Is it okay to dip below 1200 calories?

McFishie

At the risk of sounding stupid, I get really confused about whether to eat over or under 1200 calories. MFP has set me a 1200 target and if I get over I get a red deficit and feel bad, but when I eat under I get a message advising I'm not eating enough. I've been looking at other postings and have seen that your body goes into starvation mode under 1200 calories, but is it exact or round about? . Am I being too pedantic? I'd feel better about myself if my calorie total was green every day, but untimately its just about doing whatever it takes to lose weight. If I keep what I eat within the 1200 range is that okay? And, if so, what would be a reasonabe variance? 50 calories either way? 100? 200? Sorry if its a stupid question, but I don't want to waste time thinking I'm doing okay only to find I've 'varied' too much!

sarajmitch79

I've wondered the same thing myself, right now i feel that I ruined my whole day with one simple choice in the cafe at work this morning. I seem to end up just over or just under most of the time

hello_kitty3

I was given 1200 and felt the same way... nobody ever has anything supportive to say when they see that you finished your day out and didn't stay under! I found I was eating less just to feel good about my numbers, so I moved mine up to 1300 and its been working great for me.

erickirb

being with +/- 50-75 cals would be fine. Just make sure you are around that 1200 as a net number not just amount eaten. In other words if you workout and burn 300 cals you should be near 1500 cals consumed (1200+300)

ATT949

You're not being pedantic.

"exact or round" - you use the word "round" on a dieting site! ;-)
AFAIK, the 1200 net calories per day is level is recommended minimum that you should consume. Many folks have a great weight loss experience at 1200 calories.

Insofar as "starvation mode" is concerned, there are lots of postings about it. It was never a concern for me and I lost 95 pounds in seven months by consuming about 800 to 1000 cals/day. That approach worked well for me but your mileage may vary.

brknllama

I think its okay to get under 1200, but not by too much. I was watching some reality show (not sure which one, I'm thinking its one of those british shows about crazy quick fix diets) and the doctor advised the woman not to get below 1000, so if you stay above that you will be fine. If i will make you feel better you could just manually change your goal calories a little above 1200

smilingrn

Generally speaking I believe it's ok to occasionally dip slightly below the 1200, if it's just a day your not hungry, and don't feel like eating. Your body isn't going to go into starvation mode because one day you drop below. But it shouldn't become a habit.

muffyjog

The risk you run is having your body reset its metabolism to a slower rate....this means more of what you eat will be converted to fat for storage because your body thinks its starving. You won't feel different, per se, but it means having a harder time losing weight (plateau) and a harder time keeping it off once you do. Depending on your personal BMI, height and weight, to maintain a healthy weight might be 1400. In which case, anything below that will have you losing weight. So do the math and find out what the caloric stasis value would be (where you could just maintain weight) and work from that instead of working from 1200.

wigglentwink

I know I'm going to get in trouble for this, but I'm going to say it anyway.

My calorie goal was 1310 and I NEVER ate over 1200. Actually, I rarely ate over 1000. My day usually ended around 950. And I lost weight. A lot of weight.

When I started working out more hardcore (ie: training for a half marathon, and 120+ of circuit training) I upped my calories to about 1100. I am not hungry. I am losing weight. I think the difference with me is that I shoot for 100g or more of protein per day. So, perhaps it is what you eat as much as it is HOW much you eat.

That's my two cents.

emergencytennis

On a day when I played sport, I felt less hungry and went under, like 800-1000. The next day, though, I would feel hungry and go over, like 1400-1500. I would tweak the difference on the weekend so my weekly average was about 1200.

Oh, and btw, ignore that guff about in five weeks you would weigh. Total furphy.

Jadesfattorment

I'm not really sure, I have mine at 1,200 but I normally end up eating well over 1,400. It depends on what your tying to do, If you want to loose weight then a lower setting is better but if you want to build muscle and loose inches then your going to need more calories because you will need more fat and protein in your diet so you canb uild muscle.

CnocNaCu

When I started using MFP a couple of weeks ago I was very insecure...am I doing it right?...or wrong?....
I am 52, in menopause, high cholesterol level and I've decided to stay slightly UNDER the 1200. I always eat my calories earned (exercize) back though. This works fine for me and I don't care if MFP tells me"...under calorie goal". I really don't care.
But I make sure I have enough protein and carbs, fat and, most importantly for myself, enough vitamins and minerals. This works for me and I am feeling great. 1200 is a guideline and just because you are over or under the calorie limit won't "kill" your diet.
After a few weeks you'll know what works best for yourself .
And: no, your question is not stupid at all :-) Good luck with changing your life style, it's worth it.:happy: