1200 cals seems

Did you choose that you wanted to lose 2 pounds per week? I think all women get 1200 calories if they choose that goal.

It didn't work for me. I gained and lost and gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds from week to week for 5 weeks.


So I went back and reset my goals to lose 1 pound per week and will work with those numbers for at least a month. The first week, I lost that 3 pounds (AGAIN). I hope I see a new low weight in coming weeks! I need that.

I'm similar--at 4'11 and ~113-114 pounds. I'm eating 1600-1800 to lose weight. Trying to stay at the 1700ish mark but this past week I averaged just over 1800 calories and I'm probably losing at a rate of ~1/2 to 3/4 pound a week.

I'm 5' 2" and entered into the site that I want to lose 1 lb per week. I also got a 1200 net calorie goal. It only works for me if I spend 200-300 calories exercising. Otherwise, I exceed the goal. I've only been at it a week, so I can't really tell what i've lost. So far less than 1 lb, i think.

I am on 1200 and most days I have a hard time not going over. So then I figured I had better start exercising and burn up some of the calories. So now I usually go for a brisk walk for about an hour. It says I burn 250 calories but I think that is a little high. But it gives me a few extra calories for a treat in the evening, like a tbls of peanut butter on celery. I dont eat up all of my calories I have burned, usually I eat between 70 - 100. That gets me through the day and I have lost 2lbs a week for the last 4 weeks.

1200 Calories is MFP's limit... It will not set anyone's calorie target below this number.

Maybe it helps to give you a bit of an overview of how MFP sets things up:

long summary coming...... the way MFP works is that it is giving you a target goal dependent on the amount you told it you want to lose in a week... But will not let's anyone go below 1200 cals in a week.... So it starts with a 'BMR', Basal Metabolic Rate - this is the calories your body burns just keeping you alive - think of it as what you would burn if you were asleep all day. Everybody burns a different number of calories a day depending on weight, age, gender, height. For example, a taller, younger, heavier, man will simply have more muscle mass and thus will burn more calories, even at rest, than a short, older, lighter, woman. google search for " 'BMR calculator" and you can find a ton of tools that will give you an ESTIMATE of your BMR...

MFP knows this information and will generate its own estimate.

Then you would add a few calories for your general activity level in a day, think of this as only the extra calories it takes to move you around. This gets you to what is referred to as your TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure....

MFP has a method that essentially excludes your intentional, focussed, exercise....

Now if you told MFP you want to lose 1 Lb a week, it deducts 500 calories from what it calculates as your TDEE to get you losing a pound a week - one pound of fat, when burned by the body, generates 3500 calories of energy... So - divide 3500 by 7 and that is why you create a deficit of 500 calories a day for every pound you wish to lose in a week.... The catch is you really need to be cautious of how much you try to lose how quickly.... If you told MFP 2lbs a week, it would deduct 1000cals a day, but will not take anyone below a 1200 calorie target because of the concern they have of wanting to make sure they do not set it up so they are not giving someone their basic healthy nutrition requirements - Clear so far?


So... one key is that shorter individuals, particularly women, have bodies that simply burn less calories than others do. That is why 1200 calories isn't a magical number, and also why some people are fine on it and others are not. I have a few friends that are shorter women and do find it hard to create their required calorie gap since they really have low TDEE's and are used to eating what are "standard" meals for others, but since they simply have less muscle mass, they do not burn off that meal.

I would strongly recommend you find a few BMR and TDEE calculators on the web and work our your numbers so you know, but I'm guessing that you told MFP your details, and said 2 Lbs a week and *poof* it says 1200... I have a few friends for whom it will say 1200 even at 1.5 Lbs because their typical, non-exercise related total daily expenditure is not above 1950... (1950-750=1200). If you want some help in working out BMR/TDEE/ etc. feel free to PM me your age, weight, height, gender and I'll look up the numbers and give you a summary that hopefully helps you pick the range you want to target...

If you are like a few of my former and current MFP friends that are shorter females - you will likely want to build a habit of regular cardio exercise to gain some calories so your daily food intake seems more sustainable... If that seems confusing... Let me know.

If you want, check out this link by MFPer Heliotsdan - It'll give you a detailed walkthrough (with pictures even) on finding your TDEE and calculating what you should be eating.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Or for a different version to figure out your TDEE, as well as some great advice...check out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833500-what-do-i-do-common-sense-cliff-notes
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/844040-raspberry-ketones-for-the-rest-of-us


Also, if you are worried about the calorie intake, I also suggest you read this thread that has numerous people who met their goals and are maintaining. Some for years and they also provide their calorie intake and how often they work out.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/816542-let-s-hear-it-for-maintainenance


For more information about fitness and nutrition, I highly suggest checking out and joining this group: (Read all the stickies. It's great information to know.)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/865230-resources-and-references


Yes, this is can all be overwhelming and complicated , but you are more than welcome to ask questions on the post.
One of the things that I have found that has been one of the best methods for me to get fit is to understand fitness. To understand where all these figures, etc come from.

The good thing is once you get the hang of it - it is something you'll be aware of constantly and you'll get a better understanding about your eating habits.

So I HIGHLY suggest making the effort to take every chance to educate yourself. Even if you don't end up going with any of these methods, calculations, etc - at least you understand what they are, where others are coming from, and maybe they will still be able to help you figure out what is best for you.

I'm 5'2
Starting weight: 120
Current weight: 113
Goal weight: 110
Ultimate goal weight: 105

I am on a 1000 cal/day diet and, with exercise, always seem to fall below my mark. I never go hungry and feel happy, healthy, and energetic!

Forgot to add to my post that I'm 5'1. SW was 245 and I'm about 178lbs now. I eat between 1600-1800 cals and still losing.

That was a very helpful post! I am new to MFP and was still unclear on how this was calculated. Thanks for the clarity!

A bit low....
:laugh:
I'm 5ft, 122lbs, wanting to lose 10lbs, quite inactive although on my feet a lot of the day with my job.
1200 cals seems a little low, not sure if its sustainable?!
Does anyone else have similar stats and what is your daily cal intake?

I started with 1200 calamity, but now I have upper it to 1600, feel so much better, and have lost a pound a week average. I have similar stats to yourself. Hope this helps.

Thankyou for the advice I'd love to join a gym but at £55 ($90) per month we can't really afford to at the mo. I will certainly dig out some exercise videos or maybe go jogging, although I have never jogged in my life and the thought fills me with dread haha

Alternate walking and running so you are winded but not gasping and gradually add more running to the mix. Great way to get in shape.