When is 1200 calories appropriate? (hint: almost never)
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Here are my thoughts..and I'll try to keep it short.
I'm eating 1200 calories a day (although I usually go over by 400+ calories).
It's also Lenten Season for me...which means I fast on Fridays. Now, Catholics can choose to fast however they like....everyone does it differently. Some don't eat anything. Others just don't eat meat. Others follow the "two small snacks that don't equal a meal, and one regular meal" method. That's the method I'm doing.
And you know what I found?!?? That's about 1200 calories a day for me! Which is how much I've been eating every day since 2013 began! My "regular" meal is usually around 500 calories. And then my two smaller snacks are about 200 calories or slightly more.
What I'm saying is...it hit me that 1200 calories a day for me is like fasting every day. Don't take this info and generalize it though. I'm just saying this about my specific eating habits right now. When I fast on Fridays, I'm still reaching 1200 calories or slightly more...which makes me wonder if 1200 calories really IS too low for me.
Okay, that's all.
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I think those of us, like myself, that are not starting from an obese weight have a tougher time with the high calories. I think 1200 is a bit low but I am not going to eat 1900 calories just because I did a spin class and lifted. It's not the calories so much. It's the fact that there seems to be no way to reach that calorie goal without going way over in fat. I love my share of healthy fats but I do not touch the manipulated fat free versions of things.
I guess the question is - how do you eat high calorie diet without far exceeding your fat and protein goals? Lots and lots of veggies? I already eat 4 cups minumum of kale,parsley or other leafy's a day plus carrots, celery and red pepper in smaller amounts.0 -
I take several medicines that all cause loss of appetite. I struggle with even getting 1000 or 1200 every day. I often forget to eat due to lack of hunger. If I try to eat more because I know that is more nutritional for me, then I feel sick. Of course the medicines cause weight gain (20 lbs for me) and you would think I would be loosing weight on that few of calories, but alas I'm not due to the "starvation mode". Does anyone have any suggesions how I can combat this problem, ie, having a hard time getting in more calories. BTW I run 3 times a week at 3 mile a time.0
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Thanks! I try to stick to 1200 a calories a day..0
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They put me on 1200 a day and although I am doing it....it stinks! How do I add more calories to my diary allowance?0
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if you are a sedentary 38-year old woman, who is 4'10" and weighs 115lbs and does not exercise, then your TDEE-20% would be approximately 1200 calories.
if you are:
more active than that...
and/or younger than that...
and/or male...
and/or taller than that...
and/or weigh more than that...
and/or engage in cardiovascular exercise, then
you should almost certainly be eating MORE than 1200 calories per day.
i would hazard to guess that 99+% of the people on MFP are in the category that should be eating more than 1200 calories. 1200 calories per day is almost certainly too low for almost everyone who does not have an unusual medical condition requiring a low calorie intake, in which case that person would have to be under medical supervision.
if you are new here or are trying to adhere to a 1200 calorie diet because you heard that's what you need to do to lose weight, i would urge you to read through Dan's Roadmap:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
when you are done, join the Eat, Train, Progress group run by 2 knowledgeable members who are trying to provide a safe harbor where accurate, scientifically sound health, nutrition, and fitness advice can be given without all of the background noise occasionally found in the public forums.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
please do yourself a favor and find out the right calorie goal for yourself that allows you to change your body in a healthy and satisfying way. you don't need to starve yourself and you don't need to suffer the side effects of a 1200 calorie diet.
Your opinion, but we are all entitled to our opinions no matter if it's the truth or not.0 -
They put me on 1200 a day and although I am doing it....it stinks! How do I add more calories to my diary allowance?
You have to go to adjust your goals, I think on your homepage. If you have calculated your BMR and TDEE somewhere else, you can manually adjust your calories to the number you have settled on. Otherwise, you can use their preset ones and just choose a lighter goal. 1lb/week or .5lb/week instead of the 2lbs/week. This might still be off as it doesn't take your BMR into account. Just find what it right for you. I hope someone else comments on your comment as I don't have specific instructions. Something like "My home" then "Goals" haha I hope that helps.
:flowerforyou:0 -
They put me on 1200 a day and although I am doing it....it stinks! How do I add more calories to my diary allowance?
You have to go to adjust your goals, I think on your homepage. If you have calculated your BMR and TDEE somewhere else, you can manually adjust your calories to the number you have settled on. Otherwise, you can use their preset ones and just choose a lighter goal. 1lb/week or .5lb/week instead of the 2lbs/week. This might still be off as it doesn't take your BMR into account. Just find what it right for you. I hope someone else comments on your comment as I don't have specific instructions. Something like "My home" then "Goals" haha I hope that helps.
:flowerforyou:
Having said that, I am not telling you to change it. Simply how to do it. If you are feeling bad on it though, it sounds like you might need some more calories to work with. 0 -
Yawns. *eye roll*
I'm always amazed at the amount of people so focused on what other people are doing and eating....
