1200 cal daily minimum or net minimum?
Fit_Mama84
Posts: 234 Member
I was curious if the 1200 minimum is supposed to be the minimum daily total or the minimum net total of calories. And if you have sources to back up the information, I would love to read it.
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When you say net, do you mean after exercise calories?0
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Net, and my source is everything you said you read when you clicked through when you signed up.
If you are particularly short, you might need 1200 total, but MFP won't tell you that because it considers 1200 THE GOLDEN NUMBER.0 -
Net.0
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I was curious if the 1200 minimum is supposed to be the minimum daily total or the minimum net total of calories. And if you have sources to back up the information, I would love to read it.
The logic of 1200 calories providing adequate nutrition would suggest it's 1200 calories of food that you eat. Exercise doesn't take away the nutrients you ate. Extra calories come from body fat.
It isn't easy to find a source for 1200 calories, other than "XYZ recommends" where XYZ may be a sports college, health body or learned group of some sort. It isn't a thing in the UK at all so I'm guessing it's a US recommendation.0 -
aaahaaa!!!!!!! i knew it!!! I am sooo sure at my height I need less!!
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I've wondered about how height works into it, as well. It doesn't make sense a 5'2" and a 6'4" man should be on the same calorie restriction.0
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I burn 1200 calories by lunchtime every day, according to my fitbit. Definitely need to eat more than that to fuel my body through the day.0
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Let me find the article. I'll get back to you.0
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aaahaaa!!!!!!! i knew it!!! I am sooo sure at my height I need less!!
Why would you want less?0 -
I think that is a big generalization. I think it depends on height and body type. My BMR is only 1160 and I'm 5'-3". Here is something I recently came across though.
"An article from the Army Physical Fitness Research Institute containing a chapter titled The Nutrition Connection by Lori D. Hennessy and Gaston P. Bathalon states that 'Minimum Calorie intake levels for weight loss are 1,500 Calories a day for men and 1,200 Calories a day for women.'"0 -
1200 is the number that MFP set as the bottom goal. Most people need more than 1200 a day. Google TDEE and BMR to understand.0
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I burn 1200 calories by lunchtime every day, according to my fitbit. Definitely need to eat more than that to fuel my body through the day.
its 1200 NET so 1200 AFTER exercise cals, so if you eat 1500 and burn 1200 then your NET =3000 -
Personally, i think MFP sets 1200 as the minimum to stop this becoming an eating disorder website - its all too easy to not enough and to land yourself in hospital
If I wanted to eat less than 1200cals, i wouldnt be on a site like this, id be on a pro-anna website - MFP is a TOOL that has helped me track my food and see what im really taking in, but if i didnt want to use the TOOL then i wouldnt be on the website
im sorry if that sounds blunt but there are too many people ive seen on here who are eating less than 1000cals a day and i just cant see that on my friends list as it makes me think TOO much about how much I actually eat and I dont want to develop a disorder0 -
I think the ACSM recommendation is commonly used as a source of this. Take a look at this link and scroll down to the calorie restriction section.
http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/acsm-in-the-news/2011/08/01/metabolism-is-modifiable-with-the-right-lifestyle-changes0 -
I was curious if the 1200 minimum is supposed to be the minimum daily total or the minimum net total of calories. And if you have sources to back up the information, I would love to read it.
It's net...source would be the instructions for how to use this tool...all the info you're supposed to read when you sign up...the stickies, etc.
When you do your activity level do you see any mention of exercise? No you do not...that is because with MFP your activity level is based on just your day to day stuff and exercise is extra activity that is accounted for after the fact when you log it and get those calories to eat back.
Also, why do you think MFP would be trying to trick you into eating more food if that wasn't the way this tool was designed.
Note that with any diet and exercise regimen you account for exercise somewhere...you either estimate those calories and include them in your activity level and then take a cut from that number to lose or you do as you do with MFP and account for them on the *kitten* end of the equation.
