is 1200 calories right?

careyw1
careyw1 Posts: 400 Member
in Getting Started
So its telling me to eat 1200 calories/day is this right...Ive read different post that its not enough..Im soo confused. Im 184lbs..5'5" and my goal weight for now is 160. And this whole BMR TDEE Im lost!! Help!

Replies

  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    I always tell people to eat as much as they can while still losing weight/body fat. Everyone has their own bio-individuality, so the # is different for everyone. If you can eat more, please do so. This will also help down the road by giving you more room to make adjustments down the road if you hit a plateau.

    Allan
  • HawkeyeTy
    HawkeyeTy Posts: 681 Member
    No.
  • outofworkpediatrician
    outofworkpediatrician Posts: 43 Member
    carey, it gives you a calculation based on the weight loss goal you entered.
    1. depending on your height and weight and activity level, it calculates the basic metabolic energy expenditure. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator if you eat that calories everyday, you will maintain your weight.
    2. then depending on the weight loss goal, it will calculate how much less calories you need to eat (without exercise) to loose weight. for every pound weight loss, you need to be 3500 calories less that your BMR.
    so if it calculated your BMR to be 1400 calories, you spend 1400 x 7 = 9800 cals/week. if you want to loose 1 pound per week, you will have to eat 9800 -3500 = 6300 cals /week or 900 cals/day. but mfp will give you a calorie goal of 1200 as anything less than that is considered unhealthy and catabolic.
    best thing to do i suppose is to calculate your BMR and then stay withing that calories and then exercise (cardio) to burn some calories for weight loss.
    hope this helps
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    It might be. How much weight did you tell it you wanted to lose per week?
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    carey, it gives you a calculation based on the weight loss goal you entered.
    1. depending on your height and weight and activity level, it calculates the basic metabolic energy expenditure. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator if you eat that calories everyday, you will maintain your weight.
    2. then depending on the weight loss goal, it will calculate how much less calories you need to eat (without exercise) to loose weight. for every pound weight loss, you need to be 3500 calories less that your BMR.
    so if it calculated your BMR to be 1400 calories, you spend 1400 x 7 = 9800 cals/week. if you want to loose 1 pound per week, you will have to eat 9800 -3500 = 6300 cals /week or 900 cals/day. but mfp will give you a calorie goal of 1200 as anything less than that is considered unhealthy and catabolic.
    best thing to do i suppose is to calculate your BMR and then stay withing that calories and then exercise (cardio) to burn some calories for weight loss.
    hope this helps

    You are confusing BMR with TDEE. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is your maintenance number - it's the number of calories you burn in an average day, at your current weight, going about your normal business.
    Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body requires to optimally support your vital organs and basic functions at your current weight if you were in a coma or otherwise incapacitated or physically inactive. Particularly if you have a small amount of weight to lose, you should eat between your BMR and TDEE to lose fat and maintain muscle mass.

    But you are correct that MFP simply assigns a calorie goal based on the information you give it. It will never assign a calorie goal fewer than 1200 calories for liability reasons. If you want to lose 20 - 25 pounds, you should only aim to lose about 1 lb a week. If you currently have your weekly weight loss goal set higher than 1 lb, lowering it may change your daily calorie goal to a higher number. Keep in mind that if you've added exercise to your normal daily life, you are meant to eat those exercise calories back as well. :smile:
  • kodibear123
    kodibear123 Posts: 185 Member
    I think 1200 is too low as well. Like the above poster mentioned put goal of losing 1 pound per week and eat your exercise calories ..:bigsmile:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    So its telling me to eat 1200 calories/day is this right...Ive read different post that its not enough..Im soo confused. Im 184lbs..5'5" and my goal weight for now is 160. And this whole BMR TDEE Im lost!! Help!

    It's just an algorithm, put in a lower weight loss rate and you get more calories.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Go here: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    Calculate your TDEE. Subtract 10 to 15%. This is the goal you should be aiming at.
    If you want to use the MFP way, set your weight loss rate in a way that your calories (adding exercise) are close to the number mentioned above.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I always tell people to eat as much as they can while still losing weight/body fat. Everyone has their own bio-individuality, so the # is different for everyone. If you can eat more, please do so. This will also help down the road by giving you more room to make adjustments down the road if you hit a plateau.

    Allan

    Umm.. look at him. Listen to him. Pretty simple
  • Trooty
    Trooty Posts: 15 Member
    My recommended calorie intake is 1200 too. I think it's the lowest calorie intake MFP recommends, as when I eat less than 1200 I get the 'naughty, naughty, eating too few calories' warning.

