Is 1200 calories a day enough??

Alexdur85

MFP has told me that i should be aiming for 1200 calories but am struggling to eat that much, MFP has told me i am in starvation mode.

i currently eight 168lbs but would like to get down to 147 - losing about 1 lb aweek.

i also go to the gym 3 nights a week for an hour at a time.

any advice

Try eating more calorie dense food like peanut butter and avocados

nishababy77

Well, im 4'11 and weigh 117pounds...im trying to lose an additonal 7 pounds to be at my personal goal. My target is 1200 a day and i really struggle. I burn about 500 cal a day, and eat roughly half my exercise calories back. You seriously need to think about everything you eat.....Most days i think, this just isnt enough but im trying as MFP suggest but also because im soo tiny i kinda think well maybe i shouldnt be eating more than that.

amicklin

That is quite low particularly when you are looking to lose only 20lbs. 2lbs a week is better for those who have 60+ lbs to lose.

I would readjust your settings to account for 1lb a week (or a 1/2 lbs). You have to ''fuel the fire''. It would negate alot of your hard work and makes muscles gain near impossible in a deficit.

Rae6503

If you're only trying to lose 20 pounds, 2 pounds a week is way too much. You should be aiming for 1 pound a week.

This. Or even a half pound.

aippolito1

1200 should be fine for you, just make sure to eat your exercise calories. You may need to increase or make sure you NET 1200 the closer you get to your goal - or maybe even now. Test it out, if you lose, great. Once you stop, increase.

sc1234

1200 NET is perfect for me, you can see NET calories on your home page, so often that means I'm eating 1500 - 1600 if I work out. I'm 5'5 and now 132 lbs and I've found if I keep the NET calories between 1200 - 1330 a day, I lose about a pound a week and it's perfect. Not too hungry, just satisfied and still losing a healthy amount. My diary is open so feel free to take a look for ideas.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I was eating 1200 calories plus exercise calories and I lost 16lbs. Now I've hit a plateu and have been very hungry lately. I've upped my cals for myself to 1400 without exercise and plan on eating my exercise cals back. You have to eat to lose!

smart woman!

gansell

what a fool! you'l really damage yourself doing that!

SuperWoman120

i joined to go from 145 to 120, and to lose 1.5 to 2 lbs/week it said to eat 1200, I decided to stick with 1 lb/week and eating 1270 calories, but yesterday I recalculated it and it gave me 1210 calories, and since I am only 15 lbs from my goal and want to lose it by May, I switched to losing 1/2 a lb/week and it gave me 1460 calories. I think it will be better because then when I reach my goal weight, I won't be as tempted to binge. 1200 isn't dangerously low, just hard to stick to sometimes

SaishaLea

I have been eating 1200 calories a day...I have lost 28 lbs in the past two months.
I eat a ton of veggies so I feel full.
.

jimmie25

if you are used to eating say 1900kcal, dropping to 1200 is only going to make you hungry..

Buddhaboy

I bet you that you that at your current weight MPF would recommend you only try to lose 1 pound a week
That would push up your caloire intake a bit
Also if you factor in workouts, you could add up to 600 more caloires

Dmborgstrom

MFP has told me that i should be aiming for 1200 calories but am struggling to eat that much, MFP has told me i am in starvation mode.

i currently eight 168lbs but would like to get down to 147 - losing about 1 lb aweek.

i also go to the gym 3 nights a week for an hour at a time.

any advice

Your body will go into starvation mode if not giving enough calories. Which means EVERYTHING you eat will be stored as fat because it thinks you aren't getting a meal tomorrow. If you eat more, you will start to sluff the extra weight because your body will know it is getting regular intervals of nutrients needed. You have to eat to lose. Try to eat a protein snack or 2. It will fuel your muscles and help you reach your calorie goal.

therealkittymao

I totally agree with everyone who says go slower! Losing 1 pound a week will push you up to 1400 and then you can eat back your exercise calories (there are people who say you shouldn't and people who say you should, I usually eat about half of mine). I am about the same size as you, roughly, I started at 174 at the beginning of September and I am at about 155 now... Ironically, I took a conservative approach and it has equaled a little under 20 pounds in two months! I am glad I didn't get really aggressive because I am sure I would have burned out on it. Also, if I were you, I would also focus on weight-training, just do LOTS of strength moves. he Jillian Michaels DVDs are affordable, and they have a really nice balance of cardio and toning. Since you are close to your goal weight already (you don't need to lose 30+ pounds or anything), I think strength will actually boost your weight loss a lot (as opposed to doing lots and lots of just cardio). Yay, I am happy for you! Good luck!!!

GoatHeadSticker

Try eatingwell.com for low cal recipies.

mhig011975

I struggled to lose weight on 1200 calories and gained back my weight. I adjusted mine higher and things are going much smoother. I need calories in order to lose.

I agree.... well done

sweet110

The politic answer: Well, everyone is different. So, experiment with what will work best for you. People seem to thrive and lose weight on a variety of caloric inputs.

