Devil's advocate: 1200 calories for petite/short women?

nixirain

I am 5'1 and have about 30 lbs to lose...it is hard for me to stay at 1200...I recently upped it to 1300 and feels so much better. I have energy and i'm not as cranky anymore. I haven't seen any significant weight loss (bouncing 3 lbs up and down) but hoping this higher intake will boost my metabolism like so many people on here say it will.

100 calories is NOT going to boost your metabolism. it's rather negligible.

If 100 makes no difference, then how could 200 or 300? They are all just 100 more than the other.

quite simply...100 calories is less than a 10% increase in calories above 1200...300 calories is 25% of 1200. Quite different, eh?

Yes, 25% will make more of a difference than 10%. That in no way translates to 10% makes no difference.

Ok, but my BMR is only 1375 so to lose weight I need to be in a deficit so upping to 1400 or 1500 will make me gain weight right?!

No your BMR is what you would need to eat if you were in a coma. You need to eat less than your TDEE (BMR + your activity basically ) Your TDEE is your maintenance number. If you eat over that you will gain weight.

bearxfoo

MFP put me at 1200 calories a day, and I did not see any results. I also thought I was "sedentary" but I also work out a minimum of 5 days a week - usually closer to 7. I do have a desk job, but I still make time to exercise and move around, so even though I may sit for awhile, I don't consider myself "sedentary". I THOUGHT I was, but putting my activity limit to "light" put me at 1400 calories a day and I find it's much more manageable - especially when I bike for two hours a day burning almost 1000 calories (as I've done in the past two days!). Yesterday I ate almost 1500 calories and still had 700 left - and I wasn't even a BIT hungry, I couldn't force myself to eat if I tried.

I think 1200 is kind of a "bare minimal" but every person is different. For me, 1200 felt like too little, and I was hungry, thinking about food a lot and I wasn't seeing any results. I've seen many websites tell me my BMR is 1400 or higher, some even at 2000, and my TDEE or whatever is much higher, so I feel 1400 is a good place to be at.

Oh, also, I'm only 5'1-5'2 (on a good day!) and I'm at 152 right now. I started at 156, so I've lost weight already.

cmccorma

I am 5'1.5 and 1,200 is working for me. As another devil's advocate point, weight watchers approximately comes out to 1,200 calories as well for someone my height and that program is very successful for people. So I think each person's needs can be different.

Kooraloo

I'm 5'2.5, just about average, and I usually eat around 1200 calories. For me, this is enough. I eat a lot of veggies and fruit because they make me feel less lethargic and more awake, but since they're pretty low calorie-wise, my daily intake is around 1200. For me, this is enough, but I can see why some people would have trouble with it!

jj3120

I am 5' 0" I weigh 150.9 lb's and I eat 1958 calories

I spent about 6 years at 1200 - 1500 weight came off, then on , then off...

When I started again here mfp gave me 1430 calories but after reading all the great information here I used fat2fit to calculate my bmr (1263) and my GOAL weight maintainence (1958)

I started by upping my calories to 1800 my appetite soon kicked in but then I found I was sometimes still hungry especially on non-workout days so now I am set at 1958 reguardless of exercise. This seems to be working for me I'm not feeling hungry when I go to bed.

I had a lot of years where I ate too little, now I genuinely feel I am feeding by body, my diet has improved and my cravings/binges have stopped. My weight had stopped moving now I am also losing inches, my body fat is coming down and the scale is finally coming down again.

Me = : D

Tzippy7

Im 5 1 and 145 lbs (lost 27 lbs). I hardly ever eat over 1200. I work out A LOT and I usually feel great. When I dont its usually due to college lifestyle issues of staying up all night and drinking way too much coffee. Occasionally if im in a bad mood I eat a little more because i tend to get low blood sugar. For the most part it works for me! im not too strict, some days im a little under 1200 and some days im a little over. people often tell me i net too low but I just take it a day at a time and see how i feel.

Spanaval

I am 5 ft tall and 120 lbs. and 40 years old. I use 1200 calories as my base, but I exercise EVERYDAY and I eat back every one of those calories. I would like to weigh less, but at the same time I feel healthier this way.

