Is 1200 daily calories too much?

bubyloo
bubyloo Posts: 11 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
In my 50's, relatively light activity for many years and am now diligently tracking food intake for past 3 weeks. Plus have added in 3-5 days/week of cardio (approx. 35 min.) and 3 days/week of strength-training. Sometimes I eat my exercise calories and sometimes I don't. I'm only 5'1" and I know I didn't eat 1200 worth of calories when I was younger. I have lost 1 lb. only to have it show up again. Starting to think 1200 is too many calories for me since I just can't seem to break though and start a steady weight loss. I have about 30 pounds to lose. Would appreciate any suggestions! Help-I don't want to get discouraged and give up! My goal is to lose this extra weight, firm up, and be around for grandchildren!

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    your body uses 1200 cals a day just to function, if you eat less you throw your body of out wack and it doesnt have the nurtrition it needs to even function so it starts storing anything it gets so you wont lose weight.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
    You should use the BMR (basal metabolic rate) tool they offer on this site. Find out what your BMR is and try to stay under that. It helps me to keep weight off.
  • aflewis1
    aflewis1 Posts: 12
    well.. first.. 1200 calories a day is practically nothing.

    2nd...be patient. the weight doesn't come off that quickly for some people. and, i'm sorry to have to say this, but.....because you're a little older, your metabolism has slowed down quite a bit!

    what are you eating when you eat your 1200 calories a day? how much water are you drinking...be honest..it's only hurting yourself if you're not honest!! no one here is judging WHATSOEVER!! We are all here for the same reason. we all have a goal and need help obtaining that goal!!
  • avgulik
    avgulik Posts: 14 Member
    If the scale isn't moving, check your measurements. I haven't lost anything according to the scale in a month, but I checked my measurements yesterday and I lost 5 inches!

    I work out alot, a minimum of 4 hours group fitness, and 3 days of elliptical as well as walking so I believe I may be building some muscle and shaping up. The number on the scale shouldn't be your only measurement, it can get discouraging!
  • johnmcpherson
    johnmcpherson Posts: 2
    Dont be going under your base metabolic rate as your body will percieve this as starvation and slow down, especially if you are exercising you need fuel to do your workouts:smile:
  • TXmama
    TXmama Posts: 37
    I'm also 5'1". For a lightly active person, you probably burn roughly 1500 calories/day before any exercise (depends on how you define "lightly active"). But basically just walking around, digesting your food, thinking, etc. -- all that burns calories. Anything below 1200 is not nutritionally safe if you do it for a sustained period of time (that is, doing it once in a while won't hurt you, but doing it for days in a row will put your body into "starvation mode" and your body will take just about anything you eat and try to store it as fat because it thinks you are in a famine!). Assuming you need, let's say, 1500 calories/day, then taking in 1200 or so is a weekly deficit of 2100 calories. 3500 calories equals 1 pound so it will take you about a week and a half to lose a pound. If, on top of that, you are exercising and not eating your exercise calories, you'll lose a little faster. There is a lot of debate on this website about whether or not you should "eat" your exercise calories. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, and I don't even always hit 1200 but I don't go far under or do it too often. Don't get discouraged! It takes time, it is a marathon and not a sprint, but you can do it!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    1200 calories is considered the minimum healthy calorie consumption unless you're very very small (smaller than 5' 1"). Less than that and it's hard to get adequate nutrition, regardless of how healthy you're eating. I know it's hard to believe, but you really have to eat *enough* in order to lose weight and keep it off. Many people don't feel like they need more because they've been eating so few calories for so long that their body has adjusted to it. Trust me - you're burning more than 1200/day just existing!

    I'd suggest you take a look at your goals, make sure you filled them out honestly - the only things that impact your calorie goal is height/weight/age/gender and normal daily activity level. Once you're satisfied these are correct (obviously it's only the activity level that may need adjusted) then eat what MFP tells you to eat . Please note that you should log your exercises - MFP tells you to eat these calories as well (it's added to your food log allowance). Most people recommend you try to eat at least some of these (I aim to eat 50-75% of these).