My personal experience: I'm 4'11, not a body builder, and at my highest weight of 178 pounds, I ate more than 1200 calories, regardless of whether you include or exclude exercise calories. I have no idea how any adult maintains their sanity on this amount of food without a motivating ideological reason (buddhist monk, a belief in calorie restriction in order to live forever...) or without being bedridden or wheelchair bound.

But...people also wildly inflate calorie burns. I've seen folks post millions of calories burned with 35 minutes on the eliptical while reading a magazine. Highly unlikely...but it probably means they get to more comfortably nosh on 1600 or 1700 calories a day while technically on a "1200 calorie" plan.

yogaheart18

http://weightloss-genie.blogspot.com/

queenbuffy

I eat around 1200 calories a day and go to the gym for at least an hour and a half five days a week, I am losing weight sooo slowly, maybe 1lb a week? I guess it all depends on your body and what your 1200 calories are from. But, no 1200 calories is definitely not too low. If you want to lose 2lbs a week your probably going to have to set your calorie goals even lower.

trilikeagirl

It really just depends on what and how often you eat. I eat about 900-950 a day and run 3-5 miles in the morning and do 30-60 min of crosstraining in the evening. It's enough for me and I'm 170. I don't snack, though.

Good grief, how do you survive on 900 calories a day. I've had that many calories by lunchtime

rotflmao. TRUTH!

melissalangelage

I use Lite n Easy (I am in Australia) and it sends me a meal of 1,200 calories per day consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are each in two parts which I split up by an hour. So I basically eat hourly and chew alot of gum in between (bad for the stomach, I know, but it takes the yummy flavour of the last meal out of my mouth so I don't want to keep eating eventhough I'm full) I don't feel hungry or deprived this way, by eating so often.

I am not eating my exercise calories though and sometimes can net nearly 0 as I usually burn just over 1,000 calories a day

Mawskittykat

People who have an extrreme amount of weight to lose could get by losing 2 pounds a week but for your weight and goal I would suggest 1 pound a week. You have to eat to lose. You will reach a plateau fast trying to lose too fast, I would be better to lose it slower and the plateau wont happen so quickly. Plus it wont come back as quick after the goal has been met.

MissFit0101

If you're only trying to lose 20 pounds, 2 pounds a week is way too much. You should be aiming for 1 pound a week.

I agree with this... and to OP no I don't think 1200 is enough. I would probably not go less than 1300 if it were me.

Articeluvsmemphis

1200? did you set your lifestyle activity as sedentary? 1,200 isn't very much, but you can get by on it, I try to eat way more, just remember quality determines how you feel after eating a certain amount of calories. i feel better eating 200calories of veggies/fruits/yogurt, things like that vs. a candy bar

maddymama

I use Lite n Easy (I am in Australia) and it sends me a meal of 1,200 calories per day consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are each in two parts which I split up by an hour. So I basically eat hourly and chew alot of gum in between (bad for the stomach, I know, but it takes the yummy flavour of the last meal out of my mouth so I don't want to keep eating eventhough I'm full) I don't feel hungry or deprived this way, by eating so often.

I am not eating my exercise calories though and sometimes can net nearly 0 as I usually burn just over 1,000 calories a day

Ummmm... How are you even standing at this point if you are consistently netting near 0? Either you are overestimating how much your burn or underestimating how much you eat........ either way it does not sound healthy to me. In addition, the Lite n Easy website doesn't recommend netting 0, the most they recommend is going under by 300-ish calories a day through exercise... so netting 900-ish calories.

I'd much rather net 1200-1400-ish a day and lose the weight slowly.

jrhm

I don't usually meet my calorie goal, but I eat some of my exercise calories most days. I found that "dieting" is just not my thing, so I just cut down on the amounts of stuff I eat, then I can eat all the stuff Iike and not feel deprived. Have to watch the proteins and vitamins. Also, watch your sodium. But, they are right, you have to eat to loose, if you don't eat, you won't have the energy to exercise! And that is one of the keys to loosing.

Twins2007

It really just depends on what and how often you eat. I eat about 900-950 a day and run 3-5 miles in the morning and do 30-60 min of crosstraining in the evening. It's enough for me and I'm 170. I don't snack, though.

This is dangerous

EXTREMELY....!

08caseyk

I just joined MFP and set up my goals. I weigh 165 lbs and want to loose 2lbs a week with my final goal weight set at 145 lbs. I plan on working out 4 times a week for an hour. MFP suggested I eat 1200 calories a day. This seems really low, is 1200 calories a day enough???

PS - Low calorie meal ideas would be really appreciated!

I've eaten 3 full meals that added up to be 586 calories, and thats including drinks. It depends on what you eat really. 2 egg whites and extra lean turkey bacon in the morning is a little less than 100 and it fills you up. But depending on how you feel i'd do between 1200-1600

dlcotton

I have lost 12 pounds in 10 days and weighed 308. My program said to eat 1500 calories a day but that is way too many to eat for me because right now, I cannot do anything right now except walk in my house due to a lot of health problems.
Having said that...I only allow myself 1000 per day because I am not able to be active right now.

JediMaster_intraining

it wasn't enough for me unless i exercised a lot! i moved mine to 1360 and this is much easier to stick with.