Still think your 1200 or less diet is a good idea?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I apologize if you've already answered this because I haven't read the thread in its entirety. But I am curious what you think the minimum safe number of calories is for a person to eat?

There was a super morbidly obese man who fasted for a year under doctor supervision without encountering any medical problems.

The answer to your question is, I do not know.

That's fair. So would you say that you would never feel comfortable telling someone that their calorie intake is too little?

I'll step in and answer this one--Yes, I would feel comfortable telling someone their intake was too low. Key words are "morbidly obese" and "under doctor supervision." If those conditions aren't met then I'd feel comfortable (barring complete bed rest or someone 75+ years of age).

SuperSexyDork

obviously many of us have not been educated or practiced in caloric needs when we first come onto a site like this...1200 for me was a starting place... my plan all along was that it may need altering as I go....So that's why ... just a place to start.

so then why not give a some thought to advice from people who have quite a bit of experience in this area?

Exactly this.

(Reddy, I can't believe I'm agreeing with you on something)

nokanjaijo

do you mind if I ask why?

I have some sort of oppositional/defiance disorder. When I have a hard limit, I butt up against it. If I hit my calorie limit, it makes me want to eat more. I lost weight before doing the moderate deficit and hitting a window every day and I hated every second of it. I gained the weight back because I couldn't wait to stop counting calories.

When I think back on that time, the term "Arduous March" comes to mind. I did not truly suffer and don't want to compare my diet to what the North Koreans went through. It is just what my heart says about that period.

The way I'm doing it now, I feel amazing. I'm excited about weight loss. I'm excited about hitting my goal weight and starting maintenance. I'm happy. I am enjoying this. The weight loss feels effortless.

CoachReddy

1200 Calories is what this and all other diet programs tell me is appropriate for someone Who is a Female 4' 10' tall with a small body frame. I have tried losing eating more, but I do not lose weight. Maybe, it will not be appropriate for taller or bigger people but there is not a diet plan out there that tells me I can eat more. Been on this plan for 18 months and have lost 92 pounds. It is sustainable and can be healthy.

for you - absolutely. but the number of calories a body requires is DIRECTLY proportionate to how large that body is. it makes sense that you'd only need to net 1200 at 4'10"

ladybuggprincess99

I chose 1,200 because it was recommended to me.

I started off at 1,500, but my scale wasn't moving. I went to see a dietician, who told me about MFP. We discussed my eating habits and she told me to eat about 1,200 and see how it worked for me. I worried, but after seeing my scale drop 50 lbs in 4 months, I'm content with 1,200. I am still losing, I weigh in each week, my dietician and my doctor both agree that I'm eating much healthier than I have ever before. I hardly ever go over and I hardly ever have the craving for pop/sugar/chocolate (etc) that I had before. I don't feel hungry. I don't starve. I do what is best for me.

I can't tell anyone else what to do or how to do it, but I can say without a doubt 1,200 works for me, at least for now. When it stops working, I'll go back in and figure out something else.

(Oh! I don't know if it's important to your question or not, but I'm 22, 5'7" and 240, with a goal of 160.)

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

1200 Calories is what this and all other diet programs tell me is appropriate for someone Who is a Female 4' 10' tall with a small body frame. I have tried losing eating more, but I do not lose weight. Maybe, it will not be appropriate for taller or bigger people but there is not a diet plan out there that tells me I can eat more. Been on this plan for 18 months and have lost 92 pounds. It is sustainable and can be healthy.

for you - absolutely. but the number of calories a body requires is DIRECTLY proportionate to how large that body is. it makes sense that you'd only need to net 1200 at 4'10"

unfortunately I think she means gross :-/

CoachReddy

do you mind if I ask why?

I have some sort of oppositional/defiance disorder. When I have a hard limit, I butt up against it. If I hit my calorie limit, it makes me want to eat more. I lost weight before doing the moderate deficit and hitting a window every day and I hated every second of it. I gained the weight back because I couldn't wait to stop counting calories.

When I think back on that time, the term "Arduous March" comes to mind. I did not truly suffer and don't want to compare my diet to what the North Koreans went through. It is just what my heart says about that period.

