1200 Calories

hilldiggity

For those of us using the 1200 calorie model provided my MFP, do you plan to stick with that after you reach your goal? Or gradually up your calories to what is required for the weight you are? If you're going to increase your calories, are you afraid you will start gaining weight or that it will all even out in the end?

ottermotorcycle

I'm not currently on 1200 calories, but we should hope that once people on a 1200-calorie diet get close to maintenance, they should slowly start increasing their calories and focusing on strength training routines to raise their metabolisms after a long bout of eating at a certain level.

WinnerVictorious

For those of us using the 1200 calorie model provided my MFP, do you plan to stick with that after you reach your goal? Or gradually up your calories to what is required for the weight you are? If you're going to increase your calories, are you afraid you will start gaining weight or that it will all even out in the end?

did you choose too aggressive a weight loss rate? MFP will give people 1200 calories as their goal, even if it's really too low for them.

for example, if you are a woman trying to lose 20 lbs and you choose a 2lbs/week rate of loss, MFP will return 1200 for you. that's too low. make sure you choose your loss rate appropriately.

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing these negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:
More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

DonnaLeeCattes

I thought I would gain back and it was a little scary at first, but I reached my goal weight Feb 22 and I upped my calories to maintain which was 1780 and I have lost another 3 lbs since Feb 22nd . But I don't want to eat anymore calories then that, so I'm going to give this a little bit more time to see if I can just maintain and stop losing....I've lost enough

hilldiggity

I'm not currently on 1200 calories, but we should hope that once people on a 1200-calorie diet get close to maintenance, they should slowly start increasing their calories and focusing on strength training routines to raise their metabolisms after a long bout of eating at a certain level.

I'm definitely doing strength training now. I just enjoy it.

hilldiggity

did you choose too aggressive a weight loss rate? MFP will give people 1200 calories as their goal, even if it's really too low for them.

for example, if you are a woman trying to lose 20 lbs and you choose a 2lbs/week rate of loss, MFP will return 1200 for you. that's too low. make sure you choose your loss rate appropriately.

I put in my weight and age and height and activity level (sedentary) and it gave me 1200. This past week was the first week I didn't eat my exercise calories back and I lost weight after a 2 week plateau. It may have been a fluke. I'm going by trial and error right now. But I don't get hungry or feel the least bit deprived eating 1200 a day. Yesterday I went over a bit, but I had some exercise in the bank.

WinnerVictorious

did you choose too aggressive a weight loss rate? MFP will give people 1200 calories as their goal, even if it's really too low for them.

for example, if you are a woman trying to lose 20 lbs and you choose a 2lbs/week rate of loss, MFP will return 1200 for you. that's too low. make sure you choose your loss rate appropriately.

I put in my weight and age and height and activity level (sedentary) and it gave me 1200. This past week was the first week I didn't eat my exercise calories back and I lost weight after a 2 week plateau. It may have been a fluke. I'm going by trial and error right now. But I don't get hungry or feel the least bit deprived eating 1200 a day. Yesterday I went over a bit, but I had some exercise in the bank.

yes, but what weight loss rate did you choose? the problems with 1200 can be a couple. if 1200 is a large deficit from your actual TDEE and close to your resting BMR, then over time you may find that you reach a plateau you have trouble breaking. prolonged under-eating can lead to changes in your hormones that cause your body's metabolism to slow down a bit. you can find countless examples of women who struggled for months and months at 1200 calories, only to find that after bumping up to 1400 or 1500 started losing again after a couple of weeks. the other problem with 1200 is that it doesn't leave you much wiggle room in your diet to get adequate nutrition.

there are some, but not a lot, of women for whom 1200 is fine and they won't affect their metabolism if they stay that low for a prolonged period of time. these are women with low BMRs to start with. however, they still have to be careful to get the proper nutrition at that calorie level.

if you chose 2lbs/week as your loss rate, that's a 1000 calorie deficit per day. as a sedentary woman, MFP will almost certainly give you 1200 as your goal no matter how much or how little weight you have to lose. that's the problem with the calculator... there is no sanity check on the resulting number based on current weight and goal weight. so YOU have to make sure you haven't set too aggressive a goal for yourself.

mfpcopine

I eat a little under 1200 to lose. I'm trying to lose just a few vanity pounds, but I'm trying to explore other approaches to eating. Some knowledgeable people in the nutrition science field think that obesity is caused, not by simple over consumption of calories, but by eating foods that cause hormonal responses that lead to excess fat being stored.

I'm considering trying to eliminate refined sugars and other excess sugars. That's going to be difficult.

I'm planning on resuming exercise, but exercise is not considered all that important for weight loss, although it is important for health. I hope to increase my calories in the maintenance phase, but it depends on how my body responds.

I found a great blog today. Google "The Eating Academy". The author is an M. D. named Attia. Look for the introductory post or the FAQs.

cmriverside

OP, 1200 is fine for you for now. As you get closer to goal, you WILL have to raise calories by quite a bit. Don't worry, you're not going to be on 1200 for long. It works well when you have a lot of weight to lose, but closer to goal, you've got to eat more or you'll be miserable and you'll plateau.

