Seeing a lot of rude comments about 1200/cal....

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  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    It would behoove a lot of people to understand the difference between "inefficient metabolism" and "literally starving to death".
  • shelbs111
    shelbs111 Posts: 3
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    I'm also new to mfp, loving it so far I'm on 1200 cals also
  • moolovesme
    moolovesme Posts: 33
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    Now I'm quite confused. :( I've been on mfp for a few months now, lost almost 20lbs so far. I'm between 5' 2" and 5' 3" and have been eating a 1200 calorie diet. Lately I've really experienced plateaus despite doing what I've always been doing. So should I increase my calorie intake? According to one of the BMR calculators, my BMR is.. 1203 calories. >_<
  • DMW914
    DMW914 Posts: 368 Member
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    Welcome to MFP.
    I started at 1200 & 5 days of excerise for a few months. I lost a few lbs. & it felt great until I plateaued for weeks. So, I just changed my diet plan, upped my calories according to my current BMR & TDEE and now the scale is moving again. Even though the scale wasn't moving much I could tell that I was losing inches. I still try to work out at least 5 days a week regardless. That said, your eating/workout plan all depend's on you & how you feel about what your doing. The good thing about MFP is that you can always make adjustments to when & how you want your plan to work. There is a lot of great advice on MFP but ultimately you've got to figure out what works for you in the end. We are all here trying to perfect our own trials & errors of eating right & weight loss. To each his own. stay focused on your goal & good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • djk721
    djk721 Posts: 59 Member
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    of course MFP set my goal at 1200 calories, as a 51 year old female wanting to lose 2 lbs a week. I started in Jan., eat 5 times a day with healthy foods, stay at 1200 calories, and have lost 53 lbs. I am not tired, and I exercise. If I use the exercise calories, it is usually with wine--my one vice. I am 7 lbs from my goal. I worry about eating more calories going in to winter...

    1200 worked for me, so I stay with it. Don't concern yourself with what others think. If you are concerned about starvation--ask a medical professional.
  • shellybean73
    shellybean73 Posts: 88 Member
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    people are rude, do what works for you.
  • KBE1990
    KBE1990 Posts: 38
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    Personally I only eat 1,000 calories, and I am still losing, so far I'm not in starvation mode at all. It all really depends on how healthy and fulfilling the meals are.
  • PNJB796
    PNJB796 Posts: 72 Member
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    The Germans have a superb word for people who get pleasure from other peoples discomfort. They call it "shadenfreude" . One might believe the "1200 Calorie Haters" suffer from this condition. Do what works for you!
  • rnjive
    rnjive Posts: 17
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    1200 calories is the standard for all diets. It insures people well lose weight. You can play around with until it fits you body. Everyone is different. I find sometimes if I eat more than 1200 calories one day then next day eat 1200 it helps me stay on diet. Like Dina says you can play with your BMR and TDEE. Scale weight is not complete picture. You can go by percent of body weight and there are scales that measure that. I find that the best. I weight about same but down 2 percent body fat.
  • Erica_G2012
    Erica_G2012 Posts: 52
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    :P~~~~~
    I ate a bunch of doughnuts today

    It's good and informative to read all this information. MFP set me to 1200 calories and I was coming in under that at first. Some friends brought the starvation mode to my attention and I was doing some reading... I should be at about 1,700 calories a day or so. However, I have insomnia and a slow metabolism which affects how I process my calories, so my ideal is probably around 1,500 right now anyway with my 2 pounds a week goal.

    I've been cutting out the processed carbs as much as I can, going with rice and potatoes instead of breads and grains. I am trying to lower my gluten intake because of digestive issues. I'm also trying to have natural sugars instead of the crap sugar. I mean, I love me a snickers, but eating an orange or having honey in my tea is better, right?

    I'm new to this and trying to figure out the balance of what to eat, how much and how often, sometimes I come in under the 1,200 calories... but I'm aware that I need to find the right balance that gets results for me while still feeling good and having the energy that I need. I'm giving myself a good 30 days of "don't worry!!!" while I try out new foods and recipes and whatnot.

    I mean, one of the things I'm trying is eating the smaller portion items several times a day, versus having three set meals a day. It seems to help my metabolism keep going and helps me keep my energy... but that's different for me and it takes me a little bit of time to develop the new habits, especially when I've got years and years of bad habits to change.

    I think everyone will agree that as long as you are seeing results, maintaining your energy levels and making sure you get your nutritional needs met (for vitamins and whatnot) that you are on a good path.

    But then, I'm still a noob :)
  • neasha27
    neasha27 Posts: 18
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    The whole starvation mode thing bothers me.....correct me if I"m wrong, but the whole notion of starvation mode is if an individual consumes too few calories their body will go in starvation mode, hold on to fat, causing weightloss to cease. Well if it were true anorexia nervosa woudn't be an eating disorder!.

    From what I've ready about starvation mode, starvation mode it is difficult to reach until you get down to 5% body fat (10% for women). There are plenty of articles out there but bottom line is do what makes you feel good! If 1200 cal gives you the proper energy you need to function throughout the day then stick with it; if not increase it. Some people are dead set on rules but fail to realize their rules are for them, may not work others.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Okay, I'm sorry, and I hate to be one of the mean people... but some of the replies to this thread are ridiculous. All of the "haters gonna hate just do what works for you everyone is different stuff" is kind of BS. Yes, everyone is different. However, weight loss is alos a science. We all have this wonderful thing called metabolism that keeps us burning calories. I guarantee that 99% of the people eating 1200 calories, have a metabolism much HIGHER than 1200 calories. Therefore, if you keep eating under 1200, you're going to bring your metabolism down eventually. That's not speculation. That's not "what works for me." That's SCIENCE.

