minimum daily calories

meatbal263

My doctor suggested I try to stick around 1200 calories a day. I have a sit down job M-F . Hit the gym about 5x/week running or doing the elliptical for 60min plus walk M-F on my lunch time for 40 min. Some days I can burn up to 800 calories through exercise and end up with 500 net calories. I am 5'1 127 lbs trying to drop about 5 lbs. I am 50 yo and so I have hormone issues as well and its really hard to drop the last 5 lbs. My question is should the 1200 be my net calorie intake or should it be my total calorie intake?

Schmidty102

Definitely net intake. I eat close to 2300 calories a day total, 1800 net, and am dropping about 2lbs a week.

lexlyn14

My doctor suggested I try to stick around 1200 calories a day. I have a sit down job M-F . Hit the gym about 5x/week running or doing the elliptical for 60min plus walk M-F on my lunch time for 40 min. Some days I can burn up to 800 calories through exercise and end up with 500 net calories. I am 5'1 127 lbs trying to drop about 5 lbs. I am 50 yo and so I have hormone issues as well and its really hard to drop the last 5 lbs. My question is should the 1200 be my net calorie intake or should it be my total calorie intake?

According to MFP 1200 should be your NET...NET= amount of calories consumed - calories burned...
If you eat 1200 calories and burn 800 you really would only have 400 calories in your body...So in other words you should eat your burned calories as well...But I honestly only eat around half of them...Some people do not eat any of them...and some people eat all of them...You will get a lot of different opinions on this matter...

2hobbit1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013?hl=in+place+of+a+road+map

Check out this link and it will help you to set your calorie target.

A few things to consider - MD's get only about an hours worth of training in nutrition back when they were in medical school. They tend to have no clue about calorie targets for weight loss unless they specialize in weight loss and nutrition.

You only have 5 lbs to lose - you should be taking a very small deficit at this point(TDEE- 5-10%) or you will gain it all back once you go to maintenance calories.

While your job may be a sit down job you lifestyle/exercise/activity level is not sedentary - more like light to moderately active.

TDEE - total daily energy expenditure - is how may calories you burn all day with all of your activities - eat less that this to lose weight.

BMR - this is what your body needs to consumes/burns to stay alive whit no activity - you need to eat more than this to maintain your health and maintain you muscle mass and bone health.

The closer you are to your goal weight the smaller cut from TDEE you need to take to be successful in the long run.
Obese - 30%, Overweight - 20%, 10lbs to go - 10%, - 5lbs to go - 5%.

If you only need to lose 5 lbs - are you lifting heavy? It makes a huge difference in how you look.
Check out New rules of lifting for women or stronglifts 5x5 they are both good programs that will tone you up, build strength and improve your bone health.

freelancejouster

Definitely make 1200 your NET goal, at the very least. Honestly, I would disregard what your doctor said, figure out your BMR, and eat just over that - 1200 is starving your entire body, not just your fat cells.