Eating over the 1200 calorie limit. Will I still lose?

bumblebee

Hi all, basically I am 143lbs and would like to be 126lbs. Im 5'7". I asked MFP to lose 2lbs per week and it gave me 1200 as my calorie total per day. However, I find it hard to stick to this even though I am eating much less than the 2000 calories I normally eat and am eating really healthy food. My question is whether I will still lose weight if im averaging about 1400 calories per day and not the suggested 1200? Surely I will because I am eating less than my usual 2000. Does MFP give you 1200 as a way of you getting to your desired weight in a set time and therefore I will still lose weight just more slowly? Thank you.

beccarockslife

1200 isn't a maximum it's the minimum you should be eating.

astrampe

You will...Set your weight loss to .5-1lb per week - eating 1200 is not going to give you better results, and you will not keep it up because you will be hungry all the time... Eat more....

dad106

You have 17 pounds to lose, which is not much.

Quit this 2 pound a week crap and set MFP to one pound a week. You will see your calories go up a bit, which means you can eat more and still lose weight.

I'm not much taller then you(5'9) and through out my journey I ate between 1500-1700 calories per day while losing. Maintaining, I eat between 1800-2000 calories a day.

bumblebee

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

workoutgirl23

yes. you will. 1200 is a little too low for some people. every person is different with how many calories they need per day. when i started this site, it put me at 1200 per day. but i felt i needed a little more calories every day for energy. and i was working out a lot. so i upped my daily intake to about 1400 calories per day. and it works great for me. i have lost 22 pounds since starting this site, and that is with eating about 1400-1500 calories per day and working out about 4 days per week. so go ahead and just eat 1400 calories per day, you will still lose weight.

astrampe

Keep on adding 100cals a week and keep an eye on when you start to maintain - then slowly go down with a 100 at a time to find your happy spot....

1a1a

^ setting goals to half a pound per week is pretty doable.

dancingdeer

That's my goal weight as well, and I'm the same height. My nutritionist wants me to eat 1400 calories per day total. (She also doesn't want to see me under 128) I think you're fine and will probably see losses - especially if you're working out.

robot_potato

1200 is awfully low. I am 5'7" and losing on 1710. 2 pounds a week is too much loss when you have that little to lose. I have mine set to .5 pounds loss/week as that is much more realistic. Slow and steady wins the race.

Rae6503

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

Set your goal to maintenance. See what it tells you. Eat less than that.

WaterBunnie

I agree with the others. If you're struggling on 1200 try setting it to lose 1lb a week, you'll get more to eat and a quantity you'll find easier to stick to

- and if it's still not keeping you full I recommend doing more exercise so that you can eat back your exercise calories too - works for me!

tdlsaint

I sat my goal to 1 pound per week, and currently my suggested intake by MFP is 1900. I started out doing 1200, and it was no where near enough. I started feeling weak and basically like crap. I then upped it to 1400 - 1500 calories, feel awesome and it didn't change my weight loss rate at all.

MinMin97

What is your build like? I am 5'7" and medium build. When I weighed 143lbs, I was maybe a shade too thin. That is good you are eating really healthy food (I haven't looked at your diary), 'cause you will need every calorie to count! Like, I lose weight on about 1400calories if I am sedentary. I would think if you are exercising you would also need to eat back your exercise calories, or you will get unproductive in your efforts.

I think 1200 is too little, and I think 2lbs/week is too harsh...a 2lb/week loss is more likely if you are very overweight, but not when you don't have much to lose (say,25lbs or less).

Set your goals for 1lb per week, and be content with that. Google "pound of fat" to see an image of fat and appreciate that loss. A lot more happens each week than only the pound...you get healthier, fitter, more beautiful, better habits, etc.

MtnKat

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

I use this site: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

It gives me all the numbers I need....I am currently eating 1947 cals a day (I do not eat exercise cals as that is already figure in when I chose "active lifestyle". You can choose sedentary lifestyle and eat back your exercise cals instead.

That site bases your weight loss cals using your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). You will have to adjust it every 5 lbs, too.

Papillon22

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

Yes, you can calculate your BMR (that's the minimum amount of calories you should consume) and then calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and substract 15% from that. You can use that as your maximum calorie allowance.
Search for the BMR and TDEE calculators on fat2fit website.
Good luck!

jennadelane

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

Find out what your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is and do not eat below that number. Basically, its the amount of calories that your body needs just to function if you were to lay around all day. Also, find out what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is. This will be your maintenance calorie intake. As long as you are below maintenance (TDEE) and above BMR, you will lose weight. Most people here eat 10-20% below their TDEE. MFP has a BMR calculator in the Tools section, but you'll have to google TDEE calculator to find out that number for you. I'm 5'7" and 134 pounds and for my last 15 pounds (149 to now) I've been eating around 1450 to 1500 calories per day and exercising. My BMR is 1420. Good luck!

This is a good TDEE calculator: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

Jenjaz1910

Is there a way of finding out the maximum calories I could consume and still lose weight?

Fat2fitradio.com is a great website (and app) that you punch in your details and it works out your BMR & TDEE so go there and use their figures. Good luck x

psideon

That's 1200 a day NET... that means, you can consume 3000 calories and exercise off 1800, you'll be fine!
Going under 1200 is not a good idea, and that's just a ballpark figure. Tweak your program till you find what works best for you.

Good luck and God speed!

Ocarina

I'm 5'9 142 lbs and eat 1700 calories a day and the pounds are still coming off. You can eat more! Working out will also expand the amount you can eat.

And I eat chocolate EVERYDAY and drink calorie'd drinks!!!!

bserwack

1200 is too low for me. I set mine to 1400/day. If I eat too little I end up starving, in a bad mood and binging.

