1200 too few?

bachooka

It is very possible to eat twelve hundred and log everything. in fact I'm sure they are more likely to be the weigh and measure people who get the precise amount and numbers. I did it at one point. But then I started getting all crazy like and wanting to eat anything I could see. 1200 doesn't work for me but there are lots of people on here who have lost tonnes of weight and they did it eating 1200 a day or even less in some cases.

ConnieSG

I truly believe the ones that cannot get to 1200 aren't logging all of their food (unless you are super thin) : all drinks, oil for cooking, butter, cream for their coffee, the little things ADD up. Make sure you log everything that goes in the mouth.. just a bite here and there add up to.

Oh, I do think that people really eat 1200. They eat egg whites instead of eggs, cook it in Pam instead of butter. They don't put cream in their coffee, or dressing on their salad. They only eat chicken and fish (no beef). They don't have cheese on their sandwiches. They avoid fruit and milk as they are too high in calories.

I'd just rather not eat like that. I like to eat. I like real food. I can loose weight, feel great, have a ton of energy whilst eating it. But I do try to remember that I'm not an expert and different people can do different things. To each his own I guess.

Bad assumption on your part!! I eat the entire egg (not just the egg whites), I do put extra dressing on my salad and I do eat beef!! I don't drink coffee and I have always used Pam. I do love my beef, but I do eat chicken and turkey. Yes I do put cheese on my sandwiches and I do eat fruit.

I am very active at the gym going 4 or 5 times a week and burning at least 600 calories per workout session.

So sorry to say, you are mistaken on your part about some of the 1200 calorie people

messyinthekitchen

I don't know. I understand the stigma around it. But my calories are also 1200. Most days I eat under 1200. I am not trying too. I just eat until I am satisfied. And I try to get as close to 1200 as possible. I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and sometimes snack. Some days I go over too which I am not concerned about given my BMR is more then 1200. With that being said. I am full of energy, healthier then ever, my hair, skin, nails everything's healthier. I am more alert, and I don't need to sleep 12 hours to feel well anymore nor do I need to drink coffee. I am steadily losing weight and I am NEVER hungry (however I do eat a lot of protein). Soo I am really not sure weather it is too low. I think people need to figure out what works for them. If you barely hanging on at 1200 I'd think you need to amp up your calories because once you start eating your regular 1500-1600 there will be weight gain. But if you are comfortable and satisfied at 1200 then why not right.

meerkat70

Believe me, I add everything in. No I am not super thin! I just don't eat a lot and don't feel the need to eat if I am not hungry

Judging from your ticker, this is very early on in your weightloss journey, though?
Hunger can be a bit of a cumulative thing, in my experience.
When I was on WW, I did 14-18 points for several weeks, trying to crash a plateau. I was fine for a while, thought it was no problem,. But after a while I was completely *starving* and could have binged for days. And that, I suspect, is at least part of the danger of depriving yourself too significantly of calories.

geekymom57

Add me to the 1200 calories works if you choose the right foods group. I'm still at a stage where I weigh and measure almost everything that isn't pre-portioned, since it helps me develop a sense of how MUCH I can eat and still feel satisfied and meet my nutritional needs. My husband likes to go out for drinks, so I make a point on those days of exercising so I can still eat actual nutritious food and have a 1200 calorie net. I do allow myself occasional days where I go over, esp. if it's a special event where I'm not able to decide where and what I'll be eating, because that's how life is. When I finally reach my goal--still months away--I think it may be a challenge to start to think about eating more, although perhaps current ndulgences such as pasta will be part of my menu more often.

ConnieSG

Believe me, I add everything in. No I am not super thin! I just don't eat a lot and don't feel the need to eat if I am not hungry

Judging from your ticker, this is very early on in your weightloss journey, though?
Hunger can be a bit of a cumulative thing, in my experience.
When I was on WW, I did 14-18 points for several weeks, trying to crash a plateau. I was fine for a while, thought it was no problem,. But after a while I was completely *starving* and could have binged for days. And that, I suspect, is at least part of the danger of depriving yourself too significantly of calories.

My ticker is my weight since I started on MFP a week and a half ago. I lost 20 pds even before I started on MFP

Rae6503

I truly believe the ones that cannot get to 1200 aren't logging all of their food (unless you are super thin) : all drinks, oil for cooking, butter, cream for their coffee, the little things ADD up. Make sure you log everything that goes in the mouth.. just a bite here and there add up to.

Oh, I do think that people really eat 1200. They eat egg whites instead of eggs, cook it in Pam instead of butter. They don't put cream in their coffee, or dressing on their salad. They only eat chicken and fish (no beef). They don't have cheese on their sandwiches. They avoid fruit and milk as they are too high in calories.

I'd just rather not eat like that. I like to eat. I like real food. I can loose weight, feel great, have a ton of energy whilst eating it. But I do try to remember that I'm not an expert and different people can do different things. To each his own I guess.

Bad assumption on your part!! I eat the entire egg (not just the egg whites), I do put extra dressing on my salad and I do eat beef!! I don't drink coffee and I have always used Pam. I do love my beef, but I do eat chicken and turkey. Yes I do put cheese on my sandwiches and I do eat fruit.

I am very active at the gym going 4 or 5 times a week and burning at least 600 calories per workout session.

