5'3" ladies and 1200 calories

kirk1115

So I am just wondering if any other women around 5'3" are having any success with consuming around 1200 calories and if so, are you exercising and do you eat back the calories burned?

kirk1115

Anyone???

new2canada

I'm close to 5'3, I'm 5'4 and I struggle on a 1200 calorie diet. When I am on it and in the diet mode than I generally stay under it or more and do not eat my exercise calories back generally. I figure if I want to lose weight than I can't really afford to go over so I try hard to stick to my 3 meals a day with very small snacks in between. I have lost a lot of weight on this diet in the past.

kirk1115

That is good to hear...I just mainly didn't want to spend time doing it just to find that it doesn't work. I hear so many people say, you have to eat more.

Taterpoof

Honestly, I think it depends on the person. I'm 5'2'' and tried the 1200 calorie thing for 3-4 weeks. I'm still trying it, but finding that I need around 2000 to function. I also started weight training, so more calories are needed. I constantly go over calories, but i'm still losing weight and my metabolism seems faster.

neurorat

I am 5'3" and I was eating 1200 cal/day, but I have been adding 25 kcal per day and waiting a week and seeing if I stopped losing weight, and I am up to 1350 and still no stoping the weight loss (I am trying to maintain now). I eat back about half of my work out calories.

Camille0502

I'm 5' 3" and MFP sets me up for a little over 1200 calories. I exercise 6 days per week and burn from 350-450 calories. I eat each and every one of those exercise calories! On the one day per week I don't exercise, I usually go over on my calories by 100 or 200. I have lost 1 pound per week using this strategy.

If I weren't exercising, I would really struggle on 1200 calories per day. Just having the 400 extra calories means an extra snack and little bit more at dinner. Oh, and a cocktail now and then...

monkeys_mom

I'm 5ft even. When I started my weight loss journey in January 2011, I weighed 155. I didn't really count calories for a year, lost 25 lbs. For the past year, I've lost 21 lbs (with two months off due to ectopic pregnancy) counting calories. I started at 1200, didn't really exercise until recently ( I do NOT eat back those calories cause I only do 50 minutes of cardio a week) and having been eating roughly 1300 calories for the past 4 months. I've continued to lose eating 1300, but slowly as I'm nearing my goal weight of 105. For me, it's maintainable if I watch everything I eat. I also don't mind losing so slowly, so I do go over on occasion.

I really don't understand the hype over a very petite, short women who isn't overly active eating 1200 calories.

Yes2HealthyAriel

I am 5'1" I generally eat between 1100-1200 calories a day. The only time I eat back any exercise calories is if I burn at least 400 calories or more for the entire day.

kimosabe1

I am 5'5" and am working out every day mon-friday and am at 1200 calories and am losing weight. When I work out and have extra calories, i'll have that cheeseburger at dinner if I want.

mfpcopine

I'm 5' 2" and have to be under 1200 to lose weight. I'm still not with the program after the holidays, which is why I'm high for me. I've begun doing some limited exercise after an injury -- bike work. It's something, but not as good as running. I never eat back exercise calories because that would be self-defeating.

Sure, I overeat (and pay for it) all the time. But I never see exercise as a license to eat more. Exercise is important but it's not the best way to lose weight, only calorie reduction is.

thescrumisfun

I use this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I'm 5'3", at almost 1,800 a day. Just add exercise (weightlifting/cardio). I do cardio because I'm also training for rugby.

terrieg73

I'm 5'2" and 1200 is not enough for me, I get too tired and very cranky. If I up it to 1400 I still loose weight, can function well at work, and don't have cravings that ruin my efforts.

MsBecky777

I just started today--1200 is going to be tough

nturner612

im 5'3 and on the 1200 cal diet. i was doing pretty good till the holidays have had a rough time since then tryin to "adjust" today however was/is my first day since the holidays that i think i will be able to stay within my calories. i lift weights and do cardio. on days whe i cant make it to the gym, i do dvds (step, jillian michaels, pilates) today i did the Firm Step and 30 day shred. ive had a busy day and have not really had the chance to sit there and stuff my face(this has happened since the holidays:sad: ) friend me if youd like :flowerforyou:

Laurend224

I'm 5'3 and MFP gave me 1200 cal limit too. I lasted about 3 days and did some research. Figured out my BMR and TDEE. I set my cal limit at 20% below that which is about 1800 for me. I just started this journey, and I'll adjust as I go, but this is comfortable for me right now. I have energy to exercise and I don't think I've actually eaten 1800 cal since I changed it.

bullisnn82

I'm 5'5" and I tried the 1200 cal thing quite a few times. After many minor successes followed by disaster I finally realized that just isn't enough food. My metabolism each time would quickly slow to a crawl and I would actually begin to gain weight (while starving myself! the irony!) IF you believe it's working and enough food for you, then hey, who am I to say anything. I personally, however, do not recommend going under 1500 - that's my 2 cents.

capnlizard

I am 5'4" and lost 60 pounds a few years back eating 1200 calories per day, then exercising about 800 off and not eating those back. I ended up gaining back all of the weight that I had lost, plus an additional ten pounds, because although it was effective for quick weight loss, it was not realistic. A friend of mine who is a nutritionist told me that, even after exercising, women need to maintain a minimum of 1200 calories taken in per day in order to avoid having their bodies go into "starvation mode" and starting to stockpile fat stores. I also found that this extreme diet had negative effects on my metabolism; now I try to maintain at least 1200 calories per day AFTER counting my workout, and I cut dairy because of a medical condition, and I am already seeing results about three weeks in, and I am not hungry or cranky anymore.

