How bad is it to eat under 1200 calories?

healthychanges1
healthychanges1 Posts: 110
in Food and Nutrition
As someone recovered yet still struggling with disordered eating, I find it hard to eat when I'm actively trying to lose weight.

I try to get to my goal of 1200 calories a day, but I really, really, really do not want to go over it, which leaves me under a lot of the time. However, since I'm not heavily restricting (I used to fast for a few days at a time before treatment) is it okay to be under 1200 calories? I'm too *scared* to go over.

Ugh the line between healthy and disordered eating is so blurred!

Is coming in consistently under *bad* for me? What is too low of a net (I don't eat back my calories)?

Replies

  • helenanj
    helenanj Posts: 13
    I'm on the 1200 net calories as well and usually come under. I wouldnt recommend eating less than 1000 net calories. You need your nutrients to stay healthy and strong.
  • dalila747
    dalila747 Posts: 153 Member
    I think it's fine to be under once in a while if you are over it once in a while. Which means you need to stop obsessing about meeting your calorie goal exactly. It's a quideline, not a commandment.
  • MassObserver
    MassObserver Posts: 21 Member
    1200 cals is a good, healthy place to be. You do need all your vits and mins. Dont be scared to go over. If it happens, it happens. You not defined by a number. You are a person not a cals per day. :)
  • marvelscale
    marvelscale Posts: 135
    MFP told me I should eat 1200 but I stopped losing after a while. I had to up my calories with some advice from a few friends (took me a while to understand), and it's starting to work, little by little. I would feel sick and dizzy sometimes if I did go under 1200, so I wouldn't recommend eating under 1200! And yeah, going over every great now and then won't ruin your goal :)
  • riley_ransom
    riley_ransom Posts: 31
    Im consistently under 1200 calories. I do take a organic multi-vitamin(to get all my vits and mins), not sure if that matters...
  • marinebiologist_girl
    marinebiologist_girl Posts: 300
    To the OP: It's not good to the best of my knowledge, though I'm guilty as well.

    To the people replying: I'm eating at least 900 calories a day (mostly) but my net is much less because I'm just not hungry enough to eat more after all the exercise. I only ever used to eat out of boredom/I enjoyed it, outside of meals.
  • riley_ransom
    riley_ransom Posts: 31
    To the OP: It's not good to the best of my knowledge, though I'm guilty as well.

    To the people replying: I'm eating at least 900 calories a day (mostly) but my net is much less because I'm just not hungry enough to eat more after all the exercise. I only ever used to eat out of boredom/I enjoyed it, outside of meals.

    I feel the same why force feed myself if im not hungry...
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
    My calorie goal is set at 1200 so I try to net that each day, exercise or not. I just don't feel good if I don't and I am still hungry which then leads me to unhealthy snacking. I try to eat back my exercise calories since MFP already has me set at a deficit, even if I eat back my exercise calories I am still at a ~500 calorie deficit. I don't always accomplish my goal, today being a prime example, but I just use it as a learning experience and try to do better the next day.

    I am sure it is hard changing the way you think about food but you have done it already by battling your ED. Keep working on it and don't beat yourself up if once in a while you slip. You can do this!
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,895 Member
    I try to stay between 1000 and 1200 a day, but I normaly eat quite a bit, just a ton of low calorie foods such as spinich and brocalli, so im not hungry, and im not going to force myself to eat more if im not hungry
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    If it is the number more than the food intake, maybe try aiming to lose less than 2 lbs per week. I set my goal to 1 lb per week and usually eat 1300 of my 1640. When I had it set to 1200, I would have to eat back my exercise calories because I was so hungry and weak and then I stopped losing. I feel I'm losing more consistently, if not a bit slower now.

    I understand the feeling as I used to have an ED but I'm more scared to eat on the lower end than anything because I'm terrified of relapsing even though I've been in recovery for 6 years. That is how I gained this weight in the first place.
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
    I average 1200 to 1400 and have seen steady size loss I'm not seeing huge pounds lost but my clothes fit better and I feel great.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    As someone recovered yet still struggling with disordered eating, I find it hard to eat when I'm actively trying to lose weight.

