STOP with the 1200 calorie posts ~ rant
Replies
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You need to do what works for you, we are all different.
Although 1200 cals a day is hard, sometimes it is a good place to be when you kickstart a plateau.
I do think that at some stage you need to hit a more realistic cal level otherwise how are you going to get on with the rest of your life and eat healthily when you hit goal?
Good luck0 -
I was once on the 1200 calorie train. Lost and gained the same 10 pounds over the course of 3 years (Ate 1200 for a few weeks, became depressed, grumpy and miserable, binge and eat everything in sight for the next few weeks. Rinse, repeat).
I found MFP, followed IPOARM and found out that my BMR is actually ~1700. Bumped up my calories to ~1900 and have lost 23 pounds total, the most I have ever lost since actively trying to lose weight. I'm at a weight I haven't seen in about...4-5 years. All because I ate more.
I don't even feel like I'm on a diet. I eat ice cream regularly. I stopped eating whole wheat bread (I hate the texture). I barely do any cardio, and I'm doing a pretty basic beginner weight lifting routine with some dumbbells at home until I can muster up enough courage to venture into the weight room at my school's gym.
Pretty much, I found success when I stopped listening to conventional weight loss rules.
But of course, the 1200 calorie myth will always remain. The diet industry thrives on failure.
people like you are why people like me (and many others) keep trying to drive home the point that 1200 calories is almost always lower than necessary and often counter-productive. there are some hardcore 1200 calorie eaters who take personal offense to anybody, anywhere who says anything that challenges their fervent belief that 1200 calories is both correct and appropriate for them. i honestly don't care about those people. they can go live on bean sprouts and be miserable for the rest of their lives as far as i am concerned. i do care about people like you and i'm really glad that you found the right guidance to get you past that mindset. :flowerforyou:
if somebody understands the math and has run the calculations and has not set too aggressive a weight loss goal for themselves and still comes up with a 1200 calorie number, i say more power to them. i'd just advise them to make sure they are getting their proper nutrition (macros and micros) in the process. for some people, this may be the right way to lose their extra weight. however, at maintenance, they should be eating more than 1200. fortunately this group is relatively small.
for everybody else on 1200 who is struggling, i would strongly urge them to stop and take measure of where they are and what they are trying to accomplish. re-calculate their calorie goals and macros and relax their goals if too aggressive. even if this sounds counter intuitive, i'd tell them to stick with it because it's the easier path to their goal and isn't that the point anyway?0 -
I am sure this post will be effective. We won't be seeing any more of those 1200 calorie posts from now on, phew!0
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If you are a vegan and don't eat a ton of nuts and oils and you are even lightly active, you can very easily be full all day long, eat huge quantities of food, and not hit 1200 net calories a day. Please inform yourself.Anyone in a first world country should have no problem eating at least 1200 calories.
...but then aren't you missing your fats and protein requirements?
being full on vegetables is not the same as getting adequate nutrition. i'm not trying to bicker with you, just pointing out that satiety is only one part of the equation.0 -
If you are a vegan and don't eat a ton of nuts and oils and you are even lightly active, you can very easily be full all day long, eat huge quantities of food, and not hit 1200 net calories a day. Please inform yourself.Anyone in a first world country should have no problem eating at least 1200 calories.
...but then aren't you missing your fats and protein requirements?
being full on vegetables is not the same as getting adequate nutrition. i'm not trying to bicker with you, just pointing out that satiety is only one part of the equation.
No. The post you were responding to was not about receiving adequate nutrition as a vegan, that is a totally different thread in itself. It was about how it is not always easy to net 1,200 calories if you are eating a vegan diet.
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So OP dont read the threads and dont worry yourself about what others are eating. Then there would be no need to rant.
yes, this! who are you police the message boards? click on the posts you are interested in, skip the ones you are not! problem solved!!!0 -
You're absolutely right and I was going to go back and edit the post and say that's not a good thing and wasn't advocating eating that way. I'm saying that if you aren't a person using a tracking tool and just eat vegan meals all the time, it's very possible to be sated and eat a wide variety of things and not hit 1200 calories a day.
If you are a vegan and don't eat a ton of nuts and oils and you are even lightly active, you can very easily be full all day long, eat huge quantities of food, and not hit 1200 net calories a day. Please inform yourself.Anyone in a first world country should have no problem eating at least 1200 calories.
...but then aren't you missing your fats and protein requirements?
being full on vegetables is not the same as getting adequate nutrition. i'm not trying to bicker with you, just pointing out that satiety is only one part of the equation.
