1200 calories??

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  • beachbodycara
    beachbodycara Posts: 8
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    I, too, thought that was a super low number! Especially because it does not take into account a person's weight. So really...it is not exact. However, if you begin to incorporate exercise...such as walking on a tread mill...it allows more calories because it subtracts it from your daily total. As you utilize myfitnesspal daily you will start to be motivated to burn some calories because it allows you to eat more.

    Obviously, the choice of WHAT you eat is important. That's another aspect of the math here that bothers me. The number of calories is irrelavent if you are eating all sugar and fat. Some healthy fat is fine but try to eat mostly veggies and clean protein. I honestly think 1800 calories per day is more accurate for some people but that's likely more of a "maintaining" number rather than a "loosing pounds" number. Good luck! :)
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
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    Focus on healthy foods and see how you do at 1200-1400. Are you hungry? Is your diet full of sugary, fattening foods?

    It's possible to eat that amount and not be hungry. Many overweight people confuse hunger with other emotions that cause them to overeat. Differentiating between the two is the real challenge.

    lol No. Just no.

    Many days I eat under 1200. And I walk at least 30 minutes at a fast pace each day. I am not hungry or I would eat more. I'm focusing on cutting fat and sugar.

    I ate over Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day but still in moderation. I lost weight then too.

    Don't knock something without fully considering. Cheap therapy for all. When you meet people who have kept off hundreds of pounds for decades, you want to listen.
  • beachbodycara
    beachbodycara Posts: 8
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    Yes @photozoe. As you enter your calories burned you will see an "added" amount of calories. But if you want to loose weight...do not add all those calories back in if you can help it. You may need to at first, but as you get used to eating less you should become less hungry. Pay attention to when you feel hungry and think about if it's really a craving...or an emotional trigger...that's making you want to eat. If you can evenly spread your eating throughout the day (every few hours) your blood sugar should not spike as much, making you more suseptible to cravings and going off track. Good luck!
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
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    I know there's no "one size fits all" for calories in weight loss but just to put it into perspective. I'm 5'3.5" and I eat 1700 on non exercise days and more when I do. I lose about a pound a week like this. My daily activity is cleaning the house and taking care of two kids. The first time I tried MFP, I lost 40 lbs doing 1200, found myself miserable in the long run with little energy and relapsed. Now, I've found a sustainable calorie deficit that has me motivated for the long haul. I've gone from 170 lbs at 6 months post partum end of June 2013, to 123 lbs and in the best shape of my life. Here's some helpful links for those who are finding 1200 miserable or for those who need clarification that you can eat MORE and still lose at a decent pace.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
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    I know there's no "one size fits all" for calories in weight loss but just to put it into perspective. I'm 5'3.5" and I eat 1700 on non exercise days and more when I do. I lose about a pound a week like this. My daily activity is cleaning the house and taking care of two kids. The first time I tried MFP, I lost 40 lbs doing 1200, found myself miserable in the long run with little energy and relapsed. Now, I've found a sustainable calorie deficit that has me motivated for the long haul. I've gone from 170 lbs at 6 months post partum end of June 2013, to 123 lbs and in the best shape of my life. Here's some helpful links for those who are finding 1200 miserable or for those who need clarification that you can eat MORE and still lose at a decent pace.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    this is so true :)
    I can also now eat 1700 and lose weight, and my bmi is 21.. so you could deffo eat more than 1200!
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    The formula for calculating your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you burn per day just to stay alive) is as follows and based on the Harris-Benedict method:

    Woman's BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in yrs)

    You then multiply that by "activity factor" to come up with your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure (the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain current weight). Sedentary lifestyle is worth a multiplier of 1.2.

    Your BMR should be about 1665 calories per day, so your TDEE should be at right about 2000 calories per day. As stated above, this is to maintain your current weight. If you are trying to lose weight, you should reduce your calorie consumption by about 20% of your TDEE, which would put you at 1600 calories/day. That should be a good place to start.

    Obviously the body does not work like a perfect calorimeter, but this formula is widely used throughout the fitness industry to aid in establishing a baseline from which you can adjust and tweak as needed.

