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

essjay76

Interesting. I guess I can understand (but not agree with) cutting back to that level for a short time, but my interest is for those who have truly lived off of it.

I'm not talking about someone who has just cut back over the past few months.

I'm interested in hearing from the petite ladies who've *sustained* a lifestyle of eating 1200 calories or less. I'm talking about a few years on this. Do you exercise? Gain weight easily during the holidays or anytime you increase your calories?

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.

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.

I work out usually 6 days a week for about an hour every day, sometimes a little less sometimes more. On average i burn 300-500 per workout. I also walk everywhere, which usually adds 100-200 a day.

I honestly dont have a problem with energy. It doesnt talk a lot to make me feel full. I eat lots of food with high water content. Fruit and salad are a huge part of my diet. When at least half of each meal is plant based its not hard to keep a low calorie count. And i have more energy after eating something like that than I do when I eat carb or protein heavy meals.

Additionally, I find that if i increase my calorie intake its harder for me to make healthy choices. Instead of eating more healthy food, i start to eat less healthy food because I know I have the calories for it. Im currently calorie cycling so 2 days of the week I eat around 1400. On those days instead of eating a salad with grilled chicken ill eat pasta with grilled chicken. I know that doesnt seem so bad but carbs make me sluggish, so i try to stay away from it.

After this long ramble my point is, if i increase my calories I fill pressure to eat more calorie dense food which ends up making me have less energy.

cmccorma

Interesting. I guess I can understand (but not agree with) cutting back to that level for a short time, but my interest is for those who have truly lived off of it.

I'm not talking about someone who has just cut back over the past few months.

I'm interested in hearing from the petite ladies who've *sustained* a lifestyle of eating 1200 calories or less. I'm talking about a few years on this. Do you exercise? Gain weight easily during the holidays or anytime you increase your calories?

This is from PubMed, so from a peer reviewed journal. It's based off of the National Weight Loss Registry. People need to have maintained their loss for over 5 years. The study says that women who have maintained their weight loss average 1,300 calories a day plus exercise. So of course there are those that eat more and those that eat less.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9550162?dopt=Abstract

tattycakes

I'm 5'1 and currently 184, I've been recommended 1200 as a daily target by MFP, but at the same time if I go under (say 1175) it says I'm not eating enough and I need to have at least 1200!

I tend to offset this by doing about 100 cal of exercise a day (slowly working my way up from a totally sedentary lifestyle) then eating as much fruit and snacks as I want to reach the target.

I've been told by my fitness freak housemate that not enough calories will slow me down so I'm planning on upping the exercise as much as possible and eating to match it which sounds like fun

Luckily enough I don't fee hungry on 1200, I've managed to have cereal, sandwich, banana, chicken and rice, no complaints!

clover5

At 5'3, I MUST exercise so I can eat enough calories to feel full.

tabinmaine

I'm 5'4 and my calories are set at 1280 and I do just fine. Most days, even without exercising, I am under my calorie goal. A lot of times I have to force myself to eat because I'm not hungry but i still need to meet my daily calcium, iron, and protein allotments. On days when I workout I add an extra meal, usually a quinoa salad with roast peppers or an extra snack, popcorn and fresh fruit.
There is absolutely NO WAY i could eat 1500+ calories like some people. I just physically cant.

If you can't possibly eat more.....then why are you overweight in the first place ? If you have never eaten more than 1500 calories in your lifetime you would not have a login at MFP

yarwell

Not sure of the study you are referring to, but would that not be an indication of a suppressed metabolism?

I guess you could call it that. After losing 50 lbs of fat their maintenance diet was 1100-1400 kcal/d and some of the RMRs were ~1200 (no table, just a graph).

I found the link - http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/1/93.full.pdf+html

Other random bits of data :-
RMR of lean women n = 19; mean, 1241 Cal/day; range, 938-1450 Cal/day http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6725523

mfpcopine

If you have never eaten more than 1500 calories in your lifetime you would not have a login at MFP

I wasn't aware that this site was only for people who have been very overweight or obese. Some people log their food to maintain their weight or bring it down from a weight that, while not clinically overweight, is too high for them.