I have a very good friend who is rail thin and a vegan and very active, and she never tracked her food because she figured she was eating tons and happy with the way she ate, looked and felt. Out of curiosity and after a sudden bout of anemia fatigue, she started using MFP to track her daily eating and was shocked to find she was eating almost no fats, getting almost no iron and was regularly only eating about 800-1000 calories a day despite even including dessert on a daily basis. This is not something that naturally occurs to people who aren't steeped in nutrition education.
I was just saying that it's not only crazy or anorexic people who "struggle to eat 1200 calories" as the OC suggested.
Yes, this, thank you.No. The post you were responding to was not about receiving adequate nutrition as a vegan, that is a totally different thread in itself. It was about how it is not always easy to net 1,200 calories if you are eating a vegan diet.0 -
Not all 1200 posts are equal. Petite, short, women who are not doing heavy lifting and need to lose some weight legitimately women land there. I work out, I eat back wo cals, but some weeks, some months, just go slow. Weight loss is not linear. I appreciated those telling me that. I appreciate those encouraging some body weight exercising and encouraging me to cross- train. I appreciated gentle guidance to not over-do cardio.
You're absolutely right. I'm 5'4" and wasn't as active when I first signed onto MFP as I am now. MFP's recommendation back then was 1200 calories for my height/weight/age/activity level. I rarely ate back my exercise calories and lost about a pound a week until I hit my goal weight. I am now on maintenance (have been for over a year), have a MFP-recommended calorie goal of 1490, eat back some or most of my exercise calories and exercise almost daily and all is going well.0 -
Not all 1200 posts are equal. Petite, short, women who are not doing heavy lifting and need to lose some weight legitimately women land there. I work out, I eat back wo cals, but some weeks, some months, just go slow. Weight loss is not linear. I appreciated those telling me that. I appreciate those encouraging some body weight exercising and encouraging me to cross- train. I appreciated gentle guidance to not over-do cardio.
You're absolutely right. I'm 5'4" and wasn't as active when I first signed onto MFP as I am now. MFP's recommendation back then was 1200 calories for my height/weight/age/activity level. I rarely ate back my exercise calories and lost about a pound a week until I hit my goal weight. I am now on maintenance (have been for over a year), have a MFP-recommended calorie goal of 1490, eat back some or most of my exercise calories and exercise almost daily and all is going well.
that is so awesome! congrats to you!!!0 -
I'm new around here, just joined MFP about 2 weeks ago. I read the message boards regularly and yes, I've noticed a bunch re: 1200 calories/help!
I figure maybe they're newbies and don't realize the question has been asked again and again. Older posts don't show up on the first page (for me anyway) and newcomers may not be familiar with how to search further.
And honestly I'm grateful for those 1200 calorie threads, I've learned soo much reading them! Originally MFP calculated me at 1200 calories and I went with it. Reading threads I've been educated and I'm slowly increasing my calories due to the good information I've gathered reading those (I realize now repeated) questions. If that info was lost in older threads I'm afraid I'd be writing a "1200 calorie/help!" post myself
Just my $.02.0 -
im sick of posts about "my boyfriend thinks im fat," or, "good news, i can finally see my penis..." but who am i to police the message boards and tell them to shut up? just mind your own... why stress over something your not even interested in, simply pass the post...0
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So OP dont read the threads and dont worry yourself about what others are eating. Then there would be no need to rant.
yes, this! who are you police the message boards? click on the posts you are interested in, skip the ones you are not! problem solved!!!
This ^ makes sense to me. I find usually a thread title will give a clue what the content is ~ I simply skip those that don't interest/pertain to me.0 -
Not all 1200 posts are equal. Petite, short, women who are not doing heavy lifting and need to lose some weight legitimately women land there. I work out, I eat back wo cals, but some weeks, some months, just go slow. Weight loss is not linear. I appreciated those telling me that. I appreciate those encouraging some body weight exercising and encouraging me to cross- train. I appreciated gentle guidance to not over-do cardio.
You're absolutely right. I'm 5'4" and wasn't as active when I first signed onto MFP as I am now. MFP's recommendation back then was 1200 calories for my height/weight/age/activity level. I rarely ate back my exercise calories and lost about a pound a week until I hit my goal weight. I am now on maintenance (have been for over a year), have a MFP-recommended calorie goal of 1490, eat back some or most of my exercise calories and exercise almost daily and all is going well.
