is 1,200 calories too low?

2

Replies

  • soulmatesnvrdie
    soulmatesnvrdie Posts: 34
    My doctor was ecstatic! She agrees that it isn't for everyone, but the "conventional wisdom" about 1200 calories (or thereabouts) is conservative because many people have health concerns that make it a bad idea. It is not a long term sustainable way to live, but I personally reject the notion that making the lifestyle change before you lose is the only way. Most of my failed attempts were trying to do it slowly from the start and I had a hard time being firm about the commitment. It was much easier once I had a "lead to protect" and it will be easier for me to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent gaining it back than it was to adopt it to lose. It was pie in the sky. Now it is a very real thing.

    I feel the same way, I'm going to keep at 1200 until I plateau then I'll add a more reasonable amount of calories that I can stick to for the long term. With 75lbs total to lose to get into the healthy range, I may not have stuck w/ it if I was only losing .5-1lb a week, I feel much more comfortable/less discouraged now at the 3month mark losing 1lb/wk now that I'm -34lbs from my start weight. I probably would have lost more though if I had been exercising, other than the occasional walk for the first 2 mo, like I am now.
  • sabrinanewme2013
    sabrinanewme2013 Posts: 12
    Im 5ft 5in starting weight 250 now 238 and counting (12 lbs in 3 weeks), my doctor put me on a 1200 calorie diet and I haven't found the energy to start exercising yet. Found out I have a low thyroid and that is why I have no energy. They put me on Thyroid meds.
  • ekatieclark7
    ekatieclark7 Posts: 1
    If you're not feeling well when only eating 1,200 calories a day - then I would suggest increasing your daily intake....
    As for me, I lost a bunch of weight in the first few months of dieting, then things leveled out and I plateau from time to time.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    In 2008-2009 I lost 20# around my wedding eating about 1300cal/day. Guess what happened? I gained IT ALL BACK. Why? I got tired of depriving myself of EVERYTHING I liked!

    So, yeah you will probably lose a lot of weight eating that low.. but how long can you keep that up? What is your BMR? I'm guessing its above 1200 cals so you're basically starving yourself. Your BMR is what you burn WITHOUT MOVING. Just imagine what you burn walking, talking, eating.....

    Ignore the goals that MFP sets... calculate your BMR - you should NEVER go below that. Calculate your TDEE... subtract 20%... that's what you should be doing. Since following this method I have been MUCH happier... don't berate myself for having a small piece of cake now and then... and i'm still losing.

    Good luck.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    For me it is. I don't know about you. I eat 2200 calories a day and as you can see from my profile photo and ticker, it's getting me the results I need. Is it a miracle program where I can drop 20 pounds in a month? Nope. I am happy with .5 to 1 pound a week because I know if I lose it slowly, I'll be able to keep it off. I eat 1200 calories for lunch sometimes. lol I couldn't imagine living off of that all day for a long period.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    You've lost 43lbs in just over 4months, and..........
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    is there a question here...?

    I smell troll....
  • wiggam17
    wiggam17 Posts: 22
    I have 5 meals a day and end up at 1000-1200 calories a day :) eating every couple of hrs helps me
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    My doctor was ecstatic! She agrees that it isn't for everyone, but the "conventional wisdom" about 1200 calories (or thereabouts) is conservative because many people have health concerns that make it a bad idea. It is not a long term sustainable way to live, but I personally reject the notion that making the lifestyle change before you lose is the only way. Most of my failed attempts were trying to do it slowly from the start and I had a hard time being firm about the commitment. It was much easier once I had a "lead to protect" and it will be easier for me to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent gaining it back than it was to adopt it to lose. It was pie in the sky. Now it is a very real thing.