    I try to get to my goal of 1200 calories a day, but I really, really, really do not want to go over it, which leaves me under a lot of the time. However, since I'm not heavily restricting (I used to fast for a few days at a time before treatment) is it okay to be under 1200 calories? I'm too *scared* to go over.

    Ugh the line between healthy and disordered eating is so blurred!

    Is coming in consistently under *bad* for me? What is too low of a net (I don't eat back my calories)?

    no actually the line is not blurred. it's just your perspective.

    you need to eat as many calories as you can to help fuel your body and keep it working optimally. eating less than that on a continually basis is not healthy. this isnt rocket science, but you're making it more complicated than it needs to be because of your former and reforming skewed view of food.

    if you have to, then force yourself to eat at least 1200 calories, even if that means creating a repeating alarm on your phone to go off every 3-4 hours to remind you to eat food.

    i eat around 1750 calories per day and should be getting a 1 pound weight loss for the next 30 pounds. after that i will probably need to cut down to 1500 until i reach my goal weight after which i can just stay at that goal for maintenance. i could eat less but 1) i dont do diets and 2) i have hard workouts and 1200 calories just wouldnt cut it.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Im consistently under 1200 calories. I do take a organic multi-vitamin(to get all my vits and mins), not sure if that matters...
    That helps, if you get enough daily protein too, some oily fish 2-3 times a week and generally eat a variety of foods your nutrition will be more likely complete than someone eating 2000 calories who doesn't pay attention to these things.
  • santi251
    santi251 Posts: 47
    Im consistently under 1200 calories. I do take a organic multi-vitamin(to get all my vits and mins), not sure if that matters...
    Me 2. At first, I was so hungry but now I can't eat my lost calories in the gym! I'm just no longer hungry.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    removed my reply because pinkprincess700's below is 100x better than what i wrote.

    good luck.
  • eilmeister
    eilmeister Posts: 37
    Remember that the number MFP gives you INCLUDES the calorie deficit that you need to lose weight. So if you're set to lose 1lb/week, you'd need to eat 500 MORE than 1200 just to get to your maintenance calories (where you won't lose weight but won't gain either). That's your safety margin. It's definitely OK to go over once in a while. I go over my calories by a few hundred probably 2-3 times per week, and I'm losing consistently. I wouldn't recommend going under by too much. Your body needs food to function properly.
  • tashaa1992
    tashaa1992 Posts: 658 Member
    As someone recovered yet still struggling with disordered eating, I find it hard to eat when I'm actively trying to lose weight.

    I try to get to my goal of 1200 calories a day, but I really, really, really do not want to go over it, which leaves me under a lot of the time. However, since I'm not heavily restricting (I used to fast for a few days at a time before treatment) is it okay to be under 1200 calories? I'm too *scared* to go over.

    Ugh the line between healthy and disordered eating is so blurred!

    Is coming in consistently under *bad* for me? What is too low of a net (I don't eat back my calories)?

    I looked on your profile and saw you're recovering from bulimia and as someone who is also in recovery I can understand where you are coming from. I'm not in recovery from bulimia, but I have purging type anorexia so I understand how hard it is. I have been in and out of recovery for most of my life(diagnosed at six), but the only thing that has worked for me was taking it at a snail's pace. Up until last year's recovery, my dietician's plans were always eat more straight away but when I was discharged later on, I relapsed because I found it too hard to keep up with it because I was scared, so last year when I was sectioned they asked me what I felt I could cope with. I was used to fasting for days on end, eating an apple or a salad one day then purging it so I knew eating lots in one day wasn't something I was ready for at that moment in time. It started off with an apple or salad everynight, this wouldn't be a big deal for most people but for people suffering with eating disorders this would be a massive step, especially not purging it! A month later, lunch was added in too, then a month after that breakfast was too. Now I eat three meals a day and two snacks. It has been a long road, and I'm not even half way there, I still have alot of things to deal with mentally but I'm trying to put all my energy into making my health and self esteem better.