Healthy_4_Life2

Am 5'3.5 and I eat around 1600 calories day. I do not eat back my workout calories, but if I have large burn, then I may eat about 100 calories or so. I started at 1200 calories and I did lose 30 pounds at first, but then my weight loss eventually slowed down. I tried eating about 1800-1900 when people told me I should eat more, but I GAINED so much weight that I jumped off that train, lol.

It took me a while, but it seems that 1600 calories is the best calorie level for me. I have been losing weight when I increased to 1600. The thing is that everyone is very different and what works for one may not work for others. Therefore, you may have to play around with your calories to see what works for you. Good luck.

mag2906

I'm 5'3" and 158 pounds. I only eat about 1200 on my no workout days (when I still want to achieve 500 cal deficit).
I feel the best at 1400-1500 cal a day: no hunger, no crazy cravings, can look at chocolate without salivation

I generally try to keep myself at 500 deficit so if my burn for the day is high - I will eat more, like 1700-1800 cal.

ecw3780

I am doing well, but I find that I actually lose about .5-1 pound a week instead of my 2 pound goal. I suspect this is because a 1000 calorie deficit puts me closer to 1000 calories- and that is just wack. I eat back every single exercise calorie though. I have a fitbit to track my activities, and on active days I usually get 200 calories extra + workouts. So, I guess you could say I actually eat 1600 calories a day working out and staying busy.

RushBabe214

I'm 5'3" and I eat 1700-1800 calories per day. My exercise calories are factored into that, so I don't eat those back. I generally net between 1400 to 1500 per day.

In my opinion, 1200 is too low, especially if you are exercising and not eating back those calories. I was one cranky ***** when I followed the 1200 calorie MFP recommendation.

cbrunk84

I'm 5'3" and eating 1200 a day on the recommendation of my boot camp trainer. I don't eat back my calories and I'm having a steady weight loss. The first month, I was super active with boot camp and half marathon training. I was worried I wasn't getting enough calories so I asked my trainer. He said if I was still hungry at the end of the day to eat more, but I never did feel hungry as long as I was drinking all my water. I lost 9lbs that month.

The only days I do eat back exercise calories is on race days and that's so I can get a good celebration hamburger in. I still like to only eat back half of what I burned.

Best of luck finding the right balance for you!

nillapup

I eat 1300 and eat my exercise calories if I am hungry..

BinaryPulsar

I'm 5'2" and not trying to lose weight. If I ate 1200 calories my metabolism would slow down and I would not be able to function at the activity level that I do. When I ate around 1800, I lost weight. Now, I can eat up to and over 2000, and I weigh 100 pounds.

kirk1115

Right now, my body just wants to hang on to where it's at...it is so frustrating. So far, all through December I went form bouncing back and forth between 148 and 145 to now bouncing back and forth between 145 and 143, so I guess that's a 2lb loss? :huh:
This is my first week of starting c25k (3 times a week) and other than that I have walked for an hour 2 other days. Maybe this and 1200 calories will eventually get some results.

otrlynn

I'm 5' 4. and I currently have my weight loss set for .5 lbs per week. I have lost about 16 pounds since early August. I have my lifestyle set at lightly active and MFP assigned me a goal of 1200 calories. I exercise for about an hour (elliptical trainer, lunges, and free weights) 3 times per week, and I often add a couple of 30-45 minute walks in each week if the weather is okay. I do eat at least 75% of my exercise calories back, and so far it has worked for me. I recently bought a heart rate monitor and find that my calories burned (at least on the elliptical) are about 20% less than what the elliptical machine tells me. However, I burn slightly more calories walking out side (according to the HRM) than what MFP states. I think this is because I live and walk in a hilly area. On days that I don't exercise, I do find that it is hard to stay under 1200, and sometimes I am slightly over.

vmekash

I simply try to NET 1200 (per mfp instructions). So, yes, I eat back my exercise calories. Totally works.

walkermom58

I'm 5'4" and feel if I want to lose weight, I have to stay at 1200 calories most days. Once in a while I will eat a little over. But I am losing, slowly, which is the best way in the long run. You have to find what works for you. When I exercise, I try not to eat the extra calories. I lose weight better that way.

wl4good

I'm 5'3" and am currently doing 1200 calories without eating back too many of my exercise calories. As I ramp up my workouts I will gradually increase my calories to between 1350 and 1500. That seems to be the sweet spot for me as far as having enough energy to fuel my workouts and yet still being able to lose.

BossLady99

yes im 5'3 i do 1200 a day i will admit it's hard but i get through it. i mostly eat fish.corn, peanuts,fruits,veggies,red meat twice a week, and protein shakes