    I feel the same way, I'm going to keep at 1200 until I plateau then I'll add a more reasonable amount of calories that I can stick to for the long term. With 75lbs total to lose to get into the healthy range, I may not have stuck w/ it if I was only losing .5-1lb a week, I feel much more comfortable/less discouraged now at the 3month mark losing 1lb/wk now that I'm -34lbs from my start weight. I probably would have lost more though if I had been exercising, other than the occasional walk for the first 2 mo, like I am now.
    For me it isn't conjecture about whether or not I would have stuck to it. I tried(well, sort of, but that is the crux of the issue) a few times in the last few years. I used to be successful at "short string yoyo" staying within 15 pounds of a healthy weight for about 20 years. Looking back, I never should have bought the first pair of "fat boy pants". That is what used to keep me in check - refusing to get larger clothes. then one day you get some fully intending for it to be short term because the regular clothes are too tight to wear to work. Then you decide you really look okay...
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    Your doctor doesn't know what healthy is. He just knows what to treat you with when you get sick.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    YES
  • ajcmoran2005
    ajcmoran2005 Posts: 173 Member
    I would LOVE to lose 17 pounds in three months!!! That is great weight loss. I agree with the posters who said you need to go by how you feel. If you feel good have the energy to workout then 1200 is probably fine. Personally I would be a cranky, nasty person if I only ate that much but that's just me :). When I started MFP I needed to lose about 20 pounds so I ate 1200 calories a day and I didn't have the energy to workout. I hit a plateau after losing 10 pounds so I tried the TDEE method and upped my calories and the weight has started to come off again. Granted it is much slower but it is coming off. Maybe you should increase your calories just a little and see if it helps some.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    Your doctor doesn't know what healthy is. He just knows what to treat you with when you get sick.
    And internet forums are a more reliable source of information about my health?
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...



    Bingo!!
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...

    Probably a lot of water in the beginning. In my 20s I did pretty close to that the first time I gained a lot of weight and freaked. I lost about 25 the first month.
  • momofJandA
    momofJandA Posts: 1,035 Member
    you lost 43lbs in 4 months (over 10lbs a month average). . . . not understanding your issue . . . healthy weight loss is between .5-2lbs a week depending on how much you have to lose- on average you lost 2-3lbs a week. Probably mostly water weight in the beginning- hence the bigger number the first month. If what you are doing is working (and it appears to be if you are focused on the scale) then keep doing it.
  • soxfan2184
    soxfan2184 Posts: 48
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...
    You can add & subtract all the numbers you want
    But i know what i lost, i put my body in shock & lost the weight with a healthy clean diet
    And hitting the gym 5 days a week 2 hours a day! It is also called commitment which some people have none of so if you want to be negative go ahead im getting healthy while some of you are hating on me & calling me a liar smh
  • soxfan2184
    soxfan2184 Posts: 48
    Your doctor doesn't know what healthy is. He just knows what to treat you with when you get sick.
    And internet forums are a more reliable source of information about my health?
    Dr's are highly trained they know what they are doing.
  • soxfan2184
    soxfan2184 Posts: 48
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...



    Bingo!!
    It's called hard work & dedication go get you some
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    Your doctor doesn't know what healthy is. He just knows what to treat you with when you get sick.

    I often wondered what they did throughout all those years of training and being a junior doctor and........

    :huh:
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    I say GREAT JOB! even the last few months sounds awesome but I understand how it can feel low after that first month! Keep exercising and eating healthy, the rest of the weight will come. I eat a lot more (1800 per day) but see nothing unhealthy about 1200! Hardly starving yourself as some have posted. If your works outs start to lag up the protein a little but you sound on track!
  • soxfan2184
    soxfan2184 Posts: 48
    I say GREAT JOB! even the last few months sounds awesome but I understand how it can feel low after that first month! Keep exercising and eating healthy, the rest of the weight will come. I eat a lot more (1800 per day) but see nothing unhealthy about 1200! Hardly starving yourself as some have posted. If your works outs start to lag up the protein a little but you sound on track!
    Thanks,that really means alot.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    wait a minute..26 pounds in a month is like a 91,000 calorie cut..or 22,750 a week...

    something does not add up here...