How strange. I'm also 5ft 4 and according to my fitbit on an average day with hardly any cardio I could maintain on about 1000 more calories than you do. Funny old world isn't it?0 -
How strange. I'm also 5ft 4 and according to my fitbit on an average day with hardly any cardio I could maintain on about 1000 more calories than you do. Funny old world isn't it?
Hehehe, Sexymuffintop, I think it's funny that we're both back on this thread again... :laugh:0 -
i find this sort of thing quite judgemental. The sie doesn't explain itself well when you first log in and many people don't GET this at first, myself included. A message board should be a place where you can seek information and just because some of you hang out here constantly and have seen queries before doesn't make them less relevant.
Exactly! I had no idea that the "1200" rule was flexible because whenever I went over on calories MFP would make all my numbers red...which signifies something bad to me. On the opposite end, if I went under 1200, MFP gave me a superficial warning. So I figured hovering near 1200 was better than increasing calories....even though I was working out like crazy. What helped was that I realized I could actually eat back WO calories and still be near 1200, which felt better and I started to notice weight loss, with muscle definition. I focus less on calories, and more on eating clean & balanced, completely eliminating sodas and high fructose corn syrup, and resistance/weight training. Because of this, my weight is stable, my sexy curves are defined, and I'm not starving in the meantime.
I'm glad people do posts the dreaded "1200" rule because then the responses educate newbies.0 -
My biggest pet peeve are the people who say "I'm having so much trouble eating 1200 calories! It's just too much!" I want to slap them.
my pet peeve is arrogant people like you!0 -
I was once on the 1200 calorie train. Lost and gained the same 10 pounds over the course of 3 years (Ate 1200 for a few weeks, became depressed, grumpy and miserable, binge and eat everything in sight for the next few weeks. Rinse, repeat).
I found MFP, followed IPOARM and found out that my BMR is actually ~1700. Bumped up my calories to ~1900 and have lost 23 pounds total, the most I have ever lost since actively trying to lose weight. I'm at a weight I haven't seen in about...4-5 years. All because I ate more.
I don't even feel like I'm on a diet. I eat ice cream regularly. I stopped eating whole wheat bread (I hate the texture). I barely do any cardio, and I'm doing a pretty basic beginner weight lifting routine with some dumbbells at home until I can muster up enough courage to venture into the weight room at my school's gym.
Pretty much, I found success when I stopped listening to conventional weight loss rules.
But of course, the 1200 calorie myth will always remain. The diet industry thrives on failure.
Thank you for sharing this! Very interesting and well articulated.
The first part sounds like me exactly, and now I am going to try up my calories according to TDEE.
I have a feeling this is going to change my life.0 -
But MFP has given me 1200 based on my current weight and losing 1 lb a week.
Also, Weight Watchers, which is pretty healthy and supports a conservative rate of weight loss, is also about 1200 for my weight and height.
Wouldn't a net 1200 calories be adequate and healthy, especially if I also eat exercise calories?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
Thank you for this!0 -
Are you sure I'm not a special snowflake?:laugh:0
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Are you sure I'm not a special snowflake?:laugh:
You're the exception! haha :flowerforyou:0 -
I think 1200 is ok if you don't go under it consistently and eat back all your exercise calories. You don't want to hurt your body in the long run. I think if you were to stay under 1200 for a long period of time, you could do some damage. But no, I don't think 1200 is too low if you are staying on or over it, even after exercise.
A lot of people will say why eat so little when you can eat more and still lose? Which is pretty much true, But everyone is different and I am not really here to bash anyone. I think if you are still being healthy its perfectly fine. I don't really condone the "I am eating 900 calories a day and I am just fine!!!" Because the body won't probably show any symptoms until much later on. I still have issues sometimes eating at 1200. But mostly because I am watching carbs for glucose reasons. It's super hard to get up to 1200 without intaking too many carbs.
False.0 -
im sick of posts about "my boyfriend thinks im fat," or, "good news, i can finally see my penis..." but who am i to police the message boards and tell them to shut up? just mind your own... why stress over something your not even interested in, simply pass the post...
I gotta admit, if I saw a post that said "good news I can finally see my penis" I'd click on it. Not sure I could resist reading that post. JUST sayin. LOL.0 -
How strange. I'm also 5ft 4 and according to my fitbit on an average day with hardly any cardio I could maintain on about 1000 more calories than you do. Funny old world isn't it?
