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1200 calories???

anncan37
anncan37 Posts: 22 Member
edited January 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all!

I have heard some great things about this site and am happy to join a community where I can partner with others on my journey!

I'm 5' 7" and 180, working toward a 30lb loss....MFP suggested 1200 NET calories, which is really, really low. Really low.

Does that mean that if I eat 1800 calories a day (as an active woman), I should work toward a daily calorie deficit of 600 through activity making my net calorie intake 1200? Am I thinking about this correctly, or is there an explanation that someone can offer?

Replies

  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
    That is way too low. check out www.iifym.com so you can get a rather accurate TDEE and BMR count but judging by your stats I would say start anywhere between 1500-1600 for two weeks and go from there.

    Good luck :)
  • jessvaughn74
    jessvaughn74 Posts: 164 Member
    1200 seems to be the standard that MFP sets. This is a good post explaining TDEE : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=short+sweet+<span class=

    Good luck!! :)
  • eevincheezburger
    eevincheezburger Posts: 163 Member
    1200 is quite a shock to your body! You might have some initial water loss, but for someone your height, it's likely that you will need a lot higher calorie intake just to sustain your bodily functions (BMR). I am 5'3" and at 1200 I lost a grand total of 5 lbs, and then stalled out my weight loss completely. Do the BMR/TDEE thing :)
  • alt1268
    alt1268 Posts: 159 Member
    That is way too low. check out www.iifym.com so you can get a rather accurate TDEE and BMR count but judging by your stats I would say start anywhere between 1500-1600 for two weeks and go from there.

    Good luck :)

    I agree!
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    yes its 1200
    and yes its too low
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    If 1200 is too low put in a lower target weight loss rate.

    Yes, if you ate 1800 it would expect 600 of exercise (optimistic, perhaps) to "net" 1200, but by simply dialling in a lower loss rate like 0.5 or 1 lb/week the 1200 will increase anyway.
  • anncan37
    anncan37 Posts: 22 Member
    Thank you, everyone, for your responses! I will look into the links ... getting the nutrition part is so crucial, I really want to learn how to properly support my fitness efforts!

    Very much appreciated!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    1200 is the default minimum. I bet you told the program you want to lose 2 lb a week...yes? Change that to one or one and a half ...you'll get a more reasonable calorie allotment. I lost most of my weight eating over 1600... plus my exercise calories.
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