1200 calories - is this enough?

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Gemmalsm1
Gemmalsm1 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I joined mfp yesterday...

Day 1 went good stayed just below 1200 calories.

Day 2 was not so good I went over by 49 calories today.

I am 5 ft 3 and weigh 224 pounds

My question is is 1200 calories enough?

I have had a look round the site and I can see a lot of people
are on a lot more.

Am I doing something wrong?

Gem x

Replies

  • LadyRhodes01
    LadyRhodes01 Posts: 88 Member
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    Hi, sweetie, welcome to MFP. You were placed on 1200 calorie plan because of your input on how much weight you wanted to lose a week. You can easily change that to 1lb a week. I started off on 1200 cals, it became not enough. I've increased it 3 xs since then. Don't be afraid if you may need to incease caloric intake. I started losing even more weight once I increased, I guess because I was able to have the ability to snack every 3 hours. Which kept my metabolism working around the clock. You will not gain once you increase as long as you're making healthy food choices.
    I would try to increase by 100, wait a week or two, if it's still not enough, I'd increase again. It's difficult to start a weight loss plan suddenly and go from eating whatever we want to 1200. I was starving at first going to bed and waking up hungry. You gotta do what's best for you. Being hungry to lose weight wasn't normal for me. This time around I wanted to do it healthy and make sure I was fulfilled. Feel free to add me. Not a pro by no means, but can motivate you.
  • PrettyGirlsOnFire
    PrettyGirlsOnFire Posts: 27 Member
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    This: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    it's not enough for me. but yea change your macros if you don't feel like it's enough. I do 1600 and seem to lose weight quick at that than when i ate 1200
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
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    it's not enough for me. but yea change your macros if you don't feel like it's enough. I do 1600 and seem to lose weight quick at that than when i ate 1200
    I hear that 1400 cals work better for some than 1200 .. 1200 is pretty bare minimum and that is not necessarily going to work better for you but OP you just have to do some experimenting to find out what works best for you..
  • kdt000
    kdt000 Posts: 27 Member
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    I say, probably not. You and I are close in weight/height and I changed my intake to ~1500 on days I don't work out and on days I do work out - I eat all the calories I burned back. I feel a lot better. I was doing 1200 and it wasn't hard to stay at that level food wise, but I felt like crap and I wasn't losing anything. I haven't been up to the ~1500 level for long - but it's made a world of difference. I feel awesome and I am not stressed about going over my calories because I have plenty of room. I have more energy to work out and my first weigh in with my new, higher goal is tomorrow so we'll see if it helps! WOO! Good luck!
  • lewcompton
    lewcompton Posts: 881 Member
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    Been at this since July 1st and have dropped 101 so far... I was at 425... I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day without a problem and workout... I'm able to do this because I make good food choices that are not very calorie dense... Vegetables, whole grains, fruits with low glycemic index, lean proteins and some good fats such as avocado, olive oil and nuts in very small servings to give myself a dose five or six times per day. I have protein, good fat and carbs six times per day because of my family history of diabetes and I am keeping my blood sugar in check. I also watch my sodium intake closely. By eating over 30 grams of fiber per day I find it easy to stay at a low calorie amount and yet I don't feel deprived and my weight loss has been consistent.
  • lindaannkerr
    lindaannkerr Posts: 3
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    Hi GEM.

    I too am 5'3 and 228. I put myself at 1200 cals to see how I do. Yesterday I didn't make 1200 and the system said that was not good my body would go into starvation mode. Today I have done better. If I do not see a change on the scale in a week, I will take in more cals. If you are hungry throughout the day, or wake up hungry, eat some low fat snacks or fruit. Or, you can go a little higher in the cals.

    Being hungry is not good, that's how I ALWAYS fail on a weight loss program. Don't give up, but don't go hungry. I met a lady at the election polls that has lost 60lbs on this program. She said, and I agree, it easier than W.W. When I was on W.W. I was allowed 28 points. It's a number thing for me. 28points is so small ..... 1200 cals is so much.

    By-The-Way, if you exercise it adds more cals to your plan for that day. I played golf using a golf cart and burned 760 cals, and they added 760 to my daily intake. Take a walk, ride a bike go shopping. Good Luck.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    First of all, 49 calories over your goal is not a big deal, no matter what goal you have. The effect of going over by that much is negligible. You will still have a calorie deficit for that day, and so should still lose weight.

    Secondly, I started off on MFP on 1200 calories. Knowing what I know now, given your height and weight, I would go for a higher goal. Smaller calorie deficits are better in my opinion, for sustainability, and for preserving lean mass as you lose weight. You can definitely lose on a higher goal. That said, given how much you have to lose still, you can get away with a bigger deficit than someone who is closer to a healthy weight. I personally think it's better to take it slow though. Have a smaller deficit, try to preserve as much lean mass as you can, and keep your metabolic rate as high as you can. I know it probably seems like you have a huge mountain to climb at this point, but there are good psychological reasons for taking it slow too, especially given your history with different diets.

    Oh, and just as an example, I'm also 5'3", and I'm around 130 lbs. I lose about 0.5 a week eating 1500 calories a day. You will probably want to lose a bit faster than that, but will be able to eat more because you weigh more.
  • mscote12
    mscote12 Posts: 220 Member
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    Just upped my 1200 to 1400....not because Im neccessarily starving or still feel hungry, but I've been doing a ton of research regarding my BMR & TDEE...and 1200 simply doesn't seem like enough.
    I'm trying to grasp the concept of eat more=lose weight....we'll see.
    The 1400 calorie days will start tomorrow :)
  • schoonma
    schoonma Posts: 27
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    Wow....that is low calories!! I am 5'7 235 and I was eating 1,440 calories but I actually feel like I need more as I work out on the elliptical for 45-60 minutes every day except Sunday plus I lift weights. I just upped mine today and I believe I get 1,690....my weight loss has been really slow, I've lost about 30 doing WW, I do MFP and WW together. I will see if upping my calories helps me to lose weight faster....the 1,440 calories was to lose 1 1/2 pounds a week and that was not happening so 1,690 is only losing 1 pound a week. Good luck!

    Mary Ann
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
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    Just upped my 1200 to 1400....not because Im neccessarily starving or still feel hungry, but I've been doing a ton of research regarding my BMR & TDEE...and 1200 simply doesn't seem like enough.
    I'm trying to grasp the concept of eat more=lose weight....we'll see.
    The 1400 calorie days will start tomorrow :)

    It has a lot to do with your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the calories your body needs to run the basic body functions. Your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Once you have a good handle on what you are Burning daily and keep your Calories consumed at your BMR and below your TDEE you will loose.

    I use my Body Media Fit Link to help me track my TDEE so that I can adjust my intake and caloric needs through the day. I try to maintain a 700-1000 cal deficit from my TDEE. Ultimately I really just work to have a deficit in general (if it is just 50 one day i will take it). Sometimes it is over but you just have to own up to it and do better the next day.

    There are plenty of calculators on line but remember those are just estimates you will need to do what works for you and adjust as you go.

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