Being told 1200 cal a day= starvation mode

lrose50

MPF set up the same calories for me - I don't think MPF calculates very well for individuals - however - I have been making really healthy food choices and I have a hard time eating all my calories - I do excercise every day approx 200-400 calories. I really try to eat what I'm supposed to but feet quite full most days and dont eat my quota. I'm still losing weight.

Finchtastic1

I tried 1200 a day but always ended up cheating. Now that it's set higher hitting 1200 feels better for me. I ALWAYS aim for hitting 1200 as that is what your body needs to survive. Your BMR is an estimate so i try to hit that. sometimes I go over sometimes I hit under...i think it all averages out. I didn't start losing until I ate MORE and began working out. I am 5'4 and around 111 and I eat at 1500. I am not REALLY losing anymore as I've lost the weight but I could lose some fat.

Shahaddd

I always try to aim for 1200 but end up eating more... : P I think anything lower than 1200 is going to turn you into starvation mode.

bemott

you should be fine, if you have a decent amount of weight to lose. I did 1200 a day for like 6 months, always eating my exercise calories though. I found it was tough to eat only 1200 on non exercise days so often went over by a bit (maybe by 100 or so) and lost 60 lbs. Good luck!

NCchar130

I would just keep in mind, like other posters said, that the BMR and TDEE calculations are going to be estimates and your calorie goals may need tweaking once you get started.

This is what happened when I started on MFP: I also set mine to lose 2 pounds a week. MFP gave me a calorie allowance of 1300/day. In the very first day of logging, I could see this wasn't going to work for me, as I felt like I was starving. So I changed it to 1 pound a week which gave me 1800/day. I ate exercise calories back too. And I have lost, over the past 4 months, an average of 1.8 pounds/week. I started with about 70 pounds to lose.

I keep a spreadsheet along with logging in MFP and I have run some numbers based on net calories per day (for 120 days and counting) and my weight loss so far, and figured out that my TDEE is closer to 2550. So I would need to net around 1550 for a 2 lb/week loss. My average calorie intake over these 4 months is about 1660 (I update my settings to reflect my weight loss every few pounds).

Conclusion is that MFP underestimated my TDEE (or that I underestimate my activity level). The other possibility, since I obsessively log my food, is that I burn more during exercise than I think I do. I don't use an HRM, so this is possible. I used the "roadmap" thread and multiple calculators to try to get the best estimate I could at the beginning and all the information (particularly in that thread) is extremely helpful. But results may vary :flowerforyou:

I think if you can do 1200/day and feel awesome doing it, then go for it, but make SURE you really are eating enough, particularly if you are exercising hard. I naturally tend to calorie cycle, where I come in under a few hundred calories 4 or 5 days in a row, then over by about the same amount for a few days, to where my weekly goals are met. This lets me eat more according to my hunger rather than trying to hit a certain number day after days. However, when I drop to about 1400/day for a few days (current goal is 1640 cals/day) I start to feel rundown, grouchy, and exhausted.

HealthyJohn

1200 cal a day sounds right if you are trying to lose weight and are inactive. However, if you are exercising you will need more calories. I have had to play around with this a lot myself and there are even days I will eat more than what I exercised off because my body is telling me to eat more....and I'll still lose weight. A lot of things come into play, like what you are eating, what time of day you eat and what time of day you exercise, etc. I would recommend that on days you don't exercise stick to the 1200, but on days you do exercise you will need to eat extra to make up for the calories that you burned. If you exercise in the evening, you will have to project what you expect to burn during exercise and eat that during the day as you don't want to load up after you exercise....been down that road and it doesn't work out so well. You also need to be sure you are eating healthy balanced meals and snacks. A 40 calorie salad is very differnt than 40 calories of dark chocolate.

If you pay attentiong to how you feel, what you are eating and listen to what your body is telling you, you will be able to find a healthy balance that works for you.

Cazzy34

I usually eat around 1200 cals per day, but usually less! I am mainly sedentary but i eat back my exercise calories when i do anything! I am 5'2" and weigh 128lbs. I have a small frame and am borderline hypothyroid! I have a bad back so can't run, jump or any of that stuff!

I have tried the whole eat more to weigh less thing and it doesn't work for me!! I gain when I eat 1400 or more!

I found a site called Hussman fitness and this was the advice it gave me:

{Your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) is in the area of 1272 (Harris-Benedict formula) and 1379 (Schofield formula) calories per day. Your lean weight is about 92 pounds. TARGET A BALLPARK OF 1020-1400 HONEST CALORIES PER DAY if your main goal is fat-loss!}

Well my LBM is only 88lbs according to other calculations i have done on my Body composition scales and using calipers to measure my body fat%.

1020 is lower than the dreaded 1200, and i gain at 1400! So what can i do? If i stick to 1200 i lose 0.3lbs a week or sometimes less. How de-motivating is that?

