is 1200 calories correct

sharonmunday90

I have been calorie counting for a week. i have never counted calories before in my life. i set my activity to sedatory as although i have a 2 year old i only properly exercise twice per week. i am 5ft 2 and weight 157 pounds.

For the first 2 days i was hungry.... now i am sticking to 1200 or just below and am eating back a few exercise calories.

For a few days ive had tummy ache. achy body and today i felt nautious and faint.

Am i eating enough, or does my body need to go through the motions of a new way of life.

I do have an underactive thyroid for which i take thyroxine but my metabolism is definately whaked.

adam1885282

Is 1200 what MFP is giving you?

Are you "eating back" exercise calories?

sharonmunday90

Is 1200 what MFP is giving you?

Are you "eating back" exercise calories?

yes and and some exercise calories

LottieLou13

I have been calorie counting for a week. i have never counted calories before in my life. i set my activity to sedatory as although i have a 2 year old i only properly exercise twice per week. i am 5ft 2 and weight 157 pounds.

For the first 2 days i was hungry.... now i am sticking to 1200 or just below and am eating back a few exercise calories.

For a few days ive had tummy ache. achy body and today i felt nautious and faint.

Am i eating enough, or does my body need to go through the motions of a new way of life.

I do have an underactive thyroid for which i take thyroxine but my metabolism is definately whaked.

I'm not a parent myself but I have a niece and nephew and would probably say if you have a 2 year old you are not sedentary. Also feeling nauseous and faint shouldn't be happening if you are eating enough to sustain your body.

Run your numbers through this and see what you get...
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

(There are other calculators but this is the only one I can think of right now)

lorgrayson

Nausea and faintness are signs of low blood sugar. You are not eating enough.

aoede

Eat back ALL your exercise calories!

mudmonkeyonwheels

Maybe see a doctor. There are lots of reason for nausea and faintness other than your diet.

TheFitnessTutor

Maybe see a doctor. There are lots of reason for nausea and faintness other than your diet.

This

rduhlir

Yeah, keep in mind that the 1200 given is baseline...meaning minimum you should eat. You will have to play with your numbers to find your sweet spot as everyone is different. I would also agree, if you have 2 year old then you are not sedentary. Keep in mind, the activity level that MFP asks you about does not take into account workouts....which is why they add the calories you burn working out onto the ones you are already allotted.

lauren3101

Sedentary should only be used if you literally sit in front of the TV all day.

Switch it to 'lightly active', change your weight loss goal to 1lb per week if it isn't that already, and eat back your exercise calories.

kateguy1981

feeling sickly and faint are you deffo not pregnant lol? x

Poods71

Go to doctor and get checked for low iron as I get that quite a lot and that is how I feel. I also have an underactive Thyroid, so could be a connection there somewhere.

MFP would have given you 1200 but I would suggest upping a bit especially if you are not feeling good. I started on 1200 and lost some but eventually stalled and was fed up feeling hungry so after asking for suggestions I was told to up my cals. I was a bit nevous I would put on but I upped to 1300 and then 1400 and kept losing. Sometimes I even go a bit over that and still lose. You have to find the magic number that suits you and I would suggest eating back most if not all of your exercise cals if you are going to stick at 1200.

Don't know if you have sinus problems as well but I was just suffering the same symptoms recently and thought it would be my iron again but turned out it was sinusitus. Just another suggestion just in case.

Hope you are feeling better soon :flowerforyou:

sharonmunday90

feeling sickly and faint are you deffo not pregnant lol? x

no definately not pregnant lol

although thats what the nausea feels like

sharonmunday90

Ive changed to lightly active and a pound per week and its given me 1310. Ill try that.

Thanks for the help everyone x

beaneymum

Make sure you drink LOTS OF WATER and don't waste calories on simple carbs (white bread, white pasta, white rice) or sweet snacks. One choc digestive is 110kcals but eat 110kcals of lean protein (tuna or prawns) with a good wholegrain cracker or dark green leafy salad and you will be better sustained. I would happily eat half a pack of choc biscuits and bang that's my daily calorie intake done.

