So why is only 1200 calories for weight loss bad?
Replies
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My endocrinologist told me that to maintain my weight (140lbs, height 5'5, 27 y/o) I should only eat 1200 calories a day. I eat pretty healthy, make my own meals, and don't "drink" any calories yet still have a hard time hitting that 1200 cal mark.
At the same time though, I am trying to lose 10 lbs to get back to my base weight from two years ago but dropping my calories to 1000 doesnt seem to work. I run 4-6 miles everyday and walk to and from work which is about 4 miles.
What else can I do? I'm following my doc's advice....
EDIT: When I said I have a difficult time hitting the 1200 mark I meant that I have to eat way more than I want, not the other way around. If I really stuff myself I can hit 1300-1400 but I feel awful afterwards.
You really are not eating enough. I just calculated your calories burned by running and it is around 600 calories for 5 miles in an hr at your weight. You walk 4 miles too which is probably another 100 calories per mile. That is 1000 calories right there burned through exercise leaving you only 200 calories for fuel. Maybe you are not hungry because you are not eating enough? If you are closer to hyperthyroid that would mean you probably have a higher calorie burned than average so you should be fine taking in the normal recommended amount of calories for your age and height. You are a healthy weight so I do not get the need to eat such low calories.0 -
How can it possibly be good for your body to eat fewer calories than it requires to function in a coma? Common sense says otherwise.
Especially when she may be burning up to 1000 extra calories most days through exercise. It does not make sense why someone a healthy weight should only be getting 200 calories to fuel her body.0 -
My endocrinologist told me that to maintain my weight (140lbs, height 5'5, 27 y/o) I should only eat 1200 calories a day. I eat pretty healthy, make my own meals, and don't "drink" any calories yet still have a hard time hitting that 1200 cal mark.
At the same time though, I am trying to lose 10 lbs to get back to my base weight from two years ago but dropping my calories to 1000 doesnt seem to work. I run 4-6 miles everyday and walk to and from work which is about 4 miles.
What else can I do? I'm following my doc's advice....
EDIT: When I said I have a difficult time hitting the 1200 mark I meant that I have to eat way more than I want, not the other way around. If I really stuff myself I can hit 1300-1400 but I feel awful afterwards.
You really are not eating enough. I just calculated your calories burned by running and it is around 600 calories for 5 miles in an hr at your weight. You walk 4 miles too which is probably another 100 calories per mile. That is 1000 calories right there burned through exercise leaving you only 200 calories for fuel. Maybe you are not hungry because you are not eating enough? If you are closer to hyperthyroid that would mean you probably have a higher calorie burned than average so you should be fine taking in the normal recommended amount of calories for your age and height. You are a healthy weight so I do not get the need to eat such low calories.
Aside from the fact that this is a zombie thread... A person with a thyroid issue (un-medicated as the OP said) will burn less calories with everything they do. Their BMR/RMR will be lower than suggested by the calculators, TDEE will be lower than calculated by calculators, and exercise burn will be lower than suggested by calculators. Those calculators use mathematical equations that are designed based on averages of people with healthy thyroids. For that reason, the endocrinologist who measures her thyroid function and has training in metabolism is a better person to listen to than pretty much anything else. (Other than personal experimentation.)0 -
one would assume that what my doctor, who has all my blood work and thyroid levels would be correct?
i've been a nurse for...longer than i'm willing to admit. Assuming your physician is inerrant might be part of the problem.
Doctors know everything. About everyone. All the time. Just ask them, they'll tell you
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Get a 2nd opinion from a registered dietitian0
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My endocrinologist told me that to maintain my weight (140lbs, height 5'5, 27 y/o) I should only eat 1200 calories a day. I eat pretty healthy, make my own meals, and don't "drink" any calories yet still have a hard time hitting that 1200 cal mark.
At the same time though, I am trying to lose 10 lbs to get back to my base weight from two years ago but dropping my calories to 1000 doesnt seem to work. I run 4-6 miles everyday and walk to and from work which is about 4 miles.
