Less than 1200

jevill05

I guess that is what is confusing. I eat on average 1500 calories etc per day normally but work out and it drops the number because of the exercise (calories burned) significantly which puts me in the red, but I don't think nor feel that is necessarily "wrong". I am healthy and that is all that is supposed to matter. I am not looking to lose a massive amount of weight because THAT would be unhealthy, but it is understandable to feel like you are doing something wrong when you get the starvation message regularly.

toutmonpossible

Since starting my diet I have been eating less than 1200cal/day. Will my body switch to starvation mode and hang onto the weight or should I just keep at it? I do an hours walk/run every day and work in a nursery school so am always busy and on the move. Any advice would be appreciated

As long as your meals are nutritionally balanced and you have sufficient energy, don't worry about it. People with weight to lose don't go into "starvation mode" (sigh). Your body uses its fat stores for energy. It's true that below a certain level of calories the metabolism slows a bit, but it does not stop and you do not stop losing weight.

Eat well, monitor how you feel, weigh yourself, check your body fat, check your measurements, exercise. Repeat.

toutmonpossible

I guess that is what is confusing. I eat on average 1500 calories etc per day normally but work out and it drops the number because of the exercise (calories burned) significantly which puts me in the red, but I don't think nor feel that is necessarily "wrong". I am healthy and that is all that is supposed to matter. I am not looking to lose a massive amount of weight because THAT would be unhealthy, but it is understandable to feel like you are doing something wrong when you get the starvation message regularly.

The people who keep pushing the "starvation message" are ill-informed. Search this site for discussions or the web. You can eat below your BMR and still lose weight -- i'm not recommending it, because that that would be very few calories and not much fun, but you would still lose weight. Your food also should be nutritionally balanced.

jevill05

I guess that is what is confusing. I eat on average 1500 calories etc per day normally but work out and it drops the number because of the exercise (calories burned) significantly which puts me in the red, but I don't think nor feel that is necessarily "wrong". I am healthy and that is all that is supposed to matter. I am not looking to lose a massive amount of weight because THAT would be unhealthy, but it is understandable to feel like you are doing something wrong when you get the starvation message regularly.

The people who keep pushing the "starvation message" are ill-informed. Search this site for discussions or the web. You can eat below your BMR and still lose weight -- i'm not recommending it, because that that would be very few calories and not much fun, but you would still lose weight. Your food also should be nutritionally balanced.

Exactly. I actually normally eat about 1500 a day, but with working out it burns a ton, but hey I have zero complaints it's a 1500 a day somedays and working out and eating right are what helps the weight loss. Just glad i wasn't the only one confused by the message though.

ndj1979

sighs...you can't be in starvation mode if you are eating every day ..it is impossible...

People in Africa who do not eat for weeks at a time are in starvation mode....

People who miss snack 20 out of 24 are not in starvation mode..and people who eat 1200 calories a day are most certainly not in starvation mode..

If 1200 works for you ..keep doing it..if it does not then try a different method..whatever you try keep at it for four to six weeks...

When i used to eat less than 1200 calories i stopped loosing any weight and i cound't do any activity other than being a couch potato....

and please don't compare people in africa with your situation....most of the starving people there don't live long and usually die early, that's why they have a high mortality rate there....do you want to join them?

Umm what the hell are you talking about?

I said that people in Africa who are STARVING are in true starvation mode...

People in the US, or anywhere else, that eat every day are NOT in starvation mode....

I was making a comparison between true starvation mode (actual starving people in Africa) and people who think that be eating 1200 calories every day, that they are somehow in starvation mode, which is not possible...

Try re-reading what I posted and let it sink in before you start blasting out statement that make zero sense.

ndj1979

sighs...you can't be in starvation mode if you are eating every day ..it is impossible...

People in Africa who do not eat for weeks at a time are in starvation mode....

People who miss snack 20 out of 24 are not in starvation mode..and people who eat 1200 calories a day are most certainly not in starvation mode..

If 1200 works for you ..keep doing it..if it does not then try a different method..whatever you try keep at it for four to six weeks...

He's a genius! A sexy genius at that!

well I usually do not toot my own horn ..but since you did ..thanks!

thisismeraw

You will not die, you will not go into starvation mode, you will still loose weight, but very strenuous exercise may be difficult.

I have probably 500-800 calories a day. Not because I am trying to eat that low, I just enjoy the food that I eat. I occasionally go out for meals or have a takeaway and exceed 1400 calories, so it all evens out in the end..

If I was to do strenuous exercise for over an hour I would probably not have enough energy so on those days I eat more calories as I am hungrier or know I wont have the energy.

Just don't worry about it, everyone's body needs different amounts of calories, so just see how you feel. If you are like me and function perfectly fine on fewer than 1200 and are happy that way, then go for it!

Will you feel fine with so little calories when you reach your weight loss goal but are left with a larger, fattier body because you have lost a great deal of muscle mass?

