Why is it bad to eat 1200cal?

Dont listen to that BS, 1200 is just fine..counting calories works, its simple..1200 + exercise you will lose weight fast!

It's really bothering me, I have been to where you are in that picture but can't remember if its Positano, Italy or the island of Capri?? Going to hunt through my Europe pictures now. Off topic and nothing to do with 1200 calories. Sorry OP.

Some can do fine on it, some can't. Basically it comes down to not giving your body enough fuel for it's basic functions as well as much of a workout routine. It depends largely upon fat reserves as well.

For example, I've seen some pretty hardcore cases of people being put on strict 300-600 calorie diets. However, these were the extreme, and were done under nearly constant medical supervision.

Give it a try, and if you feel like ****, up the calories. It's that simple.

Yes. Don't forget that it is 1200 calories net, though. If you burn some through good exercise, add those to the 1200 ( MFP will do it for you). People call that "eating back your exercise calories."

But if one can lose the same amount at a higher kcal why would one want to eat the lower amount? Just a thought, of course.
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If.

I started here over 2 years ago with similar stats to yours. 5'5 and 160 pounds. And like you probably did, I decided I wanted this weight gone as soon as possible, and selected the 2 pounds a week option.

What I found over the course of the first month was that I didn't have enough excess body fat to safely lose 2 pounds a week. And the only time I did lose 2 pounds in a week was when I had a stomach flu with explosive diarrhea. For the amount of weight I had to lose, one pound a week was the right choice.

I also ate back most or all of my exercise calories, and reached my goal weight in six months. It wasn't until after I'd lost the weight that I started looking into all this BMR and TDEE stuff, and now, it makes perfect sense.

MFP assumes you'll exercise to add more calories, and gives a lower goal than another site would. The exercise you say your'e going to do doesn't have any affect on your calorie goal until you do it and log it.

If I tell MFP I want to lose one pound a week, I would get about 1350 calories. Exercising, I typically burn between 200-600 calories. Let's round it to 400. That brings me to a total of 1750 calories a day.

If I use another site to calculate my TDEE, I find that it's about 2300 calories. That includes my exercise. To lose one pound a week, I'd take 500 calories off that amount, and end up with 1800 calories. Pretty close to the MFP suggestion of 1750 after exercise calories are added.

BUT... with my TDEE being 2300 calories, and I only ate the 1350 MFP suggests, that means my calorie deficit is 950 calories a day, not the 500 required to lose a pound a week. In theory, that means I should lose 2 pounds a week, but in reality, the math just doesn't work that way. When I have too large of a deficit, my body reacts like a car stuck in the snow... no matter how much I gun the engine, it doesn't go anywhere.

Now, I've been maintaining my weight easily for over a year and a half, and eat around that 2300 calories a day. I'm happy, strong, healthy and have plenty of room in my "diet" for all kinds of delicious foods.

I am 5'4 and 160lb, hoping to lose 30. I was planning on eating 1200cal and exercising 300-400. Well after reading some threads on MFP, i learned tha some people say this slows our metabolism. So my question is, how many cals should i eat? and why do you need to eat back your exercise cals? doesn't that defeat the purpose of exercisin to create a calorie deficit?

This will explain the exercise calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

As for the 1200, this is the minimum recommended by health professionals for adequate nutrition, so many people think it's ok for them to just do it without any research into their own daily requirements.

If your daily calorie burn is 2400, why would you eat 1200, when you could lose at 2000, or 1800, or 1600.....

Dont listen to that BS, 1200 is just fine..counting calories works, its simple..1200 + exercise you will lose weight fast!

But if one can lose the same amount at a higher kcal why would one want to eat the lower amount? Just a thought, of course.

yeh

My physical therapist told me to eat 6 small healthy meals a day. Instead of 3 big ones.

it's not bad to eat 1200 calories. it's bad to eat less then your BMR.

EXACTLY!

:happy: I am eating 1200 a day and find I am actually quite full. I eat three healthy meals a day, exercise a few times a week just eating lower calorie food choices, a lot more chicken, fish and veggies. No more white bread, chocolate bars or potato chips. They have been changed to carrot sticks, yogurt and apple slices.

I just thought 1200 was a minimum healthy number of calories to lose weight. If you're feeling energetic and satisfied with 1200 then stick with it. .

Not if your my size im 4ft 10in so perfect for me. Im overwieght so Im looking to lose my baby wieght from to daughters 19 months apart need to lose 30 more to get to a good bmi for me.Ive lost 11 so far feeling great too.