Net calories 1200, im very short

sarahjuneblanke
sarahjuneblanke Posts: 46 Member
edited February 10 in Health and Weight Loss
Really need help on this here,
im only 4'11 and im currently 150, 30 pounds away from being a healthy weight. my calories to maintain this 30 pounds overweight is only 1400 calories. so if i stay at a net calorie of 1200 thats only a 200 calorie deficit a day.

Am I allowed to go below a net of 1200 since im so short? I mean, geez I like to workout and see results, not "oh it doesnt get you faster progress because you have to eat them back"

help?

Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    I calculated your maintenance calories and got 1771 per day to maintain.

    I think you may have calculated your BMR, which is actually what your body would need if you were in a coma to survive, not actually being up and about in normal life.

    So with zero exercise, your daily deficit could be as much as 571 calories per day.
  • pixiemom1808
    pixiemom1808 Posts: 1 Member
    If you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything you eat and you won't drop those unwanted pounds. I'm 5'2" on 1200 calories and my average weekly weight loss is 2.5 pounds with daily exercise and strength training. A steady pace of weight loss is better than dropping a lot of weight all at once and it's easier to keep it off.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    and if you're consistently working out then the amount you'd need to maintain is even higher than 1771. i put your info into fat2fit's calculator and got this as an estimate of what you'd need to maintain your current weight

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1777
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2036
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2296
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2555
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2814


    if you're working out 3-5 days a week for 45-60 minutes a day then you'd need to eat 2200 to maintain.

    to lose 1 pound a week eat around 1700 calories a day
    to lose 2 pounds a week (which is probably too aggressive for your size) eat 1200 calories a day

    of course the estimates are just estimates, you could actually require more calories or less.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    If you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything you eat and you won't drop those unwanted pounds. I'm 5'2" on 1200 calories and my average weekly weight loss is 2.5 pounds with daily exercise and strength training. A steady pace of weight loss is better than dropping a lot of weight all at once and it's easier to keep it off.

    What you said regarding "starvation mode" is false.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    If you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything you eat and you won't drop those unwanted pounds. I'm 5'2" on 1200 calories and my average weekly weight loss is 2.5 pounds with daily exercise and strength training. A steady pace of weight loss is better than dropping a lot of weight all at once and it's easier to keep it off.
    no. this isnt right. if there was wassuch a thing as starvation mode as you have defined it, people wouldnt die of starvation.

    starvation mode is a specific thing that happens when people are low body fat and their bodies start burning lean body mass as fuel. your body doesnt just stop needing fuel when you eat too little
  • sarahjuneblanke
    sarahjuneblanke Posts: 46 Member
    well believe it or not 3 inches of height makes a huuuge difference
    i think i will not go below 1000 net calories or above 1200 net. I will eat healthy ,lots of protein and watch my carbs and see what happens, i used to be 142 3 weeks ago, now im back up to 150 =( very depressed about that....stupid holidays...I even watched my portions like crazy! must have been the alchohol. anyone else gain weight over the holidays?
  • jennicole4
    jennicole4 Posts: 90 Member
    I am only 1 inch taller than you and eat a net of 1270. I figured my requirements out as follows:

    First I calculated my BMR at my current weight using this calculator: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    Put in 24 hours resting. This answer is the absolute minimum you would need to stay at your weight if you were sleeping all the time.

    I then calculated the same way for my goal weight (24 hours resting). Subtract the two and that's your deficit WITHOUT exercise and ADLs (activities of daily living). I plugged this number in for my net calories because I eat back exercise calories. If you won't be (and want to try this method), plug in the hours you spend in the different activity levels and use that number.

    I do this because I am basically eating at maintenance for my goal weight and it works for me.

    The closer you get to goal, the lower your deficit so losses will be slower. Also remember all estimates are only estimates and you just have to do your best!

    I bought a HR monitor to calculate how much I burn during exercise and I eat those calories back. I do not count calories burned walking to my car, doing housework, etc. I have lost 36 lbs. in 6 months with a couple of breaks in there. My ticker says 6 lbs because I lost some before starting mfp with a different app. I like mfp better though.

    I personally think 1,000 is too low b/c if you're super hungry all the time, you won't want to stick to it. Good luck!
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    Thank you SO much for calculator website. I'm just starting out and have been struggling with calories vs. net calories (and exercise). I have the same questions as other newbies (such as, "Am I supposed to eat the additional exercise calories?" and "Is 1200 a day what I'm supposed to be aiming for?"). I'm 5' 6" and currently weigh 135. I'm looking to lose about 10 lb., but really I just want to be get healthy AND be able to zip up my normal jeans and not have the muffin top (which has been growing at an alarming rate lately).

