1200(cals) is surely an abstract number?

bett_boop

I have seen people debate if 1200 calories a day is enough/not enough to loose weight. From what I can see, it is the minimum number of calories this site will recommend eating. The trouble is, I am am only 5ft 3, so 1200 is a lot more for my body than say, a man who is 6ft 4. According to this site my BMR is less than 1300cals, and I can only loose 0.7lbs a week if i want to diet healthily! However they also recommend that a taller person can loose weight more quickly- 1-2lbs a week. it doesn't seem fair somehow.

Have i got my wires crossed somewhere? (i'm new, please be kind!)

TavistockToad

my BMR is 1260, but i eat 2000-2100 cals per day.

The figures are just estimates. MFP wouldnt give a 6ft4 man 1200 cals. However, i dont think 5ft3 is that small... i am 5ft5, so i would stick with the reccommended amounts on here and see how you get on for 6-8 weeks.

tigerblue

I keep struggling with this, also, since I too am 5'3". I have lost my weight now (I did it using 1200 cals and lots of exercise. I did not always eat all my exercise calories, tho.

erickirb

No reason to go under 1200, with the amount you have to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be to lose between 0.5 and 1.0 lbs/week. You don't want to have any larger of a deficit when you only have as much as you have to lose or you risk burning muscle as you lose fat.

One reason why 1200 is the minimum is that it is very difficult to get the required nutrition, macro (protein, carbs, fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals), that you body needs on less than 1200 cals/day,

Here is a guide to safe weekly weight loss goals:
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.

Jalachri

Im 5 foot 3 also and eat 1200 a day and have lost 30 lbs by doing so!

lilyinlove

Try calculating on this site. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools

SandyCurrier

HI, Im 5'2, and 1200 is what my Dr wants me to have, so I chose that one..
it is alot to eat for me too, I rarely make it, and dont eat back exercise calories as a rule,
Im diabetic, so I do have to eat ... ugh...it would be so much easier if I wasnt,
maybe when I reacn my goal it will be gone

Good luck to you, I wish I could help!

hottottie11

No reason to go under 1200, with the amount you have to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be to lose between 0.5 and 1.0 lbs/week. You don't want to have any larger of a deficit when you only have as much as you have to lose or you risk burning muscle as you lose fat.

One reason why 1200 is the minimum is that it is very difficult to get the required nutrition, macro (protein, carbs, fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals), that you body needs on less than 1200 cals/day,

Here is a guide to safe weekly weight loss goals:
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.

^^This here. When you have so little to lose, you cannot handle large deficit without losing a large amount of muscle mass.

Loss of muscle mass = "skinny fat" and a depressed metabolism

_GlaDOS_

As a woman who is 5'10", I can eat more. But I also work hard to burn more so I can eat more.

However, BMR is not really relevant, except as a number to use as a baseline (you shouldn't be eating less than your BMR). Your TDEE is what matters more. So you can be short and still have a job where you are on your feet most of the day and add in exercise. Your TDEE could be 2500, and you would still get to eat between 1500-2000 calories per day to lose weight, as long as you don't eat below your BMR. I know someone on here who is 4'11" who has a fairly low BMR, but she works her butt off so she can eat over 2,000 calories per day.

So I would say, yes, 1200 calories is really not necessary for most people. And eating under 1200 calories most certainly isn't.

Espressocycle

Remember, you lose weight because then your pants will be loose.

I suspect you are right that a 5' woman can get away with eating under 1,200 calories.

Saffyra

Im 5'1" and i eat 1200 calories a day. I also work out really hard ( well, compared to before) and im losing close to a pound and a half a week. MFP says i should be losing .7 a week but i tend to lose more. I choose not to eat my exercise calories back (currently, that may change as i get closer to goal).

Good luck with your losing. It looks like you are already doing well.

rainbowbow

Try calculating on this site. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools

I am 5'3 and my BMR is beneath 1290. I eat 1200 cals a day. I'm losing! I weigh 118.... You deficit is greater with your activity level so I wouldn't worry about it. Also this site says I should eat 1600 cals a day? Wtf?

