Are 1200 calories a day too few to consume?

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  • canadagirl79
    canadagirl79 Posts: 154
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    just gonna add my 2 cents worth...i also thought 1200 seemed to low.....i am an overweight girl and have a lot of weight to loose...when i started MFP back in Jan. and entered all my stats, it gave me a little over 1200 cals a day...i have since lost over 20lbs....it seems to be working for me...as long as you are watching what you are eating and how much you are eating, that's what is important. And remember to drink lots of water
  • katattack
    katattack Posts: 45
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    The answer is: It depends on your body!

    There's no formula, but 1200 cals is MFP's sort of estimation for a bulk of people. The fact is, given my muscle mass and fitness level, 1200 is lower than what i need to consume to keep up basic organ function. My resting metabolic rate is around 1400 -- that's the minimum I should be aiming for, but more likely 1600.

    So, the best thing for you to do is go get your body composition read at your gym. It's usually a free service. Just a type of scale they'll keep in the PT office.

    The mentality behind the "1200 cal standard" that's rampant on the message boards blows my mind, but I can see the benefit to some people. For me, the best answer has always been to eat when I'm hungry, to stop when I'm no longer hungry. This is usually about a 300 cal meal, which I"ll eat every 2-4 hrs.
  • Ahaverland
    Ahaverland Posts: 24
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    Yes 1200 calories is typically too few, now if you are under 5 foot tall and weigh 100 pounds, 1200 calories is about right, however in most cases 1200 calories is what dietitians call a very-low calorie diet and is used for short periods of time for drastic weight loss often prior to weight loss surgery but should not be sustained for a long period of time because it does not provide your body with adequate nutrients. If you follow a 1200 calorie diet you should be monitored by your doctor or dietitian to be safe. Good luck!
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    however in most cases 1200 calories is what dietitians call a very-low calorie diet and is used for short periods of time for drastic weight loss
    Actually, the VLCD typical use 800 calories. Like the Optifast diet that Oprah did way back when.

    1200 is considered today to be the minimum safe amount and a lot of commercial diet programs are based on a base of 1200 calories a day.

    But, I still think there can't be one number that fits everyone...
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
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    My friend and I were talking about this same thing. I've lost 50 lbs (part on here part with Weight Watchers) and I still have 50+ to go. What my friend has said and what has gotten me thinking is this: If I'm eating 1200 calories at 200 lbs, and as you lose you eat less, where will you be at 150 lbs? 1,000 calories?
    I'm not sure if there is truth to that. At WW you go down in points every 10 lbs you lose, which is less calories. It makes sense to me so I thought I would throw that out to you.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    You don't have to go down in calories though. If 1200 is still a deficit for you, then you can stay at that and just slow down a bit in your weight loss as your BMR goes down.

    Also, if you exercise, your BMR might not go down. My BMR at 115 pounds is around what it was at 161 pounds. But at 161 pounds I was going to the gym 1-2x a week and had a body fat percentage somewhere in the 25-30% range. Now, thanks to all the working out I do, I'm mostly muscle and that has increased my BMR at about the same rate as it went down from weighing less. (I hope that made sense -- it's late and my brain isn't 100% :laugh:)
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    My dietician, PT and the lab (based on the test done on my metabolism) said that 1440 was a VLCD (for me!) and should ONLY be attempted under a doctor's supervision. This is in spite of the fact that almost everyone said 1200 was just fine!

    Research and study and see your professional expert in person if you want to know the truth about YOUR body, because everyone is different.
  • krg918
    krg918 Posts: 36
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    I started out @ 1200 calories like everyone else. I lost weight ok with that amount when i wasnt exercising. After I started exercising, it was ok for a little bit, but then I increased my exercise and physical activity and I have come to a complete flat line in pounds lost.

    My trainer and a friend of mine (who is a big exercise freak) say that if you increase you physical acitvity, you need to increase your calories. They both suggested 1500 calories. I am on week 2 of 1500 calories and while stomach and digestion problems have made it hard to see wt loss on the scales, My clothes fit a little looser.

    Thats my story, maybe that will help you figure out what is best for you. Everyone is different. Sometimes its best to take a little of what works for other people and try to find what woks for you. Good luck with it all!! you can do it!
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
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    I am allowed 1500 a day, maybe because of my age, and I find that allows for an enjoyable amount of food and I lose about a lb a week without really trying.

