1200 Calories

Well for one, you should never eat less than 1200. Maybe by a few calories, but that's the minimal caloric need for your body to survive, your organs to survive, yadayada. It's tempting to eat below 1200, but that is actually a minimum, not a max.

I found personally that if I eat more calories in the morning, I don't overeat later in the day. You seem to eat a lot of carbs-useful, but also can cause cravings. Bread itself isn't unhealthy, but it doesn't have any protein or fat to keep you satiated, and cream cheese is calorically dense and can add up for only a small amount. Besides that your dinner sounds good, I'd suggest trying to eat more legumes and fiber-filled vegetables instead of breads? You can also make a tasty fake pancake by mixing banana or pumpkin with a nut butter and an egg-http://www.marksdailyapple.com/almond-banana-pancakes/#axzz1npR1XcEq

Now, I used to think I hated exercising, but now I love walking, biking, and playing tennis and frisbee. You should try to encorperate exercise into your daily routine versus calling it 'exercise"-i.e. walking somewhere instead of driving, or joining a sports team/club. I only suggest because exercise is stress-relieving and will give you more calories to eat :]

Overall, find "healthy" veggies and lean meat meals you like, and bulk up on them. You'll feel fuller and have more to eat, there are plenty of recipes on the forums :]

Well for one, you should never eat less than 1200. Maybe by a few calories, but that's the minimal caloric need for your body to survive, your organs to survive, yadayada. It's tempting to eat below 1200, but that is actually a minimum, not a max.

I think that's bull****. I don't think that organs will start to shut down on a diet under 1200 calories. It's not a magic number. completely ridiculous. Some people will go over 1200 calories a day by eating junk food. That doesn't mean they are better off than a person who eats under 1200 calories of healthy food.

lol... agreed!

Well for one, you should never eat less than 1200. Maybe by a few calories, but that's the minimal caloric need for your body to survive, your organs to survive, yadayada. It's tempting to eat below 1200, but that is actually a minimum, not a max.

I think that's bull****. I don't think that organs will start to shut down on a diet under 1200 calories. It's not a magic number. completely ridiculous. Some people will go over 1200 calories a day by eating junk food. That doesn't mean they are better off than a person who eats under 1200 calories of healthy food.

lol... agreed!

Sorry 'bull ****', but the American Medical Association doesn't agree with you. It is best to stick to 1200 calories a day, unless you know personally from a Doctor/testing that you can consume a little less. The reason is that your body freaks out a little if you're not getting enough calories and over time breaks down muscle and lowers your metabolic rate significantly, therefore inhibiting your ability to lose weight and be healthy. It can lower your rate by up to 40% and take a year to recover once you're eating healthily again!! See here: http://www.fitsugar.com/Why-1200-Calories-Day-Important-When-Dieting-13080864

No individual foods are "bad" so just make sure you are eating sufficient proteins and fats.

For some general guidance, check this out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

[/quote]

well, i still don't believe it. AMA doesn't know everything. eating over 1200 calories a day when it includes crap can't possibly be better than a lower calorie healthier diet.
[/quote]

Totally agree here. My experience tells me that depriving yourself on nutrients is what's going to put you into starvation mode. If you eat mainly green veg, good fats etc... you're probably ok.

You are one inch shorter than I am so I can understand the 1200 calories. Taller people don't seem to understand that us shorter people need less calories in order to go into a calorie deficit than they do. I also add in that I'm over 50 years old and that typically makes my BMR lower as well. Make sure you check with your doctor and then be prepared for everyone here to give you a hard time about it. My doctor agreed that I am healthy as can be, DXA proved that I didn't lose lean body mass, and my doctor told me to ignore all the people who seem to have a hard time understanding that everyone is different and there is no one size fits all.

All that matters for weight loss is less calories. Of course you want to eat as healthy as you can, it will make you feel better. You might want to try and find some fruits and vegetables and other protein sources. I personally don't find a need for protein bars or powders, they are expensive and typically harder to digest than just real food like meat, fish, dairy, poultry, legumes, etc.