NewChristine1483

Remember, you lose weight because then your pants will be loose.

^^THIS!!! typos that suggest not a true typing mistake, but clearly using the wrong word altogether, are one of my biggest pet peeves.

LOL. /rant

1200 cals add up quickly - make sure you get your exercise in and you'll do great!

rml_16

I have seen people debate if 1200 calories a day is enough/not enough to loose weight. From what I can see, it is the minimum number of calories this site will recommend eating. The trouble is, I am am only 5ft 3, so 1200 is a lot more for my body than say, a man who is 6ft 4. According to this site my BMR is less than 1300cals, and I can only loose 0.7lbs a week if i want to diet healthily! However they also recommend that a taller person can loose weight more quickly- 1-2lbs a week. it doesn't seem fair somehow.

Have i got my wires crossed somewhere? (i'm new, please be kind!)

I'm also 5'3". The site set me at 1,200. I gained.

I changed it to 1,000 and was still gaining. I upped it to 1,500 and started dropping weight.

It's different for everyone.

rml_16

QUOTE:

Remember, you lose weight because then your pants will be loose.

^^THIS!!! typos that suggest not a true typing mistake, but clearly using the wrong word altogether, are one of my biggest pet peeves.

LOL. /rant

1200 cals add up quickly - make sure you get your exercise in and you'll do great!

[/quote]

Do you both feel smarter now?

ninjapixie87

No reason to go under 1200, with the amount you have to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be to lose between 0.5 and 1.0 lbs/week. You don't want to have any larger of a deficit when you only have as much as you have to lose or you risk burning muscle as you lose fat.

One reason why 1200 is the minimum is that it is very difficult to get the required nutrition, macro (protein, carbs, fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals), that you body needs on less than 1200 cals/day,

Here is a guide to safe weekly weight loss goals:
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.

^^This here. When you have so little to lose, you cannot handle large deficit without losing a large amount of muscle mass.

Loss of muscle mass = "skinny fat" and a depressed metabolism

Thanks for this info! I was wondering what would be a good calorie defecit/loss rate. I know that ~500 cal/day = 1lb/wk, but then it's not recommended to go below 1200...so that limits my defecit right there. And then people say to eat back your exercise calories, because you don't want your net calories too low. So where's the line between defecit for weight loss and too much defecit to lose weight? Arrg! But this guideline definitely helps sort that out!

catwrangler

Do you both feel smarter now?

Smarter and doing the superior dance! :laugh:

J/K!

Seriously, eat as many or as few calories as you want. If you are successful, hooray! If you aren't, change it up.

bett_boop

thankyou everyone for such detailed responses, and yes - i'll try to remember to get my 'looses'/loses' correct next time.
I have already been losing- despite according to MFP only having a 100 or so deficit between my BMR and my daily intake (I don't eat my exercise calories because I don't fully trust myself that i have burnt them off...) I'm going to carry on with 1200 for the meantime at least.

bett_boop

No reason to go under 1200, with the amount you have to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be to lose between 0.5 and 1.0 lbs/week. You don't want to have any larger of a deficit when you only have as much as you have to lose or you risk burning muscle as you lose fat.

One reason why 1200 is the minimum is that it is very difficult to get the required nutrition, macro (protein, carbs, fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals), that you body needs on less than 1200 cals/day,

Here is a guide to safe weekly weight loss goals:
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.

^^This here. When you have so little to lose, you cannot handle large deficit without losing a large amount of muscle mass.

Loss of muscle mass = "skinny fat" and a depressed metabolism

Thanks for this info! I was wondering what would be a good calorie defecit/loss rate. I know that ~500 cal/day = 1lb/wk, but then it's not recommended to go below 1200...so that limits my defecit right there. And then people say to eat back your exercise calories, because you don't want your net calories too low. So where's the line between defecit for weight loss and too much defecit to lose weight? Arrg! But this guideline definitely helps sort that out!

^ yes this is exactly what I was thinking!