1200 Calories? Why?

girlofambition
girlofambition Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
If 1200 calories is too low. Why do those weight loss calculators always say that's what you need to intake? I don't get it.

Replies

  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
    Nothing wrong with 1200 calories to lose weight. Stick to what works for you.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    What weight loss calculators are you looking at? The one I used says I need to eat 1610 calories if I'm just sitting on my *kitten* all day long.
  • AAL94LBB
    AAL94LBB Posts: 77 Member
    If 1200 calories is too low. Why do those weight loss calculators always say that's what you need to intake? I don't get it.

    There are countless threads on here of people almost yelling at each other over the 1200 calorie diet, lol.

    I've been following the 1200 calorie diet since Jan 5 and I have lost 19 pounds. It works folks! In my opinion it's perfectly fine, UNLESS you are hungry throughout the day then yes, you need to up your calories. Everyone's bodies are completely different remember!
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    If 1200 calories is too low. Why do those weight loss calculators always say that's what you need to intake? I don't get it.

    There are countless threads on here of people almost yelling at each other over the 1200 calorie diet, lol.

    I've been following the 1200 calorie diet since Jan 5 and I have lost 19 pounds. It works folks! In my opinion it's perfectly fine, UNLESS you are hungry throughout the day then yes, you need to up your calories. Everyone's bodies are completely different remember!
    I used a BMR calculator that put me at 1200 as well. I finally just decided to experiment myself. I will stick to 1500 a day until I stop losing weigh. Then I will either add more exercise, or take away more food, or a little of both. It's a wacky world.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
    It's really based on your bodies composition and how quick(or not) it metabolises throughout the day...
    take everyone's advice with a pinch of salt if it works for you! "Whatever rocks your boat" :drinker:
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
    Most people put their weight loss goal at 2 lbs a week, which would be a calories deficit of 1000 calories per day. This is very aggressive for anyone who isn't obese. Then they make it worse by setting their activity level at sedentary when it isn't and not eating back exercise cals.
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
    Your calories depend on how much fat you have to lose. The more fat the lower one can go. Someone close to their BMI or ideal bodyfat the 1200 calories would be a recipe for disaster however for someone obese or morbidly obese then 1200 is probably where they need to start at. That's where I'm at.
  • girlofambition
    girlofambition Posts: 18
    I am not looking to lose weight but just as another member said I too have noticed yelling about 1200 calories. So I put my age, weight and height on one of those online calculators and that's what it gave me, 1200 calories.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,347 Member
    Your calories depend on how much fat you have to lose. The more fat the lower one can go. Someone close to their BMI or ideal bodyfat the 1200 calories would be a recipe for disaster however for someone obese or morbidly obese then 1200 is probably where they need to start at. That's where I'm at.

    I don't dispute this, I just find it interesting that weight watchers goes about it the exact opposite way, starting obese people off at anywhere up to 2000-2400 and then decreasing than as they lose until, at close to goal, they have you on their 26 pro points which is 1200 or less, if you aren't taking advantage of the 'free' fruit.

    Just goes to show there are still so many schools of thought on weight loss.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
    Most people put their weight loss goal at 2 lbs a week, which would be a calories deficit of 1000 calories per day. This is very aggressive for anyone who isn't obese. Then they make it worse by setting their activity level at sedentary when it isn't and not eating back exercise cals.


    Got to love your profile picture with what your saying... *sinister look* (-_-) :laugh:
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,347 Member
    Most people put their weight loss goal at 2 lbs a week, which would be a calories deficit of 1000 calories per day. This is very aggressive for anyone who isn't obese. Then they make it worse by setting their activity level at sedentary when it isn't and not eating back exercise cals.


    Got to love your profile picture with what your saying... *sinister look* (-_-) :laugh:

    Lol, I read that post with that disapproving look coloring the tone too haahaa
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
    Not only WW but just about everyone diets this way. It's essentially a butt-backwards way to do it; start low and then decrease the calories every couple of weeks. The classic definition of yo-yo dieting. The reverse taper theorizes that once one gets close to their ideal weight they are now closer to eating maintenance. So you start very low and increase the calories as the pounds of fat come off. For the other way, the traditional way, I've experienced it and so have just about everyone else who starts a diet low and goes lower and lower and lower. At the end you have to guess what are your maintenance calories.
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
    I am not looking to lose weight but just as another member said I too have noticed yelling about 1200 calories. So I put my age, weight and height on one of those online calculators and that's what it gave me, 1200 calories.

    If your avatar is of you I wouldn't recommend going so low. Start at 1800 and see what the tape measure and scale tell you after two weeks.
  • cacleghorn
    cacleghorn Posts: 61 Member
    People get upset at other folks eating at 1200 calories for a slew of reasons, including ...

    --TDEE calculators will generally give you a higher recommended caloric intake than the BMR + activity level will (what MFP uses)
    --If you are trying to lose weight slowly--which is arguably more healthy/sustainable (meaning 0.5-1 lbs/wk, like most doctors would recommend, unless you are quite heavy, where weight comes off faster), most people's BMR won't get at or below 1200
    --In general, people of average weights who exercise the recommended amount (30 min/day) are advised to eat around 1800-2000 calories.

    All these reasons support the idea that 1200 calories a day isn't really enough for an adult. People believe eating too few calories slows weight loss.