Eating too little will increase the amount of muscle you lose along the way. Less muscle equals a slower metabolism and a larger body due to a higher body fat %. Your heart is a muscle too.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories a day just to function if you were to do nothing but lay in bed still all day long. Consistnatly eating too little will not only cause you to lose a large amount of muscle but will also cause your body to work on less calories making it harder to lose weight and harder to keep it off.

I really don't understand why people want to eat so little. You cannot get the nutrients you need on so little. YOu cannot get what your body NEEDS. You cannot preserve your muscle and you will end up with a high body fat making you larger than your weight claims. You cannot get healthy and sustain weight loss eating so little.

ndj1979

You will not die, you will not go into starvation mode, you will still loose weight, but very strenuous exercise may be difficult.

I have probably 500-800 calories a day. Not because I am trying to eat that low, I just enjoy the food that I eat. I occasionally go out for meals or have a takeaway and exceed 1400 calories, so it all evens out in the end..

If I was to do strenuous exercise for over an hour I would probably not have enough energy so on those days I eat more calories as I am hungrier or know I wont have the energy.

Just don't worry about it, everyone's body needs different amounts of calories, so just see how you feel. If you are like me and function perfectly fine on fewer than 1200 and are happy that way, then go for it!

Will you feel fine with so little calories when you reach your weight loss goal but are left with a larger, fattier body because you have lost a great deal of muscle mass?

Eating too little will increase the amount of muscle you lose along the way. Less muscle equals a slower metabolism and a larger body due to a higher body fat %. Your heart is a muscle too.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories a day just to function if you were to do nothing but lay in bed still all day long. Consistnatly eating too little will not only cause you to lose a large amount of muscle but will also cause your body to work on less calories making it harder to lose weight and harder to keep it off.

I really don't understand why people want to eat so little. You cannot get the nutrients you need on so little. YOu cannot get what your body NEEDS. You cannot preserve your muscle and you will end up with a high body fat making you larger than your weight claims. You cannot get healthy and sustain weight loss eating so little.

plenty of people on my friends list are around 1200 a day and they work out regularly and maintain low body fat and do not have any of the issues you mention in your above post...

Some things work for some people, and not so well for others...

Alta2000

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Select the 3-5 moderate exercise, and calculate the daily calories at 20%. Eat around that everyday, and make sure that you are always above your BMR. After you calculate it, go in goals at mfp and change the goal to that number.

jofjltncb6

In to learn more about this 1200 calorie approach to healthy and sustained weight loss.

chatogal

I wouldn't worry too much about starvation mode. If you don't hit 1200 calories minimum, you will die within a week.

ha ha :-)

Warchortle

This is why a large portion of people who lose weight gain it back. Lack of nutritional knowledge.

GracefulDancer4Christ

first to go into starvation mode you need to eat 500 calories for a long period of time. this is from someone I know in the medical field who is actually trained in this area. you will not die eating 1200 calories so that myth is thrown to the wolves. I do relate to you in the fact I netted 900-1,000 calories but since changing my eating habits I net 1300-1400 calories. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks and if I have calories left over I eat them when I am hungry. I do need to get my calories up a bit more to the 1,665 scoobysworkshop tells me to do.

scoobysworkshop.com you put in your age, current weight, activity level and what percentage of body fat you want to reduce to. I am 15% tdee that includes work out calories factored in which you don't eat back if you use this method. feel free to add me I have been where you are

dbkrantz

I was on 1200 calories / day for 3 months. I did lose weight but was enable to exercise because I felt nauseous and tired.

I had head aches, nausea and bad mood very often and just didn't feel like myself at all.

I did lose weight but stalled quickly. After that, you can't really lower your calories because you won't get adequate nutrition and you can't exercise more because you feel too bad.

So, after 3 months, I upped to 1400 calories, and gained weight because my body was used to too little. Now, I had 3 weeks of metabolic reset where I ate 2000 calories, and now back down to 1600 cals/ day.

I feel GREAT now and regret ever putting my body through so low. In a way, i've only lost weight for about a month but for the last 2 months I've been trying to make it right.

So... On the long run... Not worth it.

Learn your BMR and stick to that.

LuciaLongIsland

Yeh, don't worry too much...............the signs of the damage you are doing to your body won't appear for a while.......


In the meantime, while waiting, take at look at the following link.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea?page=1#posts-13949561

Just clicked on one at random, check out her diary - all she eats is lasagne and chocolate milkshake. Cos everyone knows you're gonna lose weight eating that. No wonder she wasn't losing weight!

NB: and you won't get damage if you don't do it for sustained periods, I lived with a 30 year alcoholic for a while (till he was kicked out...obvious reasons) and he has managed to evade liver damage because he'll drink then stop for like a week to let his liver recover.

I am currently caring for an ex alcoholic who also did the same thing re the liver, but he also used to eat property at times too as well as stop drinking. Unfortunately I am currently his carer and have to watch him get worse day by day with heart failure and severe muscle pain. His body turned on itself for fuel and attacked his muscles. Remember your heart is a muscle too. It is dangerous to eat too low for any length of time, but the sad thing is we don't always believe until its too late.