Yep.
Its not so much what other people are doing... go read any thread that says someone is frustrated or hungry and read what they are eating... seriously 1200 calories is a recipe for eventual stall or even frustration and extreme hunger. People don't like hearing the truth.
That or people don't like hearing the same ole' lies over and over, I'm with the lies group. Tired of hearing it because REALITY is it's NOT everyone's truth, certainly not mine.0 -
I'm on 1200 calories a day too. I found by doing more cardio this morning I covered my breakfast before I really ate that first meal. Seeking friends with similar goals that are willing to read my diary and comment / push/ support. I will do the same for you.0
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That or people don't like hearing the same ole' lies over and over, I'm with the lies group. Tired of hearing it because REALITY is it's NOT everyone's truth, certainly not mine.
With us? I just went back 7 months looking at random points in the diet you've been sustaining. I want you to be on our poster!0 -
They put me on 1200 a day and although I am doing it....it stinks! How do I add more calories to my diary allowance?
Exercising ups your calorie intake limit, also double check your settings. If you mark yourself as active to include the exercise it changes your calories to plan for your exercise. I have set to sedentary (since I pretty much am unless I'm working out) that way if I don't work out it doesn't really change anything.0 -
I had a metabolic assessment done and found out my resting metabolic rate is only 907. Add on my desk job and I was only at 1179 a day for my TDEE. I am now on a plan to increase my RMR, but I don't get to eat like I would want to because I only gain. So I am one of those who has to eat alot less. Hopefully the plan I am on after doing the assessment (done at a center with the breathing mask and heart rate being taken) will increase my RMR over time so I can be one of those who can eat more than 1500 and not gain.0
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Yawns. *eye roll*
I'm always amazed at the amount of people so focused on what other people are doing and eating....
Less to do with focusing on what other people are doing and eating and more to do with having fallen into that trap ourselves, learning the science, climbing back out and back on track... and wanting to pass on that knowledge.
Don't like it? Then don't read it!
:drinker:0 -
Not that anyone will ever read this far into the thread ...
But I just wanted to mention that it is my belief that 1,200-calorie (and less) diets led to my morbid obesity.
I'd diet, diet, diet, not be able to maintain the low-calorie lifestyle, fall off the wagon and overeat. Meanwhile, my now suppressed metabolism greedily held onto as much of the extra calories as possible, storing them as fat.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And the result is someone who is obese, with a high percentage of body fat and sluggish metabolism.
This time around, I have decided to be patient. I am eating to get healthy, not to get skinny. Is the weight falling off fast? No. But I am not hungry. I do not feel deprived. And I actually believe that I can eat this way for the long haul.
Oh how I wish I'd known about BMR and TDEE when I was younger. And, I also wish I had patience back then.
One thing to note, in taking a close look at the spreadsheet calculator on the In Place of Roadmap group, those of us who have a lot to lose (ie: a lot of body fat) have a lower BMR (and therefore a slightly lower calorie requirement) than our lower-fat friends. Why? Without as much lean body mass, our bodies do not burn calories as efficiently.
In order for us to eat more, we need lose fat while building muscle. But again, this lower calorie requirement is built into the spreadsheet and will show for those of us who need it.
For those who are leaner, eating fewer calories can result in a loss of lean body mass (muscle), resulting in that maligning term "skinny fat."0 -
So I have a question. MFP says my goal for calories IS 1200... That's the deficit I need to lose weight isn't it? Additionally to that question, here's another one. Do I HAVE to eat the exercise calories? I just burned 1004 calories doing 45 minutes on my elliptical. I feel like eating 1000 more calories would be a set back to my progress... What's a healthy way to eat them?
1004 calories in 45 minutes. That seems very unlikely. I sure wouldn't eat all those back.
If it's not asking for your gender, weight, height and age, then it's not going to be very accurate. I don't even burn that in an hour of high intensity training and kickboxing. If you use MFP's estimate, I've seen the "smart kids" tell people to eat back 75% of those calories. Your best bet would be to get a heart rate monitor with a chest strap that gives calories burned.0 -
Bump for later reading0
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This time around, I have decided to be patient. I am eating to get healthy, not to get skinny. Is the weight falling off fast? No. But I am not hungry. I do not feel deprived. And I actually believe that I can eat this way for the long haul.
This attitude is what's going to help you keep the weight off after you lose it. You're changing habits and learning how to live your life without depriving yourself of what you enjoy. Kudos to you. For the record, I was near your starting weight when I decided to change my life, I lost most of it over the course of a year and very little since, and, like you, I found a way to enjoy the things I do while being smart about it. I've got more to lose, and I am fighting with it incredibly hard, but it doesn't bother me so much that I would do something drastic to get "quick results" because I know that weight loss doing something out of my normal routine will come right back after I resume my routine.
