Do I have to eat over 1200 calories a day?

Why do people just post this topic over and over again. The answer will always be the same. Do your research. Find your BMR and your TDEE. Don't eat below your BMR and don't eat above your TDEE. Usually about 20% less than your TDEE is what I do. I will never understand the lack of motivation to actually read and educate. If you read through the other 1200 calorie crap on here you will see the same answers given over and over no matter what the situation.

Hon, weighing your food won't take more than 5 minutes out of your day. If you want to succeed at fat loss, don't make excuses. If you're not measuring your food intake, who knows how many calories you're really eating? If you don't know that, why does it matter what MFP says?

The above list of advice will help you lose fat healthfully and meet your goals. If you have the time to interact on a forum, you've got the time to measure foods, or make healthful choices.

It already consumes me. I don't know any other way to put it other than the more I use my measuring cups, the more I hate food.

It gets easier as you get better at it. Weighing is actually easier than measuring cups, btw.

I'm always afraid I won't have enough calories for my evening meal with the family, so I add those calories in MFP first, then I decide what I'm having for lunch. I usually leave myself some leeway just in case I want a snack after supper. But then.. a lot of times, we end up eating a late supper and so I'm not hungry enough for a snack before bed.

Hi. I am 46, 5'2.5 and now maintain at 133lbs having started around 160lbs.

What stands out to me in your post is the excerpt above. You worry about not having enough cals left so hoard them, then regularly under eat. Maybe try a small change like eating a bit more a bit earlier? If you go over a bit that night then adjust it the next day until you establish a pattern.

I plan my food the night before and am in a settled pattern now so KNOW I have enough to "spend" or know I can earn it by clocking up a bit of exercise if needed. Not manic rabid exercise, just jogging on spot or bouncing on mini tramp if needed.

It already consumes me. I don't know any other way to put it other than the more I use my measuring cups, the more I hate food.

Do you have a food scale? The "tare" button makes it really easy to add multiple foods to a plate without using a bunch of different containers.
It's really as easy as scooping food onto a plate. Except instead of the plate being on the counter, it's on the food scale.

Why do people just post this topic over and over again. The answer will always be the same. Do your research. Find your BMR and your TDEE. Don't eat below your BMR and don't eat above your TDEE. Usually about 20% less than your TDEE is what I do. I will never understand the lack of motivation to actually read and educate. If you read through the other 1200 calorie crap on here you will see the same answers given over and over no matter what the situation.

Pretty rude. Not everyone who comes on this site probably even realizes there is a search bar. Isn't the message boards goal to have people ask their questions and get answers? Or should we use them to talk about what type of pants/shorts girls look better in? There are a lot of stupid threads on the message boards...if you dont like them, dont read them.

This could be discouraging people from getting informed, getting help, and ultimately discourage them from losing weight.

7 pounds the first week, it is common to lose a lot of weight at the beginning as you also lose a significant amount of waterweight.

Second week seems to go well with a loss of 4 pounds, either you ate way too less, because in order to lose 4 pounds of fat you'd have to be under a caloric deficit of aprox 2000 each day, and if I'm not mistaken you eat around 1200 calories a day, if it was pure fat your maintenance calories would be 3200, which I doubt it is unless you're very active.

As for the last week, keep in mind you can lose weight, yet stay on the same weight, how's that? Well if you increase your sodium intake you'll hold on to a lot of waterweight, especially on a cut your body will usually try harder to keep water weight, so I would definitely watch your sodium intake aswell.

I don't think your body stopped burning fat this quickly or slowed down your metabolism this fast, what I would advise you to do is to find out what your maintenance calories are, then substract 1000 calories from that in order to loose 2 pounds a week which is considered a healthy pace of weight loss, after a specific amount of time your metabolism might slow down, which is normal if you take in less calories, then you can adjust your calorie intake again by let's say substracting another 100 calories from your daily intake in order to keep the weight loss at a steady pace.

I wish you luck!