    Here's posts explaining why you should eat your exercise calories:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108362-eating-to-fuel-your-body-very-long

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    This link explains how you can be not losing weight despite eating a really low calorie count:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    Slow and steady wins the race - the weight may come off slower than you'd like, but if you keep eating right (quality and quantity) and exercising - you WILL notice a different in time! Good Luck. :)
  • bubyloo
    bubyloo Posts: 11 Member
    I checked the BMR tool and it calculated 1220 calories for me--20 more! I know I'm trying to wake up muscles that have been "sleeping" for many years! And it's harder since I am older. I am an avid water drinker so get plenty of that.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I checked the BMR tool and it calculated 1220 calories for me--20 more! I know I'm trying to wake up muscles that have been "sleeping" for many years! And it's harder since I am older. I am an avid water drinker so get plenty of that.

    By the way - remember that BMR is what you burn with no activity whatsoever (staying in bed all day, sleeping). You burn more than this on a daily basis - look at your Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity on your goals screen. This is what MFP is estimating you burn before any exercise each day, based on your settings (gender/height/weight/age/normal daily activity level)
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    Okay, coming from a fellow short person (I'm ALMOST 5' 3"), I have to say that 1200 is not a magic number for everyone. It did work for me (34 lbs gone), but now I am trying to find a maintenance calorie amount, and there is no way I can eat as many calories as this site says and still maintain my weight where I am now. So I have customized my goals (go to goals, click change goals, and choose "custom"--just remember to save changes when you finish).

    I googled "calories to maintain weight" and checked several websites to come up with a number. There is even one that allows you to add your percent of body fat to find how many calories. Just add body fat percentage to your "google" and you will find a site with this.

    You might also want to check with your dr to make sure there are no thyroid issues--that was a problem for my mother-in-law, and there was no way she could lose until that was resolved.

    Good luck--it may be trial-and-error. But when you find the right number, it WILL work!!
  • bubyloo
    bubyloo Posts: 11 Member
    I had my thyroid level checked and it is okay. I saw something under nutrition about zig-zagging caloried intake and wonder if that would help. I also redid my goals and even though I put in that I desire a 2lb/wk weight loss, it calculates for me to lose .7lb/wk.!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I had my thyroid level checked and it is okay. I saw something under nutrition about zig-zagging caloried intake and wonder if that would help. I also redid my goals and even though I put in that I desire a 2lb/wk weight loss, it calculates for me to lose .7lb/wk.!

    So the reason MFP did this is that your estimated calorie burn/day is low enough that if you subtracted the 1000 cal/day needed to lose 2lbs/week, it would leave you with less than 1200 cal/day to eat. MFP will never reccomend you eat less than that. So... what you may want to do is keep eating 1200/day and make sure you exercise regularly (to get your calorie burn up) - just make sure that your total calories burned (normal daily calories on your goals page plus any exercise calories) isn't more than 1000 higher than what you consume. (So if you have a heavy workout day and you burn more than 2200 total between normal activities and exercise, you'll want to up your food consumption a little.)

    Really, if you only have 30 or so lbs to lose, 1 lb per week is a reasonable goal.

    Good luck!
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
    If you have just started a regular exercise routine you could well be starting to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.
    1200 is the absolute minimum you should eat.
  • hollystone
    hollystone Posts: 5 Member
    i think what you are doing sounds great... maybe try to cut out carbs and have more fruit and veg and your probably building muscle which weighs more than fat. xx
  • bubyloo
    bubyloo Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks to all for the helpful hints and encouragement. It looks like I need to always eat at least 1200 calories/day plus at least half of the number of calories that I exercise off. And I need to give my body more time to readjust to this whole new routine, especially with the exercising! I do feel better and a little stronger already having exercised regularly for the past 3 weeks. Maybe it will just take longer than I want for the scales to reflect a weight loss, but I am determined to be a positive thinker and think that it will happen eventually!
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    Thanks to all for the helpful hints and encouragement. It looks like I need to always eat at least 1200 calories/day plus at least half of the number of calories that I exercise off. And I need to give my body more time to readjust to this whole new routine, especially with the exercising! I do feel better and a little stronger already having exercised regularly for the past 3 weeks. Maybe it will just take longer than I want for the scales to reflect a weight loss, but I am determined to be a positive thinker and think that it will happen eventually!

    3500 calorie deficit will equal 1lb weight loss.

    If you are not at a deficit you will not lose weight.

    Somebody above said that 1200 calories is not a magic number and they are totally correct, you need to find a deficit that will ensure you lose the weight, it will be hit and miss for a while but once you find it you will be well on your way xxx
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