I believe that you listen to your own body! I can lose when i eat under the dreaded 1200, but realistically i am a small female with metabolic issues and it seems to work for me! Go figure!

Adrenaline_Junky

As long as you're eating "clean" you should be fine. By "clean" I'm talking about non-processed foods; fresh fruits & vegies and lean cuts of meat. You'll be amazed at how much food 1200 calories can be if you're eating the right way.

Another thing, start off your day with breakfast; even if it's a piece of fruit or a protein shake. You'll need that to kick start your metabolism.

My ideal day consists of 5 small meals; I set up my mfp daily diary as follows: Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, PM snack, Dinner. This helps even out the caloric intake throughout the day and keeps my metabolism on key.

It might take some time for your body to realize it doesn't have to store the food but once it does it should start using it as fuel. Just remember, consistency is the key to living a healthier lifestyle.

Good luck on your journey!

P.S. Don't forget to drink lots of water too, a minimum of at least 8 glasses a day.

ironanimal

As long as you're eating "clean" you should be fine. By "clean" I'm talking about non-processed foods; fresh fruits & vegies and lean cuts of meat. You'll be amazed at how much food 1200 calories can be if you're eating the right way.

Another thing, start off your day with breakfast; even if it's a piece of fruit or a protein shake. You'll need that to kick start your metabolism.

My ideal day consists of 5 small meals; I set up my mfp daily diary as follows: Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, PM snack, Dinner. This helps even out the caloric intake throughout the day and keeps my metabolism on key.

It might take some time for your body to realize it doesn't have to store the food but once it does it should start using it as fuel. Just remember, consistency is the key to living a healthier lifestyle.

Good luck on your journey!

Your metabolism doesn't slow to any noticable degree until about 72 hours after you last ate. It doesn't need kick starting. If it ever stopped, you would die.

Adrenaline_Junky

"Your metabolism doesn't slow to any noticable degree until about 72 hours after you last ate. It doesn't need kick starting. If it ever stopped, you would die."

The key is to keep the metabolism active. By eating regularly, you are more likely to keep your metabolism working at an even rate. Skipping meals can trigger your body into thinking it needs to store the food rather than use it for fuel, now.

heybales

Your metabolism doesn't slow to any noticable degree until about 72 hours after you last ate. It doesn't need kick starting. If it ever stopped, you would die.

The key is to keep the metabolism active. By eating regularly, you are more likely to keep your metabolism working at an even rate. Skipping meals can trigger your body into thinking it needs to store the food rather than use it for fuel, now.

Your metabolic burn for processing food doesn't change if you eat that food all at once or scattered thru the day. And your base metabolism will be high or low depending on if you are feeding yourself enough.

For skipping meals idea, You should respond to the peer reviewed research papers on intermittent fasting that shows the opposite, because they must have gotten something horribly wrong.

ironanimal

Your metabolism doesn't slow to any noticable degree until about 72 hours after you last ate. It doesn't need kick starting. If it ever stopped, you would die.

The key is to keep the metabolism active. By eating regularly, you are more likely to keep your metabolism working at an even rate. Skipping meals can trigger your body into thinking it needs to store the food rather than use it for fuel, now.

It doesn't- never mind.

myjavajane

The more you exercise the more calories they give you so you can eat more on the days you exercise.

carolstartingover

First off, you will lose on that many calories and your body won't go in some mode of not losing. Last year at WW's they told us that was found to be false. So, you decide if you are getting too hungry from working out and maybe add 200 calories for the hour. Just an idea.

aliencheesecake

You know, I didn't think of that. Are their calories recommendations the on days you exercise as on days you don't? I just assumed they balanced it out that way.

heybales

You know, I didn't think of that. Are their calories recommendations the on days you exercise as on days you don't? I just assumed they balanced it out that way.

They do no balancing between days. You are given daily goal that has a deficit from calculated daily maintenance, ie what you burn all day.

You add exercise actually done, you just increased the daily maintenance, what you burned for that day.

So now the same deficit on that exercise day means you get to eat more.

♡MyCurves

I think it depends on what works for you. You could zig zag your calories 1200 one day 1500 the next..combined with working out and see where that gets you. I've noticed I do better with at least 1600 calories combined with working out for an hour, but not using up the extra calories that the workout gave me. GL! (:

Matt_Wild

didn't claim i know more than you any more than you claimed to know more than me. actually, you claimed it way more than i did. the arrogance on this site is annoying.

i merely disagreed with you. is that not allowed? are you god?

I have no time to argue any more with people here on MFP, hence my reply. I've wasted hours battling it out with people who have dieted for a few months, read a bit and then believe they understand the metabolism, nutrition and how the human body reacts. 1200 calorie diets being good, supposed muscle gains when dieting etc - I hear it all and have battled it out, wasting my time.

Hence my post.

I coach people for comps and come on here to help people and then get told by people with little nutritional background that I am wrong. Would that not frustrate you?