1200kcals is right for 2lb weightloss/week but you need to make sure you eat the right things. Most salad and vegetables are hardly calorific at all and you can eat more of those to boost your calorie intake.

Make sure your net calorie intake is 1200 per day.

BurtHuttz

Hi Sharon - based on the information you've provided your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is roughly 1450 calories per day [1]. BMR is the amount of calories your body would use if you were in a coma, to circulate blood, respirate, process toxins, etc. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is probably somewhere between 1950 and 2200 [2]. TDEE is BMR plus activity.

Eating below your BMR is unhealthy for you and over time can cause you unpleasant, lasting damage. Based on the above information, 1200 calories per day is NOT enough for your daily requirements. Please consider increasing your intake to around 1700 calories per day, and stick with that for six weeks, and you should start seeing positive results.

Weight loss is not supposed to make you feel sick, tired, starving.




[1] http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
[2] http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

sharonmunday90

Ok. thanks. i will try that.

I must admit the spacey head does feel like when my thyroid was out last year but i onky had the meds increased in august last year to 175mgs so it cant be that x

mockchoc

Hi Sharon - based on the information you've provided your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is roughly 1450 calories per day [1]. BMR is the amount of calories your body would use if you were in a coma, to circulate blood, respirate, process toxins, etc. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is probably somewhere between 1950 and 2200 [2]. TDEE is BMR plus activity.

Eating below your BMR is unhealthy for you and over time can cause you unpleasant, lasting damage. Based on the above information, 1200 calories per day is NOT enough for your daily requirements. Please consider increasing your intake to around 1700 calories per day, and stick with that for six weeks, and you should start seeing positive results.

Weight loss is not supposed to make you feel sick, tired, starving.




[1] http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
[2] http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

^ this and do see a doctor!

sharonmunday90

Hi Sharon - based on the information you've provided your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is roughly 1450 calories per day [1]. BMR is the amount of calories your body would use if you were in a coma, to circulate blood, respirate, process toxins, etc. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is probably somewhere between 1950 and 2200 [2]. TDEE is BMR plus activity.

Eating below your BMR is unhealthy for you and over time can cause you unpleasant, lasting damage. Based on the above information, 1200 calories per day is NOT enough for your daily requirements. Please consider increasing your to around 1700 calories per day, and stick with that for six weeks, and you should start seeing positive results.

Weight loss is not supposed to make you feel sick, tired, starving.


Thankyou. that seems likena huge amount but i will start today. i only want to lost a pound a week as this is a lifestyle xhange for me and not a diet.

I was beginning to think it wasntvworth it feeling like this and i need energy to keep up with a 2 year old

thankyou thankyou thankyou everyone xx



[1] http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
[2] http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

BurtHuttz

Ok. thanks. i will try that.

I must admit the spacey head does feel like when my thyroid was out last year but i onky had the meds increased in august last year to 175mgs so it cant be that x

I started out - when I didn't know what I was doing - eating just right at my BMR. It was very unpleasant, and I feel fortunate that I didn't grow adapted to it.

Your thyroid issues may complicate your path here, so my calculations may need tweaking. After six weeks, you will want to evaluate your weight change, how you feel physically, and your measurement change (definitely take your measurements!). Add or subtract a hundred calories accordingly.

Eventually you will narrow in on what's perfect for you. Go kill it!!!

bathsheba_c

The sad reality of weight loss is that the smaller you are, both in terms of height and weight, the harder it is to lose weight. Make sure to eat over your BMR, like emanyalpsid said. You might lose less quickly, but you will feel better and be healthier at the end of it.

tndejong

1200 seems a little low. i went to see if i could view your diary, and it was not open. it could be the types of foods your eating too. try adding a little more protein to your diet too. but i seen the others suggest 1400 calories and that seems right. the medical problems sound like maybe low blood sugar. try adding little snacks between meals. bag up 100 calorie stuff to have on hand. and be sure your drinking plenty of water.