    I'm 5ft 6.5" and aim to lose a stone to get down to 126lbs, inputted that I wanted to lose 2lbs a week.

    I've been eating over 1200 cals most days as I feel that is too low realistically, but always staying under 1500. I lost 3lbs in the first week, despite eating more that MFP recommended most days!
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Trooty, if all you need to lose is 1 stone, set your goal to 0.5 lb per week. You simply don't have enough fat mass to lose 2 lbs per week-that's for persons with 80+ lbs to lose.
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
    Agree with figuring it out on your own. Being short, and old, MFP gave me 1200 as well, even to lose 1 pound per week. I have upped it to 1400 and am still losing more than 1 pound per week, while eating back most of my exercise calories. I may bump it up a bit more and see if I still lose. To me the idea is that it be sustainable long term, and I don't think 1200 calories per day is sustainable.
  • kmblank
    kmblank Posts: 43 Member
    That's low, you also have to consider your exercise. If you are exercising regularly, you need to take in more calories. Plus you have to look at the type of exercise you are doing. If you are lifting weights, which I highly recommend for fat loss, then your body needs those extra calories.
  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
    carey, it gives you a calculation based on the weight loss goal you entered.
    1. depending on your height and weight and activity level, it calculates the basic metabolic energy expenditure. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator if you eat that calories everyday, you will maintain your weight.
    2. then depending on the weight loss goal, it will calculate how much less calories you need to eat (without exercise) to loose weight. for every pound weight loss, you need to be 3500 calories less that your BMR.
    so if it calculated your BMR to be 1400 calories, you spend 1400 x 7 = 9800 cals/week. if you want to loose 1 pound per week, you will have to eat 9800 -3500 = 6300 cals /week or 900 cals/day. but mfp will give you a calorie goal of 1200 as anything less than that is considered unhealthy and catabolic.
    best thing to do i suppose is to calculate your BMR and then stay withing that calories and then exercise (cardio) to burn some calories for weight loss.
    hope this helps

    You are confusing BMR with TDEE. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is your maintenance number - it's the number of calories you burn in an average day, at your current weight, going about your normal business.
    Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body requires to optimally support your vital organs and basic functions at your current weight if you were in a coma or otherwise incapacitated or physically inactive. Particularly if you have a small amount of weight to lose, you should eat between your BMR and TDEE to lose fat and maintain muscle mass.

    But you are correct that MFP simply assigns a calorie goal based on the information you give it. It will never assign a calorie goal fewer than 1200 calories for liability reasons. If you want to lose 20 - 25 pounds, you should only aim to lose about 1 lb a week. If you currently have your weekly weight loss goal set higher than 1 lb, lowering it may change your daily calorie goal to a higher number. Keep in mind that if you've added exercise to your normal daily life, you are meant to eat those exercise calories back as well. :smile:


    Please do NOT ever eat below your BMR! I agree with bajoyba, you must be confusing TDEE with BMR. If you eat below your BMR, your body will not have enough calories and nutrients to even function if you laid in bed all day and did not move!!

    OP, go to iifym.com and calculate your TDEE based on your daily activity level, and eat below that. For your stats, I calculated your BMR to be 1527. You should be eating above this number and below the TDEE that you calculate. 1200 is the default that MFP suggests typically when you input weight loss goals that are too high (i.e. 2 lbs per week when you do not have much to lose). It is typically not enough for most people, and it isn't very safe to be eating that little amount of food.
  • ShannaPanda
    ShannaPanda Posts: 4
    Thats my number too, I am worried because I am a breast feeder and I know I need an additional 500 cal a day to provide for him. So I am not sure what to do or if I should follow the cal it says or just add 500 to it or what. =\
  • Trooty
    Trooty Posts: 15 Member
    Trooty, if all you need to lose is 1 stone, set your goal to 0.5 lb per week. You simply don't have enough fat mass to lose 2 lbs per week-that's for persons with 80+ lbs to lose.

    Hey, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. I’m very much guilty of always wanting to see maximum results (as quickly as possible) when I start with any sort of eating plan, which really isn’t the right attitude, I accept.

    This time I am genuinely focusing more on being healthy, than losing weight as quickly as possible (I’d like to keep it off forever this time) so I’m going to go and have a play with my stats.

    Thanks.
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
    Avoid the 1200 cal trap then. It isn't usually sustainable for most people. As they say "it's a marathon, not a race".

    It will do you no good to go eating 1200 cals and being grumpy and hungry all the time.. you will likely resort to things like binging or "cheat days" or whatever to satisfy your body, and that isn't going to help either.

    Slower weightloss is usually more sustainable and a temporary diet will not give permanent results.

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