Let me start by saying my stats are very similar to yours -- I'm 44, 5'1", started at 291 pounds, and now weigh 193. I too tend to eat lighter during the day, reserving more calories for the evening, because that's how I like to eat. And yes, some days things wind up running amok and I don't come close to my minimum calorie goal (I aim for 1400 minimum and 1800 maximum depending on amount of exercise and such -- I used MFP's set up and calculated my TDEE and all of that once I got really comfortable with MFP). most of the time, on those sort of days, I shove something in my mouth to bump my calories up more, because I don't want to nutritionally short my body. So if I'm lower on fats, I may have a slice or two of smoked gouda or havarti. Proteins? Snag some of my bourbon chicken deli meat I keep on hand. Or, I also have a variety of roasted nuts and seeds and such (edamame, pumpkin, sesame sticks, etc). Sweet tooth hitting? I grab one of my Goodness Knows snacks (Peachy Cherry being my favourite). But I've also been known to keep some mini Toblerones around for those moments too.

So -- you're getting some really great advice here, even if it's not entirely couched in ways you find palatable. I'll try to find a middle ground for you

It is best to be as careful on your weighing/measuring as possible. HOWEVER, I do totally understand the 'not wanting to bite off too much too soon' mindset. YOU know yourself best, so make baby steps here. One thing all the good MFPers here encourage (including some here that people think may be too blunt) is doing things in manageable doses. Biggest cause of failure from a mental standpoint is doing too much, too soon, and too drastically. So -- if being responsible for weighing/measuring is going to derail you, then don't do it all the time yet. Do overestimate your intake though, because I guarantee what you think is a serving and what is a serving are dramatically different. If you aren't getting the results you think you should be, then the first step everyone here will tell you is to weigh/measure everything.

Look at the weighing and measuring as a tool -- a wonderful, wonderful tool. It's not being too food-obsessive or any other negative connotation someone might throw at it (I've heard some doozies throughout the years!). It's a tool to help train you on what your intake is, what a serving is, and help you along the way.

Under 1200 calories is very rarely good for you because the odds of you getting sufficient nutrition are low. So yes, try to bump that up and honestly and accurately track your intake to ensure you're doing it

As far as paying attention to your macros (proteins, carbs, fats, etc) -- it is better, for sure. But again, if it will derail you too much, then don't start there. Start on hitting a good, healthy calorie goal and on paying attention to how your body feels. You can truly eat whatever you want as long as you hit your calorie goal, but you again may short yourself on nutrition. That doesn't mean you can't have some of your favourite things, you just do it in more moderation than you used to. And if you really don't want to track these macros, then I would suggest figuring out foods that are good sources of all these items and making sure you balance your day with them. That way, yes, as you said, you'll be better off than you were before, and without having to do more than you feel you can handle though.

Small, forward motion -- one step at a time. Get yourself used to this and pretty soon phrases like BMR, TDEE, TDEE-20%, IIFYM, etc and so on will be rolling off YOUR tongue like the pros here, and it'll have been so slow and gradual, you'll forget that you didn't ever know all this good stuff.

One more tittle tip I see from your diary that you are a coffee fan!

A great way you could up your protein would be this:
- Buy a 24oz blender bottle (about $7 at Target or GNC)
- Fill with 2 cups cold coffee (I used decaf)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 2 tbsp sugar free coffee creamer (optional, but I love hazelnut so ...)
- optional add banana or peanut butter (PB2)

3 cups of fluid, protein and your coffee... I do this at least once a day.

I struggle with this notification every single night when it tells me I can't possibly be getting appropriate nutrition at under 1200 calories. However, I've spoken to my nutritionist and she assures me that the approximate 800 calories a day I am eating, divided appropriately among nutritious foods and proper amounts of protein, is fine. Each person is different. Each person has different nutrient requirements and different parameters for losing.

That being said, I am post RNY Gastric Bypass surgery, 8 weeks, and so my own needs may be drastically different from yours. BUT I can also say, having been yo-yo-ing for decades, that my primary physician has repeatedly recommended (for years before surgery) a diet low in calories, high in protein, and with complex carbohydrates for weight loss for me. She has suggested 800-1000 calories a day, up to 1200.

I would recommend speaking with your physician or nutritionist to be sure you are getting the right amounts of protein and nutrients for your own body. It will reassure you immensely and give you the confidence that you need to continue on this journey.

GOOD LUCK!
Peace,
Jo

"Nutritionist" is generally a non-regulated term. Pretty much anyone can hang a "nutritionist" sign on their door in your state, I believe. I seriously question the qualifications of any nutritionist who says that 800 calories a day is fine for anyone, especially someone who has 100+ pounds to lose.

But yeah you are presumably under a phsyician's care for your recent surgery, and your advice is completely inapplicable to the current situation.