Why is 1200 the magic number.............?!?

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  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    because apparently the entire body shuts down if you go one calorie below 1200.
  • chantels1
    chantels1 Posts: 391 Member
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    And really, I hope you aren't eating back ALL the calories you burn, that would mean you can't lose weight. Like eating back cleaning the house or washing the kids or doing dishes or cooking. That's the wrong idea of eating back calories.

    Those are daily activities and not exercise! You should not count them! The only chores I count are extra hard ones like mowing the lawn with a push mower, or washing the car by hand. If you are counting every movement over the day, you are double dipping!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    No doubt this has been asked before, but why do I see so many people saying that they only eat 1200 calories per day, and that 1200 is the optimum number of calories to eat in order to lose weight?!?

    Because anyone with a BMR of 1760 or less, who selects Sedentary activity level, and 2lb loss per week, will receive 1200.

    1760 x 1.25 = 2200 - 1000 = 1200!

    And you know most women are going to select Sedentary, "just to be on the safe side".
    And most women are going to select 2lb loss per week, "because I want to lose it fast".

    Now matter how many of them have yo-yo dieted this way in the past and are here for their 3, 4, 5th time because it never works in the long term.

    The above math of course shows that if the BMR is less than 1760, you actually can't get 2lbs week weight loss.


    Yea um thanks for the info bud. And the nasty critique on woman. *kitten*.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    What is BMR?

    For a quick write up on what it means, and what your healthy estimated could be, MFP - Tools - BMR calc.
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 637 Member
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    My account is set to weight loss, 1200 cal, sedetary, and 2 lbs a week, yet it tells me that my projected weight loss is 1.2 lbs a week. I don't understand how this site works?
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    It's a horrible number in my opinion. Thats the lowest recommended usually. For most people it is just too low to eat at for long periods of time.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    1200 Calories seems to be working for me. i am not losing 2lbs a week, however i am losing. I'm 134 now, started at 139 in april, so the weight is coming off at slower pace than most of my MFP friends, but i am happy with the way its going. since joining this site i have become more aware of what im putting into my body, and most of the time i'm under the 1200 a day, and i always feel full because i'm eating REAL food with high protein, not just fast food junk anymore (which doesnt keep you full).
    So yes, we are all different and its inaccurate to say that 1200 calories a day is unrealistic, because its not.
  • allisonleighadams
    allisonleighadams Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank You for posting this!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Because anyone with a BMR of 1760 or less, who selects Sedentary activity level, and 2lb loss per week, will receive 1200.

    1760 x 1.25 = 2200 - 1000 = 1200!

    And you know most women are going to select Sedentary, "just to be on the safe side".
    And most women are going to select 2lb loss per week, "because I want to lose it fast".

    Now matter how many of them have yo-yo dieted this way in the past and are here for their 3, 4, 5th time because it never works in the long term.

    The above math of course shows that if the BMR is less than 1760, you actually can't get 2lbs week weight loss.


    Yea um thanks for the info bud. And the nasty critique on woman. *kitten*.

    Are you suggesting it's not true?

    I suggest you search for 1200 and see how many women have the goal. And state exactly those reasons. And even if they have HRM's and have calorie counts to eat back, how many say the only do half, "to be on the safe side". As if there isn't a 500-1000 cal gap already.

    Are you suggesting unfair focus on women?

    Get ready, this doesn't happen to men as much because they just give up and don't keep trying because women are stronger. They aren't strong enough to put their bodies through that torture - I'm sure it has nothing to do with better knowledge about it.
    Men also have less self-control probably, and with these extreme deficits it probably actually works out better for them, causing there deficit to not be that great, and it works out better in the end totally by accident.
  • allisonleighadams
    allisonleighadams Posts: 2 Member
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    The starvation mode myth has actually been disproved - it was something that Weight Watchers used to always tell their clients but had to turn around about a year ago I think to say it was not true.

    Starvation mode as a survival mechanism for folks on here - yes, not going to happen, not without some hard work and dedication and stupidity.

    But I can give you a diet/exercise routine that will starve your body of glucose stores and help burn muscle, and cause great weight loss for awhile.

    And absolutely terrible re-entry into normal maintenance level.

    Depends on what starving the body means.

    Because you could eat 4 Little Debbies for almost 2000 calories daily, and be starving for nutrients after a while, even if it made you gain weight.

    You could also eat 600 calories and get all your nutrients in, but be starving for energy for your level of activity.

    Depends on what the body is starving for

    Thank You for Posting this!:smile:
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    My account is set to weight loss, 1200 cal, sedetary, and 2 lbs a week, yet it tells me that my projected weight loss is 1.2 lbs a week. I don't understand how this site works?

    Because anyone with a BMR of 1760 or less, who selects Sedentary activity level, and 2lb loss per week, will receive 1200.

    1760 x 1.25 = 2200 - 1000 = 1200!

    If you have smaller BMR figure the math is based on, you can't get 1000 cal deficit when the cutoff is 1200.
  • jzaz903
    jzaz903 Posts: 306 Member
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    My account is set to weight loss, 1200 cal, sedetary, and 2 lbs a week, yet it tells me that my projected weight loss is 1.2 lbs a week. I don't understand how this site works?

    Because in order for you to (theoretically) lose 2lb a week, you would have to eat much less than 1200 calories. This website gives 1200 as a minimum because it's been said to be "the lowest a person can go without sacrificing nutrients"
    Basically, to actually lose 2lb a week for you, it would take like 800 calories a day. And that's not healthy or sustainable at all.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    1200 Calories seems to be working for me. i am not losing 2lbs a week, however i am losing. I'm 134 now, started at 139 in april, so the weight is coming off at slower pace than most of my MFP friends, but i am happy with the way its going. since joining this site i have become more aware of what im putting into my body, and most of the time i'm under the 1200 a day, and i always feel full because i'm eating REAL food with high protein, not just fast food junk anymore (which doesnt keep you full).
    So yes, we are all different and its inaccurate to say that 1200 calories a day is unrealistic, because its not.

    You are correct, unrealistic is the wrong term. It's obviously realistic and obtainable by many, shoot, many doing even less.

    Inefficient and ineffective would easily apply though to majority on 1200 goal.

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