What else can I do? I'm following my doc's advice....
EDIT: When I said I have a difficult time hitting the 1200 mark I meant that I have to eat way more than I want, not the other way around. If I really stuff myself I can hit 1300-1400 but I feel awful afterwards.
You really are not eating enough. I just calculated your calories burned by running and it is around 600 calories for 5 miles in an hr at your weight. You walk 4 miles too which is probably another 100 calories per mile. That is 1000 calories right there burned through exercise leaving you only 200 calories for fuel. Maybe you are not hungry because you are not eating enough? If you are closer to hyperthyroid that would mean you probably have a higher calorie burned than average so you should be fine taking in the normal recommended amount of calories for your age and height. You are a healthy weight so I do not get the need to eat such low calories.
Aside from the fact that this is a zombie thread... A person with a thyroid issue (un-medicated as the OP said) will burn less calories with everything they do. Their BMR/RMR will be lower than suggested by the calculators, TDEE will be lower than calculated by calculators, and exercise burn will be lower than suggested by calculators. Those calculators use mathematical equations that are designed based on averages of people with healthy thyroids. For that reason, the endocrinologist who measures her thyroid function and has training in metabolism is a better person to listen to than pretty much anything else. (Other than personal experimentation.)
Didn't she say hyperthyroid, but that she is in a normal range?
WebMD says this
Having too much thyroid hormone can make a lot of things in your body speed up. You may lose weight quickly, have a fast heartbeat, sweat a lot, or feel nervous and moody. Or you may have no symptoms at all.0 -
Are the BMR calculators accurate? I have a slightly hyper thyroid that's still in the normal range so I'm not on any medication.
Yes, here she says slightly hyper thyroid and not taking medicines becaue she was still in the normal range. Why would someone in the normal range only need to eat 200-300 calories to subsist on?0 -
If you're HYPER then you should burn MORE than is typical. Something is afoot.Are the BMR calculators accurate? I have a slightly hyper thyroid that's still in the normal range so I'm not on any medication.0 -
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OP you have been to see a specialist that has given you advice in their opinion.
You are asking a bunch of internet strangers to give you advice based on their opinions?
If you are not happy to take the specialist`s opinion, then who are you going to follow?
People can offer conflicting opinions until the cows come home!
What do you think is best for you?0 -
OP you have been to see a specialist that has given you advice in their opinion.
You are asking a bunch of internet strangers to give you advice based on their opinions?
If you are not happy to take the specialist`s opinion, then who are you going to follow?
People can offer conflicting opinions until the cows come home!
What do you think is best for you?
What is werid is that usually people who are more hyper as opposed to hypothyroid need to eat more calories not less. So I don't get why she would be eating so few calories when she is so active.0 -
Same here- I eat alot but it only reaches about 500 a day and I feel fine and am extremely active...every body is different I guess...0
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What her specialist has told her doesn't add up. She was told to eat at a level suited to someone sedentary with hypo, when she's the polar opposite. It doesn't hurt to question what you've been told.OP you have been to see a specialist that has given you advice in their opinion.
You are asking a bunch of internet strangers to give you advice based on their opinions?
If you are not happy to take the specialist`s opinion, then who are you going to follow?
People can offer conflicting opinions until the cows come home!
What do you think is best for you?0 -
Please use the site calculator to calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). It's likely only slightly less than the 1200 calories you're looking to take in a day. And you're running on top of that as well?
I think you need to look at doing something different....your body is hanging on to weight out of sheer self-preservation!
i would trust an endocrinologist a lot more than the MFP calculations. just sayin'.
^^^^Agree.0 -
I wouldn't want to live life if I had to maintain eating that amount..0
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What her specialist has told her doesn't add up. She was told to eat at a level suited to someone sedentary with hypo, when she's the polar opposite. It doesn't hurt to question what you've been told.OP you have been to see a specialist that has given you advice in their opinion.