When very active in the past I've eaten more than 1,500 calories a day (in a lifetime would not be possible). Now, I need to stick to around 1,100. I'm 5' 2".

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Not sure of the study you are referring to, but would that not be an indication of a suppressed metabolism?

I guess you could call it that. After losing 50 lbs of fat their maintenance diet was 1100-1400 kcal/d and some of the RMRs were ~1200 (no table, just a graph).

I found the link - http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/1/93.full.pdf+html

Other random bits of data :-
RMR of lean women n = 19; mean, 1241 Cal/day; range, 938-1450 Cal/day http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6725523

well that downright sucks--I'd surely just say *kitten* it and be overweight then. Not going to starve myself forever.

IamOnMywayNow

I'm 5'4 and my calories are set at 1280 and I do just fine. Most days, even without exercising, I am under my calorie goal. A lot of times I have to force myself to eat because I'm not hungry but i still need to meet my daily calcium, iron, and protein allotments. On days when I workout I add an extra meal, usually a quinoa salad with roast peppers or an extra snack, popcorn and fresh fruit.
There is absolutely NO WAY i could eat 1500+ calories like some people. I just physically cant.

If you can't possibly eat more.....then why are you overweight in the first place ? If you have never eaten more than 1500 calories in your lifetime you would not have a login at MFP

^agree^!! I am 4 11 and 142lbs. I KNOW that I am overweight due to eating too many calories (lots of food) so that is why I am here. I feel like I am starving if I only eat at 1200. I just dont get how people can say " oh I can barely get 1200 down" at some point you had to stuff it down to get overweight unless you have some medical condition. right?

April4th

Heh. Maybe this is why I'm cranky and tired lately. :-D MFP has me set at 1300 for the the day (used to be 1340 then I updated my settings to reflect my weight loss). I wonder if this is too low. Yet I'm afraid to eat more.

mfpcopine

I guess I'm one of the four people in the world who won't stab someone if I eat 1200ish calories. I'm losing weight, and have energy to make it through my long days and Insanity workouts. I aim for at least 1200 everyday, but I usually get there only 50% of the time. I won't force feed myself. *shrugs*

ETA: I'm 4'10.5"

I guess I'm one of those people, too. I'm 5'2". Because I've had to be super-sedentary I've dialed back to 1100/1150. Sometimes commonsense makes perfect sense: You should not be eating if you have no desire to eat and are healthy.

chantalb20

I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.

I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.

Yep.

When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.

At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.

I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.

I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.

i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...

bawalker11

I think it depends on the person, I find that I am regularly under my 1200 calories, especially with exercise, but rarely hungry and I have a low thyroid, I find if I actually eat all 1200 calories then I just dont lose weight so It can fluctuate person to person. I am 5ft 1, and even under the 1200 calories I find I have plenty of energy and I get all the protein and carbs required for my energy levels, I eat a lot of lean meat and veg.

mfpcopine

I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.

I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.

Yep.

When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.

At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.

I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.

I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.

i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...

I usually try to withhold judgment, but 88 is THAT LITTLE. I was once 88 pounds. I didn't have an ED and I wasn't sick. I got that way by not eating meat and sweets for two years. I'm 5'2", too.

As you have an ED you should not be reading this thread, in my opinion. You're unable to make distinctions.

mfpcopine

98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea

Not true for everyone. Many medical charts are based on an overweight population or people with larger frames.

chantalb20

I'm 5'3 and 98lbs. I don't eat more than 1000 cals. I don't get hungry enough to need to.

I am not trying to be mean here hon, but the 'magic' 88lb goal weight is a bit of a give away. You do not get hungry because the hormones ghrelin and leptin are screwing up with your hunger signals, primarily due to long periods of undereating.

Yep.

When I was 15 years old I weight the same as you do now. It's not super-underweight but you are right on the edge. If you still feel fat, seek professional health.

At your weight I strongly recommend you to eat at your mantainence level and now focus on losing body fat if you still have. I know I did, was extremely skinny but still skinny fat even at 98 lbs. Your weight should be more like 110 at least, and if you work out and lose the body fat and get a defined body you will look great. Better and healthier.

