why is 1200 cal/day too low?

fierceatforty

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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EmmaKarney

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

Let me guess... you selected "sedentary" and "2 pounds a week." 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. Just 10-20% below is ideal for healthy weight loss.

SGocka

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

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

Let me guess... you selected "sedentary" and "2 pounds a week." 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. Just 10-20% below is ideal for healthy weight loss.

This all day.

jjrichard83

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

simply because 1200 is far below your bmr, unless you are a midget

Car0lynnM

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

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

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

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

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

sunnyside1213

simply because 1200 is far below your bmr, unless you are a midget

Well I must be a midget...because my TDEE - 20% = 1017 calories a day. Everyone is different. This works for me.

3laine75

i'm back to 1200 + exercise cals. unfortunately the 'eat more to lose more' doesn't work for me. the principles are sound - its just my will power goes to f*** when i have all those calories - i invariably end up eating more than the 1800 or 2000 that i should

but if you only have a wee bit to lose and you find it works for you, i'd give upping your calories a go - its all trial and error and seeing what works for your body (and mind, in my case).

Lyssa62

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.

thank you! I rarely net above that and I'm fine. Just got lab results back from the doctor and she is amazed by not only my weight loss, toning but also my off the scale lab results. Kind of ironic -- went to school with her...and she's my doctor and asking me advice on how I am getting so healthy.

I am learning to eat when I am hungry..not when somebody tells me it's time to or eating because MFP tells me that I have like 400 more to eat so I don't starve myself. ( eye rolling)

genkimomof2

I think there are certain situations where 1200 cals is not necessarily a "bad" goal. If you are elderly or immobile you don't need a bunch of calories. The older you are, the less efficient your metabolism is. And if you are bed or chair bound, you probably don't need to eat much either (again, that also depends on age and how sedentary you truly are).

Also, severely obese people have plenty of nutrient stores in their fat cells, so they can take a big whack to their calorie intake without much damage to their bodies. And for them, the "cost" of stressing the body from such a calorie restriction is balanced by the "benefit" of quickly reducing the overall stress to the body from being so severely overweight.

Finally, some people claim that they eat severely restricted diets a couple days a week and less restricted diets other days (the 5/2 plan and similar diets) and that works for them. I'm not a doctor so i can't comment on how healthy it is to be constantly be putting your body on a roller-coaster ride of feast and famine, but overall their calorie intake over the course of a week averages out to more than 1200 cals/day, and they are losing weight.

So unless you consider yourself elderly, severely obese, or an invalid, reducing your intake to 1200 cals is probably not necessary. Some may argue whether it's healthy or not, or "doable" over the long term, but you have to ask yourself; is it necessary? based on just what you told us, probably not. But a doctor is much better able to advise you than any of us! :-)

krhn

Assuming you are at an average height - you must of had the willpower of GOD to hold off the hunger!
I currently consume 1650 calories (up to 3000 calories) if i go to work and exercise back at home and still losing weight very steadily - any less and i would be crazy!
Deep respect though! :drinker:

sandip69

we are beginning to understand a little bit more about the physiology of metabolism.Turns out that 2 people of the same height,weight,age and gender may need very different calorie intakes to maintain their weight even if they have identical lifestyles. We all respond differently to exercise too which is a bit depressing if you turn out to be a minimal responder. I guess it's finding out what works for each individual that is the real challenge. 1200 calories is a whopper with cheese and a portion of fries! My feeling is that if your guts are rumbling for a large proportion of the day, then you aren't eating enough. If your hair, skin, teeth and nails are healthy then you're probably eating OK. For me it's a couple of pieces of fruit a day, a bowl of cereal and not too many chocolates, cakes and fried food + a good plateful of dinner at the day!

Aviva92

Assuming you are at an average height - you must of had the willpower of GOD to hold off the hunger!
I currently consume 1650 calories (up to 3000 calories) if i go to work and exercise back at home and still losing weight very steadily - any less and i would be crazy!
Deep respect though! :drinker:

You are male. I'm pretty sure that the calorie requirements for men is at least 300 calories more than women. I did not have the willpower of god to eat 1,200 calories. I'm not sure how many I was eating before to gain weight, but it was extremely easy to lower my calories to 1,200 when I cut out a lot of the bad stuff and added more protein and vegetables. It's was too easy, so now I'm close to underweight.

dsjohndrow

You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you want to. Just figure out how many calories you will need at your goal weight and eat that. Then when you get there, you won't have to change anything.

Aviva92

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.

congratulations, you're not me nor are you the o.p. making a blanket statement that it won't work for anyone is ridiculous.

You sound hungry.

My point is that it's important to calculate your numbers based on your own situation. VERY few women have a BMR below or at 1200 calories.
If she works out her numbers using the links posted to the roadmap (which is what I did) she will have a better idea of what to eat based on HER particular level of activity and physical stats (height/weight/bf%).
I ate at the staple 1200 cals MFP gave me, loss was slow and painful. I upped my cals gradually and finally started to use TDEE-20% as a goal about a month ago and my weight loss has never gone easier. I have plenty of energy to work out and go to work and enjoy my day, I'm rarely hungry and I am still losing.
If the OP would care to run her numbers she may be pleasantly surprised to find she can eat a little more and still lose.

And in terms of body comp. activity level and weight/height, yes we do all vary, but the general mathematics and rules of thermodynamics apply to everyone. Barring medical complications, eating over BMR but under TDEE will equal weight loss.

OP doesn't have a lot to lose, so it might take a while, I'm cursed with still having 30lbs to go til my final goal, which means my TDEE is naturally going to be a lot higher.

Better?

Calling me "hungry" or "hangry" is pretty annoying. No I'm not overly hungry on a 1,200 calorie diet. FOR ME, it worked very well and I got to my goal. If 1,200 calories is bad for almost everyone, then either I'm the exception OR that's just wrong and 1,200 calories is fine. I found the roadmap to not be all that useful. Setting it to 1,200 and then either eating or not eating exercise calories back is basically the same idea. Does using random CAPITAL LETTERS get my point across better?

Sapporo

1200 calories per day isn't too low for everyone. You'll need to experiment and figure out what works for you. The online calculators can help but remember they are based on averages and if you do follow the TDEE-20% calculation don't be afraid to cut calories if doesn't work so well for you. Try it for 2-3 months then lower by 100-200 cals per day if you aren't losing.