My good friend is 75 pounds to to a rare gastro disease. No, she is not bulimic or anorexic. She has been to specialists all over the country. Yes, your body does shut down, but it was nothing she did. She never drank, overate. She always ate healthy. Currently she is on a feeding tube for nutrients. The whole thing is horrific.

newdaydawning79

For me: I want to lose 2 lbs/week right now as I am very much in the obese range (I have about 75 pounds to reach the "normal" realm). My TDEE is around 2400. MFP puts me at 1350 give or take. I have a sedentary job and then I go to the gym 3x/week and try to get a walk in on the other days (stupid rain has NOT helped this at all this week, but I've tried to get a little in at the mall/big box stores/etc).

According to the people here who say TDEE-20%, I should be eating a lot more. Others say because I'm obese this is fine. It's too much conflicting info and no REAL answers because none of us 100% know the trick!

chatogal

sighs...you can't be in starvation mode if you are eating every day ..it is impossible...

People in Africa who do not eat for weeks at a time are in starvation mode....

People who miss snack 20 out of 24 are not in starvation mode..and people who eat 1200 calories a day are most certainly not in starvation mode..

If 1200 works for you ..keep doing it..if it does not then try a different method..whatever you try keep at it for four to six weeks...

thank god for the voice of reason!!

bajoyba

I think the point a lot of people are trying to make here is that you can probably lose scale weight and body fat in a healthy and sustainable way by eating a lot more than 1200 calories a day. Do people lose weight eating or netting less than 1200? Of course. The danger is that you may put your metabolism at risk, you may not reach your body's nutritional requirements, and you may lose a lot of lean body mass along the way.

Look at it this way: if you can eat more and still lose weight, why wouldn't you? It's much easier to start out at a higher calorie goal and tweak that number depending on your needs than it is to start as low as possible and have nowhere to go from there.

There are a lot of people on this site that have had long-term, sustainable success losing a lot of weight while eating much more than 1200 calories a day. Listen to them.

*Edited to say that if you are someone who insists on netting so few calories a day, I would at least check with your doctor to make sure your metabolic and nutritional needs are being met. I'm not saying 1200 calories isn't okay for certain people. But telling someone it's okay to net less than 1200 is probably not the wisest advice to give a total stranger if you are not a medical professional and have no knowledge of that person's needs or medical history.

mcalicci

CoderGal

For me: I want to lose 2 lbs/week right now as I am very much in the obese range (I have about 75 pounds to reach the "normal" realm). My TDEE is around 2400. MFP puts me at 1350 give or take. I have a sedentary job and then I go to the gym 3x/week and try to get a walk in on the other days (stupid rain has NOT helped this at all this week, but I've tried to get a little in at the mall/big box stores/etc).

According to the people here who say TDEE-20%, I should be eating a lot more. Others say because I'm obese this is fine. It's too much conflicting info and no REAL answers because none of us 100% know the trick!

The TDEE thing works, it is flawless if you know what you are doing.
Eating a lot less also works, but you can eat more.

The only conflicting info there is the fact that you are obese. Some people (including doctors) think that it's OK to make nutrition suffer just to lose weight even if it's water and muscle just to be a lighter number on the scale to avoid other health problems. Also, while Doctors are educated and intelligent (usually), they are not educated in the field of nutrition. So they're in the dark in a couple departments. Some are better then others. It's kind of a race condition, will you run into health problems first if you don't lose water muscle and fat immediately, will you run into health problems if you are malnourished first. This sometimes causes health problems. I have 2 friends that were both over 200 pounds who went to their doctors and they were both instructed to go on a low calorie diet eating about 1200 calories. One of them did it and got pumped with needles and vitamins. The other one said your crazy doctor I'm going to go about this sensibly and restricted his food intake slightly and started doing triathlons. He looks much healthier much quicker then my friend who starved himself. He also complained a whole lot less about health problems since he didn't run into any. And he lost the weight quicker and kept it off ironically enough (my other friend would starve and then go on a food fit and his suppressed metabolism made him gain weight like mad and he'd try it over and over again the same way, he's doing pretty good now though but he did lose a lot of muscle mass). They both said they both needed to do what they did to get to a healthy weight. But one is thinking he's feeling fantastic and wants to continue what he's doing...The other one does it out of fear of going back to how he was feeling before. He didn't really realize he was feeling bad until he got to the point where he was healthy. There was no talking to him about just eating sensibly at the time until it was all over. He has problems maintaining weight but he's doing a pretty good job if you ask me.

When all is said and done after the diet is all over and you eat sensibly for a while and get over the suppressed metabolism thing, you're in pretty much the same spot if you did it purely by diet. Exercise usually ends in better looking and healthier though. They both exercised but one was prone to injuring himself because he didn't have enough fuel to repair.