Our stats are similar. I'm 5'1", 120 lbs (not sure, haven't weighed myself lately) and almost 41. My base was set to 1200 cals (now upped to 1300), and I eat back my exercise calories. I have a hard time reaching the caloric goals at times, however, and eat for the sake of eating, especially on days when I work out harder. If I ate strictly on the basis of how hungry I am, 1200 or 1300 is more than enough.

StarryEyed500

I'm 5'0". I'm currently aiming for 1700+ per day. I'm not particularly active, but I do lift weights 3 times a week. If I didn't do that, I'd be on 1400+ a week. I can't stick to 1200 - I get hungry, crabby and tired.

twinmomtwice4

I'm 5'3" and have slowly increased my calories over the last 3-4 weeks and I'm now at 1700. Each time I adjust my calories, my body seems to get hungrier more often...which leads me to believe that it's happy it's finally being fed!!!

essjay76

You make a valid point. The calorie needs for petite women can be on the low side.

However, when you're getting down around 1200, adequate daily micronutrition starts to become an issue, IMO. Women that need to eat that little to lose weight would be better served to increase their activity and eat a little more.

Exactly, which seems to be the healthiest approach for smaller women. Taking any kind of deficit (from food calories) could bring the gross calorie intake way too low. At least exercise will allow for a higher intake.

essjay76

I'm 4'9 and 97 lbs, I eat roughly 1000-1200 calories a day if I'm hungry. When I'm not that hungry, I eat a lot less. I have literally gone a day or two without eating, because I just didn't think about it. To be honest, I wouldn't be on here if I didn't have kids, I almost done losing my baby weight.

wow--not sure how you survive but i would surely recommend eating more!

No idea, I've literally been eating this way my whole life, except during my pregancies. And I'm not stick thin or ever had a bad doctor's visit. I'm not recommending this at all, it's just me.

Interesting, how were you able to lose any pregnancy weight you gained? If you were at 1000-1200 calories all your life, then what would your diet be like? I would imagine you'd be well under 900 calories a day to lose pregnancy weight?

essjay76

Im 5 1 and 145 lbs (lost 27 lbs). I hardly ever eat over 1200. I work out A LOT and I usually feel great. When I dont its usually due to college lifestyle issues of staying up all night and drinking way too much coffee. Occasionally if im in a bad mood I eat a little more because i tend to get low blood sugar. For the most part it works for me! im not too strict, some days im a little under 1200 and some days im a little over. people often tell me i net too low but I just take it a day at a time and see how i feel.

First off, congrats on your 27 lb weight loss.

Curious for you and anyone else around our size who works out and lost a bunch of weight... how much did you eat regularly before? And what does working out "a lot" mean to you? Do you mean, burning off 600 calories a day, leaving yourself at net 600?

Just curious because I think I work out a lot too, and can't imagine working out a lot on that many calories. I'm not knocking what you're doing, it's just amazing to me that it's enough fuel for a hard workout.

mfpcopine

It's interesting to hear this on countless "1200 calories" vs. "eat more to lose weight" discussions... people often say, "unless you're a dwarf" or "unless you're 4'8" " you really need at least 1200 calories a day. Well guess what? I happen to know that there are quite a few "dwarfs" :-) and petite women posting on MFP, me being one of them! (No offense taken to the "dwarf" comment, we're all just fun sized!) :-)

This isn't really a question for calorie advice for me personally, but for all smaller ladies out there. Do smaller women really need more than 1200 calories? Surely if you're less than 5' and pretty sedentary, you won't need as much as a 5'7" woman, right?



******FYI, I'm 4'10" 105 lbs. and my mantra is that women in general should eat more and be more active. I personally can not live off of 1200 calories a day. I am waaaay too active (am a long distance runner) and love food and exercise way too much, but I realize not all women are training for marathons like I am.

Thus, I welcome the different opinions, what do y'all think??

It depends on the size of the woman and her activity level. I believe a very small or older woman with a slower metabolism who was sedentary might well have trouble losing weight on 1200. Many years ago, when I was at a spa and was EXTREMELY active all day I went down from 93 or 94 to 90. I still only ate the spa's 1400 calories-a-day plan.

