why should not I eat less than 1,200 calories a day?
Lovely135
Posts: 161
I have been reading some comments on one of my friends, some people said that the net calorie should never be less than 1,200 calories a day. I most of the time eat less than 1,200 calories a day, and I feel ok. So my question is why shouldn't I eat less than 1,200 calories in a day? BTW my calorie goal for now is 1,400 calorie. Thanks to anyone who will answer this question.
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Replies
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I want to know this as well. MFP has me at 1200 daily, but I rarely eat that and it goes even lower when I exercise! I've never been a heavy eater though...0
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Great question!!!! I eat well below 1200 as well!! i try to eat more, but then i feel like i am forcing myself....hope to hear some good feedback! :-)0
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Hi there! Well, unless you are extremely short, chances are that 1200 calories is below your BMR. If you don't know your BMR, MyFitnessPal has a tool for you to calculate it under the "tools" section.
If you don't know, your BMR is the amount of calories you'd burn in 24 hours if you were in a coma - basically, the amount of calories it takes for your body to function. Knowing this, it doesn't seem like a very good idea to give your body less than that amount of calories, right?
If you do consistently give it less than that, your body's BMR will be forced to drop, so that your body can function on the new, lower amount of calories. In other words, your metabolism slows down. Then once you stop "dieting" and eat more than that new, lower number, you will gain the weight back way more easily.
Hope this helps; let me know if it's confusing. Welcome to MFP!0 -
Thanks LaurenAOK --very wise advise! I have had a hard time convincing myself of the reality that eating 1200 or less calories is not good for my body. While you may lose some weight on this amount, you will eventually plateau because your body is in survival mode!
Popular diet culture has brainwashed our society to think that the less one eats, the more weight loss. While this is true to some extent, many people end up eating too little and incur unhealthy weight loss and eventual gain. One should definitely calculate their BMR and then base his or her diet calorie intake from that.
My BMR is around 1500. Since I am fairly active, I try not to intake under my BMR calorie amount, while still intaking a few hundred calories less than I burn in a day.0 -
Good afternoon,
I'm so glad you took the first step in changing your diet and nutrition. I usually tell all my peers that they need to check out this site.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It has a great calculator to let you know what your body needs based on your size, exercise schedule, and goals.
Give it a try and let me know your results. Love to help,
Jeff0 -
Good Morning,
I did some research and found this info for you! I couldn't have said it better.
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Knowing what your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is a key component to losing weight. There are so many weight loss programs out there. Some focus on the exercise, some on the diet and others on supplements. Many work. Many still just want you to write them a check.
Regardless of their benefit, they all have a common goal. No program ever escapes this. You need to burn more calories than you take it. There are lots of ways to burn more calories. Without question some are more efficient than others. You still have to do it.
When trying to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories. We can change what we eat, when we eat it, combinations of what we eat and how much.
BMR becomes important in any program. Your body needs a minimum number of calories every day just to function. Your heart must pump, your kidneys must filter and so on. The energy requirement to do this is known as your BMR.
Does this mean your need to attempt to take in the calories needed to support those functions? Not exactly. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound. Know what your BMR is gives you a baseline to figure out a starting point.
Real sustainable weight loss means a change in your lifestyle. Eating meat, cheese and bacon is a temporary way to lose weight. It is not a good lifestyle choice. Exercising regularly, eating healthy and fresh foods is a much better lifestyle choice. Knowing ones BMR gives you and idea about how to judge your intake for the activity level you maintain."
I hope this helps!
Good luck and remember burn more than you take in, but don't starve yourself either.
Jeff
independent beachbody coach0 -
Good afternoon,
I'm so glad you took the first step in changing your diet and nutrition. I usually tell all my peers that they need to check out this site.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It has a great calculator to let you know what your body needs based on your size, exercise schedule, and goals.
Give it a try and let me know your results. Love to help,
Jeff
Seems like a decent calculator.0 -
It is a decent calculator as well as the BMI and body fat calculator on the same site.
I hope it helps.
Where are you at with your goals? How much do you want to lose still?
How's your results coming at this point?
~Jeff0 -
Thanks for posting this. It was very helpful.Good afternoon,
I'm so glad you took the first step in changing your diet and nutrition. I usually tell all my peers that they need to check out this site.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It has a great calculator to let you know what your body needs based on your size, exercise schedule, and goals.