You are asking a bunch of internet strangers to give you advice based on their opinions?
If you are not happy to take the specialist`s opinion, then who are you going to follow?
People can offer conflicting opinions until the cows come home!
What do you think is best for you?
I assumed it was a typo given the number of things she said that suggest that she is hypothyroid. Could have been wrong. No way to know at this point.0 -
the fact that you run is reason enough to eat more.
1200 is the bare MINIMUM for a woman to eat anyways, and i dont care about bmr and tdee whatever...1200 cals is the limit.
it would be fine if you ate that much and sat at a desk 24/7...but you are active....
eat more. keep a healthy metabolism and dont mess up your hormones. chances are you are not even getting your required amount of daily dietary fats for proper hormonal function. in the longer run(im only talkin 3/4 months) this will damage your metabolism and a lot more that i dont wanna get into the nitty gritty of.
but you basically feel "fine" cause your body has adapted and your metabolism has slowed...technically think of it as starvation mode...its trying to hold onto whatever its got hence the loss in appetite, which is normal.0 -
When I said I have a difficult time hitting the 1200 mark I meant that I have to eat way more than I want, not the other way around. If I really stuff myself I can hit 1300-1400 but I feel awful afterwards.
Eat a Mars Bar. /End thread.0 -
Eating healthy fats such as avocado and nut can actually help you lose weight, eating less the 1200 calories a day is actually really unhealthy the body need energy. Eating every 2-3 hours helps fasten your metabolism and helps you lose weight faster, if not ur body will go into starvation mode and this will make ur metabolism slow down aND MAKE IT HARDER FOR YOU TO LOOSE WEIGHT .... and also squeeze 1/2 lemon into a glass of water in the morning when u get up and get that down, it will also fasten ur metabolism.....0
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I guess we're all different. I have been on a 1200 calorie diet for five months. I am not exercising a whole lot though. I feel like I get enough to eat and I have plenty of energy.0
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I wouldn't want to live life if I had to maintain eating that amount..
Indeed. No fun at all. Makes me remember why I chose to start lifting weight in the first place. Muscle burns those little monkey calories up! Yeah boi!! I0 -
bingo ms. common sense ;-) very few experts on the site just opinions so go with the docI'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)0 -
Don't listen to those saying that the reason you can't lose weight on 1200 a day is because you're "slowing down your metabolism" and "starving." He's your endocrinologist, meaning he's taking into account the different levels of hormones circulating within your body that have to do with fat storage and metabolism. You just have a different hormonal makeup than others, which means that, in your case, it doesn't take much to satisfy your body and keep it running. I'd say DEFINITELY trust an endocrinologist over some calculator that runs on general statistics. If you're still unsure about why you're not losing weight, simply ask him how much you should eat, net, and burn off in a day depending on how much weight you want to lose and how fast.
My one tip: rather than relying on walking and such, do WEIGHT LIFTING. You won't get bulky and I promise that you'll look so good and burn so much fat!
Good luck!!!
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bingo ms. common sense ;-) very few experts on the site just opinions so go with the docI'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)
Yep who would want to take advice from people who have been there, lost weight, changed their entire lifestyles and improved their health....what could they possibly know? I've learned more from these boards than I ever have from my doctor.0 -
bingo ms. common sense ;-) very few experts on the site just opinions so go with the docI'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)
Yep who would want to take advice from people who have been there, lost weight, changed their entire lifestyles and improved their health....what could they possibly know? I've learned more from these boards than I ever have from my doctor.
the proof is in the pudding. well said.0 -
bingo ms. common sense ;-) very few experts on the site just opinions so go with the docI'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)
Yep who would want to take advice from people who have been there, lost weight, changed their entire lifestyles and improved their health....what could they possibly know? I've learned more from these boards than I ever have from my doctor.