So if you burn 400 calories for exercise, your net calorie intake is now 1,200 - 400 = 800 calories which is far too low...you need way more than that just for normal bodily function...so you eat back those 400 calories and gross 1,600 calories, but your net is still 1200...(800 + 400 = 1,200)0 -
So you wouldn't be my friend because I am a small person and have to eat hardly anything to lose weight? Trust me, I would love to be able to eat more!
ETA: Oops, meant to quote...
"Personally, i think MFP sets 1200 as the minimum to stop this becoming an eating disorder website - its all too easy to not enough and to land yourself in hospital
If I wanted to eat less than 1200cals, i wouldnt be on a site like this, id be on a pro-anna website - MFP is a TOOL that has helped me track my food and see what im really taking in, but if i didnt want to use the TOOL then i wouldnt be on the website
im sorry if that sounds blunt but there are too many people ive seen on here who are eating less than 1000cals a day and i just cant see that on my friends list as it makes me think TOO much about how much I actually eat and I dont want to develop a disorder"0 -
I think the ACSM recommendation is commonly used as a source of this. Take a look at this link and scroll down to the calorie restriction section.
http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/acsm-in-the-news/2011/08/01/metabolism-is-modifiable-with-the-right-lifestyle-changes
The ACSM has nothing to do with this tool or how this tool is designed....0 -
I've wondered about how height works into it, as well. It doesn't make sense a 5'2" and a 6'4" man should be on the same calorie restriction.
The taller of the two would be given a higher calorie goal but the restriction stays the same - 500 deficit a day to lose a pound, 1000 for 2 etc. Different goals, same restriction to get the same result.0 -
So you wouldn't be my friend because I am a small person and have to eat hardly anything to lose weight? Trust me, I would love to be able to eat more!
ETA: Oops, meant to quote...
If you were just a tad under the 1200 then that's different to eating 500cals a day - i have gotten really obsessed with food before, spending hours looking at food labels in the supermarket to find something that is 2 cals a serving less than the previous one, and its not healthy for me to be like that. Im not a judgemental person at all, but theres a big difference between someone eating slightly less than the 1200 NET to lose weight, and someone purposely starving themselves to be like a size zero model. I have no one on my friends list who 'just wants to lose a few lbs to look good in a bikini' because i am at completely the other end of the spectrum.
If someone eats and then exercises, and that takes them to below 1200NET then i personally dont see much wrong with that, as long as they are eating healthily and their NET isnt too low, but having working in paediatric mental health and had first hand experience of eating disorders, its not something i would choose to surround myself with on a website tool0 -
Definitely net. MFP recommends your goal calories based on your personal information (e.g., weight) and your weight loss/gain goals. It won't go under 1200 calories. People losing weight tend to go for aggressive goals because we want to be done as soon as possible. However, aggressive may not be realistic/sustainable, especially if you don't have too much to lose. While it's possible for petite people to have low TDEEs, my gut reaction to seeing someone with their goal calories set to 1200 is that the person needs to slow down his/her weight loss. Go for losing 1 lb per week, or even a half pound per week. Eat more. Keep losing.0
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I'm sorry, but it just strikes me as funny that someone wouldn't be friends with someone because they aren't looking to lose as much weight as them. I am going to keep all of my other comments to myself about that...0
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I'm sorry, but it just strikes me as funny that someone wouldn't be friends with someone because they aren't looking to lose as much weight as them. I am going to keep all of my other comments to myself about that...
I generally do not friend people on 1200 day goals, especially ones who do not net that. It is hard for me to keep my mouth shut and I hate watching people damage their metabolism.0 -
1200 is the number that MFP set as the bottom goal. Most people need more than 1200 a day. Google TDEE and BMR to understand.
This!^
1200 is a low as MFP will go (for women) .................
1200 is a product of "I want to lose XX pounds a week." It's just math...........not based upon a healthy goal (necessarily).
