is it bad to consume lower than your 1200 limit?

you asked, so you're going to hear it. Yes it's bad... In my opinion, and tons of supporting information on these boards, it's not good eating 1200 period. Your body needs fuel to just move around and breathe, and I'm guessing your body needs more than 1200 unless you're a really tiny person to start with. There is a ton of information out there but I suggest you start by reading this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


then work out your BMR and never eat below that. For me I eat BMR plus all my exercise calories back. Others eat TDEE - 15 or 20%... You are doing a lot of damage to your body consistently eating below 1200. If you're working out you're netting under 1000.... where do you expect to go from there?? If you want to stay motivated, eat more and make it a healthy lifestyle.

I needed to know this too!!! it's kind of hard to eat 1200 I think.
also how do you write your own topics??

you asked, so you're going to hear it. Yes it's bad... In my opinion, and tons of supporting information on these boards, it's not good eating 1200 period. Your body needs fuel to just move around and breathe, and I'm guessing your body needs more than 1200 unless you're a really tiny person to start with. There is a ton of information out there but I suggest you start by reading this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


then work out your BMR and never eat below that. For me I eat BMR plus all my exercise calories back. Others eat TDEE - 15 or 20%... You are doing a lot of damage to your body consistently eating below 1200. If you're working out you're netting under 1000.... where do you expect to go from there?? If you want to stay motivated, eat more and make it a healthy lifestyle.

^Can't go wrong with Lisa. You need a certain amount of calories daily just to survive. Eating = burning.

From everything I've read, heard and been told (I'm an avid researcher into these kinds of things) you can probably get away with eating less than your BMR every great once in a while -- like no more than once a week. But you must keep your overall calories above your BMR.

I strongly recommend you find out what your BMR actually is. This is a good tool because it takes into account not just your current BMR but also your goal. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

If you eat below your BMR your body will starts to think ... “hey calories aren’t coming in as regularly as we are used to, shed that muscle because it's an energy hog and store fat (mostly in the belly area) because it'll provide easily accessible energy later, you know … just in case”

You do NOT want this to be the way your body thinks. Muscle is an energy hog and thank goodness it is because that means the more muscle on your body the more efficiently you burn calories.

You also need to know your TDEE. That’s how much your burn off in a day. Eating above this level regularly will let you gain. If you are doing strength training or resistance training or lifting weights your body will most likely decide to gain muscle which is a good thing. If you are eating above your TDEE but not doing anything to build muscle your body sort of decides to invest in additional storage sheds full of fat. Blech- not what we want.

Calorie cycling is about the easiest way to maintain the “no lower than your BMR and no higher than your TDEE”. Once you find these numbers and set your MFP correctly just look at your smart phone app’s “Weekly” button and make sure you stay below that dreaded red line. Life happens and sometimes we go over our calories for a day but if you come in the next day you’ll be okay.

well my only problem is i use to have a eating disorder and i think it caused that fact that i get full really really fast most of the time, im not talking all the time because i do pig out sometimes but for the most part im usually having to make myself eat.... so its hard for me to eat my limit. it should say new topic somewhere on the community page to post a topic....

Yes, it's bad.

However, recovering from an eating disorder is a special case, where it is understandable that you may have some challenges meeting your goals. It's still not healthy, but you may need to gradually increase your calories until you physically and emotionally can eat healthily again. I hope you're working with a professional, someone that is helping you to develop a long-term plan for success. In the meantime, I would focus on getting good nutrition and do the best you can- keeping in mind that the goal is to hit your target calorie goal, so you should be trying to eat a little more all the time, rather than restricting. The calorie goals set by MFP already have a calorie deficit built in- you don't ever need to come in under your goal, and generally it's a bad thing if you do. Keep on trying, day by day, and you'll get there. Good luck to you.

For those eating below their BMR (which I think 1200 is below your BMR to be honest), not going to preach at you, but here's something you might want to look at:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/81391-starvation-mode-myths-and-science
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/859495-if-only-i-had-known?page=1#posts-12919931


For the whole eating under a 1000 calories, look...you are going to do what you want but check out the link below at some of the stories of people who thought it was okay (especially because they weren't "feeling" hungry a lot of times) but ended up regretting it. These links are just information for you to be aware of.http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521480-1000-calories-or-less-a-day
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/3-reasons-why-eating-less-than-1000-calories-is-a-waste-of-time-3347.html

From everything I've read, heard and been told (I'm an avid researcher into these kinds of things) you can probably get away with eating less than your BMR every great once in a while -- like no more than once a week. But you must keep your overall calories above your BMR.

I strongly recommend you find out what your BMR actually is. This is a good tool because it takes into account not just your current BMR but also your goal. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

If you eat below your BMR your body will starts to think ... “hey calories aren’t coming in as regularly as we are used to, shed that muscle because it's an energy hog and store fat (mostly in the belly area) because it'll provide easily accessible energy later, you know … just in case”

You do NOT want this to be the way your body thinks. Muscle is an energy hog and thank goodness it is because that means the more muscle on your body the more efficiently you burn calories.

You also need to know your TDEE. That’s how much your burn off in a day. Eating above this level regularly will let you gain. If you are doing strength training or resistance training or lifting weights your body will most likely decide to gain muscle which is a good thing. If you are eating above your TDEE but not doing anything to build muscle your body sort of decides to invest in additional storage sheds full of fat. Blech- not what we want.

Calorie cycling is about the easiest way to maintain the “no lower than your BMR and no higher than your TDEE”. Once you find these numbers and set your MFP correctly just look at your smart phone app’s “Weekly” button and make sure you stay below that dreaded red line. Life happens and sometimes we go over our calories for a day but if you come in the next day you’ll be okay.

Thank you for clarifying what that all meant I have been wondering for ages about all those terms and the relevance

Let me add for those that might need it. BMR can be quite high depending on your gender and current weight. For example, mine is over 1600.

One consequence of this is that I have to accept a much slower rate of weight loss. If I want to loose faster, I have to do it with inceased exercise while still eating more than my BMR.

Good luck and be careful out there,