    References:
    "Basal Energy Expenditure: Harris-Benedict Equation." 2000. Cornell University. Retrieved from http://www-users.med.cornell.edu/~spon/picu/calc/beecalc.htm

    Agree, but check out this site to help calculate that

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • ThriceBlessed
    ThriceBlessed Posts: 499 Member
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    A couple of points:

    1st, that is "net calories", when you do exercise, you can log the activities and you are then allowed more calories. For example, my net calorie goal is set at 1200, but I usually eat between 1500-1800 calories without going over my net calories because I exercise a lot.

    2nd, MFP asks you how fast you want to lose weight and bases its calorie determination on that. If you tell it you want to lose 2 pounds a week it is going to get you as close to a 1000 calorie deficit as it can without going below 1200. In other words, it figures 2200 as your total requirement to maintain your weight, subtracts 1000 from that to allow for a 2 pound a week loss, and ends up with 1200. If 1200 is too hard to stick to (it would be for me if I wasn't earning extra calories from exercise), then change your settings to lose 1 pound or even 1/2 pound a week.
  • flab2fit_30
    flab2fit_30 Posts: 66
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    according to my calculations - i put your info into the TDEE calculator at http://thefitgirls.com/home, you should customize your settings to 1620 calories a day.
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
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    You probably have set to lose 2 lbs per week. Plus sedentary means you do hardly nothing through the day, which means less calories you burn.
    Change your goal to one lb, and eat back your exercise calories and you should be nearer to 2,000, which is a lot easier to do.

    1,200 is probably not going to be enough for you, if you want to try it, go ahead, but if you feel sick, weak, dizzy tired or just not healthy, then you really should do as suggested above. Eating too little for too long can be very hazardous, and can actually make you gain weight.
    So in the end, remember the turtle wins the race
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    I, too, thought that was a super low number! Especially because it does not take into account a person's weight. So really...it is not exact. However, if you begin to incorporate exercise...such as walking on a tread mill...it allows more calories because it subtracts it from your daily total. As you utilize myfitnesspal daily you will start to be motivated to burn some calories because it allows you to eat more.

    Obviously, the choice of WHAT you eat is important. That's another aspect of the math here that bothers me. The number of calories is irrelavent if you are eating all sugar and fat. Some healthy fat is fine but try to eat mostly veggies and clean protein. I honestly think 1800 calories per day is more accurate for some people but that's likely more of a "maintaining" number rather than a "loosing pounds" number. Good luck! :)
    The number of calories is irrelevant? :noway: And what you eat is important, but only macro and micronutrient wise. I eat plenty of sugar, fat, processed foods, fast food, ice cream, pizza and do on and it does not affect my weight loss. I am getting fit and healthy because I exercise and meet my macro/micro and fiber goals. I lose on 1800, would maintain on 2500ish.
  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
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    I know there's no "one size fits all" for calories in weight loss but just to put it into perspective. I'm 5'3.5" and I eat 1700 on non exercise days and more when I do. I lose about a pound a week like this. My daily activity is cleaning the house and taking care of two kids. The first time I tried MFP, I lost 40 lbs doing 1200, found myself miserable in the long run with little energy and relapsed. Now, I've found a sustainable calorie deficit that has me motivated for the long haul. I've gone from 170 lbs at 6 months post partum end of June 2013, to 123 lbs and in the best shape of my life. Here's some helpful links for those who are finding 1200 miserable or for those who need clarification that you can eat MORE and still lose at a decent pace.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    this is so true :)
    I can also now eat 1700 and lose weight, and my bmi is 21.. so you could deffo eat more than 1200!

    I agree with the above with one caveat. It's what you eat, not how much you eat - at least for me. I can eat 1200 calories of junk and lose - maybe a pound a week. OR I can eat 1700 calories of good for me, whole foods (proteins, veggies, good fats) and lose the same amount. I used to be a big believer in all calories are created equally. Now, I'm more of a believer of calories certainly play a part, but don't tell the whole story.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    I know there's no "one size fits all" for calories in weight loss but just to put it into perspective. I'm 5'3.5" and I eat 1700 on non exercise days and more when I do. I lose about a pound a week like this. My daily activity is cleaning the house and taking care of two kids. The first time I tried MFP, I lost 40 lbs doing 1200, found myself miserable in the long run with little energy and relapsed. Now, I've found a sustainable calorie deficit that has me motivated for the long haul. I've gone from 170 lbs at 6 months post partum end of June 2013, to 123 lbs and in the best shape of my life. Here's some helpful links for those who are finding 1200 miserable or for those who need clarification that you can eat MORE and still lose at a decent pace.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    this is so true :)
    I can also now eat 1700 and lose weight, and my bmi is 21.. so you could deffo eat more than 1200!

