Seeing a lot of rude comments about 1200/cal....

Lifecycle of an MFPer

1. Start out at 1200 calories
2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
3. Make a post calling out the mean people
4. Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears
5. Realize that you're still losing weight and feeling much better
6. Try to help 1200 calorie people
7. Get called an arrogant ahole one too many times
8. Retreat to chit-chat forum more or less permanently, only occasionally emerging to lay down a burn

lol so true

I have been at 1200 calories since April, I also do some form of exercise 7 days per week. I have lost weight, inches, and still feel great. Sure, I have those times when it says I'm in "starvation mode." I was pretty strict about eating in the beginning and have gradually started reintroducing foods back into my diet. There will always be people with something to say, myself included. I wish you the best of luck on your journey and hope you feel encouraged by people on MFP too!

So I'm kinda new here. I made a profile, and filled out my information, and MFP came up with 1200/cal day as my goal. Now I had no idea if that what considered very low, or average, or whatever. But I have been trying to stick with it. And I'm actually finding that I need to make myself eat MORE that I want to just to get to 1200. And I have seen several nasty comments from people on here about "those 1200 calorie people". Why? I have lost 5 pounds so far and I feel really good about my progress. What am I missing? I feel like I'm missing the joke.

Ignore what others say! What works for one doesn't necessarily mean that it is right or will work for everyone. If you are a smaller lady (like me at 5' tall), you don't need a bunch of calories especially if you have fat to lose. There is no such thing as starvation mode. You won't lose muscle if you eat below 1200 (not until your body fat % is super low). Don't worry about it and keep doing what is working for you.

There will always be people that don't understand another way of doing things because it didn't work for them. I did 1200 cals for 2 days before I decided to reevaluate my goals because it was NOT a doable thing for me. Right now I'm between 1700-1900 and am doing just great (my 15 pound loss is over a span of 80-ish days). Does that mean I'm right and you're wrong? Nope! It means that we are different people.

What I've always said is this: If you're not hungry all the time, you're making progress at a healthy pace and you feel good, don't worry about what other people say. Do your thing and be happy

It's pretty much why I'll never ask for nutritional advice here; it always seems to lead to mudslinging and drama.

So I'm kinda new here. I made a profile, and filled out my information, and MFP came up with 1200/cal day as my goal. Now I had no idea if that what considered very low, or average, or whatever. But I have been trying to stick with it. And I'm actually finding that I need to make myself eat MORE that I want to just to get to 1200. And I have seen several nasty comments from people on here about "those 1200 calorie people". Why? I have lost 5 pounds so far and I feel really good about my progress. What am I missing? I feel like I'm missing the joke.

I felt the same way when I started looking around here. It's funny because I didn't get it. I got my calorie information from another source and just came to this tool to track my calories.

Listen to your body. If you are not hungry it's silly to eat, especially if you are trying to lose weight. You do not have to eat if you don't want to.

The 1200 calorie minimum is relative to your BMR. If you are a bigger person this is a low number, if you are small like me this is a large number, barely below my RMR. This 1200 may work okay for most people but for short females like me it's way too much.

If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old.

While there is no one size fits all I listed the things that worked for me here --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

I found the following quotes helpful for sorting through all the myths plastered all over the place.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index Manuals)

Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

Ever since I finally lost the 60lbs and went from Obese to super fit I've realized that tiny people like me simply need less calories than most other people. Even now as healthy and vibrant as I am, with 100's of people stalking my diary, I get questioned almost daily about my calories seeming to low. Why do people ask when they don't even know my height or RMR?

Since I'm so small my RMR is only 1380 and that is based on my recent DXA scan which isn't nearly as accurate as going to a lab and blowing into the tube several times to fine out a more accurate number, but it is certainly more accurate than an online chart. I will never be able to eat the 2000 calorie diet everyone thinks is necessary, I'm just too small for it.

Never again will I let anyone tell me what to eat, when to eat, or how much to eat. I learned what works for me. I OWN IT. No one will ever pressure me to eat birthday cake at a party or anywhere else, I DECIDE. No one else decides for me. I eat when I want to eat and I don't eat when I don't want to eat.