    And it's known that restrictive diets are hard to sustain in the long term. If eating 300 calories more a day can keep you full, and potentially promote faster weight loss--well, you'd be able to stick to that longer and it's better for you. People get upset about it because they're just trying to help everyone be as healthy as possible.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    It's according to your goals, your starting point and what you are willing to compromise to lose weight. For a small number of very small people, 1200 calories is appropriate. For a small number of very large people, 1200 calories is appropriate. Those who are in the middle and eating 1200 calories are compromising. With a few exceptions, those people are trading nutrition and health for weight loss alone. For someone who is, say, 190 pounds, and 30% body fat. That person has @133 pounds of lean mass. They should get @ 1 gram of protein per pound of lbm, so 133 grams. A gram of protein is @ 4 calorie,so they need 532 calories from protein. Then they should get about .35 grams of fat per pound of total weight, or @ 66 grams. A gram of fat is @ 9 calories, so they should get about 594 calories from fat. Now, do the math. 532+594=1126 and they haven't consumed 1 gram of carbs which would generally be around 40% of your calories. Which in this example would be around 774 to get a total of 1900 for this person. So, if this Strawman that I just built ate 1200 he would not get near his or her macro nutrients. In this example, if this is a 35 yo male, his BMR is 1926. If it is a 35 yo female, her BMR is 1627. Both are compromising their metabolism and general health to lose weight. So I say again, it's according to what your goals are.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    IS MFP's calculator not good then? I put in my stats, height, weight and a goal of 1 pound per week.
    The result is 1290 calories per day.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    IS MFP's calculator not good then? I put in my stats, height, weight and a goal of 1 pound per week.
    The result is 1290 calories per day.

    It's not that it's good or bad. You told it you wanted to lose a pound a week, it's just telling you how many calories to eat to achieve that goal.
  • KtotheD78
    KtotheD78 Posts: 58 Member
    20% less my TDEE is 1550 so I am not going to feel guilty if I can't stick to 1200. However, if you eat natural/clean - you can eat quite a bit and be satisfied.
  • Paco4gsc
    Paco4gsc Posts: 119 Member
    From what I've seen, a lot the 1200 calorie eaters bein yelled at are using a 1200 goal but are actually netting well below 1200.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    From what I've seen, a lot the 1200 calorie eaters bein yelled at are using a 1200 goal but are actually netting well below 1200.

    No the eat more crew don't even take that into account they just see 1200 and blow their stack telling everyone to eat more.
  • Shari325
    Shari325 Posts: 196 Member
    I just find it interesting that weight watchers goes about it the exact opposite way, starting obese people off at anywhere up to 2000-2400

    Which is exactly why I GAINED weight on WW, but I am consistently losing eating 1600-1800 calories a day!
  • crlyxx
    crlyxx Posts: 186 Member
    It's pretty much the lowest amount of calories you should net if you're looking to lose weight. If you're a fairly hefty person, I wouldn't start out with it, but since I only have a few pounds to lose, that's what I go with.
  • TigressPat
    TigressPat Posts: 722
    If 1200 calories is too low. Why do those weight loss calculators always say that's what you need to intake? I don't get it.

    There are countless threads on here of people almost yelling at each other over the 1200 calorie diet, lol.

    I've been following the 1200 calorie diet since Jan 5 and I have lost 19 pounds. It works folks! In my opinion it's perfectly fine, UNLESS you are hungry throughout the day then yes, you need to up your calories. Everyone's bodies are completely different remember!

    no
    and no one has ever said it doesn't WORK
    they say it's not maintainable as a lifestyle choice.

    it's great as a "diet"
  • cacleghorn
    cacleghorn Posts: 61 Member
    This is a really thorough article about how to understand BMR, TDEE, and how much you should eat to correspond to your body and goals:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm




    One point is that too little calories lead to more lean mass lost instead of more fat loss. But the article isn't pendatic. It's just helpful!
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    But 1 pound a week is the recommended weight loss goal, or so I though. If I were to eat 1600 or more day I would gain weight. How can eating 1200 be so bad if in my case, eating 1290 is the maximum in order to even lose one pound.
  • sandalina12
    sandalina12 Posts: 5
    I was wondering the exact same thing as you and I did a little research.
    I found a reliable site that tells you exactly how to calculate your normal body needs in terms of calories intake:
    This is the site
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/532971-how-to-figure-out-your-recommended-calorie-intake/

    On another page on the site (and on many other sites), it is written that to lose one pound a week you must subtract 500 calories from the number you get. If you think that 500 is too much, you can cut less. For example, I cut 300 calories :)

    That link I gave you will also allow you to compute your BMR.
    1200 calories is UNDER my BMR which is the number of calories that I need to SURVIVE!!
  • girlofambition
    girlofambition Posts: 18
    if your avatar is of you I wouldn't recommend going so low. Start at 1800 and see what the tape measure and scale tell you after two weeks.
    [/quote]

    My calorie intake is 1680 and like I said I'm not looking to lose weight just wondering why those online calorie calculators calculate so low.
  • girlofambition
    girlofambition Posts: 18
    I was wondering the exact same thing as you and I did a little research.
    I found a reliable site that tells you exactly how to calculate your normal body needs in terms of calories intake:
    This is the site
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/532971-how-to-figure-out-your-recommended-calorie-intake/

    On another page on the site (and on many other sites), it is written that to lose one pound a week you must subtract 500 calories from the number you get. If you think that 500 is too much, you can cut less. For example, I cut 300 calories :)

    That link I gave you will also allow you to compute your BMR.
    1200 calories is UNDER my BMR which is the number of calories that I need to SURVIVE!!

    that makes more sense.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    I did a calculator today to figure out some macros... it told me the absolute minimum I should eat is 1129 (prob bmr), but at the same time my calculated training day allotment is 2426; HUGE difference. So if all you want to do is lose weight, then eat your 1200 calories.

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