    This calculator REALLY helped me sort it out. My BMR calculated out at 1378. So a "diet" goal of 1200 calories is pretty reasonable. But when I entered what I thought was a typical day for me, I was surprised by what I got:

    Resting: 12 (includes tv watching)
    Very Light: 9.5 (includes working at desk)
    Light: 2 (includes housework, playing with dog, etc.)
    Moderate 0.5 (30 min. workout - me sweating buckets).

    I ended up with 1938 total calories.

    Since that is what I'd need to MAINTAIN my weight, it really helped me get a better idea of what I need to aim for each day! And to answer my own questions - Yes, I do think I need to eat back the exercise calories. 1400-1500 calories is a much more reasonable daily goal for myself. I tried exercising AND eating 1200 calories and I ended up feeling HORRIBLE (sick, nauseous, sluggish, etc.) for the rest of the day AND the entire next day. And when I looked at the NET calories for that day I WAY under 1200. No wonder I felt so miserable.

    So anyway - THANK YOU!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    If you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything you eat and you won't drop those unwanted pounds. I'm 5'2" on 1200 calories and my average weekly weight loss is 2.5 pounds with daily exercise and strength training. A steady pace of weight loss is better than dropping a lot of weight all at once and it's easier to keep it off.

    What you said regarding "starvation mode" is false.

    Agreed and just ike the other posters said based on your stats...1771 is TDEE....to lose as fast as you should it sits at 1417...which is quite a bit more then 1000-1200.
    well believe it or not 3 inches of height makes a huuuge difference
    i think i will not go below 1000 net calories or above 1200 net. I will eat healthy ,lots of protein and watch my carbs and see what happens, i used to be 142 3 weeks ago, now im back up to 150 =( very depressed about that....stupid holidays...I even watched my portions like crazy! must have been the alchohol. anyone else gain weight over the holidays?

    And yes 3 inches does but the calculations done on the scooby website were based on your stats.

    It is actually unhealthy to go below 1200 and each time you do this site will tell you that.

    As for the weight gain over the holidays.....I ate all the food but logged accurately (weighed my food and measured my drinks) and gained 1.5lbs

    What you need to do is concentrate on doing this in a healthy manner, buy a food scale and weigh your food to be accurate. Do a reasonable deficet and at your deficet you will be losing too quickly and wont like what happens afterward.
  • jennicole4
    jennicole4 Posts: 90 Member
    Thank you SO much for calculator website. I'm just starting out and have been struggling with calories vs. net calories (and exercise). I have the same questions as other newbies (such as, "Am I supposed to eat the additional exercise calories?" and "Is 1200 a day what I'm supposed to be aiming for?"). I'm 5' 6" and currently weigh 135. I'm looking to lose about 10 lb., but really I just want to be get healthy AND be able to zip up my normal jeans and not have the muffin top (which has been growing at an alarming rate lately).

    This calculator REALLY helped me sort it out. My BMR calculated out at 1378. So a "diet" goal of 1200 calories is pretty reasonable. But when I entered what I thought was a typical day for me, I was surprised by what I got:

    Resting: 12 (includes tv watching)
    Very Light: 9.5 (includes working at desk)
    Light: 2 (includes housework, playing with dog, etc.)
    Moderate 0.5 (30 min. workout - me sweating buckets).

    I ended up with 1938 total calories.

    Since that is what I'd need to MAINTAIN my weight, it really helped me get a better idea of what I need to aim for each day! And to answer my own questions - Yes, I do think I need to eat back the exercise calories. 1400-1500 calories is a much more reasonable daily goal for myself. I tried exercising AND eating 1200 calories and I ended up feeling HORRIBLE (sick, nauseous, sluggish, etc.) for the rest of the day AND the entire next day. And when I looked at the NET calories for that day I WAY under 1200. No wonder I felt so miserable.

    So anyway - THANK YOU!

    You're welcome! Glad I could help :)
  • hammersoaps
    hammersoaps Posts: 27
    I'm 5'0" and I need to lose about 40 lbs. Already down 10, and that was with thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. My daily calorie goal through MFP is just a tad over 1300. My maintenance is about 1800. I usually net just about 1300. On days where I do a really good workout, I'm eating at 1600-1800 ish and netting my 1300 and I feel pretty great. On the days when my activity is low or on my rest days, I am fairly satisfied at 1300. Some days I may go over by 50-150 calories if I just need one more snack to keep me going, but I'm still well under maintenance, so weight loss will still happen, just slower.

    For me, I see this as a marathon, not a sprint. If I can steadily and comfortably lose a pound a week and if it takes me 40 weeks. So be it. It took me 10 years and 2 kids to put on this weight, I can take 3/4 of a year to get rid of it.
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Bump
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