1200 Calories for All Heights? (5'2" women opionions wanted)

bree2012

I am 5'3 and I have 8 more pounds to go.
I did not adhere strictly to1200 calories, though. I have a tendency to binge and overeat. But there was a week where I ate strictly 1200 calories and I managed to lose 2 pounds.

kneeki

Please, stop using the word nutritionist. They are not doctors, nor are they licensed, Dietitians are licensed. Anyone can claim they are a 'nutritionist'... On another note, using: (14 x bodyweight) = maintenance is a good practice.

msiamjan

Here is another thought. I guess you feel you are dicriminated against for being short................I'm going to argue (jokingly) that I'm being discriminated against for being old since BMR fluctuated with age. Although I'm 5'8" at my age of 58 my BMR is only 1267 but at your age of 27 it is 1417 (if you were my height). So I guess we all have our burderns. Now the short, old people are really in trouble

Short and old, yup, I resemble that.

robin52077

I'm 5'5" and if I eat the full 1200 calories I don't lose any weight. I have to eat around 1000 to lose. Even if I eat 1200 and exercise everyday I don't lose. So I ignore what they say, and hope for the best. I know they says it's unhealthy - but so is being overweight.

Exactly this for me too - even been doing Insanity and eating 1200 and not losing! When I go to 1000 I lose. I'm 5'4".

So that mean that for the rest of your life you will have to eat 1000 calories or gain weight!!! How about repairing the horrible damage you did to your metabolism first?

I agree with Yanicka 100%.


Also, for a point of reference for the OP.

I "tried" 1200 at first (I am 5'2").
I was so hungry weak and tired.
Bumped to 1500, lost everything I wanted to lose PLUS some, then slowly raised to 2000 while gaining a few pounds up to 110 and look better than I did at 103 due to heavy weight training.

I now eat at least 2000 a day.

geekymom57

So I guess we all have our burderns. Now the short, old people are really in trouble

i'm short (5'4"), old-ish (54) and have hypothyroidism that's hard to stabilize. I think that means I'm really REALLY in trouble!

msiamjan

I'm 5'5" and if I eat the full 1200 calories I don't lose any weight. I have to eat around 1000 to lose. Even if I eat 1200 and exercise everyday I don't lose. So I ignore what they say, and hope for the best. I know they says it's unhealthy - but so is being overweight.

Exactly this for me too - even been doing Insanity and eating 1200 and not losing! When I go to 1000 I lose. I'm 5'4".

So that mean that for the rest of your life you will have to eat 1000 calories or gain weight!!! How about repairing the horrible damage you did to your metabolism first?

I agree with Yanicka 100%.


Also, for a point of reference for the OP.

I "tried" 1200 at first (I am 5'2").
I was so hungry weak and tired.
Bumped to 1500, lost everything I wanted to lose PLUS some, then slowly raised to 2000 while gaining a few pounds up to 110 and look better than I did at 103 due to heavy weight training.

I now eat at least 2000 a day.

I wanna be you when I grow down.

inlander

I'm 5'10" and if I ate 1,200 calories a day, I would go into starvation mode. So 1,200 would work well for a shorter person, but for me it would be extremely unhealthy.

porkycorky

hi there,I am only 5ft, but deffinatly think 1200 cals is too much for me. I have to eat no less than 1,000 cals a day,and i will lose
between 1 to 1/2 pounds.. hope thos helps x

cupotee

I guess its a Western thing. I know in China and Korea (where the average height of a woman is around 5'2) doctors recommend women to ingest between 1000-1500 cals a day on a diet, depending on activity level. So the number is lower, but not by much. I'm sure if you eat different foods every day and make stuff nutritious, you'll be fine, especially being as health conscious as you obviously are, using MFP.

I'm personally 5'2 and I maintain at around 1500-1600cals, so I don't freak out if my intake doesn't hit 1200 (rarely happens anyway).

RanayeG

I'm 5'10" and if I ate 1,200 calories a day, I would go into starvation mode. So 1,200 would work well for a shorter person, but for me it would be extremely unhealthy.

I too am 5'10" & I am very dedicated in eating no more than 1200 NET calories a day. I have lost almost 8 pounds in 3 weeks & feeling great. That is not to say I don't eat more than 1200 some days, but those days I push myself a little bit harder on the exercise to get my net calorie intake between 1100 & 1200. Before, I thought to myself as long as I was between 950 & 1200 (net) I would be fine, but I started to get sick to my stomach & have nasty headaches. I now make sure that I am getting atleast 1100, but not over 1200. I am feeling great & look the best I have in over a year.

southernsweetie1978

I have to agree with you about the pasta. I am trying to cut down on the amount of bad carbs I eat. I'm switching to all whole wheat products and eating sweet potatoes instead of french fries or baked potatoes. I have totally noticed a difference in that I don't get as hungry since I cut out some of those bad carbs. I think it was all of those that was causing me to want to eat more!

soontobeskinnysara

I'm just shy of 5'3", and shoot for 1200 net calories a day. If I'm hungry, I eat more, if not, I don't. Listen to your body. If you're not getting enough calories every day, you will know.

