Is this just a 'side effect' of the 1200 cal MFP gives ?

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  • FitForLife81
    FitForLife81 Posts: 372 Member
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    1200 calories isn't enough really for anyone. When I was eating at that I was tired.....run down, zero energy, and didn't lose a pound. When I upped them my energy was up and the weight fell off. You need to feed your body in order to lose weight. Being tired and run down is your bodies way of saying I need more to function!
  • Jessnluv
    Jessnluv Posts: 10
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    I was told by my weight loss doctor that I need to eat 1,000 cal per day. I have been doing this for a month and feel great. I have lost 23lbs in a month. I have a lot of energy and my mood is a lot better.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    There's a huge difference between 1200 calories of processed foods and 1200 calories of natural foods.

    This.
  • dsckrc
    dsckrc Posts: 194 Member
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    1200 is unhealthy. A 5 year old girl eats more. Cutting calories by 500 minus your BMR is what you should be doing. If you workout then add more.

    BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

    or your weight x 14-16.

    Dont cut calories to an extreme, you will lose weight but are you seriously going to eat under 1200 for the rest of your life? People get greedy and want it off fast, but really your just jumping to the middle of an already long line.

    But I guess i should have read the entire post before i got all internet angry lol
    \

    according to your calculation, my BMR is 1323. if i cut my calories by 500 minus my BMR (1323), i would only be eating 823 calories a day. please tell me i messed up somewhere :explode:
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Personally, I have more energy eating 1200 cals than eating 2,000+ because I'm not stuffed and lethargic all the time.

    Everyone is different!

    You'd have better weight loss once you regulate using the extra calories.
    Probably why you only have a 13lb loss since June.
    Eat more and become more efficient working out and you'll see better losses and higher energy.
  • denisemuill
    denisemuill Posts: 19 Member
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    I am also fine with the 1200 calories. Energy and mood seems to be fine (you'd have to ask my family about my mood LOL) I am coming in at about 1100 calories. I feel full and eat in small amounts all day long. Planning is the key for me.
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
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    1200 calories isn't enough really for anyone. When I was eating at that I was tired.....run down, zero energy, and didn't lose a pound. When I upped them my energy was up and the weight fell off. You need to feed your body in order to lose weight. Being tired and run down is your bodies way of saying I need more to function!

    perhaps what you really mean is that 1200 calories wasn't enough for YOU.
    i'm pretty sure you don't know what's right for me, as I am not run down and have more energy than ever.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Search Daisy_Cutter and read her success.
    She once did 1200 and has a great story about higher cals.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    1200 is unhealthy. A 5 year old girl eats more. Cutting calories by 500 minus your BMR is what you should be doing. If you workout then add more.

    BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

    or your weight x 14-16.

    Dont cut calories to an extreme, you will lose weight but are you seriously going to eat under 1200 for the rest of your life? People get greedy and want it off fast, but really your just jumping to the middle of an already long line.

    But I guess i should have read the entire post before i got all internet angry lol
    \

    according to your calculation, my BMR is 1323. if i cut my calories by 500 minus my BMR (1323), i would only be eating 823 calories a day. please tell me i messed up somewhere :explode:
    i havent checked your math, but you arent supposed to take 500 off BMR, you take it off TDEE and then net in between BMR and TDEE. multiply your bmr by a multiplier to get your tdee


    Sedentary - desk job and little to no exercise
    Lightly Active - light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
    Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk
    Very Active - hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
    Extremely Active - hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training


    Sedentary - 1.2
    Lightly Active - 1.375
    Moderately Active - 1.55
    Very Active - 1.725
    Extremely Active - 1.9
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
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    I am trying to get onboard with the "eat more" crowd so I have upped my calories a little bit from 1200 to 1380. But I'm not going to lie it is scary since eating too much and working out too little got me into this mess. I am also 39 so I don't need as many calories so age is a factor. BTW, the person who mentioned the 5 year old isn't factoring in the fact that young people are growing and highly energetic so of course they need more calories. I could eat bags of candy at that age and my body would just convert to energy direct-lol.

