why is 1200 cal/day too low?

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fierceatforty
fierceatforty Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 39 years old. I weigh 143lbs. My goal weight is 123 lbs. To be honest, I'm not sure if that is a realistic or healthy goal weight - I have not consulted a doctor about it. When I entered my weight loss goals in MFP it set me up on 1200 calories per day. Now, I've noticed a few comments on other topics where people say 1200 is too low. Can someone please explain why and how do I decide on (1) goal weight and (2) cals per day?
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Replies

  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
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    I'm so happy I discovered this topic over the weekend.

    I've adjusted my goals to increase calories and protein ration and making way more of an effort to drink my 2 litres of water a day :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Let me guess... you selected "sedentary" and "2 pounds a week." :smile: I did it, too, when I joined. Then I did some math and within a few weeks, realized that wasn't appropriate for me. It's not appropriate for most people. It's generally accepted as the lowest anyone should go without medical supervision. The site won't go lower than that.

    For most people, it's overkill. Like trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer.

    You only have 20 pounds you want to lose. Aim for one pound a week, and when you get within 10-15 pounds of your goal, select half pound a week. Get regular exercise including strength training. Eat most of your exercise calories. Treat the protein and fat goals as minimums to reach, and carbs as a maximum to stay under. Track your progress through measurements, how clothes fit, and progress photos, not just the scale.

    For me, I got 1200 when I first started, too. As it turns out, my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - what it takes to maintain my weight) at my goal weight is about 2300 calories. Yeah, to lose weight, you need to eat less than your body burns, but not so drastically that you're only eating half of what your body burns. :wink: Just 10-20% below is ideal for healthy weight loss.
  • SGocka
    SGocka Posts: 33 Member
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    I did 1200 a day for quite a while with great results. I personally don't see why everybody gets all up in arms about it.
  • z_kickingkilos
    z_kickingkilos Posts: 15
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    I'm so happy I discovered this topic over the weekend.

    I've adjusted my goals to increase calories and protein ration and making way more of an effort to drink my 2 litres of water a day :)
    how did you do that? Please help me as well. Thanks!
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    Let me guess... you selected "sedentary" and "2 pounds a week." :smile: I did it, too, when I joined. Then I did some math and within a few weeks, realized that wasn't appropriate for me. It's not appropriate for most people. It's generally accepted as the lowest anyone should go without medical supervision. The site won't go lower than that.

    For most people, it's overkill. Like trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer.

    You only have 20 pounds you want to lose. Aim for one pound a week, and when you get within 10-15 pounds of your goal, select half pound a week. Get regular exercise including strength training. Eat most of your exercise calories. Treat the protein and fat goals as minimums to reach, and carbs as a maximum to stay under. Track your progress through measurements, how clothes fit, and progress photos, not just the scale.

    For me, I got 1200 when I first started, too. As it turns out, my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - what it takes to maintain my weight) at my goal weight as about 2300 calories. Yeah, to lose weight, you need to eat less than your body burns, but not so drastically that you're only eating half of what your body burns. :wink: Just 10-20% below is ideal for healthy weight loss.

    This all day.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
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    I just did my tests and found that I have a TDEE of 3,186 (roughly) & BMR of 2,055.

    I've eaten as low as 1200 calories for the day, and I've eaten as high as 2000. If I eat 2200 calories a day, I should be losing 2 lb. per week. The last 10 days I have not lost anything.

    use the calories as a guideline. If you think it's too low - remove bread and pasta (high calories and low nutrients).
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
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    I found this explanation for why 1200 isn't always a good number. It's long, but he explains it all very well!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/865024-1200-and-why-it-won-t-work
  • carolynbergen1
    carolynbergen1 Posts: 57
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    I'm also doing 1200 a day and have no problems staying at that. I generally eat back some of my exercise calories. MFP has shown me exactly where I have been going wrong in what I had been consuming every day and why I am overweight. I am not a big eater, never have been. Never one to eat donuts, cookies etc....What my problem was is what I had been drinking, not thinking of the tons of calories I was consuming. I am a coffee addict and had been POURING in the Coffeemate French Vanilla. Or I would drink a lot of Simply Lemonade or sweetened teas. Never really paid attention to nutrition labels on food either. And then there's that portion control thing. I had to relearn what a portion was. I have since found that 1200 a day is more than doable. I am not hungry throughout the day. I rarely snack between meals. I no longer have any coffeemate unless it's a rare treat and I do NOT pour it in anymore. If it's not sweet enough for me I add a dash of Splenda. And I have started exercising even though I hate doing it.
  • Donyalr
    Donyalr Posts: 5 Member
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    I work at a desk job. My suggested calorie intake according to MFP is 1200 calories/day, but when I am exercizing off between 500-1000 calories a day, 5-6 days a week that is not realistic. I typically have a calorie intake of between 1200-1600 calories per day, but MFP allows you to eat a bit more when you have entered your calories burned from exercise. I have lost 29 lbs in the last 2 months using MFP. I am confident that I will be able to meet my goal of losing 100 lbs. My goal weight is 130lbs which is the top of my range for my height. I think my weight loss is going well. I don't feel deprived or like I am starving. I am still able to eat foods that I enjoy, but I am making better choices overall. I am very careful to track everything as accurately as I can. I measure or weigh my food as much as possible.
  • wannatangle
    wannatangle Posts: 80 Member
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    I have occasional days when I eat 1200 (mostly when I am busy or stressed), but I upped my calories to 1400. I still eat some of my exercise calories back (not all of them and not every day). I'm 5' 4". I started around 130 in January. This morning I weighed around 123, so I am losing good. I'm firming up. I'd be happy with a half a pound a week. I only have about 5 or 6 pounds more to go. I had stalled when I was staying at 1200 a day, and I had actually gained a few pounds back which I lost almost immediately when I upped my calories to 1400.
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    It just is. You will be starving all the time, and it's really too little food for a human to live on over the long term, or for the rest of their lives. Most women can easily eat 1600 cals a day and still lose weight. Many can eat more than that and still lose. It's just a lame thing MFP does to women. Plus, most women put that they want to lose 2 lbs per week instead of a more reasonable 1 lb per week.