1953Judith

I am 58, hypothyroid, taking Arimidex, 5'4" losing about 1/2 lb a week. I shoot for 1480 a day minimum more if exercising. Slow, but at l lose and don't gain. I enjoy my meals, they are pretty fun and healthy with occasional decadent treats. I am eating more and better than in the last 30 years and enjoying it and life to the hilt (most of the time)!

AH2013

I'm 5'4" and have been using this for almost 4 weeks. I've been going for almost my calorie goal per day...which is 1570 (and most days with an extra 250 - 400 for cross trainer) but I have lost nothing in weight. I'm a lot fitter and bit tighter but no weight has shifted. I'm glad I came across your post because I've been thinking about cutting it right down. Like you I've been seeing the warning if I'm under 1200 and so eating extra. I think I'll make 1300 my goal each day instead of what I'm told to eat and hopefully shift the weight.
Good luck to you!!

robin52077

I'm 5'10" and if I ate 1,200 calories a day, I would go into starvation mode. So 1,200 would work well for a shorter person, but for me it would be extremely unhealthy.

I too am 5'10" & I am very dedicated in eating no more than 1200 NET calories a day. I have lost almost 8 pounds in 3 weeks & feeling great. That is not to say I don't eat more than 1200 some days, but those days I push myself a little bit harder on the exercise to get my net calorie intake between 1100 & 1200. Before, I thought to myself as long as I was between 950 & 1200 (net) I would be fine, but I started to get sick to my stomach & have nasty headaches. I now make sure that I am getting atleast 1100, but not over 1200. I am feeling great & look the best I have in over a year.

This may work for now, as you have a lot to lose based on your ticker, but you are slowing your metabolism down by doing it, then you will plateau and wonder why, and the reason will be because you are starving.
The closer you get to goal the more you have to eat.

AT 5'10" you should be eating more than 1200 every day, and that's not my "opinion", that's scientific fact.
Your BMR is what your body needs just to breathe, beat your heart, reproduce cells, etc. Eating less than that is a prime example of starving yourself. The BMR calculators are just an estimate, yes, but they are close enough. They won't be that far off. I am guessing yours would be somewhere around 1600.
Your TDEE is somewhere from 2000-3000 depending on how active you are in general.

So eating about 1600 on rest days and about 2000 on busy or exercise days would be your safe healthy loss goal.

Michelle_M2002

How much you are supposed to eat has nothing to do with your height. It has to do with how active you are (or are not), and what your goals are.

To loose 2 pounds of fat a week, you need to eat 1,000 LESS than what you are burning.

So for me, I strive to burn 2,600 calories a day. So my diet is 1,600 calories a day. On more active days, I need more calories. On Sundays (which are my days off from going to the gym), I am less active, and therefore burn less, so I have to adjust my calories down.

I still don't quite understand the "net calories" and "eating back what you burn when you exercise" that this site is set up for. The easiest thing, in my opinion... invest in a Bodybugg. It will tell you, with 90% accuracey what you are burning each day. It shows you your goal, what you've burned so far, and how many calories you have left to burn.

You also track your food (much like MFP), and it will show you what your goal intake is, how much you've already taken in, and what you have left to take in. In addition, it shows you what your deficit between your calories in and your calories out are.. so you ALWAYS know exactly where you stand.

Good luck, and God bless!

seebeachrun

So I guess a couple question:

1. For those who are short, 5'3" or under, do you find you have this problem too? Is it frustrating? And what do you do about it?

2. Does everyone really believe that a women who is 5'10" compared with a women who is 5'2" get the same nutritional intake off the same 1200 calories goal (even considering they took in the same exact diet)?

I am 5'2" and I am struggling to eat 1200 calories per day without blowing up way past that number. I am full and satisfied at 1120-1180 and I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day. I think it's impossible to hit an exact calorie amount every single day any way.

I don't think 1100-1200 is a bit difference for shorter women since the 1200 is set for the average height/size woman which is 5'4". However, I do think that it is clear that eating less than 1000 calories per day is a bad idea. I also don't think it's a good idea to use calculations for children our height because children have faster metabolisms and tend to be way more active thatn adults, plus they're growing so I would assume they need additional calories for growth.

As for losing more than a pound per week, unless you are seriously obese doctors are pretty clear that this is bad for you. Plus losing massive amounts of weight at one time is difficult to maintain, especially if you are just dieting and not making a lifestyle change. I would look to exercise as a means of losing more than a pound per week rather than limiting calories. When I had a personal trainer I was able to lose 11 pounds in one month, way more than one pound per week. And I did it while maintaining my regular diet of 1600-1800 calories per day.

This time I cut my calories to 1200-1400 because I am too sedentary due to my desk job and I am exercising three days per week medium intensity for one hour each session. It's easier to maintain this as a permanent lifestyle change while having the personal trainer cost me about $200 a month which I just don't have to spare anymore.

Good luck!

petitehealth

Looking to share food logs with other petite ladies. I'm 5'2 trying to manage a 1200 calorie goal. Currently think its not enough cal. Trying to keep under 1600 and workout everyday. Also started blogging healthy recipe ideas at www.petitehealth.com