Hehehe, Sexymuffintop, I think it's funny that we're both back on this thread again... :laugh:
Lol I know. Sad isn't it? In my defence I was incredibly bored though...nothing wrong with a little internet jousting on quiet Saturday night ha ha.0 -
I think 1200 is ok if you don't go under it consistently and eat back all your exercise calories. You don't want to hurt your body in the long run. I think if you were to stay under 1200 for a long period of time, you could do some damage. But no, I don't think 1200 is too low if you are staying on or over it, even after exercise.
A lot of people will say why eat so little when you can eat more and still lose? Which is pretty much true, But everyone is different and I am not really here to bash anyone. I think if you are still being healthy its perfectly fine. I don't really condone the "I am eating 900 calories a day and I am just fine!!!" Because the body won't probably show any symptoms until much later on. I still have issues sometimes eating at 1200. But mostly because I am watching carbs for glucose reasons. It's super hard to get up to 1200 without intaking too many carbs.
PROTEIN HAS CALORIES IN IT ! - EAT SOME MEAT!0 -
im sick of posts about "my boyfriend thinks im fat," or, "good news, i can finally see my penis..." but who am i to police the message boards and tell them to shut up? just mind your own... why stress over something your not even interested in, simply pass the post...
I gotta admit, if I saw a post that said "good news I can finally see my penis" I'd click on it. Not sure I could resist reading that post. JUST sayin. LOL.
i can see my toes0 -
Agree. Some are new comers, some know a little, some know a lot, but we are all here for the same reason. A forum should provide advice, support and motivation, no matter how many times a question is asked, without being made feel stupid or inadequate.0
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Personally, everyone is different. I tried TDEE -20% and all sorts of other figures - most had me at 1500-1600 calories, tried them, lost a couple of pounds, then started to gain... panic set in, went down to 1270, and eating back WO calories, and i'm losing. Not much, only 1lb/2lb a week, but i'm happy with that, and having lower calories makes me take in mind my portion size - eventually I will work at going back upwards as I know 1200 isn't meant to be healthy long term, but just playing by ear
We're all different, we're all here for one reason wethere its in the past, present or future - we want to lose weight!0 -
I'm 5'4 and sedentary. I have physical limitations that cause a lot of pain. I'm hoping to start using my recumbent bike soon, starting at 5-10 minutes as recommended, along with my physical therapy routine of stretching and strengthening. Anyhow, I'm 206 pounds, and wanted to lose a pound per week, which landed me at 1260 calories.
My doctor actually told me to stick with 600 calories, so it's more than she recommends!. I do plan to eat calories back and start adding in my exercise calories once I start. I was 1400 until i lost 11 pounds and MFP asked me to re-enter my info.. And YES, I have read the 1200 posts to learn and have learned from them.
You're really going ignore the advice of a medical professional who has examined you and knows your medical history in favor of some people who like jawbone on the web? If your doctor told you to go on a diet that restricted, there's probably a reason.
Um no, I never based my diet on what anyone here said, though I do read and think about things that come up continually which is how I learned of adding back calories and will keep track if I struggle with not losing at all. It's come up often enough that it's worth noting if you're also being told to eat the same cals as others who are struggling. I wouldn't change my diet without consulting with the doctor who manages my pain issues. I consulted this doctor and my PT and talked about my situation and they know more about it. She (original doc) had suggested going on either a liquid diet or sticking with 600 calories as I wasn't losing weight eating healthy only, but keeping track and counting calories has gone well so far. She had a few patients who'd done the liquid diet with monitoring at 600 calories, something I don't want to do as I want it to be part of a lifestyle change. I could keep explaining, but since your post was basically to tell me I was an idiot, I won't bother.0 -
So, I've read the first few pages and skipped to then end and have some questions.
*MFP has set me a 1200 cal goal. Is this the minimum I should eat? I ask as it comes up in red if I go over it which makes me feel like I've done wrong?!
*I'm fairly active in that I have horses, I'm a nurse working 12hr shifts, have a 6yr old daughter, 2 large dogs that require walking etc. Do I count this as seperate exercise or not since I'm doing it all everyday? Or should I only count my exercise if it's extra like if I went for a hike or something.
*The starvation myth - serious question, if eating way under your calorie goal can slow or stop weight loss, cause weight gain, then HOW are people anorexic?? My friend has been on a strict 500 cal a day diet for 6months and has lost 11stone!!! I'm not saying it's healthy but she hasn't had one week with a gain!
Hope I haven't annoyed anyone with my questions. I just want to lose weight the easiest way and healthiest way I can so advice is appreciated 0 -
Boom! I hates rants on what other people say. If you can't help keep it moving and it makes people feel uncomfortable about asking questions.0
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