Worry about it later. Just keep working hard and logging your food for now.

cmriverside

.and just to add, Myfitnesspal will prompt you to reset your Goals every ten pounds or so. Do it. And be honest with your Activity Level in the Goals. If you have any kind of job, OR go to school OR care for children at home - don't choose Sedentary.

Here, read these:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

mfpcopine

OP, 1200 is fine for you for now. As you get closer to goal, you WILL have to raise calories by quite a bit. Don't worry, you're not going to be on 1200 for long. It works well when you have a lot of weight to lose, but closer to goal, you've got to eat more or you'll be miserable and you'll plateau.

Worry about it later. Just keep working hard and logging your food for now.

"quite a bit"? It depends on the individual.

MzDontStop

Where on MFP can I read about there recommended 1200 daily calories?

ladyraven68

Where on MFP can I read about there recommended 1200 daily calories?

Not sure what you mean.

MFP does not have a recommended 1200 diet, but 1200 is the lowest calorie goal it will allow.

It has to set a lower limit somewhere, so they have chosen 1200 as this is the minimum recommended intake for females.

MFP is only a fancy calculator, it still needs truthful accurate input from the members.

Katrinadionne1808

No matter what i have said it sticks my minimum calories to 1200, i did this for 4 weeks and I was losing but 1200 cals was just killing me and made me think about food more. A lot of people have recommended a calculator from some site called Scooby - I entered all my details and it gave me a daily calorie intake of 1770 - much more reasonable. I had a plateu for a week then 2lbs off. I didn't take the extra 500 cals as an excuse to eat crap. If anything MFP has taught me to make healthier choices. Like for example I went out for a curry with friends the other week, I chose a drier dish that I'd never had before and had it with mushrooms instead of meat as mushrooms are very lo-cal.before i would go for my usual dish with pilau rice (cooked in oil) garlic naan's the whole lot.

Plus I didn't want to get to my goal weight start eating normally again and pile the weight back on so would rather up my calories slowly throughout my weight loss journey so that when the time comes to maintain it is much easier.

So use MFP as a tool for creating a new healthier lifestyle and try think how you will continue that once MFP journey is over.

chymerra

that is a common fear for many - that adding more calories = weight gain when in fact, can be quite the opposite. what i mean is, if you have been working out and progressing with your fitness level, you actually WILL need to eat more because:

1) your body needs it. when your body becomes more efficient in delivering the proper nutrients etc to your organs/muscles, you burn more cals doing so
2) the more (lean) muscle mass you put on, the more fuel your body needs to maintain the muscles

when i first started my journey, i was at 1500-1600cals/day. now, 1yr later i'm in great shape (after completing many beachbody programs) and i'm now eating 1900-2000cals/day. if i ever went back to 1500cals, i'd be starving every hour!

so never be afraid to eat your calories; your body will tell you when it needs more. the numbers are there for your reference to help you from going over but also listen to your body.

jdad1

you must be careful or you will die.

kirstybarlow29

I did that a couple of months ago and lost 4 pounds the following month, i dont think you are supposed to eat your full activities worth to lose weight.

CrystalRenee2013

I eat 1200 calories but here lately I find that I don't eat all 1200..Somedays I will still have anywhere from 200-300 calories left (sometimes it will be those from exercising)..Once I hit my goal I plan on sticking with the 1200.

yksdoris

For those of us using the 1200 calorie model provided my MFP, do you plan to stick with that after you reach your goal? Or gradually up your calories to what is required for the weight you are? If you're going to increase your calories, are you afraid you will start gaining weight or that it will all even out in the end?

Everything is individual, of course, but the idea is to go to the amount of calories your body needs to keep in the same weight range. That amount of calories can vary a lot from person to person.

from my experience: I got to my goal at the end of last year, and according to various calculators I need to eat about 1550 kcal per day in order to keep in my weight. I first increased my calories to 1300 and left it like that for about a month, to get my body to get used to the new amount of cals. Because, let me tell you, that extra 100 kcal per day, it made me RAVENOUS. I was moody, bloated and, most importantly, hungry the whole time. But, eventually everything stabilized and my weight started sliding down again, which wsn't the idea so I upped my cals again to 1400 - repeat the same process but with even more panic. I was so hungry... I'd never been so consistently hungry during the time I was at 1200, not even when I first started! And of course the weight wandered all over the scales, 4 lb up, 3 lb down, 2 lb up, 3 lb down. it's now stabilized again and I think soon is the time to take that last step and up my calories to 1500 - that way I can have a little splurge of 250 "extra" kcal every weekend

and if it doesn't work, I'll tweak it until it does.

Note: there are plenty of people who do the transition from caloric loss to maintenance in one go. It's a personal preference. I liked having that knowledge at the back of my head that *technically* I was still eating at a loss.

BflSaberfan

I think some people are confused on the idea of the 1200 calorie diet. 1200 is a deficit. After you hit your goal why would you continue to eat at a deficit?

If you need 2200 calories to maintain

Eat 1700 = 500 calorie DEFICIT

Once you hit your goal you readjust your calculations but it will be closer to 2200 to maintain.