I hope this helps.
Bobbie

I started with 1200 cal per day menu plan, cardio and strength training, then I found my BMR was a little over 1400 cal so I bumped up my cals to 1300 per day. I get a calorie deficit and exercise increases that. So I get results. Do what works for you. You can always rework you menu and calorie plan. Increase your protein and carbs, lower your fats.
As long as you get all the basics in your menu plan. Eat as much as you can and if you can't exercise, just walk more.
:flowerforyou:

Best wishes for you.

I stayed around 1200 to 1400 everyday for a year lost 60 lbs...didnt go into "starvation mode"....only did cardio for that year and my muscles didnt dissinegrate ...according to 80% of people on here i shuda died and been left with no muscle after that year...after lifting again for past 4 mo im bigger and stronger now than i was in college when i did power lifting meets...just do wat works and use common sense

Me too, except that I did eat most of my exercise calories. Being able to eat the extra food help me stick with it, since I was working out nearly every day. Now I am on maintenance and my basal calories is around 2200 plus exercise calories.

The mistake a lot of people make is assuming that a person that is eating 1200 to lose weight is going to try to continue to eat 1200 once they reach their goal weight. At goal weight you don't need the deficit and can eat your TDEE. So no, 1200 is not maintainable for most people long term, but it doesn't have to be. Eventually people reach their goal weight and can up the calories to whatever their TDEE is at that point.

It's not that simple. Your get your body used to VLC and it will gain when you start eating at a normal level. There is no way around that. The gains might continue for a long time depending on how long you did VLC. Most people will freak out when they see the scale going up and will then cut back to 1200. It's a vicious cycle.

Uh. No. Did you miss the part where I said that it never happened to me? I ate 2700 calories yesterday. I haven't gained an ounce since going on maintenance. In fact, I've lost another 10 pounds.

YEs and I did edit to say it's great it worked for you

My only argument, if it can be called that is why not encourage people to be reasonable rather than taking drastic measures to lose weight. The majority of people on MFP are women, I've yet to met one who lost at 1200 then went up to full TDEE and didn't gain.

But again..its awesome that you have had such success.

If you are small eating low isn't drastic. If you are bigger than it's drastic. What I find odd in all these discussions is no one refers to height or RMR. Height is the major driving factor for RMR. The shorter you are the less you need to eat. If you are short like me 1200 calories a lot, barely below my RMR. If you are taller this number becomes "lower", thus more drastic.

I see why short women are so frustrated with this site. Everyone tells them to eat more when they don't need to and they keep gaining weight.

1200 here too. Have been since end of June, showing a 15 lb loss. It does not matter what I set my goal to be, it is always 1200.00 It also does not matter what I say I weigh, the 1200.00 calories a day does not adjust up, it adjusts down, even at my goal weight without increasing the number of work outs (4x week, 45 min,per time). As a slightly under 5' woman, maybe this is really correct, as I actually do struggle to meet this goal almost daily. I find it easier to eat on the days I don't work out.

but have you calculated your TDEE and/or BMR?

Im not calling people mean. I want the honest truth. I'm new to this. I have no idea what I'm doing. I came here for the same reason as all of you, and want the support of my fellow MFPers. I am not "stuffed" at 1200 by any means. I have a problematic relationship with food, and always have. All I'm asking for is insight. If you think that 1200 is too low, that eventually I will plateau, I want to know this! I want your stories to help me!

Alright! What do you have your activity setting as? Sedentary? How much do you move? If you're hungry all the time, then reevaluate! You shouldn't have to be hungry all the time to loose. You might need more cals than you think.

Trust me, I know the struggle you have because I have it to. Keeping my log here has really helped. I even found a cheap Fitbit on eBay to give me a better idea of my daily caloric burn so I understand what's going on with my body. I actually feel like this is an attainable goal for the first time. I'm not blindly running trying to get somewhere; I have a map.

Basically, do I think you're not eating enough? I have no idea because I don't know you and I'm not a professional. Do some research and figure out what's best for you.

I eat a lot more than 1200 calories but that is because between working out and my fitbit I "earn" extra calories to eat. I still very rarely NET the 1200. I can't do it. I eat a lot of food, sometimes I opt for a higher calorie food to up my intake to get me closer to my net goal. I eat several times a day. My log says 6 times but sometimes I add several mini snacks to my snack log. By the end of the day, and the workout, I fall short of my 1200 net still. I am losing weight. Others have said that if you stall losing, to change things up with exercising. I suppose sooner or later, I will see if that works.