Only by observation and trial and error can a person figure out his or her ideal dieting calorie minimum.

acs4162

I'm 5'4 133 lbs and 30 years old. I was 127 before I had kids and then 167 after kids. I've gradually been losing weight over the last 2.5 years by eating healthy and staying active, but the last 10-15 pounds just weren't coming off. I cut out alot of bad and junk foods I had been eating and now the weigh is coming off. I'm never, NEVER hungry. I have been staying in the 1000- 1200 calories most days. If I work out hard or run long distance, it may be around 1300 that day. I do plan to change my diet slightly once I get to my goal weight of 125. I do consider myself to be small framed and I know I'm not supposed to be eating the same as someone much taller than me. Growing up I thought I should eat as much as my friends and family that are taller/bigger than me, and then I would just be so sluggish and tired afterwards and wonder why they weren't. At lunch here at work, I watch others eat bread, yogart, and pizza for their lunch and wonder how they don't feel tired afterwards, because I want to take a nap after eating those foods.
I do think it's more important to listen to your body and take note of how you feel after eating something, rather than trying to stick to some strict diet with rules. I love MFP, because I can keep track of what I've eaten that day- otherwise I really would forget!

fuzzyslipperz

I'm 5'4 and I eat 2Kish per day, total - generally 1350-1500 net. I do a lot of farm work and running, so I use a fitbit for most things and log in specific exercise with a HRM. When I tried to stick to 1500 without eating exercise back.. woooowhee I was a nasty *kitten*.

Oh, and I'm 44 years old (ugh) and about 120 pounds. And have been about the same weight give or take for 8 years after losing 50.

I have never ever been someone who got 'so full' on 1200 cals - and I eat probably 80+ g/fiber a day and a ton of protein, so it's not like I sit around eating twinkies. I could eat 3K or more if I wouldn't turn into a twinkie.

danifo0811

I'm 5'3 and working to get back to 135 lbs. My weight gain came from pregnancy (50 lbs each time, lost it the first time ). I maintain my weight at 2300 calories /day with working out about 30 minutes 3-5 times per week.

I'm currently losing (and breastfeeding) at 2300 and I'm working out 1 hour 5 days a week. when I'm at 2500 I'm maintaining.

I'm also amazed at people who can't figure out how to eat over 1200.... I like nuts and cheese. I usually eat my calories all healthy but I like the wiggle room for treats like birthday cake or eating out. When I ate lower in the past it led to me feeling deprived about treats and binging.

Honestly, my goal is to have as high a metabolism as possible so I can eat what I feel like. If people like to eat 1200 or less I just hope they are happy eating there.

strawberrie_milk

Honestly, I have no idea where "1200" even came from.. did someone just pull that number out of their butt? There's no ~magic~ number that you must eat at in order to not starve your body - everyone is different. Mini rant aside, I eat 1100-1200 calories a day (5'1") and I've managed to go from 123 lbs. to 104 lbs. thus far.

Sallycinnimon

I'm 5foot. I could not eat less than 1200. NOOO WAYYY! When I get to my goal, it may change though. Right now, I'm at 157 and my goal is 130ish. So I'm sure it could change.

Angybabefitzg

bump

janf15

I am sorry if this is a duplicate of what someone else has said - the way calorie needs are calculated is based on the BMR. There is a formula and there are several of them on the internet - google mayoclinic.com and bmr or go to www.fat2fitradio.com/bmr

Typically they use the Harris Benedict equation. And it works for most people. People who are morbidly obese (based on their BMI) or people who have a low body fat percentage - is slightly different.

The BMR is the amount of calories you will need to sustain life in a 24 hr period if you are sleeping/unconscious during that time period. Conversely the daily goal you get on MFP is rather close to your BMR.

I don't know who are dreaming these 1200 calories up. For many people it is several hundred calories below their need and if they are really active - they go into starvation mode and it is not healthy for the. My grief with a lot of the posters here is that they don't do a lot of research and that is the reason they don't do as well as they would like....

just my 10 cents FWIW