    If you really want to know, go here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    You can thank me later, and Dan, of course.

    It just is? I don't think this woman could lose weight at 1600 unless she is doing some really heavy exercise and not eating back. She is already not overweight. Many women have no problem sticking to around 1200 cals, especially if they are eating back exercise calories.

    OP- keep looking around the boards. Eat more to lose more? Ask yourself, Has that worked for you in the past?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    It just is? I don't think this woman could lose weight at 1600 unless she is doing some really heavy exercise and not eating back. She is already not overweight. Many women have no problem sticking to around 1200 cals, especially if they are eating back exercise calories.

    OP- keep looking around the boards. Eat more to lose more? Ask yourself, Has that worked for you in the past?

    I'm her age, a little older in fact, and I lose at 2000 a day, with about a half hour of exercise 6 days a week.
  • PennStateChick
    PennStateChick Posts: 327 Member
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    People that are against 1200 calories/day tend to say its because its an arbitrary number picked my mfp and they don't think people should get hung up on it. However, there are some people that swear by it and say it works for them.

    You can either pick one side of the arguement and go with whatever they say, or you can play around with it and figure out what works best for you. Personally, mfp set my calories at 1200 and I decided to eat 1500. I am still losing weight and am pretty comfortable with that calorie intake, so that's how I am preceeding.

    PS My doctor also suggested a 1200 calorie diet with exercise. I discussed my plan with her and she was good with the 1500 as well. I really recommend talking to your doctor or a nutritionist.
  • calisunrise
    calisunrise Posts: 307
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    simply because 1200 is far below your bmr, unless you are a midget
  • Car0lynnM
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
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    OP--143 was my starting weight, and 120 was my goal weight (I just got there a couple of weeks ago). I'm just under 5' 2"--if you're around that height, it might be a good weight for you too. I started off with 1200 calories a day and dropped 15 pounds pretty fast. But I quickly realized that 1200 is not much food, and it's hard to fit in all the nutrition you need. Use the in place of a road map links that other people have provided, and figure out what you need. I ate 1600 calories a day to lose the last few pounds. I'm on maintenance now and eating between 1700 and 2000 depending on my exercise.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    It just is. You will be starving all the time, and it's really too little food for a human to live on over the long term, or for the rest of their lives. Most women can easily eat 1600 cals a day and still lose weight. Many can eat more than that and still lose. It's just a lame thing MFP does to women. Plus, most women put that they want to lose 2 lbs per week instead of a more reasonable 1 lb per week.

    If you really want to know, go here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    You can thank me later, and Dan, of course.

    It just is? I don't think this woman could lose weight at 1600 unless she is doing some really heavy exercise and not eating back. She is already not overweight. Many women have no problem sticking to around 1200 cals, especially if they are eating back exercise calories.

    OP- keep looking around the boards. Eat more to lose more? Ask yourself, Has that worked for you in the past?

    I eat 2300 cals a day, my TDEE based on LIGHT exercise is 1885.

    I lost weight on 1885 and I'm losing weight on 2300.
  • michellelemorgan
    michellelemorgan Posts: 184 Member
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    I'm a very petite small framed woman. What I do when trying to lose weight is I will eat 1200 calories a day for about two weeks then I spend a week eating 1500-1800 then back to 1200 for two weeks. I work out about 1.5 hours everyday... running for an hour and strength training for half an hour. I'm very active. I eat healthy and when I'm trying to lose weight I eat no starchy foods at all. When I'm maintaining I eat around 1500 and continue exercise as described I always keep starches to a minimum and eat tons of fruits and veggies and proteins. That's always really important. I'm in the best shape of my life, defined muscles lots of energy and amazing legs. It feels great. I do know women who eat 2000 a day and lose weight but I think they have a larger frame than I do. Anyway, people do it all sorts of ways and seem healthy and strong. I think if you just avoid starches and processed foods and get plenty of exercise you'll be fine.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    How tall are you o.p.? It's impossible to say if 123 is a healthy goal without knowing your height.

    I sort of looked at my high school/early 20's weight to set my goal weight. I was 105 when I was in my 20's. I think 105 is too low based on BMI, but it's sort of a floor for me. I think 5 lbs above it is sort of my limit now. That's how I set it. Initially my goal was to weigh less than my sister who is 3.5 inches taller than me. I met that goal when I hit 116, but kept going. I guess that not everyone was at a low weight in their 20's to use as a target.
  • rocker5255
    rocker5255 Posts: 1
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    I don't believe it is too low. ADA association says the average American needs 1500 to maintain health. So If losing weight is your goal you have to decrease calories, as well as jump start your metabolism by excersising. Dance, walk the dog, water walk, garden what ever it takes. I am someone that loves daytime tv and it showed. I started taping my shows and skipping the commercials later that day after going to the Y. The combination of calorie awareness, increased activity, and taping the shows that were making me sedimentary gave me a 3 pound weight loss this week. If you eat less than 1200 my fittness pal will allert you that your body is in danger of going into starvation mode. There you will release hormones that will make you store everything as fat. It's like having your own trainer right in your kitchen....If you're eating fresh fruits and vegetables and more fish and chicken I've found out my $200 a month food budget doesn't even suffer. If you need 1300 a day just increase your excersise what ever it is and like magic the weight you want to get rid of will drop off. Good luck

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