Give it a try and let me know your results. Love to help,
Jeff0 -
Good question. Usually eating less than 1,200 (for women) can cause the body to go into hibernation mode, where the body fat is stored to store energy. Most people would advise against this. There are ways around it, however, like eating a lot of low calorie foods (like celery) to keep your body from entering into hibernation mode, but there are other reasons you shouldn't do this. Your body is complex and needs a certain amount of calories to function. Low calories can cause a lack of mental energy and affect your thought process. Many people become cranky on low calories. Your immune system can also be affected by low calories as well. Many people report high rate of sickness and fatigue while taking in less than 1,200 calories.
Low calories of that magnitude is also ill-advised if you work out on a constant basis.
I hope this helped, at least in part.0 -
So now I am really confused, if my BMR is 1426 but my daily calories should be 1280 which one should I be hitting?0
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Great synopsis Lauren. Makes me think twice about the calorie thing. My endocrynolgist has me on a 1200 calorie diet due to my illness(it is not diabetes). The medication I take makes it really hard to loose weight. So she is hoping this will kick my metabolism in. So I will keep right at that 1200 goal daily to keep myself on track and keep my body burning the fat. Thanks again.:flowerforyou:0
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So now I am really confused, if my BMR is 1426 but my daily calories should be 1280 which one should I be hitting?
If your BMR is 1426, then you must be really small already...0 -
OK , I'm 61, female, 5'2
TDEE 2170, RMR - 1792
BMR - 1720
to lose a pound a week, means 500 less calories a day/
Do I subtract that from what figure?0 -
OK , I'm 61, female, 5'2
TDEE 2170, RMR - 1792
BMR - 1720
to lose a pound a week, means 500 less calories a day/
Do I subtract that from what figure?
BMR is basically what you would lose if you were to sit and sleep all day. You should burn about 1905 calories a day, judging by your info. A good recommended amount is 1205 calories a day, and that SHOULD be about a pound and a half a week.0 -
Great synopsis Lauren. Makes me think twice about the calorie thing. My endocrynolgist has me on a 1200 calorie diet due to my illness(it is not diabetes). The medication I take makes it really hard to loose weight. So she is hoping this will kick my metabolism in. So I will keep right at that 1200 goal daily to keep myself on track and keep my body burning the fat. Thanks again.:flowerforyou:
Oh yes, definitely listen to what your endocrinologist says! Doctors advice always trumps advice from internet forums, haha. What I posted is a good "standard" rule, but there are definitely exceptions.0 -
I have been reading some comments on one of my friends, some people said that the net calorie should never be less than 1,200 calories a day. I most of the time eat less than 1,200 calories a day, and I feel ok. So my question is why shouldn't I eat less than 1,200 calories in a day? BTW my calorie goal for now is 1,400 calorie. Thanks to anyone who will answer this question.
The body likes to maintain homeostasis. If a person continually eats low amounts of calories for a prolonged period of time, the body will adjust it's metabolism accordingly making it so that you have to eat low calories in order to maintain.0 -
if u r able to get all ur macro and micro nutrient needs at 1200kcal go for it. if u r not always hungry and feel energized go for it. there is no magic Domesday number thats the same for everybody. everyone metabolism is different.0
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Well, for starters, this is one reasonBTW my calorie goal for now is 1,400 calorie.
Another reason would be that for the majority of human beings on planet earth, 1200 calories represents too big of a deficit for optimal healthy weight loss.0 -
Hasn't this question been asked too many times already?0
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when you eat under 1200 cals you aren't just losing fat, you are losing muscle. and for anyone who is under the misconception that they'll worry about getting fit after they reach goal weight, keep in mind you don't get to choose WHERE you lose muscle. You could be losing heart muscle! 1200 is not enough for most people. Under 1200 isn't enough for your heart, lungs, and other organs. You should check your BMR in the tools tab and see what your body needs just resting.0
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People always dodge this question when it comes up. I've never seen anyone flat-out say that MFP seems to ignore BMR and happily suggest you eat below it, but that is what it seems to do.So now I am really confused, if my BMR is 1426 but my daily calories should be 1280 which one should I be hitting?
If your BMR is 1426, then you must be really small already...0 -
Hasn't this question been asked too many times already?