Anyway I'd google TDEE and figure that out and eat at TDEE -20% unless you're 4'8 its going to be a lot more than 1200.

mfpcopine

I think some people are confused on the idea of the 1200 calorie diet. 1200 is a deficit. After you hit your goal why would you continue to eat at a deficit?

If you need 2200 calories to maintain

Eat 1700 = 500 calorie DEFICIT

Once you hit your goal you readjust your calculations but it will be closer to 2200 to maintain.

Anyway I'd google TDEE and figure that out and eat at TDEE -20% unless you're 4'8 its going to be a lot more than 1200.

Yeah, I'm really confused. That's why I've never been overweight, have maintained, and now with more effort, have been losing some stubborn pounds.

I eat at the deficit that yields results for me.

ladyraven68

I eat 1200 calories but here lately I find that I don't eat all 1200..Somedays I will still have anywhere from 200-300 calories left (sometimes it will be those from exercising)..Once I hit my goal I plan on sticking with the 1200.

If you are losing at 1200, why do you think your body will stop losing when you get to your goal weight, if you are still eating 1200?

When you get to your goal, you will need to switch to maintenance to stop gaining or losing weight - and that will not be 1200.

CristinaL1983

I'm eating at 1200 calories right now. I've lost 24 lbs since the first of the year. I have 15 more to go. I've been keeping really good track of my calories and weights so I have a pretty good idea of where my maintenance calories are. Once I get about 5 lbs away from goal, I'll start increasing my calories by 100-200/week until I hit maintenance. If I increase my calories by 100/week it should give me 9 weeks of increasing until I hit maintenance. That should put me actually hitting my maintenance calories right around the same time I get to my goal weight (with a built in possibility of overshooting by a few pounds which won't hurt me at all).

ZETAZEN

I eat a little under 1200 to lose. I'm trying to lose just a few vanity pounds, but I'm trying to explore other approaches to eating. Some knowledgeable people in the nutrition science field think that obesity is caused, not by simple over consumption of calories, but by eating foods that cause hormonal responses that lead to excess fat being stored.

I'm considering trying to eliminate refined sugars and other excess sugars. That's going to be difficult.

I'm planning on resuming exercise, but exercise is not considered all that important for weight loss, although it is important for health. I hope to increase my calories in the maintenance phase, but it depends on how my body responds.

I found a great blog today. Google "The Eating Academy". The author is an M. D. named Attia. Look for the introductory post or the FAQs.

Went to the blog. Well he's a nice looking fellow. *meow* lol

Unknown

This content has been removed.

ZETAZEN

Where on MFP can I read about there recommended 1200 daily calories?

1200 is not the overall goal, but the NET goal. If you eat 1600 calories, exercise for 400, your net goal will be 1200. Most people think the 1200 is an overall goal minus their exercise burned calories and usually have a deficit lower than 1200. That's not the objective.

auddii

Where on MFP can I read about there recommended 1200 daily calories?

1200 is not the overall goal, but the NET goal. If you eat 1600 calories, exercise for 400, your net goal will be 1200. Most people think the 1200 is an overall goal minus their exercise burned calories and usually have a deficit lower than 1200. That's not the objective.

Partially right. Net goal for some people. MFP has me at netting 1500 or so. Depends on each person. As someone said, it's just a calculator and you need to be honest about activity levels and realistic about goals. (I can't believe the number of people who only have a few pounds to lose who want to lose 2 pounds per week).

cwolfman13

For those of us using the 1200 calorie model provided my MFP, do you plan to stick with that after you reach your goal? Or gradually up your calories to what is required for the weight you are? If you're going to increase your calories, are you afraid you will start gaining weight or that it will all even out in the end?

If you reached your target weight and BF%, why would you continue eating at a deficit? Why would you continue "dieting?"

I'm already inching my way back to maintenance as I only have 10 more Lbs to lose. I am not afraid of gaining weight because I understand that this is all math and science...my body needs a certain number of calories to maintain weight at my current activity level. Actually, I'll probably eat at a very modest surplus once I reach my target BF% in order to put on some LBM.

Melanie123100

One point to make, once you've reached your goal it's not always easy to change your thought process. A lot of people often continue losing weight past their goal because it's very difficult to accept that you're no longer overweight. Once you get close it helps if you start adjusting BEFORE you reach your goal so you're not working so aggressively.

popsicklestar

I have my calories set to 1200, and I always eat back my exercise calories. When I do the calculations the way a lot of people on here prefer, I get 1545, so I know 1200 is borderline low, so I go over it when I feel hungry and feel like my body needs it. I only have about 10 more pounds to lose. When I reach my goal weight, I'm going to slowly start increasing my calories by 100 a week, and monitor how it goes. I've heard you can gain a few pounds of water weight when increasing to maintenance, so I'll try not to freak out if that happens. I calculated my maintenance calories to be between 1669 and 1931 (the different calculators give such different results!), so I'm going to start with the lower one and see if I keep losing or not.

hilldiggity

you must be careful or you will die.

lmao