When is 1200 calories appropriate? (hint: almost never)

Elzecat

i'd like to wish good luck to everyone here who actually read and understood the initial post in this thread. the choice is always in your hands. 1200 may be right for some people. i never said it wasn't. i simply said that it wasn't the only way or even the best way for the large majority of people here (probably even vast majority). in any event, all i want for people to do is to make informed decisions on how they proceed. read. learn. then decide. i've passed along 2 good links in the original post and for anyone new or confused or stalled, i would urge you to check out both links. for those of you who are happy on a 1200 calorie diet, i hope it works for you. there is some interesting give and take on this thread and even a handful of skeptical people whose posts deserve to be read.

for those who came in here with an agenda of their own and anger in their hearts aimed at me for things i didn't say, i most likely didn't read most of your posts since i put several of you on ignore. good luck to you folks anyway. i have no animosity toward you and never passed judgment on your choices. this thread was only about information. i hate seeing people struggling on VLCD because they are deathly afraid of increasing their calories. i'm firmly in the faction that recommends eating a bit more to make this whole process easier whenever that is an option.

:drinker:

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

And a big thank you to Winner Victorious for the OP.

:flowerforyou: :glasses:

bcattoes

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.

DoingitWell

lol too funny.

ademiter

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.

I have an elliptical and I may burn around 600-700 calories if I do 60 minutes, and that's on the hardest level. What type of workout are you doing to get that kind of calorie burn so I can do it too!

sandydavies17

bump

CristinaL1983

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.

That number seems really high to me. Maybe eat back half? Weight watchers sets exercise calories as optional. So you can eat the back or not. I'm wary of anything that estimates calorie burns and so I'll eat a little bit extra and if I'm either very hungry or don't feel well the next day, I'll eat a little bit more. I generally either don't eat back calories or eat back half, but I try to listen to my body. If not eating them would make me less likely to exercise (because I don't feel good or am too tired) then it's working against me. Eating too many will just cause my weight to maintain instead of go down which is also working against me. I think it's a personal thing, you have to figure out what works for you.

nicolemtracy

That's just what the elliptical said. If nothing else, it makes me feel good
It has different programs on it that change the time, the resistance and has a led bar that tells me the exact speed i need to be at for that portion if that makes more sense.

nnylee

HORSEY ICON!

nicolemtracy

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.

I have an elliptical and I may burn around 600-700 calories if I do 60 minutes, and that's on the hardest level. What type of workout are you doing to get that kind of calorie burn so I can do it too!

I don't even know what kind of elliptical it is. It has different programs on it that changes the resistance, the speed I need to be at and has a led bar that tells me when I'm at the right speed, going too slow or going too fast. It could be a bit off, Idk. I use level 9 which is moderate to fast speed, mid to highest resistance and gives me a nice sweat

MzCongeniality70

Bump

ylor89

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.

Sunka1

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.

Jovita79

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.

jenicarroll

Thanks! I try to stick to 1200 a calories a day..

VpinkLotus

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?

tmauck4472

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.

samanthachen

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:

samanthachen

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.

tmauck4472

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.

StewLove158

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.