The magic number

annemckee

How can 1200 calories be the magic number to maintain life for a 5 foot 1 inch woman and a 6foot 1 inch man? If calorific intake is different because of height and sex, then this 1200 limit must be quite arbitrary especially the smaller we are. I am that 5 foot 1 inch woman. I may be wrong but th eway I see it, because of the "never cross the line to go lower than 1200" rule my daily deficit is lower than other people's and so I am at a disadvantage when it comes to losing weight. Either I incur the wrath of the 1200 police or I crawl down the scale. So should one never set a limit lower than 1200?

vanessaclarkgbr

I think you should do exactly what you're doing now Anne - what works for you and within healthy boundaries. Grown ups with an above average level of intelligence rarely need policing in my opinion :-) x

asyouseefit

1200 is on the lower end actually. A 6'1 man should eat much more than that.

vanessaclarkgbr

I like this too, listened to it the other day: http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/how-many-calories-do-I-need.aspx

castadiva

I *think* 1200 is supposed to be the number below which no adult should go for very long, in order to keep the metabolism going and sustain basic needs. As someone else said, a 6'1" man should be eating an awful lot more than 1200, but he shouldn't stay below that, ideally ever, and certainly not long-term.

CnocNaCu

You're so right, Anne!

I don't care about this number any more. Just watching myself, how I'm feeling, looking, sleeping and if I'm losing weight. I do my work outs, do more whenever I want to eat more just to find that sometimes I am not hungry enough to eat back the exercise cals. Had been attacked once for alledgedly having an eating disorder. WTF?..... only because I said I couldn't always eat back my cals leaving me below 1200. I'm over 50, in menopause and not very active during winter time. So how can they compare? Why would they? So no magic number for me except the right numbers for the Lotterie

TrudyJo195

I think you should at least try 1500 cal. per day. You would be amazed at how much food you can have on 1500 cal. If you're working out that should help as well. On 1200 cal. your body thinks it's starving and you will hang on to weight. You will become frustrated and start to binge. Speaking from experience here. That whole yoyo dieting is for the birds. lol No man should be on 1200 calerie diet as well. From what I've seen men have an easier time of losing the weight then women do. Good luck!


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annemckee

Ok. At 5ft 1 on 1200 a day (400 less than maintenance calories) according to MFP I will lose 0.8lb per week. If I were 5ft 6 on 1200 a day I'd lose 2lbs a week on the same basis and be operating on a deficit of 490 calories. My point is nothing to do with eating the calories or not eating the calories. It's that to lose even a pound a week (recommended) I would need to go below 1200. For taller people 1200 might be necessary to keep the flame of life flickering, but even to stay the same I only need to eat a decent sandwich over and above that limit.


QUESTIONS
Why would my body think it is starving on just 400 calories less than maintenance?

Trudy Jo, why would I take myself near maintenance when I want to lose weight?

If I am smaller, surely my cut-off for a healthy intake would be smaller too?

jimmyfoxca

Ok. At 5ft 1 on 1200 a day (400 less than maintenance calories) according to MFP I will lose 0.8lb per week. If I were 5ft 6 on 1200 a day I'd lose 2lbs a week on the same basis and be operating on a deficit of 490 calories. My point is nothing to do with eating the calories or not eating the calories. It's that to lose even a pound a week (recommended) I would need to go below 1200. For taller people 1200 might be necessary to keep the flame of life flickering, but even to stay the same I only need to eat a decent sandwich over and above that limit.


QUESTIONS
Why would my body think it is starving on just 400 calories less than maintenance?

Trudy Jo, why would I take myself near maintenance when I want to lose weight?

If I am smaller, surely my cut-off for a healthy intake would be smaller too?

forgot to add my 2 cents here... see below

jimmyfoxca

Ok. At 5ft 1 on 1200 a day (400 less than maintenance calories) according to MFP I will lose 0.8lb per week. If I were 5ft 6 on 1200 a day I'd lose 2lbs a week on the same basis and be operating on a deficit of 490 calories. My point is nothing to do with eating the calories or not eating the calories. It's that to lose even a pound a week (recommended) I would need to go below 1200. For taller people 1200 might be necessary to keep the flame of life flickering, but even to stay the same I only need to eat a decent sandwich over and above that limit.


QUESTIONS
Why would my body think it is starving on just 400 calories less than maintenance?

Trudy Jo, why would I take myself near maintenance when I want to lose weight?

If I am smaller, surely my cut-off for a healthy intake would be smaller too?

I'm no expert but it sounds like you are on to something... especially considering you are 5-1

shakybabe

1200 worked for me at first when I was heavier but now I'm making slow process. My BMR has dropped to 1303, so not gonna get a 500cal deficit if can't go lower than 1200...especially when I'm not exercising... I'm currently having a rest week as don't have time to fit in a workout this week with family visits and getting ready for xmas etc.

When I do exercise enough to burn off at least 500cals to create deficit that way I tend to put on water, so then don't get a loss when I was doing the 5lb a month challenges with weekly weigh-ins.

If I eat no carbs - bread etc (only ones found in fruit & veg) drink loads of water and stick to salad, veg and portion of white meat or fish (not battered or breaded) I can usually manage to lose at least 1lb that week... if I do fancy a bit of toast or the choc cravings kick in I have to do some exercise to still have a deficit.

