Is this just a 'side effect' of the 1200 cal MFP gives ?

Lleldiranne

Yes!

I don't buy into "starvation mode" as much as some people, especially just for slowed weight loss (although even then it may be too few calories but not full on starvation mode). But if you feel cold an lethargic that is a big sign that you are heading into a lowered metabolism to hang on to every gram of fat in case it is needed (time of famine, etc).

californiagirl2012

When I was on 1280 for a while, I was tired, cold and felt like a lethargic zombie ALL THE TIME but as soon as I moved it up to 1460 and 1960 I was awake, energized and "lets go go go go go !"

Food does give you energy but everyone is different. Smaller people can have energy on less calories and can't lose weight on the amount bigger people eat.

People should not compare their calories to others, just do what works for YOU.


1200 is such a stupid number to get stuck on. What you need to eat for a deficit is relative to your RMR.

To tell everyone eat more is wrong.

To tell everyone to eat less is wrong.

To find the exact amount of calories for you to be in a sustainable calorie deficit is correct. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others. Some people have emotional eating disorders and it comes into play. Even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux and everyone is different.

Everyone is different. There is no one size fits all. Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

AliciaStinger

1200 is unhealthy. A 5 year old girl eats more. Cutting calories by 500 minus your BMR is what you should be doing. If you workout then add more.

BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

or your weight x 14-16.

Dont cut calories to an extreme, you will lose weight but are you seriously going to eat under 1200 for the rest of your life? People get greedy and want it off fast, but really your just jumping to the middle of an already long line.


But I guess i should have read the entire post before i got all internet angry lol

You say that a person should take BMR - 500 calories to determine their daily calorie goal. I am 183 pounds, 62 inches, and I calculated BMR for a 22-year old (which is what I'll be in two months). By this calculation, my BMR is 1639.05. If I cut 500 calories out of that figure (as in, lose a pound each week), that means I would have to net - through diet, or exercise, or a combination of the two - 1,139.05 calories per day. I know that we're supposed to eat 1200 at the absolute minimum. I also know myself well enough to say that I couldn't do less than 1200 if I wanted to without feeling hungry and lethargic. I'm just saying that you contradict yourself; 1200 really isn't that "extreme" for a short person like myself, and BMR gets lower as you age...

Snooozie

I'm not offering an opinion on a daily calorie count one way or another; quite frankly I don't know enough about nutrition or how the body works yet to have one of my own.. however... I would like to put out a gentle reminder that sometimes, when people choose 1200 calories, its simply because (like in my case) I came to MFP knowing I had to change a lifetime of unhealthy eating and laziness. But I didn't have a clue about true nutrition and how to get what I need and lose all the excess fat and keep muscle, etc etc.. I just plugged in the numbers when I signed up and voila.. MFP said 1200 a day, lady. A doctor had told me to go on 1100 a day because I didn't exercise at all and didn't need any more than that to sustain me. I figured 1200 was pretty close, and I diligently logged my chocolate and chips and what not.. up to 1200 calories a day.




It wasn't until I started reading the forums and learning a LOT from others who are far more experienced and far more knowledgable than I am on the subject, that I learned about overall nutrition and how our bodies need/use it.. and that maybe 1200 wasn't right for me. It took me MONTHS of jumping from one idea to to the next and trying it all.. to figure out how to make this site work for ME.. I read something, I check out the poster's information, then I do some research myself, and combine it all into what works for me. I'm still not totally there with the "perfect equation", but I know enough now that I need to eat lots of good, healthy food and move, every single day... but when I first came here, I used the 1200 without hesitation because MFP told me to, and I didn't KNOW any differently.




This is an awesome site, and there are loads of resources and knowledge available to everyone but it takes a little time to find your way.. my only suggestion would be to use all the information available from all the MFP's, and be healthy!




(and maybe offer just a gentle reminder that when posting something to us newbies... be a little gentle..sometimes its just cause we don't know what else to do to start that we're there lol)

mmapags

So, let's see. My choices are: a) Eat 1200 calories, and risk down regulation of my metabolism, lose lean muscle mass, and foul up my hormones that control hunger and satiety.
or
b) Eat at a 20% deficit to TDEE, workout and maintain lean muscle mass, keep my metabolism normalized and minimally impact leptin and gherlin. Plus not have to be OCD over my food intake?

Is this even a choice? What rational person would choose a)??

shannysgirl

1200 is unhealthy. A 5 year old girl eats more. Cutting calories by 500 minus your BMR is what you should be doing. If you workout then add more.

BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

or your weight x 14-16.

Dont cut calories to an extreme, you will lose weight but are you seriously going to eat under 1200 for the rest of your life? People get greedy and want it off fast, but really your just jumping to the middle of an already long line.


But I guess i should have read the entire post before i got all internet angry lol

This is wrong... you dont form a deficit off your bmr.. you do it fron your tdee... there is a lifestyle multiplier on top of this as well as exercise.

So my bmr is 2080, i have a desk job and burn about 500 calories. My tdee would be..

2080 * 1.2 + 500 =2996... this is where cut my 20% to form a deficit.

shannysgirl

^^^^ Sorry,, I meant to type that the formula using TDEE makes way more sense. Otherwise taking 500 away from my BMR would only leave me with 700 calories a day. Yikes!

geekyjock76

So, let's see. My choices are: a) Eat 1200 calories, and risk down regulation of my metabolism, lose lean muscle mass, and foul up my hormones that control hunger and satiety.
or
b) Eat at a 20% deficit to TDEE, workout and maintain lean muscle mass, keep my metabolism normalized and minimally impact leptin and gherlin. Plus not have to be OCD over my food intake?

Is this even a choice? What rational person would choose a)??

Unfortunately, many people choose option A and don't care - they just see the shiny 2 lb weight loss per week. Once their body begins to experience the dramatic changes in hormones, the psychological aspect kicks in and they convince themselves they don't need as much to justify the steep - and increasing - deficit.

mmapags

So, let's see. My choices are: a) Eat 1200 calories, and risk down regulation of my metabolism, lose lean muscle mass, and foul up my hormones that control hunger and satiety.
or
b) Eat at a 20% deficit to TDEE, workout and maintain lean muscle mass, keep my metabolism normalized and minimally impact leptin and gherlin. Plus not have to be OCD over my food intake?

Is this even a choice? What rational person would choose a)??

Unfortunately, many people choose option A and don't care - they just see the shiny 2 lb weight loss per week. Once their body begins to experience the dramatic changes in hormones, the psychological aspect kicks in and they convince themselves they don't need as much to justify the steep - and increasing - deficit.

Kinda sad isn't it?