    I agree with the above with one caveat. It's what you eat, not how much you eat - at least for me. I can eat 1200 calories of junk and lose - maybe a pound a week. OR I can eat 1700 calories of good for me, whole foods (proteins, veggies, good fats) and lose the same amount. I used to be a big believer in all calories are created equally. Now, I'm more of a believer of calories certainly play a part, but don't tell the whole story.

    facts > beliefs

    your body doesn't know whether the carbs/fats/protein it gets is from a donut or a bowl of brown rice. it's all just chemical compounds as far as your digesttive system is concerned. don't fall into the trap of "thinking" that any one food is better than any other food when it comes to weight loss. the facts say that is simply not true.
  • marilandica
    marilandica Posts: 88 Member
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    Here's where it does matter what you eat -- some foods are just more satiating than others. You can burn all of your calories on carbs and high fat foods, but you don't get to eat as much of those and stay within your calorie limit. I found that I made healthier food choices while counting calories in MFP, simply because if I wanted to eat MORE, I had to eat something that wasn't so high in calories. I found that what I ate mattered in another way. It quickly became apparent to me that I needed protein to not be hungry. Sure, almonds are high calorie, but they're also enormously hunger-satisfying little protein bombs. Sure, a peanut butter sandwich is high calorie, but, again, enormously satisfying to my hunger in a way that pasta or straight carbs wouldn't be. Mind you, I still ate (and eat) carbs everyday, because bread makes me happy. But, I know very well now that I can't just eat carbs, feel full, have energy and stay within my calorie limits.

    I was fine on 1250, but I ate back every exercise calorie, and I exercise a lot.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Focus on healthy foods and see how you do at 1200-1400. Are you hungry? Is your diet full of sugary, fattening foods?

    It's possible to eat that amount and not be hungry. Many overweight people confuse hunger with other emotions that cause them to overeat. Differentiating between the two is the real challenge.

    lol No. Just no.

    Many days I eat under 1200. And I walk at least 30 minutes at a fast pace each day. I am not hungry or I would eat more. I'm focusing on cutting fat and sugar.

    I ate over Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day but still in moderation. I lost weight then too.

    Don't knock something without fully considering. Cheap therapy for all. When you meet people who have kept off hundreds of pounds for decades, you want to listen.

    You eat under 1200 calories, and workout.....?

    Yep, great plan.
  • laurarich2014
    laurarich2014 Posts: 51 Member
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    My stats are almost the exact same as yours and I was shocked when it gave me 1200. I had a desk job too but I try and do at least 30 mins of some kind of exercise every day. I adjusted my calories to be around 1500-1600 per day. I will see how that goes. I was told before to keep it around 1800 but felt like that was too high even with exercise.
  • 2000chances
    2000chances Posts: 40 Member
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    For what it's worth.....

    I started at 1500 as instructed by my Bariatric weight loss doctor. I lost consistent weight and logged everything I ate. When I didn't lose as much as I wanted too (based on prior week)...I lowered my intake to 1200. When I had my monthly check up with my doc...she told me to stay at 1500 because this was a crustal time to get my body use to such a big change in healthy eating. It's in repair mode. She also shared that too low of an intake of calories can lead to your body wanting to dive into the muscles for energy.

    Also, as stated in other posts here.....as you add ANY exercise (even walking your child around the block) ...you'll need those extra calories to sustain energy levels.

    Keep up the good work!
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
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    Focus on healthy foods and see how you do at 1200-1400. Are you hungry? Is your diet full of sugary, fattening foods?

    It's possible to eat that amount and not be hungry. Many overweight people confuse hunger with other emotions that cause them to overeat. Differentiating between the two is the real challenge.

    lol No. Just no.

    Many days I eat under 1200. And I walk at least 30 minutes at a fast pace each day. I am not hungry or I would eat more. I'm focusing on cutting fat and sugar.

    I ate over Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day but still in moderation. I lost weight then too.

    Don't knock something without fully considering. Cheap therapy for all. When you meet people who have kept off hundreds of pounds for decades, you want to listen.

    You eat under 1200 calories, and workout.....?

    Yep, great plan.

    I don't purposely eat under 1200 calories. I'm looking at the fat and sugar. Some days I am over 1200.

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