I'm 5ft 3 and half and just reached 10st 5 (145lbs), I still feel I'm overweight, but by time I lost another stone wouldn't my BMR possibly come to less than 1200? .. or maybe that's why 1200 is the 'magic number' as we shouldn't drop below a weight that means our BMR would be under 1200?

taso42

Read up on TDEE, BMR, and calorie deficits. Lots of info in the FAQ: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

BarbWhite09

I think you should at least try 1500 cal. per day. You would be amazed at how much food you can have on 1500 cal. If you're working out that should help as well. On 1200 cal. your body thinks it's starving and you will hang on to weight. You will become frustrated and start to binge. Speaking from experience here. That whole yoyo dieting is for the birds. lol No man should be on 1200 calerie diet as well. From what I've seen men have an easier time of losing the weight then women do. Good luck!


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Not everyone who is on a 1200 calories a day limit will hang onto the weight & binge...Maybe the original poster won't experience that...Can't just say she will because you did.

love22step

I've been concerned about this, too. I'm 5'6" and my calculated BMR is just over 1200. When I reach my goal of 130 lbs, which is in the fit range, my BMR will be below 1200. I don't understand how I'm going to lose my last 10 lbs if I'm not eating at a deficit. I'll play it by ear and do what I have to do.

ATT949

Hmm, I've been arguing that point for 371 days now!

The 1200 calorie "limit" is a guideline that applies to a large audience. At 1200 calories per day, the general population will be lose weight gradually and will experience a limited amount of hunger pangs. To help fight the urge to eat, "they" recommend 8 glasses a day of water.

Like many things, some folks don't understand what's behind the recommendation so they get "enthusiastic" and pass along their knowledge with admonitions of dire outcomes if you don't follow "the rules".

You are a great example. At your height and weight, since 1200 calories would put you in a very low deficit, you might want to increase your deficit to get a faster weight loss. If you get hungry and feel the urge to eat, knock back some water and that will fill your stomach (remember, there is no medical evidence that we need to drink that much water in addition to all the water we get from food and other drinks).

psuLemon

Well one correction; the 1200 calories a day is for women, men required 1500 based on the guidelines set forth by the National Institute for Health. Second, this is the number that is required for each person based on bodily functions; your organs use a calories to function properly (google; organ caloric requirements to see the specific needs).

Next, do some research on basal metabolic rates and TDEE. Many people confuse the two. BMR (aka as metabolism) is the amount of calories your body will burn if you slept for 24 hours. TDEE is your bodies maintenance calories or the amount of calories you would burn throughout the day from normal activities. TDEE is more important because this is the focal point for creating a deficit while ensuring your body can acquire enough calories for sustaining bodily functions. What happens when people under eat, they tend to slow their metabolism. This becomes extremely apparent for those on VLCD's with the amount of lean muscle mass they lose (reference HCG threads below for calculations).


What many people do is get fixated on this arbitrary number of 1200 because they don't understand caloric deficits, they tend to reach for a goal that is unrealistic (wanted to lose 2 lbs per week with only 10 lbs to go), or they just use that number because it's been thrown around all the time (especially with women). I am not trying to call women out but if you reference the second link, you will understand why I suggest that based on an study I conducted and results of that study.

So is 1200 correct for everyone, NO. But many times, that number is higher. People have to remember, food is fuel and if you don't have enough gas to drive down the street, how will you get there?

And keep in mind, there is a difference between being healthy/fit then skinny. You can be skinny but still not be healthy.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/356410-hcg-diet


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?hl=caloric+intake+results&page=1#posts-5425208

CnocNaCu

This website http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee has helped me to understand the TDEE thing, BMR and the deficit needed to loose weight. It is exactly as the others say: 1200 is just a rough guideline. There a tall and short people, busy ones and lazy ones, those in a wheel chair and those on their feet all day long. My deficit has to be greater than 500 in order to lose weight, but I am an "elderly woman" LOL

shakybabe

I'm in a wheelchair all day, and had been using 1200, but I also have involuntary muscle movements at rest from the Dystonia element with my muscles stiffening and relaxing involuntarily (like about 100 times a day) and from the ataxia part which causes intention tremor so when I try and use my arms to do something intentional ie typing, it makes them more jerky,so I'm sure I must burn more than someone with my condition is just laying still on a bed or sofa all day watching telly!

eg even though I use a mobility scooter to walk my dog it takes my body more effort to stay balanced on it than someone without ataxia and I would have thought I's use about the same as someone walking very slowly with their dog. Someone on a Neuro forum suggested I allowed as much as a 2-3 hour exercise session calorie wise for about 16-18hrs of involuntary movements from waking up to going to bed... then if I exercise on top of that! .. I suspect 1200 is too low for me now though it worked in beginning when I was 2 stone overweight.

I was wondering if my metabolism had lowered as its adjusted to the ataxia and then the extra exercise I've doing on top to lose weight and still living on around 1200 calories for last 6 months. I'm also 42 going through peri-menopause and have under active thyroid so I don't know how they will affect things either.

I'm currently just eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, healthy snacks and gone wheat free/low carb but not been counting calories, if I'm really hungry I'll find something else healthy to eat managed to keep losing slowly or maintain that week if ate too much, but its alot of guesswork with very little accuracy.