So sorry to say, you are mistaken on your part about some of the 1200 calorie people

I didn't mean to offend. I was merely pointing out to the previous person that it is possible to eat only 1200 calories. If you work out and eat those calories, yeah, you'll have a lot more room in your diet for "real" food.

nas24

My "goal" cals are at about 1400, well yesterday i ate and ate and i was super full, but by the end of the day i was about 200+ cals under 1200cals, i was more than that, but made myself eat something else and it still didn't make a difference. I know its not healthy and i try really hard to eat at least that amount, but im so full with all the yummy healthy food i eat to start with, the thought of eating anything else, makes me want to throw up. I think it will get better as time goes (still new here, only 4 days).

ladybg81

I did 1200 and at times, had a hard time making it. It takes a LOT of healthy foods to get to 1200. I reached and surpassed my goal in exactly 90 days( I only had to lose about 25 pounds.) There were lots of times that I felt hungry but I think that is part of living this new lifestyle. You have to listen to your body and stop eating when satisfied. I was so used to just eating just because and NEVER feeling hungry and in the beginning it was really tough; but I made it and could not be happier. Now I am maintaining and eating more + eating my exercise calories. I do not think that 1200 is for everyone, but for me, it was perfect.

FearAnLoathing

I eat whatever I want and have no issue staying at 1200

cthoma70

I have done 1200 calories per day and done great. Somedays I do go over a little and then some days I have trouble reaching the 1200. It is all about what you eat. Fresh green beans seasoned with nothing but sea salt has 44 calories per cup and 2 cups fill a plate about 3/4 of the way up. Add a large tomato (33 calories) and a 1/2 cup og onions (34 calories) and you have a big meal for 155 calories. (I may be wrong of the calories but not by much) A 4oz chicken breast with 1 cup of sliced green bell pepper and 1 cup of onion is 254 calories and is also a good sized meal.

If you eat good (low calories) early in the day you can eat at a mexican place and have the chicken fajitas have them fix it without the oil and bring corn tortilas and no beans, rice, sour cream or the Guacamole it's like 350 calories for the fajita and 165 for the corn tortilas. Have a cup of salsa with NO chips and thats 35 calories.

Hope this helps out

nas24

Yeah i eat healthy food all day and it just takes more to get to that total. Like i said in my last post, i had to force myself to eat more and went to bed feeling sick, and i ate a med bowl or greek yogurt, strawberries and honey, still didnt meet the 1200. I struggle but sometimes i just feel like "well im full and i dont see the need to force myself to eat anymore" but also don't want my body to go into "starvation" mode and keep everything i eat. Its hard for me.

nas24

Yeah i totally agree with cthoma70! Last night i had chicken breast, broccoli tossed in butter and LCC, and a baked potato with butter, sour cream and salt/pepper. That whole meal was only 325ish cals, and i couldn't even finish it. LOL

fishgirlnola

Interesting thread. I changed my goals recently and was dropped down to 1200. I think it's reasonable. HOWEVER, since I have begun living more healthy I am working out more all the time and hard. I used to be happy with 15 minutes of fast walking now I am running for 30 minutes then lifting weights. So with all my workouts I get really hungry and do eat my calories.

I am interested in hearing from others on how they deal with 1200 calories b/c it did seem very low to me. I am still not sure if I am on board with eating my calories burned. I'm still working all this out.

stephintolife

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

spaingirl2011

Yeah i eat healthy food all day and it just takes more to get to that total. Like i said in my last post, i had to force myself to eat more and went to bed feeling sick, and i ate a med bowl or greek yogurt, strawberries and honey, still didnt meet the 1200. I struggle but sometimes i just feel like "well im full and i dont see the need to force myself to eat anymore" but also don't want my body to go into "starvation" mode and keep everything i eat. Its hard for me.

On days like that, you might want to reach for more calorie dense food(quinoa, real butter, olive oil, etc) so that you can get the calories you need without force feeding yourself. Then you won't feel as sick.

spaingirl2011

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

I did that for about 3 weeks ... it caused me to maintain and it was more than enough food for a day. I eat 1250cals on days where I don't exercise and between 1550-1600 on the days I do exercise and that seems to be my magic number. People's bodies are different. Mathematical equations are great, but they don't take into account so many factors. I'm a doctoral student, and I get about 40-60 minutes of exercise 6 times a week. I have an underactive thyroid, AND (it's taken me two years to learn this) I don't have the insatiable appetite I once thought I did when I was shoving enormous bowls of pasta into my face and eating two slices of cake. For my current lifestyle, 1250 is perfect. Now, when I move to Spain in a month and have to walk everywhere, this may not be the case, in which case I will reexamine my eating goals.

All of this is to say that while you (not just you, but in the general sense of people questioning then 1200 cal thing) may find that you lose at your BMR or higher than that, not everyone will. I'm not at 1250 because I want to lose faster, but because that's the number that allows me to lose at all.

All best to all of you with your individual goals!

jaimealison

I am at 1200, and I think its fine, I eat one large meal, around 500 cals, and two smaller meals with a few snacks. I usually have enough room to have fresh fruit as a dessert.

The only time I have trouble sticking under 1200 is when I am going out at night when I'll be drinking.

But I think sticking to healthy food choices like fresh veggies and lean proteins, can make 1200 doable, while keeping you feeling full and energized.

But everyone is different and having a default number isn't the best way for MFP to go about things.

Jess5825

I did the 1200 for nearly 8 months. Finally I hit a plateau. I bumped up to 1400 and started losing again. I hadn't been eating my exercise calories either.

fiberartist219

I eat out a lot, and 1200 was hard for me to stick to. I was on that for about a month, and even then, I went over on most days. Then, about a week or two ago, I fell off the wagon. I thought I gained a couple pounds back, but it turns out my digestive system stopped. I ate whatever I wanted, and then it started "moving" again. Now, I'm losing again, and still having ice cream. That says to me that 1200 wasn't enough, and I'm going to try 1500 for awhile and see how that works.