A 6'10" woman who has 5 pounds to lose & wants to lose 2 each week (dumb) ....I'm betting MFP spits out 1200.0 -
I'm sorry, but it just strikes me as funny that someone wouldn't be friends with someone because they aren't looking to lose as much weight as them. I am going to keep all of my other comments to myself about that...
I'm guessing the TOTAL weight loss goal is not the problem......it's the METHOD of weight loss that's the issue.
Losing weight too fast, results in fat+muscle loss. Some people are OK with that.....but many others don't realize that there is a price (you pay) for fast weight loss.0 -
I think the ACSM recommendation is commonly used as a source of this. Take a look at this link and scroll down to the calorie restriction section.
http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/acsm-in-the-news/2011/08/01/metabolism-is-modifiable-with-the-right-lifestyle-changes
The ACSM has nothing to do with this tool or how this tool is designed....
How do you know that the people who developed MFP did not use data provided by the ACSM to influence their decisions?
When this tool was designed, they put a boundary on the lowest net calorie target that would be recommended. My only point was that it likely came from some source, such as the ACSM. There are certainly other sources that state not to go below 1200 calories per day, such as the Harvard Health recommendations presented here: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm
I'm not saying the ACSM or Harvard have anything to do with MFP - simply providing additional references for the OP to consider regarding the minimum goal of 1200 calories per day.
However, I did just now realize that the OP was not asking why MFP chose to put 1200 as the lower limit of calories suggested - the question was regarding eating back exercise calories. Sorry for any confusion and thread hi-jacking.
Here's info on how MFP works if the OP is still wondering. It is found in the help menu, which is in the upper right hand corner of the website.
http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1026720-how-does-myfitnesspal-work-0 -
The ACSM has nothing to do with this tool or how this tool is designed....
it is the prime suspect for origin of the 1200 number though.0 -
I've wondered about how height works into it, as well. It doesn't make sense a 5'2" and a 6'4" man should be on the same calorie restriction.
It's not the same, for men I've seen 1400 as the recommendation.
fwiw in different sources I've seen a range, for women generally between 1200 and 1400, for men 1400-1600.
Clearly there is some scope for different figures, but it's a reasonable figure for the majority, clearly for those in the upepr and lower quartiles it's less accurate.0 -
Thank you to those of you who answered the actual question. I got a lot of good information.
For the rest of you, I'd like to put on the record that I regularly eat more 1800+ calories a day, its just that after all my workouts the net calorie intake is around 1100 calories. I actually wanted to see if I was getting enough calories, NOT if I could restrict more. So next time you may want to think twice before coming to snap assumptions.0 -
It's a World Health Organization recommendation, not a US one.I was curious if the 1200 minimum is supposed to be the minimum daily total or the minimum net total of calories. And if you have sources to back up the information, I would love to read it.
The logic of 1200 calories providing adequate nutrition would suggest it's 1200 calories of food that you eat. Exercise doesn't take away the nutrients you ate. Extra calories come from body fat.
It isn't easy to find a source for 1200 calories, other than "XYZ recommends" where XYZ may be a sports college, health body or learned group of some sort. It isn't a thing in the UK at all so I'm guessing it's a US recommendation.0 -
When I first started on here, MFP spit out 1200 as my goal. If I ate under that I would get the notice "you are eating too few calories..." warning. I only got that when I ate under 1200 gross calories, but not when my net came under, so I assumed the 1200 minimum was for gross and not net. Back then I did not participate on the forum at all and boy, this time I am learning so much more!
When I began tracking earlier this month, MFP set my goal as 1470. I was good with that. When I lost 10 lbs. I got a pop up saying I needed to adjust my goals. So I put in my new stats and it set me at 1200. I shook my head and adjusted the weight loss per week and my activity level until I got a better number. I am trying now not to get under 1200 net. I think that people will have more success with 1200 net minimum, in the long term it seems more sustainable.0
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