RachyLovesRattys

Hey there! I agree with the above posts of upping your calories for now! As a busy mom, you burn way more than you think. It's definitely more about WHAT you put in (good carbs like whole grains, veggies, lean protein). I eat Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain cereal every morning and it's great for an easy breakfast, watching my calories, while still taking in a lot of protein and good carbs. The texture is more like "steel cut" oatmeal so it's a little different to get used to, but I just mix some jam in mine and it's a great start to the day.

My friend (she's 22 and a type one diabetic) has underactive thyroid problems in her family. Her whole family, including her, is on thyroxine and she's had her doses upped more than once this year. I don't know the MG dose offhand, but I do know it's comparable to where you are. Because you were saying the symptoms were similar, perhaps you would want to recheck with your DR about your thyroxine dosage (if you don't notice any relief by adding more calories), as it's been a long time since you've increased it.

In addition, her DR makes her take a B-12 supplement because, due to her thyroid, she has very low levels of it. If you don't want to up your thyroxine, maybe you could try taking some extra B-12 and see if that helps. I know when she misses her B-12 she feels a huge difference.

Also, people are notoriously low in B-12 anyway (ESPECIALLY when dieting)

DebbieLyn63

Ive changed to lightly active and a pound per week and its given me 1310. Ill try that.

Thanks for the help everyone x

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

According to THESE calculators, your BMR would be between 1273 and 1292. There can be a great variation between different calculators, so trial and error is ultimately the best way to get an accurate number, outside of going to a specialist and having expensive tests done. Upping to 1310 sounds like a good idea. See how that goes and adjust up more if you need to.

BurtHuttz

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

According to THESE calculators, your BMR would be between 1273 and 1292. There can be a great variation between different calculators, so trial and error is ultimately the best way to get an accurate number, outside of going to a specialist and having expensive tests done. Upping to 1310 sounds like a good idea. See how that goes and adjust up more if you need to.

I would like it noted, that calculator would return the same BMR result ceteris paribus for someone who weighs 100 pounds as someone who weighs 300 pounds.

DebbieLyn63

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

According to THESE calculators, your BMR would be between 1273 and 1292. There can be a great variation between different calculators, so trial and error is ultimately the best way to get an accurate number, outside of going to a specialist and having expensive tests done. Upping to 1310 sounds like a good idea. See how that goes and adjust up more if you need to.

I would like it noted, that calculator would return the same BMR result ceteris paribus for someone who weighs 100 pounds as someone who weighs 300 pounds.

Only the one on the left. The one on the right is a Katch-Mcardle, and figures it using your BF%, but doesn't take into account your height, age, or gender. Often, somewhere in the middle works. My point was that different calculators can vary by quite a bit. Some calculators take in account ONLY your weight, without considering body composition. Those can be quite a bit off, especially for those with a higher or lower than normal BF%. A 300 pound man with 20% BF would have a BMR that is quite a bit higher than a 300 pound man at 60% BF. (20%BF=2721 VS 60%BF=1545)

kw0205

All of these calculators drive me nutty. MFP says 1200 for me (1 pound a week - not terribly off my target - want to lose 20 pounds), TDEE says 1600, and one of the other popular ones says 1300. ARGH

DebbieLyn63

All of these calculators drive me nutty. MFP says 1200 for me (1 pound a week - not terribly off my target - want to lose 20 pounds), TDEE says 1600, and one of the other popular ones says 1300. ARGH

Yes, all the differences can certainly drive you batty! That is why there is no way to get the EXACT number for everyone just using calculators. They are only a guide to get you started. Trial and error is how you figure out what works best for you.

mockchoc

Safest way I think is to work out your TDEE as correctly as possible and subtract 20% deficit from that unless you don't have much to lose then only 10 or 15% deficit is needed.