The way I'm doing it now, I feel amazing. I'm excited about weight loss. I'm excited about hitting my goal weight and starting maintenance. I'm happy. I am enjoying this. The weight loss feels effortless.

well THIS I agree with on every level. If you hate counting calories, don't do it. If you hate having caloric parameters, don't give yourself parameters.

but then the question you have to ask yourself is: am I getting all the NUTRIENTS I need? Forget calories. But for example, on your 700 cal day you got very very little calcium or iron. How do you make up for that? To be honest - I think your way of eating is a great one if you make sure to eat a balanced diet of lean meats (do you eat meat?), fish, veggies and fruits, with a few grains thrown in if you want. If THOSE are the only foods you eat, then you simply don't HAVE to count calories - you just eat when you're hungry. But it's the concept of eating as little as possible that I can't wrap my brain around. If you're eating good foods - which it looks like you generally are - then eat when you're hungry, eat till your full, and continue seeing the weight loss and having those good feelings!

sarahisme18

Seriously good thread.

LorinaLynn

I think in part one, someone asked about the site demographics and what was the most common age range on here.

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/myfitnesspal.com

Mostly females, age 18-35. Young whippersnappers that need to get off my lawn.

kathyms13

this is boring me now, ive decided that reading this thread will send me to sleep. yawn snore zzzzzzzzzzz

CoachReddy

I chose 1,200 because it was recommended to me.

I started off at 1,500, but my scale wasn't moving. I went to see a dietician, who told me about MFP. We discussed my eating habits and she told me to eat about 1,200 and see how it worked for me. I worried, but after seeing my scale drop 50 lbs in 4 months, I'm content with 1,200. I am still losing, I weigh in each week, my dietician and my doctor both agree that I'm eating much healthier than I have ever before. I hardly ever go over and I hardly ever have the craving for pop/sugar/chocolate (etc) that I had before. I don't feel hungry. I don't starve. I do what is best for me.

I can't tell anyone else what to do or how to do it, but I can say without a doubt 1,200 works for me, at least for now. When it stops working, I'll go back in and figure out something else.

(Oh! I don't know if it's important to your question or not, but I'm 22, 5'7" and 240, with a goal of 160.)

That is awesome info because my feeling is that 1200 is too low for someone who fits all your stats, but obviously it's worked so far. I'd ask a similar question of you as I did the last poster, though: are you getting all the nutrients you need through only 1,200 cal? It's questionable. And by all means ride the wave while it's working, but I've always maintained that 1200 - while it may provide initial weight loss - isn't sustainable, because eventually you will need to eat more to keep losing. But what typically happens (unless people are armed with that information) is that they'll hit that plateau and try to eat LESS than 1200 to start losing weight again. When it doesn't work they say "Oh to hell with it all" and go back to their old ways.

Eating between your BMR and TDEE may be slower, but it's more sustainable in the long term, healthier, and isn't susceptible to the peaks and valleys that at low-cal diet is.

But like I said - if you're good with it, then ride it out till it stops working. Good luck! and thanks for your input!

nokanjaijo

I apologize if you've already answered this because I haven't read the thread in its entirety. But I am curious what you think the minimum safe number of calories is for a person to eat?

There was a super morbidly obese man who fasted for a year under doctor supervision without encountering any medical problems.

The answer to your question is, I do not know.

That's fair. So would you say that you would never feel comfortable telling someone that their calorie intake is too little?

I would do that if I thought the person in question couldn't afford to lose weight. Or if somebody seemed to have a very unhealthy attitude about it. But I would still tread carefully. When you make somebody feel attacked, they can't really hear what you are saying.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I apologize if you've already answered this because I haven't read the thread in its entirety. But I am curious what you think the minimum safe number of calories is for a person to eat?

There was a super morbidly obese man who fasted for a year under doctor supervision without encountering any medical problems.

The answer to your question is, I do not know.

That's fair. So would you say that you would never feel comfortable telling someone that their calorie intake is too little?

I'll step in and answer this one--Yes, I would feel comfortable telling someone their intake was too low. Key words are "morbidly obese" and "under doctor supervision." If those conditions aren't met then I'd feel comfortable (barring complete bed rest or someone 75+ years of age).

I guess my question is under what circumstances do you feel it's ok to tell someone they're eating too few calories.

I chose to ask the person I did because her diary is open and she has some very low days logged (700 cals, as she said earlier in the thread). I was just curious. I don't have a dog in the 1200 cals fight. Some might call me one of the "eat more" crowd because I often tell people who are struggling at 1200 to try upping their intake, but I don't think 1200 is always inappropriate. I do think it's strange not to want to eat as much as possible while still making good progress, but I understand that everyone has a different way of thinking about that.