Too bad you don't like to work out. Here's why: Your quality of life will improve dramatically if you learn to like it and it will definitely improve your life when you get older (if you care to think ahead).

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.


Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.


Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

It really is about calories. I tell people this all the time and they say "Well if calories are all that matter why do you eat so clean???!!" Well, because it makes me feel better, sleep better, and perform better at my sports.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

Oh yay. Look who showed up with her wall of text.

I think that's bull****. I don't think that organs will start to shut down on a diet under 1200 calories. It's not a magic number. completely ridiculous. Some people will go over 1200 calories a day by eating junk food. That doesn't mean they are better off than a person who eats under 1200 calories of healthy food.

Sorry 'bull ****', but the American Medical Association doesn't agree with you. It is best to stick to 1200 calories a day, unless you know personally from a Doctor/testing that you can consume a little less. The reason is that your body freaks out a little if you're not getting enough calories and over time breaks down muscle and lowers your metabolic rate significantly, therefore inhibiting your ability to lose weight and be healthy. It can lower your rate by up to 40% and take a year to recover once you're eating healthily again!! See here: http://www.fitsugar.com/Why-1200-Calories-Day-Important-When-Dieting-13080864

well, i still don't believe it. AMA doesn't know everything. eating over 1200 calories a day when it includes crap can't possibly be better than a lower calorie healthier diet.

oh boy..again with the a cal is a cal is a cal....u can most certainly lose eating a deficit of junk..will you be as healthy as the person eating a deficit of "cleaner" foods..nope. but ANY deficit you create, will aid in weight loss.

you can just as easily get fat over eating your limits on a ton of fruit, veggies, proteins, ect etc. it all adds up either way, health and body composition is the only thing that changes between the two..:grumble:

ETA: you don't think your body needs energy to work..CORRECTLY? if you sit there and eat say 800-900 cals a day everyday for the rest of whatever, you don't think eventually your body is going to tire of running on so little? who would want to eat like that anyway?! I'd rather take advice from a medical organization than from someone who is apparently suuuper hangry! :huh:

wow, way to completely misinterpret my post and be condescending about it too. where the heck did i claim that you can't lose weight eating crap? geez, if you're going to be condescending at least understand the post you're answering.

So your saying that it is okay to eat less as long as it is healthy...it is healthier to eat less as long as it is good food, then to eat at a normal rate and include "bad" foods?! Yeah no. Which by the way there is no "good" or "bad" foods. You're pissy attitude towards the AMA makes YOU come off as condescending. Lol-if you think it is okay to drop drastically below a guideline that has been supported through numerous clinical studies, then by all means be my guest. But you really shouldn't drag others down with your "bullsh!t". While I completely agree that everyone's body is different, smaller framed people have a smaller BMR, TDEE, etc etc..and yes you may sometimes have to drop below 1200 in order to create a deficit, but is not something that should be done without consulting a doctor whose job is to make sure you are in a healthy condition. You can lose all the weight you want eating much much less but so called "healthier"..but when your energy levels drop, and they will, when your mood becomes less then "stellar", (for which you give such a perfect example), you'll begin to understand why they say not to drop so low. However, I doubt your small mindedness will ever grasp anything other then what you think is correct.
I'll continue to lose weight and be much happier with my body composition in the long run. So how about YOU make sure YOU understand what (yes) YOU are saying before you try to make someone else look rude and ignorant.

ETA:So way to go back later and edit what you initially said. Guess you felt you had a point to prove. You should obviously be more clear when you say stuff like that to ppl who are asking for advice and help!! My goal is 1300-1350, do I hit 1200 every single time? NOPE! I can admit that.If I'm not feeling well, if I am just having an extremely busy day and don't feel like hitting 1200 just because, I won't push myself if I feel full. But to do this often or everyday IS dangerous. I think I'll stick with the doctors and nutritionists. If eating under 1200 was healthy don't you think they would say hey..everyone we have the answer to weight loss...eat 900cals every day and you'll get your quick fix! 1200 is a stinking guideline geez...I think there is plenty of evidence to back that up. People might be tall, short, fat, skinny, but we all have the same bodily organs. That is one place in which we don't differ!