1200 calories a day making me feel light headed

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adagiok5
adagiok5 Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone I am new to this forum. I am 53years old and 5ft 4inches. Last week I lost 5 pounds which I was very pleased about I now weigh 12 9. I am on 1200 calories a day but have been getting dizzy spellsand headaches. I am now thinking of having 1500 calories a day. Do you think I would still loose weight with this amount of calories?

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  • Brenda4105
    Brenda4105 Posts: 117 Member
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    Take a look at your TDEE and see what the numbers are? You can google it and find several free apps to use. Personally I have my calories set at 1600 and have averaged about 2lbs a week. As I get closer to the goal I set it seems it gets harder and harder to stick to the calories. For most people 1200 is way to low. My doctor told me a person should never eat below 1200, so if that is where you start you won't have any room to reduced calories if you get stuck at a certain weight.
  • KellysDiet78
    KellysDiet78 Posts: 80
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    Hi
    I manage a 1000 calories a day and feel ok..
    Maybe its the choices you are making.. are you eating breads and stuff in that.
    Try porridge for breakfast maybe, something that has nice fullfilling substance with not a lot of calories..
    Good luck..
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Hi,

    Usually on a deficit where you feel like this, it means you are eating way too low. I have experienced the same symptoms.

    It would be great if you could figure out your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). You put your numbers in here:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    If you know your activity level I could do this for you.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    a. eat more
    b. eat low GI foods
  • NostalgicGraeme
    NostalgicGraeme Posts: 38 Member
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    When the food I eat changes a lot eg from eatting junk to health foods I get constant headaches for around a week. From my experience it goes away. Do however try to drink lots of water! I can't comment on the dizzy spells but I would advice not asking here and go and see a medical professional.
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
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    According to this BMI and TDEE calc http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ if you live a sedentary life (office job and no exercise) your BMR is 1614.

    You should not really eat less than that unless you have a substantial amount to lose.

    Your TDEE is 1937. If you eat this, you will maintain your current weight. If you eat less than this, you will lose. How much you lose depends on what deficit you eat at. I would say eat 1600 and you should lose around a pound a week which is good. Slow weight loss means its more likely to stay off!

    As a side note, if you do up your calories, there is a small chance that you will appear to gain 1-2lbs in the following week or so, but persevere, its only water and your body readjusting, and that will come off again pretty soon after.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    I could answer your question better if you opened your diary. Its not about how much you eat but what you eat and drink too. Its also about change: Lots of people find they feel pretty bad if they are moving from junk food to healthy food for a week or so.

    Basically, if you are still eating poor quality food - either very high fat or sugar content - you are unlikely to feel great on 1200 cals.

    Also, 1200 cals is the lowest you should go - not the recommended intake. As people have said, try looking at your TDEE and working out what daily deficit you want.
  • adagiok5
    adagiok5 Posts: 2
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    Hi Mike I have opened up my food diary now

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