Probably but if a newbie doesn't want to read through the hundreds of past topics, who cares? No one HAS to answer.0 -
I am seeing this alot lately...Let me put it to you this way. If you are eating nutrient rich foods than it shouldn't be a problem. I don't think you will plateau forever because physically it will eventually come off. Something that I never see brought up is all those people on MFP that have gotten weight loss surgery. Have you ever looked at their diaries and you want to tell me that someone that hasn't had surgery can't eat less than 1200 calories and still lose weight? I honestly think you are mistaken. Also, to back this up because I know there will be comments, not everyone is the same, there is no two people who are the same, do what works for your body and don't worry about what people say. IF you do plateau be honest with yourself, are you getting enough nutrients in your diet? Have you cut excess fat?...There are people who are eating less than 1200 for medical reasons also and also because their doctors said it is ok. I am still over 100 pounds over weight. DO you honestly think that my fat reserves aren't going to burn, also I lift weights and walk on a Elliptical. I regularly eat less than 1600 calories a day. I also eat very nutrient dense foods. It makes a difference what you are eating.0
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OK , I'm 61, female, 5'2
TDEE 2170, RMR - 1792
BMR - 1720
to lose a pound a week, means 500 less calories a day/
Do I subtract that from what figure?
Your TDEE -20% is what's usually touted as a good weight loss goal, so if your TDEE is 2170 you'd aim for around 1750 or so (or a bit lower if you want to speed up the loss).0 -
I'm not sure this counts for everyone, my BMR is 1410 and for years I exercised regularly and ate at around the 13-1500 calories a day rate and couldnt loose a pound or inch. A few weeks ago I dropped to 1,000 a day, and am now FINALLY loosing weight, after learning this had worked successfully for one of my siblings who has maintained it for about 2 yrs now. My family has a history of obesity and we're pretty small people as well, 5'2". So arent there some cases where the BMR isnt taking into account something biological we dont understand with some people? If not then why am I only now loosing weight? Also I dont feel like I have less energy, not starving, and sleeping fine!0
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I'm not sure this counts for everyone, my BMR is 1410 and for years I exercised regularly and ate at around the 13-1500 calories a day rate and couldnt loose a pound or inch. A few weeks ago I dropped to 1,000 a day, and am now FINALLY loosing weight, after learning this had worked successfully for one of my siblings who has maintained it for about 2 yrs now. My family has a history of obesity and we're pretty small people as well, 5'2". So arent there some cases where the BMR isnt taking into account something biological we dont understand with some people? If not then why am I only now loosing weight? Also I dont feel like I have less energy, not starving, and sleeping fine!
it could be that you have some sort of condition that prevents you from losing weight. for instance, women with PCOS are often recommended to eat lower than a "normal" person becuase the condition makes it difficult to lose weight.
often it's just that you weren't tracking properly. i too tried to eat at a deficit for a long time and never lost any weight - it's because i was lying to myself about how many calories i was eating and probably overestimating my calorie burn. this is where a website like MFP comes in handy; you put in EVERYTHING you eat (even that little bite you had off your friend's plate) and see how much you're REALLY eating.0 -
So now I am really confused, if my BMR is 1426 but my daily calories should be 1280 which one should I be hitting?
If your BMR is 1426, then you must be really small already...
My BMR is about 1300, based on height, (5'1), weight (135) and activity level (not sedentary, but light.) I was eating at 1600 and was maintaining, so I just dropped it back to 1500. Smaller people have smaller calorie needs.
OP: The general consensus is to eat above BMR, as that's basic fuel. For a while I was eating at 1300 and felt sluggish. Bumped up to 1400 and felt better. 1500 was great. It doesn't always take much above your BMR, but you want to aim for at least a few hundred calories above it.0 -
I'm not sure this counts for everyone, my BMR is 1410 and for years I exercised regularly and ate at around the 13-1500 calories a day rate and couldnt loose a pound or inch. A few weeks ago I dropped to 1,000 a day, and am now FINALLY loosing weight, after learning this had worked successfully for one of my siblings who has maintained it for about 2 yrs now. My family has a history of obesity and we're pretty small people as well, 5'2". So arent there some cases where the BMR isnt taking into account something biological we dont understand with some people? If not then why am I only now loosing weight? Also I dont feel like I have less energy, not starving, and sleeping fine!
It could be that your familiy does have a much lower metabolic rate naturally....
Or it could be that years eating below your BMR lowered your natural metabolism significantly, such that your "Dieting BMR" was below 1300. It could be that families with histories of obesity have metabolisms that are VERY good at becoming very efficient during times of famine. Some studies have found drops of as much as 40% in metabolism after long-term calorie deprivation. If your BMR was originally 1410, but long-term low-calorie dieting caused it to slow down to conserve energy and body mass, a 40% drop in metabolic rate would put your actual BMR at 846, and your TDEE would probably have been right around where you were eating when you thought you were eating at a deficit.
So it might be that because of your genetically efficient metabolism with its rigorous response to famine conditions, you lowered your metabolism to the point that it *could* maintain on only 1300 a day, and you had to drop it further. But if you'd never pushed your body into dropping your metabolism so much, you might have been able to eat more and lose the same amount of weight...0
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