Just wanted to give a thumbs up.0 -
Nice try, but this is going to fall on deaf ears.
I came to mfp determined 1200 was right. I read a thread like this and upped them. Some people do listen0 -
I have a question...most week days i don't eat 1200 calories (and I'm not ashamed of it), but on the weekends I eat more, have a few drinks whatever i want. I workout twice a week at the gym and twice a week on the treadmill at home. So do you think I'm on my way to starvation? :huh:
No. Do you know what your average daily net for a typical week is?
My average daily net for last week was 13260 -
Bumping to read later0
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Bumping to read later
^this0 -
I wish there was a new rule in the forums that said when you talk about the 1200 calories you are set at that you are eating NET OR GROSS. Without one of those words next to the 1200 then the conversation really can confuse new people. 1200 Gross means you are only eating 1200 calories a day period. 1200 NET means you are set at 1200, enter exercise and eat the calories back. Which means depending on what you burn in a day you are always eating more than 1200 calories. Regardless of what you personally want to do I don't care. Everyone is an individual and should make their own choices. I just always see new people getting confused because we are not explaining it very well. It sure would stop a lot of confusion if we just added those two little words behind the number.
the elephant in the room is that many people who insist that 1200 calories is fine, really don't eat 1200. they eat less than that, but are too embarrassed to admit that they are only eating 800 or 900 calories per day. so even when we talk about 1200 calorie diets, we're talking about more than that... we're talking about all those eating less than that (over a prolonged period of time).
my goal was never to get into a debate with people who insist that 1200 is perfectly fine for them. it's their life, it's their choice. for some people, their physical size means that 1200 can be fine (if nutritionally sound). for some people who have yo-yo dieted, their lowered BMR means that 1200 can work as well. some people have medical conditions or medical emergencies and need to eat at 1200 or less. i think that's fine as well, so long as they are under medical supervision. there are probably a handful of other scenarios where 1200 works out to be the right daily goal.
but many people choose 1200 without understanding what their correct daily goal should be. i just wanted to pass along some helpful links to them so that they don't struggle on 1200 when they could thrive on 1400 or 1500.
a couple of people angry about previous threads in which i did not participate have posted their objections here. they are still fighting an argument they've had with other people. this was not the thread for that. i am not the one that they have an argument with. until today, i had no idea who these 4 or 5 people were. i wish them the best, but i wish they had exercised some self-restraint and not tried to hijack and derail this thread. i won't see anything they post from this point forward because all of them have earned a spot on my ignore list. i suggest they put me on ignore as well.
You probably have me on ignore now, so won't read this, but in case you do see this, allow me to explain my response to your thread.
Your OP did not simply give advice to those people who are struggling on 1200 a day and are miserable by respectfully suggesting an alternative to eating at a higher calorie level that was more appropriate for them.
Your post clearly spelled out a list of 'guidelines' that you declared to be the law as to whom a 1200 calorie diet would be appropriate, and that 99+% of the people on here should be eating more than 1200 calories.
You deemed that 1200 calories is 'starving oneself' and is an unhealthy VLCD that should only be done under unusual medical conditions and closely monitored by a doctor.
1200 calories a day is NOT considered a VLCD in any medical definitions.
Is 1200/day appropriate for everyone? Of course it isn't. It all depends on an individual. Age, height, weight, body comp, activity levels, hormone levels, all play a role in determining your TDEE.
1600/day is not appropriate for everyone either. Nor is 2000, etc.
If someone has a TDEE of 3000 and they eat 2000 cals per day, they are eating at a 1000 cal deficit which should result in a 2 pound per week loss. This is perfectly healthy and acceptable for someone who needs to lose a moderate to large amount of weight.
If someone else's TDEE is 1700, and they eat 1200, then they are eating at a 500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound per week.
If both people need to lose say 40 pounds, then why is the first example perfectly fine, but the second example is unhealthy? The first example is eating at TWICE the deficit of the second person.
It is all relative.
When someone like yourself, gets all passionate and creates a thread with the blanket statements like you did, without rational arguments other than your own opinions, then you are bound to piss a lot of people off and receive some responses like you did.
There are a lot more than 1% of the members on here that are eating at 1200 and are succeeding in losing and keeping their weight off. I have almost 200 of them on my friend list alone, because most of them fall into similar age and activity levels that I am in.
If most of your friends are tall, young, active, heavy weight lifters, then certainly they all need to eat at considerably higher levels. I think this is what puts blinders on many of the people who constantly bash the lower calorie diets. They assume that what is appropriate for themselves and those around them, are automatically appropriate for everyone else.
I was surprised by this myself several months ago when I found a girl that maintained on 3000 cals a day. I could not imagine how that was possible. She was younger, taller, had a high LBM, and was extremely active. Her BMR was over 1800. So of course she could eat at 2000 and lose 2 pounds a week.