That's not what I said at all. What I said was that the OP went to a doctor who told her that her thyroid levels weren't quite right and that in order to maintain weight based on hormone/thyroid levels she should eat x amount. None of the people who responded to this thread said, "I have the exact same hormone/thyroid issues and this is what works for me." Most just flat out said she should disregard her endocrinologist. That seems absurd. Someone who has made specific adjustments based on her exact thyroid/hormone levels probably knows better than a bunch of internet strangers. That's all I'm saying.0 -
bingo ms. common sense ;-) very few experts on the site just opinions so go with the docI'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)
Yep who would want to take advice from people who have been there, lost weight, changed their entire lifestyles and improved their health....what could they possibly know? I've learned more from these boards than I ever have from my doctor.
That's not what I said at all. What I said was that the OP went to a doctor who told her that her thyroid levels weren't quite right and that in order to maintain weight based on hormone/thyroid levels she should eat x amount. None of the people who responded to this thread said, "I have the exact same hormone/thyroid issues and this is what works for me." Most just flat out said she should disregard her endocrinologist. That seems absurd. Someone who has made specific adjustments based on her exact thyroid/hormone levels probably knows better than a bunch of internet strangers. That's all I'm saying.
Erm, I didn't quote you. But thank you for your reply anyway. These 'bunch of random strangers' are just giving the OP the opinion she asked for.0 -
I'm just going to come out and say it. I think that you should take the advice of your doctor over a bunch of random people on the internet. I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing and I think an Endocrinologist who is a doctor who very specifically studied hormones and related metabolism, etc... Probably knows what is better for YOU than a bunch of random strangers. (just my opinion)
I agree!!0 -
My endocrinologist told me that to maintain my weight (140lbs, height 5'5, 27 y/o) I should only eat 1200 calories a day. I eat pretty healthy, make my own meals, and don't "drink" any calories yet still have a hard time hitting that 1200 cal mark.
At the same time though, I am trying to lose 10 lbs to get back to my base weight from two years ago but dropping my calories to 1000 doesnt seem to work. I run 4-6 miles everyday and walk to and from work which is about 4 miles.
What else can I do? I'm following my doc's advice....
EDIT: When I said I have a difficult time hitting the 1200 mark I meant that I have to eat way more than I want, not the other way around. If I really stuff myself I can hit 1300-1400 but I feel awful afterwards.
I think you either: a) have left out important information, b) have misunderstood your endocrinologist, or c) should seek a second opinion. When I was younger I also had a hyperactive thyroid that was just enough within normal range so as not to need medication as well. I was told by my doctors that i should net at least 2000 calories a day to maintain my weight (compared to 1700-1800 for someone of my weight with a normal thyroid). Your TDEE for your height, weight and age with a normal thyroid for someone who does little to no exercise is just above 1700 calories a day, so I would imagine if you have the same problem as I had, you should be eating at least 200 to 300 more to maintain your weight. Is it possible you have other conditions which affect your weight that you didn't tell us about? Did you mean to say you have a hypothyroid (slower thyroid)? Even so, I would imagine that the decrease in your caloric intake would not be much more than mine was raised (200-300 calories). That would mean you would still have to net 1400-1500 calories to maintain your weight.
It is possible you misunderstood your doctor. I would imagine she meant you must net 1200 calories not only eat that much. Netting 1200 calories means that your total caloric intake is 1200 after taking the calories you ate and subtracting the calories you burned during exercise. Is it also possible that your doctor said or meant that you should net 1200 calories to maintain your current weight loss? you should contact your doctor and ask for a clarification and a reason for their determination. If, indeed your doctor meant to only eat 1200 calories a day to maintain your weight with exercise, then ask what factors are causing this. Also, if this is the case, I would seek a second opinion just to be sure. However, I am guessing that it was either a misunderstanding of your doctor, or that you left out other important information.0 -
Good grief - if he says a gross 1200 calories to MAINTAIN, I am left wondering what minimal number of calories he'd suggest to actually lose weight.0
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