Anna800

(I do not eat exercise cals as that is already figure in when I chose "active lifestyle". You can choose sedentary lifestyle and eat back your exercise cals instead.

I'm not sure I agree with that.

I was told by a nutritionist once that if you don't want to exercise you eat 1200 a day, otherwise eat 1500 calories a day and burn 300 at the gym daily to lose weight.

rosiewantsaburger

well i eat around 1300- 1400 sometimes more...i love chocolate!!and exercise around 4 times a week (500cal a go) and that works for moi! 2 a week!!

Linbo93

You have 17 pounds to lose, which is not much.

Quit this 2 pound a week crap and set MFP to one pound a week. You will see your calories go up a bit, which means you can eat more and still lose weight.

I'm not much taller then you(5'9) and through out my journey I ate between 1500-1700 calories per day while losing. Maintaining, I eat between 1800-2000 calories a day.

I second this. I've lost 45 pounds this year alone eating a MINIMUM of 1700 calories a day, with only a few days here or there where I ate less. I averate between 1700-2000 each day. Find out your TDEE, add in your estimated exercise calories burned and subtract the number of calories per week from that number to get your desired rate of loss. There's an easy way to calculate:

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

That will give you the number of calories to never eat below, and how many to eat based on how active you are. 1200 is way too few!

The_New_Christina

My BMR shows over 1700 calories, but I have hypothyroidism. Shouldn't I be eating less than what the BMR shows since my metabolism is slower?

jamielr1987

I have almost identical stats to you. I have set my goal to lose .5 lbs a week and my goal is 1680 calories a day. I tried to set it at 1 lb a week and I couldn't function on that amount of calories. I have been doing this for only a week and have lost two pounds, so I would definitely set my calories higher than 1200. I know that will go down the longer I do this, but my metabolism skyrockets when I am regularly working out. You may have to play with your calorie limits for a while to figure out what works for you!

JuneBPrice

Yes. In all likelihood, you will still lose weight. You're tall and normally eat 2000 calories a day, so yeah, I'd say you're good.

mzhokie

I'm with the others.... set it to 1 or .5 lbs a week. Work out so you get some extra calories to eat. No need to struggle.

I have more to lose but I try to go with a 500-700 calorie deficit a day. that way I lose 1 lb to 1.5 lbs a week. But I get that deficit from keeping active.

Lately I use my HRM to report the calories burned during my workouts. I will eat 50-75% of those calories back. I don't worry about the calories I pick up from doing every day activities. So if I burn 400 calories on the treadmill... I will eat 200-300 of them back on top of the number MFP gave me. It's nice to have the extra fuel in my system and sometimes it's good for a little splurge once in a while. I hate to feel like I'm depriving myself.

susannamarie

(I do not eat exercise cals as that is already figure in when I chose "active lifestyle". You can choose sedentary lifestyle and eat back your exercise cals instead.

I'm not sure I agree with that.

I was told by a nutritionist once that if you don't want to exercise you eat 1200 a day, otherwise eat 1500 calories a day and burn 300 at the gym daily to lose weight.

One-size-fits-all advice usually doesn't fit all very well :P

If you exercise for *more* than 300, due to loving the exercise, 1500 will be an awfully low number.
If you don't have much to lose and are quite tall, 1200 will be an awfully low number.

If you have a maintenance of 2000, anything under that (assuming calories are tracked accurately) will result in a loss. It's not like some magic switch gets turned on at 1200.

FitLink

Hi all, basically I am 143lbs and would like to be 126lbs. Im 5'7". I asked MFP to lose 2lbs per week and it gave me 1200 as my calorie total per day. However, I find it hard to stick to this even though I am eating much less than the 2000 calories I normally eat and am eating really healthy food. My question is whether I will still lose weight if im averaging about 1400 calories per day and not the suggested 1200? Surely I will because I am eating less than my usual 2000. Does MFP give you 1200 as a way of you getting to your desired weight in a set time and therefore I will still lose weight just more slowly? Thank you.

1200 calories is considered the lower limit, not the upper limit. At 143, losing 2 pounds a week really isn't feasible. You're too close to your goal. Try 1 pound/week or half a pound/week for long term success.

kateschneider64

Weight loss is not all about how many calories we consume. It is how often we eat, whether those calories are carbs, fats, protein, or fiber. It is also how we combine them and how they react in our body. If I ate 52 grams of fat and 215 grams of carbs as suggested even though I stayed within the 1200 calorie limit I would GAIN weight. If I ate 1200 calories in 2 meals instead of 5 (even though it is the exact same food) I would gain weight. If I ate 1200 calories and 30 grams were fiber I would lose much more weight than if those same 1200 calories had only 10 grams of fiber. These same scenarios applied to another person would yield very different results. For quickest weight loss on any frame use these guidelines: 1) aim for 30 grams of fiber instead of the recommended 18 grams. 2) eat every two hours and keep each meal 100-300 calories depending on your height and activity level 3) quit eating after 4 pm unless you plan on exercising 4) keep your carbs at less than 30 grams per meal (with my hypoglycemia I aim for 15 g) 4) exercise every day - but find the routine that your body reacts to best. If I use the equipment at the gym I never lose weight but if i lift dumbells at home for 20-30 minutes a day the inches and pounds fall off. Swimming makes me hungry but yoga peels inches off if I spend 20 minutes a day doing that. Running 2 miles a week was all I needed when I was 18 but at 48 I need 10 miles a week to produce the same result. I don't have time to run so I stick with dumbells and yoga for the same great results. When I started my exercise program it took 2 weeks to see a slight difference but after 4 weeks I could really tell a difference. I aim for 20-30 minutes 5 days per week.