Since this was HER reality, then that made sense why she could not fathom ANYONE eating only 1200 a day, and declared she would surely starve on that amount. She probably would have eaten her own arm off on that amount!
Our realities were drastically different. Our needs were drastically different.
Being able to look outside one's own self and situation, to see that others do not always fit into the same mold as you do, and accepting that difference with respect, is a sign of maturity and will result in a much happier life for you and those around you.
There is very little in this world that is strictly black and white. When someone makes black and white statements, when there is so much grey, then arguments are sure to follow. And any helpful advice can be lost in the mayhem.
^^THIS^^
I am a 47 year old, 5'0" woman. Thanks to posts like your OP, I have people frequently send me notes asking why I am eating "too few calories" when I eat even around 1200.
I am not a lifter. I am not a long distance runner. 5 pounds on my size frame is a dress size. And YES, for me between 1100-1200 calories is the right amount. I would never expect an under 30, male who lifts to understand that-- but I wouldn't push my philosophy blindly at others of different sizes and shapes or exercise types.0 -
Without entering the battle, I just want to point out one important thing: If you eat out a lot, or if you eat a fair amount of packaged food, it's worth noting that the calories you think you're getting probably aren't the same as the ones you're getting. Both are allowed to be up to 20% off. A study that actually examined the calories in products and restaurant meals found that packaged foods were off by an average of 8%--and of course, they were 8% MORE calories, not less. Restaurant info on the calories in a given meal were, understandably enough, off by more---closer to 18%. For ourselves, if you're not weighing or measuring, know that our general tendency is to underestimate our portion sizes.
If say 1,100 of the calories you eat in a day are from packaged foods, you should figure you're eating more like 1,200 calories a day. A 500-calorie meal out woud in reality be closer to 600 calories.0 -
I read through the message boards, and honestly I never understood why people always feel the need to go back and forth between these issues or differences. Obviously, some maybe new and not understand the way MFP works.
When I first joined in Nov, I set it to lose 1 lb a week and it gave me a goal of 1350, plus when I worked out it adds the exercise calories, which I would eat most of those, averaging about 1500-1800 a day. I am now at 1280 a day, plus my exercise calories. IF YOU USE MFP CORRECTLY, there is no danger of going too low and having any problems. The problem only comes if people don't use it right, or eat too low, but please you cannot blame the website, if people put 2 lbs a week in and get 1200 cal a day, then they don't eat the extra calories earned from working out.
So far, I eat well, usually eating 1400-1600 cal a day, and I feel great!!! Don't forget that there are many women who are petite, and that lower calories is okay for most of us. As a 5'2.5" woman, with average build, I had my BMR scan done, and when overweight it was 1326. That puts my TDEE at about 1750. So what MFP has me set at is a good fit for weight loss.0 -
So I have a question. MFP says my goal for calories IS 1200... That's the deficit I need to lose weight isn't it? Additionally to that question, here's another one. Do I HAVE to eat the exercise calories? I just burned 1004 calories doing 45 minutes on my elliptical. I feel like eating 1000 more calories would be a set back to my progress... What's a healthy way to eat them?
1004 calories in 45 minutes. That seems very unlikely. I sure wouldn't eat all those back.
If it's not asking for your gender, weight, height and age, then it's not going to be very accurate. I don't even burn that in an hour of high intensity training and kickboxing. If you use MFP's estimate, I've seen the "smart kids" tell people to eat back 75% of those calories. Your best bet would be to get a heart rate monitor with a chest strap that gives calories burned.
I think you're right. I even went so far as to call the company and ask how accurate it is. He said pretty accurate, but it doesn't take into account anything about me, not even my gender. Yeah, I'm thinking it's off, which is ok, because I don't really plan on eating my exercise calories, but it's nice to have the option to do so if I choose....0 -
I read that number and it just makes me hungry.0
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Assuming a healthy diet, the only issue in regard to 1200 is sustainability. Some people CAN eat that amount, lose, and go their merry way. I guess they're in the minority on this site.
It is not true that the only way to lose weight is the slow way. I posted a New York Times article about myths of weight loss. That was on the list.0 -
This is confusing me more and more. I checked several sites which calculcated my BMR at 1400 calories. MFP has me at 1350 to lose 1/2 pound a week. To maintain MFP says I need 1700 calories.
I'm 5'8" female, 55 years old, weigh 158 pounds.0 -
After reading several of these threads I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss my diet and weight loss. She took my information down, consulted a nutritionist and emailed me the diet plan she'd like me to use.
It's an exchange diet... 1200 calories. Go figure.
Edit: Also... I'm stuffing myself to eat 1200 calories. I just forced down two slices of toast with butter and fruit spread because I was 170 calories short for the day.0
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