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.

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.

OK, comments on your diary:

1) Your protein goal is very low and you are consistently under. Protein goals should be treated as absolute minimums; your goal should be approximately 1.1 - 1.4 grams of protein per lb of lean body mass. That probably puts you somewhere around 110-140 grams of protein per day.

2) Your fat goal is also low. Science shows that people should be eating about 0.3 to 0.35 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day for optimal hormone and neurological function. That puts your fat goal around 56-65 grams of fat per day. This should also be treated as a minimum.

3) You pretty much never hit 1200 calories, let alone the 1420 that represents your actual goal.

4) Your diet includes few vegetables or fruits, and contains a lot of carb-heavy snacks like crackers and granola bars.


Recommendations:

1) Significantly increase your protein and fat intake. You have many days where you eat extremely low fat and low protein. This is counterproductive.

2) Try to limit the carb-heavy snacks and focus on eating more balanced meals.

3) You must eat more vegetables and fruits. Find some vegetables you enjoy and make a concerted effort to work them into 2 meals a day.

4) In general try to focus your meals around meat and vegetables.

5) Hit your calorie goal. Consider any day where you end more than 75 calories away from your goal, in either direction, as a mistake. Hunger is misleading and often nonexistent. If you're "not hungry" but have not yet met your nutrient and calorie goals for the day eat anyway.

6) Buy a food scale. You don't appear to be weighing food and, believe me, this is critical. There is simply no way to accurately estimate portion size and calorie intake without a food scale. A good digital one is only about $15.



Long story short: eat more calories, and try to limit the carb-heavy snacks. Focus on getting more meat and more vegetables at every meal. Hit your calorie goal consistently.

Thank you for your response. If I make this much more complicated than it already is for me, I'm afraid I will not have the strength to continue. I haven't been paying attention to the nutrient values too much. I just know that I've come a long way from my "everything fried" southern roots. Food just doesn't even taste the same anymore. I usually choose the granola bar because it's quick. I simply don't have time to measure using scales. We eat supper late enough as it is. I do tend to take the higher calorie counts in MFP as a safeguard against going over on my calories. If I hit 1200 daily, would that make a difference if I don't keep up with the nutrient values?

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.

This. It takes about 2.5 minutes of my day to weigh stuff. And dont measure food with a measuring cup unless its a liquid.

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.

This is good advice too. I understand not wanting to bite off more than you can chew. When I first started out, I didn't weigh everything. I did measure it, but I didn't weigh it. I also didn't pay attention to my macros. It's been a gradual evolution for me.

If you're hitting that higher calorie goal of 1420, you don't need to worry so much about your nutrition. If you're eating a decent amount of food, you're probably going to do okay at giving your body what it needs. It's only when you start eating the bare minimum of calories that you have to be REALLY careful about your nutrition if you want to stay healthy. Start out slow if you have to and build on your new habits as you go.

Someone also mentioned above that you can look at weekly calorie totals instead of daily ones. Some people do choose to do that, and it works out fine. However, you have to keep in mind that if you choose to under eat on certain days, you have to make those calories up on other days during the week.

I do still recommend getting a food scale, as they really are incredibly easy to use. But there's no need to be overly rigid or strict when it comes to your calorie goal or your food choices. Eat what you like. Just make sure you log it accurately and consistently.

I agree with you about weighing foods. It's amazing how we can under estimate what we put in our mouths, and wonder why we are not making any progress. I bought a food scale in December, and I love it. Measuring cups are, also, my best friends.
Healthy diets are such a science, and food affects our bodies in many complex ways. Thank goodness for the internet! I am always looking up something or other. I've made the statement before that it should not be a diet, it should be a lifestyle change in order for it to work. It's a personal commitment... I definitely don't want to go back where I was.

To the OP: I definitely understand the need for slow change and the drastic shift from eating total junk almost all the time to eating better even half the time. Please understand that the advice people are giving you is to make your journey work *optimally* with *best results* - as in, you'll spare your lean body mass, you won't go crazy with mood swings, hair loss, etc. from not enough nutrients, and you won't be starving your body of what it needs simply to get the pounds off quickly.

So if you don't want to start weighing things right away, well nobody can make you! If you are this resistant, then you probably need some time to get used to the idea of logging and measuring in general. I can tell you that this is the eye-opening MFP thread that got me weighing foods: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

That said, the first few weeks of my diet I did not weigh, I did not use MFP, I wrote down what I ate and got a ballpark number, I still lost weight (it's easy the first couple weeks, isn't it! heh). I don't agree with people that say if you're not going to log "properly" then you shouldn't log at all. Especially if, like me, you are completely new to logging your foods in the first place! You don't have to be perfect. But you DO have to be trying, which it sounds to me like you are. Just keep on keepin' on.

About the calories, you definitely need to eat at least 1200 calories a day. You're not going to have consistent weight loss if you are constantly underfeeding yourself, and if you do, you will most likely be suffering nutritionally which is really more important than getting the pounds off quickly. Of course without proper weighing, it is hard to know exactly how much you are eating which is why you're getting so much flack for that. But again, the important part is to be moving in that direction. Know that at some point, it's going to be best for you to be more accurate in logging and preparing food.

I DO understand that change takes a long time for some people, and it's totally okay, that's how it is with me too. People might seem harsh but many are giving solid advice. It's a journey and you don't have to be perfect, but MUST move in the general direction of managing food better if you want long term results.