Is 1000 calories REALLY too little?

Andromeda173

Hello all, relative newbie here.

The TL;DR is that I'm very short, and if I stick to the minimum of 1200 calories a day net, I don't even make a 500 cal/day deficit; therefore, I do 1000 calories a day--is this REALLY too little?

I'm about 5'1", and was close to 140 at the start. I'd like to be 115, so that's a 25 pound difference. I've been eating 1000 net most days (some more, some less) for the past month and I've lost about four pounds. So the 1000/day seems to be working, and I rarely feel deprived or hungry. I do an hour of cardio once a week and and hour of yoga, plus briskly walking all over campus all day, every day (comes to 40-100 minutes per day).

I'm happy right now, but everyone who mentions cutting down to 1000 calories seems to get an instant reprimand. Shouldn't I just stick with what works and adjust from there?

waffleflavoredtea

shorter people require less calories, technically. So if you feel fine, I would say you should be okay! Just listen to your body, eat healthy foods, and if you sense anything bad or a loss of energy or you hit a plateau, you may need to upp your cals a bit.

bobie1978

Yes it is.. I am 5ft 2 and the lowest anyone should go is 1200... But also you are always hungry. Everyone is different but we all burn calories throughout the day.. It might even stall your weight loss.. but its all up to you.

kleighsamboer

Hi! MFP suggests that I eat a little over 1200 per day and I always come in a little under and for me I think that is fine. I'm not doing any major work outs right now and I am losing. BUT....I am a clean eater which means I can eat more for less calories than other people so I think people need to realize that it isn't a one size fits all type of thing. I think as long as you are eating clean whole foods and getting proper nutrition which INCLUDES fats you should be fine. With that being said, if you are getting hungry, dizzy, nauseated, headaches, ect. only consuming that many calories you definitely need to be eating more!

wftiger

Just to give you a heads up that this will be met with many not so nice posts. People here are not very friendly to those on low calorie diets.

With that warning, I do it. I am 5'4" so a little taller than you. Mine is Dr. ordered and monitored and that is what I really recommend if you want to do it. They can watch to make sure that you are not losing muscle mass or not getting enough nutrients.

Good luck getting to your goal.

ashnm88

I'm 5'3" and I eat more than that, and I've dropped 67lbs in total. 35lbs before MFP and 32lbs with MFP.

tmoyer1209

The 1200 guideline is for most people, but since you are petite, I would think that you should be fine. If you are not hungry, and are still losing, I wouldn't worry. But you might thing about setting for 0.5lbs lost, which would mean that you wouldn't need as much of a deficit. Just an idea, I have lots of 'em but don't know what works for myself, so I just brainstorm.

tross0924

Figure out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure . . . google a calculator for it) and reduce by 20%. If that puts you under 1200 calories, no problem. But you really shouldn't go more than a 20% reduction. That's true if it puts you at 2000 calories or 1000 calories.

YummyTpn

YES!

agthorn

Shorter people require less calories, but it's not as much less as many people think. Your BMR is 1347. That means if you're sedentary your maintenance is about 1685 (and if you're walking all over campus, you're not sedentary. I know I wasn't when I was in college either). So 1200 would get you a 485 calorie deficit, which is pretty darn close to 500.

tataliciousd89

Short answer, yes it really is. Even for short people an adult requires at least 1200 calories to function and be healthy. Anything below 1500 really should be accompanied by nutritional supplementation. I know it's lame, but it is medically proven. Either way tho it is your body and only you can make that call. I've eaten less, but it isn't a sustainable diet and it does take a huge toll on your body.

Missrachelf

It is to little, because once you lose 5 pounds, you will have to lower your calories to keep losing. My suggestion would be to eat the 1200, no less. And exercise, but don't eat the "extra calories". If you are starting off it is discouraging to only lose a pound or two and to take 5 weeks to lose 6 pounds. But, as you lose your body will adjust. If you keep your calories at a steady number that slows things down too. I lost 45 pounds. CW 135 5'8". Days I eat more, I worry to only find by the end of the week I lost weight.

Becky_47

What is a clean eater? I am interested.

Andromeda173

I'm still trying to figure out what works best for me. I think that a lot of days I would have to force myself to eat the extra calories to make it to 1200--and not in a healthy way. I may try upping to 1200 for a few weeks and see if I''m still losing/losing more/staying steady/gaining.

I'll see if I can make an appointment with a dietician here on campus and see what he/she says.

menagerie4

Figure out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure . . . google a calculator for it) and reduce by 20%. If that puts you under 1200 calories, no problem. But you really shouldn't go more than a 20% reduction. That's true if it puts you at 2000 calories or 1000 calories.

^
This

wftiger

Short answer, yes it really is. Even for short people an adult requires at least 1200 calories to function and be healthy. Anything below 1500 really should be accompanied by nutritional supplementation. I know it's lame, but it is medically proven. Either way tho it is your body and only you can make that call. I've eaten less, but it isn't a sustainable diet and it does take a huge toll on your body.

This is not true. 1500 is the low end for men not women.

jocemorg

The ultimate goal of all of us being here is to lose weight the right way.

That being said, if restricting yourself to 1,000 calories makes your life unnaturally difficult (in that you are making sure that slice of bread is 80 calories as opposed to 85 because EVERY calorie HAS to count) then I don't think you should. Perhaps try it, and if it works with your current eating habits and lifestyle, then go for it. If not, adjust accordingly.

Just remember you probably don't want to be counting calories forever, so this should be a diet that you can maintain in the long run.

LorinaLynn

Shorter people require less calories, but it's not as much less as many people think. Your BMR is 1347. That means if you're sedentary your maintenance is about 1685 (and if you're walking all over campus, you're not sedentary. I know I wasn't when I was in college either). So 1200 would get you a 485 calorie deficit, which is pretty darn close to 500.

This is some really good advice.

I'm twice your age (how it pains me to say that!) and my BMR is closer to 1200 since I'm so old and feeble and I did best between 1350 and 1500 plus most of my exercise calories, usually totaling between 1800-2000.

I used to think that I had to eat 1000 or less to lose, but I was wrong. Everything was better on more calories... my energy, my mood, my progress, my results. It was amazing. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

kleighsamboer

What is a clean eater? I am interested.

a clean eater is someone who eats mostly fresh sometimes cooked fruits and veggies. i also don't eat grain except the occasional piece of sprouted ezekiel bread. I don't drink or smoke. drink lots of water and herbal tea. I eat mostly organic. you can check out my food journal.

jamesfit99

Losing a pound a week is somewhat aggressive but doesn't seem drastic, especially if you're not feeling hungry, deprived or having any other ill effects. Unless you've researched it out, you might check with a doc or nutritionist to make sure you're getting the proper nutriments. There's a 1000 calories and there's a 1000 calories. Not all calories are equal.

-- James

angieleighbyrd

I've lost 4 pounds in a week eating around 1200-1400 cals. I am 5 2