    So to the OP. The thing I have noticed has been said in this thread a few times but I'll add a little more to it. If I eat 1200 calories of good food (and I do tend to be fairly healthy) then I am fine. If I want a glass of red wine at night (I do enjoy this when I can) or something else that is pretty much empty calories I cannot include it in my 1200 and feel good. So I try to eat 1200 calories of real food; fruits, vegetables, bread (I make a healthy herb and garlic filled loaf every week so I don't shy away from carbs :), nuts, legumes etc. Then if I want junk (I'm a sucker for baked lays, I hate potato chips but I love the baked ones so while these are healthier than the regular kind they are still junk and my body knows it). So I can't emphasize this enough 1200 calories of real food at the very least. Right now I usually eat 1380 of real food and only eat junk if I have earned it through exercise. I can't say I haven't dipped into my healthy calories for a glass of wine or some other junk before, but I always feel it when I do.

    To everyone else (especially people who seem to get emotional about this issue). I just want to remind people that MFP tends to over inflate workout calories and under inflate food calories. So even if someone is on 1200 calories they are probably actually eating more.
  • shrinkingsusie
    shrinkingsusie Posts: 40 Member
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    the only comment i'll leave is this...

    Fat exists for specific reasons.
    Eating 1200cals isnt the answer for all people.

    The 4 major biological functions of fat tissue are
    (1) energy storage
    (2) toxin storage
    (3) protection against insulin resistance, and
    (4) protection against estrogen decline in women.
    Eliminate the functions of fat tissue also eliminates the reasons for its existence.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Do the math and eat the food.
    1200 probably isnt YOUR number.

    ^^ this! ^^

    I was on 1200 calories for 2 months per the MFP calculator. I upped them to 1800 when my weight wasn't coming off and I was nervous about it but now I'm a believer.

    Learn your numbers and try it. I think you'll like it. :)
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Can't figure out why people are scared to eat what's suggested on most food labels.
    All info on food labels are for diets 2000-2500.
    Most of the success I've seen on this site is from people eating at or near those numbers and working out 3-5x a week.
    *shrugs*
    I blame lack of understanding for basic physiology.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
    or your weight x 14-16

    first formula gave me 1865.95
    second formula gave me 3246
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    I think it's a combination of that and continual decline in leptin.
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    1200 calories isn't enough really for anyone. When I was eating at that I was tired.....run down, zero energy, and didn't lose a pound. When I upped them my energy was up and the weight fell off. You need to feed your body in order to lose weight. Being tired and run down is your bodies way of saying I need more to function!

    perhaps what you really mean is that 1200 calories wasn't enough for YOU.
    i'm pretty sure you don't know what's right for me, as I am not run down and have more energy than ever.

    She wasn't talking to you specifically, though. Why are you taking that as a personal attack when it isn't meant to be one?
  • ThePilotsGirl
    ThePilotsGirl Posts: 30 Member
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    There's a huge difference between 1200 calories of processed foods and 1200 calories of natural foods.

    ^ VERY VERY TRUE!! :)
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
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    1200 calories isn't enough really for anyone. When I was eating at that I was tired.....run down, zero energy, and didn't lose a pound. When I upped them my energy was up and the weight fell off. You need to feed your body in order to lose weight. Being tired and run down is your bodies way of saying I need more to function!

    perhaps what you really mean is that 1200 calories wasn't enough for YOU.
    i'm pretty sure you don't know what's right for me, as I am not run down and have more energy than ever.

    She wasn't talking to you specifically, though. Why are you taking that as a personal attack when it isn't meant to be one?

    lol, i know she wasn't talking to me specifically and I didn't take it personally. anytime I speak about my personal experience are you going to accuse me of taking things personally?
    She said 1200 is not enough for anyone. I pointed out that since she doesn't KNOW EVERYONE, she's mistaken. LIKE ME FOR EXAMPLE.

    You're going to owe me dinner if you keep riding my *kitten* my dear.
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    You're going to owe me dinner if you keep riding my *kitten* my dear.

    I'm riding YOUR *kitten*? You constantly defend 1200 calorie eaters on EVERY thread where it might come up, even when no one is attacking you. And you jumped on me on one of my threads. I suspect that as long as we both are on opposing sides of the issue, we're doomed to politely butt heads, since we're both active posters.
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
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    I've had this problem before! It's usually because you're not eating enough or the types of food you are eating (e.g. if I eat too many carbs it makes me lethargic), if I drink Diet Coke it makes me more tired ironically...many things can be a factor!
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
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    My BMR is about 1600 because I have PCOS, but I'm lucky, because some girls with PCOS have a BMR as low as 1100...I don't know how they're supposed to lose weight!

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