1200 calories

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ractayjon
ractayjon Posts: 365
in Health and Weight Loss
Where did the 1200 number come from? What is the reasoning behind dont go below 1200?
How long of below 1200 calories before your body goes into starvation mode? Is it immediately -a few weeks - a few months etc?

Replies

  • melanieann48111
    melanieann48111 Posts: 804
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    I think I remember hearing around 2-3 days for your body to go into starvation mode.
  • kparks84
    kparks84 Posts: 7
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    I actually am involved in a medical weight loss program where I work and our doctors have patients below 1200 calories. When you start the program you have 3 days at 500 calories and then you move up to 1000 calories until you get closer to your goal. I'll have my 4 week weigh in Tuesday, but so far have already lost 17 lbs in 3 weeks. My doctor says that high protein will put off your body going into starvation mode. So i'm not sure about the 1200 calories and how long to go into starvation mode. I'm not in starvation mode and I've not had 1200 calories in almost 4 weeks.
  • SugarHi
    SugarHi Posts: 452
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    Everyone's body is very different from the next. Below 1200 calroies will not throw you into starvation mode... But you really do need to be careful. These questions should really be answered by a dietician or doctor.
  • sweetteacher123
    sweetteacher123 Posts: 178
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    The 1200 calories comes from the mathmatical equation that to lose a pound, you have to have a 3500 calorie deficit; that is what a pound equals. You try to do this too quickly, you will either not lose weight, or not keep the weight off--it will come right back when you start to eat). MFP does the equation for you based on how much weight you want to lose in a certain time period, your weight, your active lifestyle, etc. It calculates this so you can lose weight the HEALTHY way and KEEP the weight off! These are key factors many extremely low-calorie diets do not take into account. I would stay at the calories MFP puts you on. Those that are under a doctor's close supervision are different. But if you're just doing this yourself, do it the smart and right way. Eat enough to help you burn the calories your body needs! Good luck!
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    The 1200 calories thing is just an AVERAGE for all people. If you're very short, you can probably get away with eating less. If you're tall, you should probably be eating a lot more. Factors other than height certainly influence how much you should eat as well. 1200 isn't some magical number!

    Read these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,221 Member
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    Warning: My opinion only

    read the threads suggested. If you have a problem eating 1200 calories you should see a doctor. Eating below 1200 calories often (not once a month) to me shows signs of a possible eating disorder. 1200 is actually not many calories at all. My sister had anorexia for many years when I was growing up and it was a horrible time for us all. BE CAREFUL, BE HEALTHY.

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