Seeing a lot of rude comments about 1200/cal....
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I'm 6'1" and decided I wanted to try and lose 1.5 lbs per week. MFP suggested I eat 1280 calories per day. I didn't think twice about this since I figured the site would have a better idea than clueless me.
I've been doing alright the last 3 months, eating every two hours and drinking plenty of water, and the weight's been coming off.
After reading these posts though, I'm starting to think maybe MFP was more clueless than I was. Should I up my daily calorie intake? What kind of food would be good to add?
EDIT: On a typical day I don't get much exercise, other than walking up and down my stairs at home.0 -
That is not true if you're a sedentary, 51 year old woman who is 5ft 3 and small framed. My maintenance cals for my age, height and weight will be under 1200. Something like 1148. Calculate it.anything under 1200 cals a day is considered starvation mode. food for thought.
Finally someone who understands short people. 1200 is a stupid number because it does not take regard for short females. I'm 5'1" and super fit, with as much muscle and bone density as I'll ever have and still my RMR is low, for someone not at fit at my height it's going to be even lower. I'm so healthy they want my blood every 8 weeks for the babies. My DXA scan shows my 51.5 year old bones are that of a super fit 30 year old. Yet I still get comments from diary stalkers about how low I eat, yet they never ask my height or RMR which is the true number, not 1200, let alone someone trying to lose weight, no wonder there are so many frustrated short women on this site.
People need to at least state their height when talking calorie requirements, if not RMR. Calorie limits mean nothing without it.
^THIS! ^THIS! ^THIS!0 -
I'm new to and my calorie count is 1200 too, which is more than enough. Maybe those others making comments are heavier people and feel just because we are on 1200 cals we really dont need to lose....ignore them....sounds like your doing good....keep it up. I dont know how many times I sat in a ww meeting and some skinny minny would come in...I'd think what the heck? Then realize she was probably where I was once. I am only 5 foot and weight 152ish.. because i where 3-5 inch shoes my overweight does not show real bad, but its there...Like I said Good job!0
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Some ppl on here eat 1600-1700 I don't have a clue on how you can lose on that unless you are spending the day at the gym, yeah something I'm not interested in doing....let's just cheer each other on and stop making ppl feel bad.......
You'd be surprised how you can eat that much and not have to constantly exercise. My min daily cal is set at 1700 and all I do is run 3x a week. Maybe throw in some yoga on an off day or two. That's it..I will admit I'm somewhat lazy...lol
I'm only mentioning this because some may be put off from raising their daily intake, assuming higher calories means having to work out like crazy. I thought the same too, but I've had better results with less exercise and higher calories. Saw no results with low cal and 6x a week workouts.0 -
I completely agree with those that say " you have to listen toy YOUR body". Everyone is different. You may have to play with your calorie and what you take in for carb/protein/fats listen to what your body is telling you. If your at 1200 cal and have no energy, up your calories or your proteins. If your at 1500 cal and see no weight loss cut your calorie or your carbs. There are many different roads to the same destination. Find yours. Find friends on MFP that support you and encourage you. We will be here for you!0
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2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
This is my favorite. It's an amazing transformation that happens when a woman starts out eating an entire pizza for dinner to being "stuffed" at 800 calories and complaining that she "can't eat" any more. I'm pretty sure you're not "stuffed", you're just terrified of eating anything that isn't "lite" or some variation of salad.
If MFP had a like button I would press it for this statement. Never understood that, you can eat your way to the obese category but then get 'stuffed' on a 1000 cals a day?0 -
Ive just changed my calorie intake from 1200 to what my BMR said...thats sposed to be more accurate?
This is the first time I've visited the forums, I can;t say that I've seen any nasty comments....people just seem a bit confused. Also everyone seems to have a guideline of 1200 calories? I eat when Im hungry, but Im normally under the 1200 calories...sometimes by as much as 400 calories. I've always been slim, Im not overweight but have put on extra weight over the past couple of years so I only want to lose a few pounds but since I've been using MFP I havent lost anything......so this makes me wonder about the starvation mode thing? But I can only eat when I'm hungry and to me Im eating quite a lot, but I can't make myself eat more
Any help/advice appreciated!!
Rachel0 -
Only if they set themselves to sedentary and set a rate of loss of 1 or 2 lbs/week I suspect.Also everyone seems to have a guideline of 1200 calories?
It's just maths - if you have a 1200 minimum and a loss rate of 2 lbs/week (1000 cals/day) then anyone with a TDEE of 2200 or less gets a 1200 target. If they dialled in sedentary then the equivalent BMR is 2200/1.2 = 1833 so many people especially women fall under this.
The solution is to not aim for 2 lbs/week and not set to sedentary if you aren't.0 -
My goal is 1200 and I'm totally happy with that, some days I'm a little over, some I'm a little under.
My mum is healthscreening nurse and my sister has a degree in nutrition, so I trust their advice when it comes to BMRs, body fat percentage, "starvation mode" etc.
Calories aren't everything so if I eat a good balanced diet with complex carbs, protein, vegetables and include foods that give calcium, iron etc and do a bit of exercise each day then I know I'm healthy, I'm not going to go into "starvation mode" because my net cals are 1170 for the day.0 -
What? Since when?People who are never hungry rarely lose weight. Also food for thought.
What a stupid thing to say, lol.0 -
What? Since when?People who are never hungry rarely lose weight. Also food for thought.
What a stupid thing to say, lol.
Yup. Haven't let myself go hungry in 9 months and oh look, I Iost weight. In fact, everytime my weight loss has stopped the solution has been to eat MORE. But how is that possible?? Just eat slightly under your TDEE (I do 20% under as I still have a large amount to lose) . Don't know what that is? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-120 -
The thing is that 1200 calories too low for most people, but MFP kind of uses it as the "default" for women who want to lose weight. MFP won't let you set your goals to any lower than 1200, but in reality, the limit should probably be even higher than that. I suggest you go to this website to find out your BMR (basal metabolic rate): http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
Your BMR is the amount of calories it takes your body every day just to stay alive. You'll notice it's probably more than 1200. Therefore, you should probably be eating more than 1200; your body needs it!
Congrats on your progress so far! I lost some weight eating at 1200 at first too, before I found out about BMR and stuff. Read around the forums; there's a LOT of information available. After I got educated I started eating more like 1400-1500 calories a day, I lost weight just as fast and was much happier. Good luck!
I am new here, as well and asked this in another thread but didn't get an answer. Should I be keeping my NET calories after exercise above BMR or my actual calories consumed? MFP puts me at a calorie goal below my BMR even when set at the recommended one pound a week. Phrased differently - Is it okay for my NET calories to go below my BMR as long as I consume an amount that is above it? Hope this makes sense.0 -
The thing is that 1200 calories too low for most people, but MFP kind of uses it as the "default" for women who want to lose weight. MFP won't let you set your goals to any lower than 1200, but in reality, the limit should probably be even higher than that. I suggest you go to this website to find out your BMR (basal metabolic rate): http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
Your BMR is the amount of calories it takes your body every day just to stay alive. You'll notice it's probably more than 1200. Therefore, you should probably be eating more than 1200; your body needs it!
Congrats on your progress so far! I lost some weight eating at 1200 at first too, before I found out about BMR and stuff. Read around the forums; there's a LOT of information available. After I got educated I started eating more like 1400-1500 calories a day, I lost weight just as fast and was much happier. Good luck!
I am new here, as well and asked this in another thread but didn't get an answer. Should I be keeping my NET calories after exercise above BMR or my actual calories consumed? MFP puts me at a calorie goal below my BMR even when set at the recommended one pound a week. Phrased differently - Is it okay for my NET calories to go below my BMR as long as I consume an amount that is above it? Hope this makes sense.
Hi
You need to eat ABOVE your BMR and yes your NET calories should be above this number. MFP is actually set up so that you should be eating back your exercise calories - it just (IMHO) sets the target cals too low for most people.
This post explains it well http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
As a quick example: I am 5.1, 145lbs and 33. My BMR is 1471, my TDEE is 1700 at sedentary and 1948 at lightly active. So I eat 20% less that my TDEE as I am lightly active, I therefore eat about 1500 a day - I have been losing 1lb a week like this. If I exercise a lot (so more than lightly active) I eat some exercise calories back.
Lots of people don't get BMR and RMR these are the numbers your body needs to survive if it were in a COMA! Why would you feed your body less than it needs to survive and perform basic functions. This is how I look at it.
I hope this helps - if you are still confused or want advice or just a friend add me or message me. Good luck :flowerforyou:0 -
I am doing 1200 for a month to give myself a jumpstart, and then I will probably go up to about 1400-1500 - I only have a little weight to lose; more concerned with lowering by body fat and increase my LBM.
I haven't had any issues with hunger on 1200, but I have never been a big eater and I know that I probably should eat more than I do. Even getting to 1200 most days hasn't been easy but I plan to strength train and work out like a demon :devil: so I know I am going to need that extra energy.0 -
Lots of people don't get BMR and RMR these are the numbers your body needs to survive if it were in a COMA! Why would you feed your body less than it needs to survive and perform basic functions.
Because I'm trying to use up some of the 56,000 of spare calories hanging around my belly. Is it really that hard to understand ?0 -
I started at 1200 calories per MFP, I lost 10lbs the first month... after that i wasn't really losing! Turns out i was going into negative calories and my body was storing everything according to my trainer! I uped my calories to 1600, I work about about an hour everyday and I started losing again!
I say do what works for you until you need to change it up!0 -
:sad:0
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anything under 1200 cals a day is considered starvation mode. food for thought.
People just love to throw around starvation mode without proper explanation. So I guess since I ate 1150 calories yesterday I must be in starvation mode .............................................................
I did a lot of looking into the 'starvation mode' thing and it mostly seems to be BS. You have to be consuming a super low quantity of calories for an extended period of time for it to happen. Besides, people who are actually starving DO lose weight, soooo... not sure how that works.0 -
throughout my journey i have done many different methodologies. you have to find what works for you.
but i do know for me that when my calories are low then my hair starts falling out and my skin looks like crud.
instead of focusing on being "skinny" or "thin" i focus on being "fit"0 -
I totally get why someone who has a lot of weight to lose would be okay on a 1200 calorie diet. But how many of you are at your goal weight, or very close to it, and still working off of 1200 calories? If you've lost over 30lbs, you've learned that as your body composition changes, in order to keep fat off, you can't keep using the same exact calorie goal for the entire process. You have to readjust every so often. You can't continue losing 2lbs a week until you hit your goal weight... When you have 5lbs to lose, and eat 1200 calories a day to try to maintain that 2lb/week loss, it's just not feasible.
At some point you have to start eating at maintenance for your goal weight. I guess if you're 4'6" then 1200 calories a day might be all you need, but your body will make every attempt to adjust to the calories you give it without gaining or losing weight (homeostasis) and relatively few people NEED to eat that little.0
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