    MFP is not the end all be all in weight loss. It is an amazing tool, but it does a simple math forumla to find your goals, which can often be inaccurate. If you say you want to lose 2 pounds a week, and you only have 20 pounds to lose, it's going to tell you to eat 1200 because theoretically that's how much you'd need to eat to lose that fast. However, that doesn't mean it's healthy for your body to have that few calories.

    Educate yourselves. Find your BMRs. When you find out that - surprise - your BMR is above 1200 calories, start eating more. And - surprise - you'll keep losing weight. There are some VERY RARE exceptions but this will work for 99% of people out there. All of us mean people are usually trying to help. I know I am. But it also gets tiring seeing people perpetuate the same "just keep eating less" crap every day.

    check out leangains.com and you might have a different take on this - just saying. There is a lot of science/research out there that actually NOT eating for a specified time 14 to 16 hours will actually slightly increase metabolism...You then consume your food in a window post work out when your body naturally absorbs the most nutrients..just throwing this out there...:)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    The whole starvation mode thing bothers me.....correct me if I"m wrong, but the whole notion of starvation mode is if an individual consumes too few calories their body will go in starvation mode, hold on to fat, causing weightloss to cease. Well if it were true anorexia nervosa woudn't be an eating disorder!.

    From what I've ready about starvation mode, starvation mode it is difficult to reach until you get down to 5% body fat (10% for women). There are plenty of articles out there but bottom line is do what makes you feel good! If 1200 cal gives you the proper energy you need to function throughout the day then stick with it; if not increase it. Some people are dead set on rules but fail to realize their rules are for them, may not work others.

    agree with this :)
  • Shannon2714
    Shannon2714 Posts: 843 Member
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    Lifecycle of an MFPer

    1. Start out at 1200 calories
    2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
    3. Make a post calling out the mean people
    4. Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears
    5. Realize that you're still losing weight and feeling much better
    6. Try to help 1200 calorie people
    7. Get called an arrogant ahole one too many times
    8. Retreat to chit-chat forum more or less permanently, only occasionally emerging to lay down a burn

    This.

    I was at 1200 calories to start. I was losing SLOWLY. I upped to 1500 and I've been losing steadily yet quickly ever since.
  • Shannon2714
    Shannon2714 Posts: 843 Member
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    Also (and I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned because I am not reading through 15 pages), have you calculated your TDEE? I have found that to be the best go-by for me and quite a few others.
  • stillnot2late
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
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    What the bleep is starvation mode?
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
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    Just because you're not in *true* starvation mode, doesn't mean you're not damaging your metabolism by eating under your BMR everyday.

    "Starvation mode" really should be called "metabolic damage" and then we wouldn't have these arguments.

    Science has proven time and again that eating under BMR slows down your metabolism. When you start eating "normally" again, your body piles the weight back on because it has gotten used to thinking 800 calories (or whatever magical number you think is good for you) is the max amount of food it is ever going to get again.

    1200 is not enough. Whether or not starvation mode is a myth or not. 1200 is lower than most (and I stress MOST, not ALL) people's BMRs, and will eventually damage a normal metabolism.

    But damaged metabolisms can be repaired.... by eating more! Work out your TDEE, eat it for 8 weeks. Then lower to TDEE minus 10% or 15% and watch the fat drop off without the muscle falling off with it. Better yet, add in some strength training. Watch your energy come back, your proper hunger signals, the joy of eating a great amount of food every single day. The freedom of not feeling like you're on a diet.
  • mcpjan
    mcpjan Posts: 76 Member
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    I am not sure why anyone would complain about a 1200 calorie diet. That is what I am on. It is what my doctor suggested. I am working with a personal training and they think that I am doing great. My trainer reviews my diary and lets me know what I should change like eat more protein or make sure to get more diary fiber.. I do have days that I feel I need to eat some of my exercise calories and I do. I say each person is different so you have to do what works for you. I personal talked to my doctor about it and see him every 8 weeks to make sure I am doing it the right way. Hope this helps.
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
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    You didn't say how much weight you are trying to lose. My sister in law who is an exec. at a hospital in Grand Rapids Mi. went on a program that the hospital sponsers. They put her on 1200 calories and 80 grams of protein per day. She has lost almost 80 lbs in 7 months.
    I wanted to lose about 40 lbs. so I started counting my calories the 1st of May. And 1200 calories is what I was targeting. about 2 weeks later i found out about this site.

    I am not a doctor or an expert, but I am 76 yrs old and in excellent shape. i ran 1 hr and 45 min. today and i run everyday. I still try to stay around 1200 to 1400. They have me at 1480 everyday plus whatever calories I burn in my run. I have lost about 35 lbs. and now I want to lose about 15 lbs more. Once I get there then I will just try to maintain my weight and not lose any more.
    You will get all kinds of advise here. I just say, try the 1200 for ahwile and see how you go.

    Basil
    P.S Add me to your friend list and let me know how you are doing
  • stillnot2late
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
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    What neasha27 said.

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