BF. I lost some muscle mass due to inactivity but still had a good amount. Most calorie counting sites estimated my maintenance around 2400 calories per day. So the first time I tried losing weight I started eating 1700-1800, worked out about 5-6 hours per week and lost about 10 pounds the first 3 weeks. After that, the next three weeks I lost less than half a pound per week doing the same thing. I was told I was still eating too much so I cut to 1600 and the losses slowed even more.

Then I took a chance and bought a bodybugg and found out that I burn 3200 calories on average per day, sometimes up to 4200. So, I started eating around 2200 and eating a little more on days I burned a lot. Since then it's been a steady 1.6 to 4 pounds per week.

kochany

Under eating is as bad as over eating.

lissarv68

What works for me may not work for you and vice versa, our bodies are not one size fits all and neither are our nutritional needs.

I feel at my best when I keep to 1300-1400 calories a day, regardless of how active or inactive I was. I tried eating back calories and just felt bloated and overstuffed. So I've gone back to what had me lose 55 pounds in 6 months. For me, it's all about maintaining a certain number of calories.

If I go under? My body lets me know because I get light headed, I start to see spots, and I get a headache. I have problems with blood sugar levels so the up and down of the calories just doesn't work for me.

stormieweather

But Some People Claim You GAIN Weight in Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode itself will not cause weight gain. However, a combination of starvation mode, binges, and carb loading, can cause weight gain. Once the metabolism decreases, your energy requirements are lower. So you have to eat less just to maintain your current weight. The body has become more efficient at using and storing energy. But most people have a hard time maintaining a very low intake consistently for long periods. So if your typical intake is 1000 (just an example), but you have occasional binges of 3000 and the binge is mostly carbs, the body can’t use all of that at one time anymore. So the body shuttles it to fat storage. This won’t be a huge gain, but a lb or two a month maybe. It’s not dramatic, but if someone lives this way for years, they can gain a decent amount of weight

This is what happened to me for three years prior to joining MFP. It's not that I actually "binged" by eating until I was sick, but once or twice a month I would go out to dinner and eat whatever I wanted: high fat sauces on pasta, fries, burgers, appetizers, and nice big dessert. After weeks of less than 1000 kc a day, my body had no use for that quantity of calories, and stored it as fat. Over time, I did put on weight - 5-6 pounds a year. I was clueless as to why I wasn't losing weight. :grumble: Then, I took another year to figure out how many calories I was burning per day and with exercise, as well as learning how to actually weigh and measure food accurately :noway: . This year, I've finally gotten it right and lost weight.

ingeh

i was stupidly eating like 600net cals a day last week and lost nothing! I wasnt eating my exercise cals and thats what happened to me. Im trying to be at least 1200 for the time being. Might up it to 1300 in 2 weeks time and see how it goes. My net is usually 1100-1200 a day and im 5"5 and 176lbs needing to lose 45/50lbs

ohthatbambi

The problem I have with this post is this: There is a very big difference between, say, a slightly pudgy 5' tall woman eating 1500 calories a day vs a heavier 5'10" woman eating 1500 calories a day. For the shorter, lighter girl, 1500 calories might be too much. For the taller woman who still has a lot of weight to lose, 1500 calories a day is probably not enough. These "one number fits all" declarations are kind of worthless.

There needs to be a LIKE button b/c I like, like, like this post! I love this site but diet/eating habits are not one size fits all! Just b/c someone wrote it on the internet does not make it true and does not make it right for everyone!! Been here a long time and stopped the message boards all together for over a year b/c of people telling me I am not doing it right b/c I don't eat back my exercise calories or I don't eat many carbs etc! What works for one does not work for all and I wish more people would be mindful of that!!

ohthatbambi

What works for me may not work for you and vice versa, our bodies are not one size fits all and neither are our nutritional needs.

I feel at my best when I keep to 1300-1400 calories a day, regardless of how active or inactive I was. I tried eating back calories and just felt bloated and overstuffed. So I've gone back to what had me lose 55 pounds in 6 months. For me, it's all about maintaining a certain number of calories.

If I go under? My body lets me know because I get light headed, I start to see spots, and I get a headache. I have problems with blood sugar levels so the up and down of the calories just doesn't work for me.

Sooooo, glad to see other people who understand this!! What works for one does NOT work for all! Everybody needs to spend less time on here talking about what they read and what worked for so and so and find out what actually works for them! I personally gained weight when I ate back my exercise calories and it just led me to so much frustration. I aim for 1400-1500 a day regardless of my exercise and that is what works for me! Wish I could eat back all those calories but it just does not work for me!