    I have made a hobby of creating really tasty yet nutritional meals and I eat like a king!

    On a side note, by creating a weekly goal I have found that the push I make a couple of days before my official weigh in day has really been the key to my weight loss.

    I really like the "milestones" section over at weight chart .com and I highly reccomend the combination of that site with this one.
  • Hollycat
    Hollycat Posts: 372
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    Each person is different. I net around 1700 calories a day (and actually eat around 2000) and I'm down 13 pounds since Jan 19th. That was NOT all water weight. I'd already lost 6 pounds before I began logging my food and weight on this site. I have a significant amount to lose [96 to go] and that could be why I'm losing at 1700 net calories. If you have less to lose, it's going to be a bit tougher, but honestly, 1200 calories seems like the absolute bare minimum to me. I'd be pretty miserable. It wouldn't be something I could maintain for long.

    Hollycat :flowerforyou:
  • Mangoaddict
    Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
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    I agree with most posters, 1200 calories for a woman are bare minimum. That is just almost close to starvation mode. Your body needs enough calories to survive. If you add exercise calories...then it becomes close to 1450 etc. Thats a more reasonable count. And keeps you full and energetic. Good luck!
  • kelli_panzera
    kelli_panzera Posts: 171
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    I have my goals set at losing 1 pound a week, and clicked on sedentary. My calories are at 1410. I am not necessarily sedentary, but then when I exercise I have the extra calories to eat from exercise, and i'm not ripping myself off. I personally know 1200 was not enough for my body, and at 1400-1900 (with exercise) I am happily not feeling like im starving and still losing weight. What is your body telling you?
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
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    I am honestly so suprised that they don't teach proper nutrition in schools today--portion size, calories, proper exercise routines!

    When I was in high school, when I wanted to lose weight I would eat no breakfast, a soft pretzel with water for lunch, and a light dinner. Even in college I probably wasn't eating close to 1000 calories a day when I wanted to lose weight.

    Now I have a base of 1200 cals a day when I don't exercise, and truly, I will go over by 100 or so cals sometimes if my body is hungry. if I exercise I will probably eat half of my exercise calories back, sometimes more, sometimes less.

    I am around 5'4-5'5 (on a good day) 150 lbs currently.

    If I start to slow down in weight loss, it probably means I have to start increasing the intensity of my workouts or start working different muscles.

    I have been using 1200 calorie diet since I was about 175 lbs last year.
  • sjkkkk
    sjkkkk Posts: 2
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    I have been trying to stay below 1200 calories for the past 5 weeks. I've lost 8 lbs, 7 to go... I am thinking that I also am not getting enough calories, many days I barely have 1000. I lost 4 lbs in the first week and it has taken 4 more weeks to lose the other 4. I think I will try upping my calories as well.
  • jrobertson37
    jrobertson37 Posts: 90 Member
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    I just upped my cals today as well. Im 5-10lbs from my weight goal (depending on where i want to stop) but I feel like im starving on 1200 cals and i always go over. I noticed when i lost the bulk of my weight I was eating around 1600-1900 cals a day but i was burning over 600 cals a day. Since March 2009 I have lost 50lbs by eating more than 1200 before i even started using this website or counting cals. So go ahead and try it and see how your body adjust. Your body is good at telling you what it needs.
  • maria181
    maria181 Posts: 11
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    Yes, this information is very helpful. Thank you!
  • gorgejass
    gorgejass Posts: 1 Member
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    I started a diet 2 weeks ago @ 150# with a goal to loose the 10 #I gained over winter ASAP. I lost 5 # in 8 days just by cutting way back & exercising . I started this program 4 days ago & ate the recommended 1200 cal/day x 2 days and gained 2 lb in 2 days, so cut back to 1000 cal/day for the last 2 days and now back to 145#. I do exercise 3x/week and really don't feel starved. I eat healthy foods.

    Is starvation mode really that bad for your body for a short period of time? Am I really wrecking havoc on my metabolism? I suppose the consequences I've read about ; i.e. storing more fat is counter-productive, but it won't cause long lasting effects, I hope? I just wanted to loose the 10# in 6 weeks and that wt gain eating the 1200 cal/day freaked me out.

    I love this website as it is so easy to record everything on my IPHONE. It will help me maintain my goal weight of 140# once I get there by figuring out how much I really need.

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