So for you, if a person is not morbidly obese, not under the care of a physician, and eating under 1200, at what point do you tell them to eat more? If 1200 isn't the cut off I guess I'm wondering what is.

LeanerBeef

So the latest from Expert Taso before that thread locked was "why the hostility?" He thinks he was merely advocating for people to pick their own calorie amts rather than go by "dogma." Yet all he said in his OP was the title: "Still think your 1200 or less diet is a good idea?"

Doesn't that sound a tad hostile to the idea that 1200 could be right for ANYBODY?

Exactly and his response to any one calling him on it is as smug as the post in the first place......

Graelwyn75

As a former anorexic, it can sometimes be quite triggering seeing people on 1200, that much I will say. What I could do then, I could not do now. Apart from the fact, I am 5'10 tall and am pretty sure 1200 would be pretty detrimental for me. I feel fortunate that I have never been overweight, even during times when I did eat what I felt like eating, and did little exercise. Goodness knows what my bodyfat % would have been though. I often feel uncomfortable when I finish logging my day and have my usual 1900-2300 total, and see those on my list with their 1200-1300 total, I imagine many with ed tendencies get the same issue. You do start thinking, maybe I can eat a lot less and be comfortable and satiated too, if they can. But I workout intensely doing both HIIT, running, circuits with weights, walking and intervals on the elliptical, so unless I went back to my old regime of just walking, I could never hope to be comfortable on 1200.

Even on 2000, with my exercise, I still get hungry. And that is eating a lot of vegetables, sweet potatoes,beans, lean meat and greek yoghurt, and such healthy options. Sometimes I find myself thinking, maybe I should try to do 1200 in a way that I dont get hungry, just to see what happens. But I dropped down to 123 Ibs when I was on 1900-2000 calories a day and just cycling so yeah.

I would never tell someone to eat more, but I do think a lot of people on 1200 calorie diets are doing themselves a disservice and could eat more and lose weight just fine.

taso42

So the latest from Expert Taso before that thread locked was "why the hostility?" He thinks he was merely advocating for people to pick their own calorie amts rather than go by "dogma." Yet all he said in his OP was the title: "Still think your 1200 or less diet is a good idea?"

Doesn't that sound a tad hostile to the idea that 1200 could be right for ANYBODY?

Exactly and his response to any one calling him on it is as smug as the post in the first place......

Reported this one too. Hopefully that will be strike 2 for you.

Not exactly sure why you seem to have a personal beef (no pun intended) with me.

CoachReddy

obviously many of us have not been educated or practiced in caloric needs when we first come onto a site like this...1200 for me was a starting place... my plan all along was that it may need altering as I go....So that's why ... just a place to start.

so then why not give a some thought to advice from people who have quite a bit of experience in this area?

Exactly this.

(Reddy, I can't believe I'm agreeing with you on something)

i'm really not as radical as a lot of you think.

MsPudding

I remember my doctor, despite me being obese, actively discouraging a 'diet' on the basis that 90% of people who diet gain the weight back in 5 years. Instead he recommended small lifestyle changes - more general 'moving around', less alcohol and simply making healthy food choices more often than unhealthy ones.

Now I wonder - if the statistic he gave is correct I wonder if any studies have been done on what the 10% who kept the weight off after 5 years did versus what the 90% who failed to keep it off did. You see the oddest thing is that from my observations of people I know, the fatter the person, the more diets (and the more extreme the diets) they've done in the past - and I count myself in that unfortunately.

jofjltncb6

I think the fact that Taso and Coach Reddy are actually agreeing with each other on this thread shows how much win is contained in the OP.

I'm still not entirely caught up on part 1 of this post, but had to carry this over into part 2 because it truly is the most fascinating and amazing part of this entire post.

Oh, and to those of you most offended by this, Taso didn't walk into your house and preach this information to you. He made an MFP post that you had to actively click through to read.

LeanerBeef

So the latest from Expert Taso before that thread locked was "why the hostility?" He thinks he was merely advocating for people to pick their own calorie amts rather than go by "dogma." Yet all he said in his OP was the title: "Still think your 1200 or less diet is a good idea?"

Doesn't that sound a tad hostile to the idea that 1200 could be right for ANYBODY?

Exactly and his response to any one calling him on it is as smug as the post in the first place......

Reported this one too. Hopefully that will be strike 2 for you.

Not exactly sure why you seem to have a personal beef (no pun intended) with me.

Oh no...I hope you don't call my Mom too.....this whole negative thread should be reported.