I don't know the weight history of the person you're criticizing, but the world is full of healthy women who weigh 98 pounds. You shouldn't let the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight distort your understanding of what is a normal weight.

I'm not saying she is not healthy, I'm saying she doesn't need to lose 10 pounds, which is what she wants. I'm telling her she should work out and lose body fat instead because 98 lbs in a girl of 5'2 is just in the limit between normal and underweight (medically, not just my idea). 88 lbs would be too little.

i may not need to lose 10lbs, i want to. and i actually 'want' to lose a lot more, but i',m trying to stay healthy. 88lbs to me, really isn't that little. i have tiny bones. but yes, i do have an ED. and yes, i have gotten help in the past, and been in 'recovery'. but it's not that easy. and i understand that no one was being rude or mean, merely giving advice. but the way i see it is you can't just tell someone who overeats "don't eat so much' because it doesn't work like that... and you can't tell someone who under eats "just eat more"...

I usually try to withhold judgment, but 88 is THAT LITTLE. I was once 88 pounds. I didn't have an ED and I wasn't sick. I got that way by not eating meat and sweets for two years. I'm 5'2", too.

As you have an ED you should not be reading this thread, in my opinion. You're unable to make distinctions.

i'm 5'3".
and you're welcome to your opinion that 88lbs is too little. and maybe for you, it would be. but that's not my opinion. for me, 88lbs is just fine.
and actually, i am able to make distinctions, thanks. just because i have an ED doesn't make me incompetent. i don't encourage anyone to restrict as hard as i do, in fact, i often encourage the opposite. i completely understand that eating around 400-500cals a day isn't healthy, but i physically cannot eat more. that doesn't mean that what i read/view should be restricted.

Hezzietiger1

I'm 5'2 and I eat between 1150-1350 calories everyday.. Macro nutrients have not been an issue but I do have to pay closer attention to them because I'm eating less calories, the calories I do eat have to be good ones. I am active. I workout 5-6 days a week and my net calorie intake is usually around 500-700.

Guess what, I'm healthy, strong, have plenty of energy, no headaches, menstrual cycles are fine.. and I'm not hungry.

I'm losing weight consistently and yes its fat not muscle.

If I could eat 2000 calories a day, I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place! I hit 2 plateaus in 5 months. 1 was early on and I was eating less than 1200 pretty regularly. That's when I started making sure I tried for about 1300. The second time, I decreased cals for a week, then moved them back up. If I'm not hungry and I'm at 1100 tho, I don't eat. Even if I burned 700 that day in the gym. I'm 1 lb away from losing 50! And, I'm super excited.

Works for me...

Sarauk2sf

I'm 5'2 and I eat between 1150-1350 calories everyday.. Macro nutrients have not been an issue but I do have to pay closer attention to them because I'm eating less calories, the calories I do eat have to be good ones. I am active. I workout 5-6 days a week and my net calorie intake is usually around 500-700.

Guess what, I'm healthy, strong, have plenty of energy, no headaches, menstrual cycles are fine.. and I'm not hungry.

I'm losing weight consistently and yes its fat not muscle.

If I could eat 2000 calories a day, I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place! I hit 2 plateaus in 5 months. 1 was early on and I was eating less than 1200 pretty regularly. That's when I started making sure I tried for about 1300. The second time, I decreased cals for a week, then moved them back up. If I'm not hungry and I'm at 1100 tho, I don't eat. Even if I burned 700 that day in the gym. I'm 1 lb away from losing 50! And, I'm super excited.

Works for me...

How do you know you have lost only fat and not muscle - did you have a DEXA scan or a hydrostatic test before and during?

rosieposie0

I am 5ft, used to be around 100lb and fairly active, and could happily thrive on 1000 calories a day max. Now I am less active whilst eating 1000-1200lbs i cant get drop current extra 20lbs or so, I do wonder if i should be eating less than 1000! Considering i could thrive and be healthy/fully of energy on 1000cals before.. I do wonder if you adapt to eat less if thats what you are used to? I tend to eat because I like eating, rather than because I am hungry.