    I would love to lose weight, I think that pressure to be skinny will always be there because you see girls like that and you want to look like them but I know my health is more important to me and skinny doesn't always mean healthy. I know you said you were in a treatment centre before, but are you getting any help now? Do you see a counsellor? I'm not trying to be rude so I really hope you don't think that, but I think maybe it might help you see things a little bit clearer. Focus on your health and I'm sure the rest will follow:) You've got this, keep fighting:) xxx
  • Nighthawk4
    Nighthawk4 Posts: 77 Member
    My Daily Allowance is 1300 and I have trouble trying to reach that. Admittedly, I am getting a lot of exercise at present, so I have a lot more calories to use up. I don't think I have been over the 1300 limit since I started with MFP.

    I try not to be be too far under though. Not sure if it would be more effective to be slightly over rather than slightly under.
  • 00Melyanna00
    00Melyanna00 Posts: 221 Member
    I think it's fine to be under once in a while if you are over it once in a while. Which means you need to stop obsessing about meeting your calorie goal exactly. It's a quideline, not a commandment.

    THIS.
  • chubbachub
    chubbachub Posts: 40 Member
    This is controversial but i never eat the full calories. I don't think you need that many calories. My weight loss would be slower and I personally don't think I need all that food. Also I never eat my exercise calories. I just don't see the point. I'm not gonna go graft in the gym for 2 hours and then replace those calories. Don't get me wrong, i'm not going hungry. But I think its about how you're body feels as well as the numbers.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Listen to pink princess.

    Also, there are plenty of girls who eat 2000+ calories a day here and aren't fat. Sounds like a lot of calories to people who are dieting, but it's not really.
  • Jaffa68
    Jaffa68 Posts: 1
    1200 calories is not much at all. On days where I feel like i've hardly eaten, it's still around 1200. I don't understand how people can eat less than that every day and not be hungry.
  • BmoreGinger
    BmoreGinger Posts: 18
    We have all been told about the "starvation mode" your body goes into when you don't eat enough calories. I always assumed that was when you were starving yourself at 500-800 calories a day... but my (personal) reality is that I am only 5'2" and 1200 is not enough for me. When I am under 1200 my weight loss FREEZES. I plateau and even gain a bit. BUT if I eat between 1250-1350 calories the weight just comes off. I consider it my sweet spot.

    My husband has a similar experience, but his calorie limit is a little higher because he's 6'2". BUT it's the same in that if he is under his daily calories he with not lose a pound, may even gain. Then he eats a little over the MFP suggestion and the pounds come off.

    I know we all love to see "Some and so was under her calories for the day" on the mini-feed, but unless you did some serious exercise, it's NOT A GOOD THING to always be under your needed caloric intake. You have to feed your body enough good stuff for it to let go of the fat on our bodies.
  • annehart00
    annehart00 Posts: 42
    1200 was a number put out there as an average. For most people eating at or below 1200 is a major calorie deficit. However if you are shorter and sedentary this might not be that drastic of a cut. I think there is a pretty strong consensus among experts on eating disorders that severely limiting calories - whether it seems easy or not (this part is my opinion) - will perpetuate disordered eating. It seems most of them recommend not eating more than 250-500 below your maintenance level.

    I recommend reading:

    The Learn Program for Weightloss by Kelly Brownell
    Overcoming Binge Eating by Christopher Fairburn (also discusses other disordered eating)
    Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnson
  • KellyKelzs
    KellyKelzs Posts: 6 Member
    If you go over your calorie goal you can and should exercise away the remaining. Jogging one mile burns about 100 calories! Walking it burns about 50 on average. Always remember when your eating so few calories that every calorie should be adding nutrients to your body. No junk food or processed food.

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