    Bingo!!
    It's called hard work & dedication go get you some

    There is no need to be hateful about it. He's just giving you the numbers. Math doesn't lie. 3500 calories is a pound of fat. There is no way around that. There is also no way around the fact you have to burn X amount and eat X amount under to have a 3500 calorie deficit per week. If you break your numbers down to a weekly average then you would have to eat X amount and eat X amount to have lost X amount of fat. (water weight doesn't count)

    I don't think someone is being negative by providing facts.

    And not all doctors are trained in weight loss and nutrition. I had a doctor tell me in order for me to lose a pound a week, I should only eat 1200. Um...what? I'm 5'11 and in the before photo on the right, I was 315 pounds. My nutritionist laughed her *kitten* off and told me not to dip below 2000. My BMR is 2150. I eat 2200 and have been losing at a steady pace with cardio and strength training. I don't have to worry about starving myself at 1200 and lose weight quickly and have loose skin because I'm losing too fast. I don't have to worry about the heart problems I could cause by not eating the right amounts.

    Think of yourself like a car. You could put $10 in a Geo Metro and be able to go pretty far, but that same $10 in a Hummer is going to get you around the block.

    Check out http://www.fat2fitradio.com/about/ and get your numbers there. They probably will tell you a higher number than 1200 to lose weight in a healthy manner.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    nah, you should be fine. I've been eating like 1000-1500 per day for the last 10 months, and I'm a guy! been averaging 10 lbs lost per month over that time.

    This is definitely not healthy. Eating so little I would imagine a large portion of your losses are coming from muscle mass.
    100% of my eating is healthy lean protein,veggies & fruit
    Nothing else, i also workout 5 days a week 1 hour of cardio& 45 mins of strenght
    Training so i highly doubt it's muscle loss.

    Eating 100% healthy high in protein fruits and veggies + strength training doesn't mean you can't lose muscle if your on a calorie deficit, it just helps you retain as much muscles as you can while restricting calories.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    3500 calories is a pound of fat. There is no way around that.
    Well, yes there is during the initial month. Water. The bigger you are, the more extra you can retain. There is also the question of how much waste has yet to be eliminated. Many of us take the initial weight at what is likely a high point. Anyway, I personally lost that kind of weight in my 20s, but only during the first month.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    3500 calories is a pound of fat. There is no way around that.
    Well, yes there is during the initial month. Water. The bigger you are, the more extra you can retain. There is also the question of how much waste has yet to be eliminated. Many of us take the initial weight at what is likely a high point. Anyway, I personally lost that kind of weight in my 20s, but only during the first month.

    That's my point. Is it actual fat or is it water? You can lose 20 pounds but how much of it is actual fat? That's my point. My scale can change week to week. Am I losing actual fat or is it just water fluctuations? That's why I go by the numbers. If I know I'm not eating over 3500 over maintenance then I know I'm not gaining fat. If I lose 5 pounds in a week, I know it's mostly water.
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    I am 50, I don't lose weight as fast as I use to but when I was younger I could drop 30 pounds in less then two months. I did this once and kept it off for twenty years. Did I lose some muscle? Sure at first I am sure I did but I continued to work out and once the weight was off increased my calories from 1000 back to over 2000. I gained back 5 right away but through the year took that back off too. I also gained back the muscle I originally lost. The 30 pounds lost by starving myself on 1000 calories (sarcasm) was worth it because slow loss of four pounds a week frustrated me and caused binges!
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    3500 calories is a pound of fat. There is no way around that.
    Well, yes there is during the initial month. Water. The bigger you are, the more extra you can retain. There is also the question of how much waste has yet to be eliminated. Many of us take the initial weight at what is likely a high point. Anyway, I personally lost that kind of weight in my 20s, but only during the first month.

    That's my point. Is it actual fat or is it water? You can lose 20 pounds but how much of it is actual fat? That's my point. My scale can change week to week. Am I losing actual fat or is it just water fluctuations? That's why I go by the numbers. If I know I'm not eating over 3500 over maintenance then I know I'm not gaining fat. If I lose 5 pounds in a week, I know it's mostly water.
    It seemed like your point was that you didn't believe that it could be done (that much loss in the first month).
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    ..........

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