Helloitsdan

As long as you're eating "clean" you should be fine. By "clean" I'm talking about non-processed foods; fresh fruits & vegies and lean cuts of meat. You'll be amazed at how much food 1200 calories can be if you're eating the right way.

Even if the person doesnt make their macronutrient goal per body type? (height, weight, activity factor)
1g protein per LBM pound.
.40-.75g Essential fats per LBM pound.

So lets say you are a woman 21 years old 5'2" 200lbs with 45% body fat.
BMR is about 1450....
Protein for the day is about 500calories
Fats for the day is about 675calories

Thats essential macronutrients.
Thats 1175 and we havent even looked at any carbs for fuel.
And we still need to fill to BMR.

Another thing, start off your day with breakfast; even if it's a piece of fruit or a protein shake. You'll need that to kick start your metabolism.

False.
Our ancestors didnt eat daily till about 4pm. They were leaner, stronger and were way more active than we are today.

My ideal day consists of 5 small meals; I set up my mfp daily diary as follows: Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, PM snack, Dinner. This helps even out the caloric intake throughout the day and keeps my metabolism on key.

you can eat 2 large meals and keep your metabolism on key and possibly burn more fat during the day.

It might take some time for your body to realize it doesn't have to store the food but once it does it should start using it as fuel. Just remember, consistency is the key to living a healthier lifestyle.

Eating too little for YOUR body type (age, height, weight, activity) can actually hinder fat loss due to hormonal fluctuations with drops in leptin and elevated cortisol in the evenings.

Good luck on your journey!

Good luck with YOUR journey!
You are spreading a lot of false info and havent a clue what you are talking about.

P.S. Don't forget to drink lots of water too, a minimum of at least 8 glasses a day.

This is the only right thing posted!
Awesome work!
=D

Not trying to be a douche but YIKES!

lisamarie2181

As long as you're eating "clean" you should be fine. By "clean" I'm talking about non-processed foods; fresh fruits & vegies and lean cuts of meat. You'll be amazed at how much food 1200 calories can be if you're eating the right way.

Even if the person doesnt make their macronutrient goal per body type? (height, weight, activity factor)
1g protein per LBM pound.
.40-.75g Essential fats per LBM pound.

So lets say you are a woman 21 years old 5'2" 200lbs with 45% body fat.
BMR is about 1450....
Protein for the day is about 500calories
Fats for the day is about 675calories

Thats essential macronutrients.
Thats 1175 and we havent even looked at any carbs for fuel.
And we still need to fill to BMR.

Another thing, start off your day with breakfast; even if it's a piece of fruit or a protein shake. You'll need that to kick start your metabolism.

False.
Our ancestors didnt eat daily till about 4pm. They were leaner, stronger and were way more active than we are today.

My ideal day consists of 5 small meals; I set up my mfp daily diary as follows: Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, PM snack, Dinner. This helps even out the caloric intake throughout the day and keeps my metabolism on key.

you can eat 2 large meals and keep your metabolism on key and possibly burn more fat during the day.

It might take some time for your body to realize it doesn't have to store the food but once it does it should start using it as fuel. Just remember, consistency is the key to living a healthier lifestyle.

Eating too little for YOUR body type (age, height, weight, activity) can actually hinder fat loss due to hormonal fluctuations with drops in leptin and elevated cortisol in the evenings.

Good luck on your journey!

Good luck with YOUR journey!
You are spreading a lot of false info and havent a clue what you are talking about.

P.S. Don't forget to drink lots of water too, a minimum of at least 8 glasses a day.

This is the only right thing posted!
Awesome work!
=D

Not trying to be a douche but YIKES!

This is a very smart man, you should listen to him lol Check out the road map thread, it explains everything you need to know and you will then understand why not eating the right amount of cals for YOU can be causing more damage then good.

1200 cals is just a guideline and a generic start point. There are people that calorie amount is good for, but the majority it is not. Especially if you are over 200 lbs.

Take the time to educate yourself and then decide what will be best for you. There are alot of people that just follow others without taking the time to figure things out. This IMO, is doing no good for your body, and if you want to be healthy that should be the most important thing, not how quick the weight on the scale goes down.

i can tell you from personal experience, I lost 42lbs in 4 months working out 2 hours a day and only eating 1400 cals, pretty much burning off all the food I ate. I had huge deficits, I was tired, I didn't have energy and I was hungry. I have not lost a lb since July. I started the road map in August, and since then I have not lost a pound, but I have lost a bunch of inches and went down a pant size. IT WORKS. I just did a diet break last week and settling in at 2000 cals for my cut from TDEE. If after a month I still am not losing, then I will adjust. I know others have said that the calculators are just estimates, but that is better than just guessing that you should be at 1200 because you put in you want to lose 2lbs a week. Like I said I haven't lost any weight on the scale recently, but the inches speak way higher volumes then the lbs. I have gotten more compliments the past month in a half then when losing the actual pounds.

I highly suggest checking out the road map and see what cal range is best for you. Why eat so little if you really don't have to? :happy: