1200 calories a day too low?

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EmilyStrick
EmilyStrick Posts: 267
in Health and Weight Loss
so...i'm starting to get my head around all of this! it seems like 1200 calories a day may be too low for me...i upped it to 1340. i was losing weight (lost 10 pounds!!!) and didn't feel hungry, but after reading a bunch of articles, realized that i may be doing myself harm without knowing it by having my calories that low. it's hard, though, because different calculators calculate my bmr as different numbers. and so many articles say that (unless you have a lot of weight to lose) you shouldn't go above a 500 calorie per day deficit. has anyone else upped their calories a little (i mean, we're talking 140 here for me) and had success with that? how often do you go back and reevaluate your goals? i'm not in a huge hurry to lose the weight...it took me almost 10 years to put it on, so if it takes me a year to get it off, that's fine. i just want to be healthy. i don't want to have high blood pressure anymore. i want to feel good. if i need to stick with 1200 calories a day, i will. i just need a little reassurance, guidance, and advice from those that have been where i am!

Replies

  • skinnyjess00
    skinnyjess00 Posts: 50 Member
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    1200 per day isn't too low! 900-1000 is when your body starts to go into starvation mode so make sure you get up to 1200 each day and remember to make your calories count. The better nutritional value, the happier your body will me!
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    I think your new goal sounds good. I agree that unless you have a LOT to stick to 500 or less for a deficit. I have 100lbs to lose, and I like the 500 cal/day plan. But I'm a patient man. Many people expect to lose 10 yrs worth of weight gain in 2 months.
  • osram34
    osram34 Posts: 54
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    Im having that issue as well... for some reason it turned out to be extreamly easy for me to drop bad food. I have been eating about 1300 Calories and working out, how will i know if im losing muscle or fat???
  • hjmygatt
    hjmygatt Posts: 79
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    It's a good question. I have just about 50 pounds, and for the first 30-35 or so I was just eating 1200 calories a day. At the 35 pouns lost mark, I began to eat back at least half, if not more of my exersice calories. Just this week I re-evaluated my weight loss goals: I only have 5-6 pounds left, so I changed my per week weight loss goal to 1 pound, and was given a limit of 1440 calories a day. So now I am eating 1440 plus some of my exersise calories. It seem to be working so far! I have been stalled weight-loss wise for several weeks and I am finally starting to see some movement on the scale.

    So my advice is to stick to your revised calorie goal, and be sure to eat at least some of your exercise calories. It really does help!
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I was at 1200 cals a day for the first 3 months on here. I was losing 2 lbs a week at least. Once I realized that not eating back my exercise cals was doing more harm than good, I upped my daily cals to 1400 & started dropping 3 to 4 lbs. :)
  • csingleton24
    csingleton24 Posts: 235 Member
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    I used to do 1200 calories a day but I felt like I was always hungry. I ended up getting a HRM for christmas and wore it during the day while I was just sitting on the couch, doing dishes, you know the daily stuff. Well, I learned that my body needs 2000 a day just to live (that was without any working out!). So I upped my calories to 1400 and now I feel SO MUCH better! I am still losing weight also. I actually feel like I am losing it a little faster too. Try your upped calories for a little while and see if it works for you. Everyone is different. Good luck on your journey!
  • karenvyse
    karenvyse Posts: 1
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    It does depend on what your starting weight is. I have only just started using this app but at my heaviest I was eating 1500 a day and still losing 4 lbs a week regulary.
  • ericaquin
    ericaquin Posts: 68 Member
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    I had my cals set at 1500 in the beginning to compensate for breastfeeding. When I stopped breast feeding I lowered my cals to 1200 and lost no weight for 3 weeks. Did some research and sadly realized I put myself in starvation mode. I upped them back up to 1500 and started losing weight immediately. So yes, cals can be too low
  • EmilyStrick
    EmilyStrick Posts: 267
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    thanks, guys!! i will stick to the 1340 for now and see how it goes and keep reevaluating from time to time! i can always squeeze a few more chocolate chips into my vanilla yogurt after dinner!!!
  • dkcj4fox
    dkcj4fox Posts: 35
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    Wow, I feel lucky --- I need around 2800 cal just for maintenance! Can't imagine getting only 1200.

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