1200 cals is just fine. 1100 is just fine too. If....
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My Doctor always says get your vitamins from food, but yeah I have been on vitamins since I started my eating program and I take some other vitamins as well, like I always take extra vitamin B and D in the winter. But I definitely do not expect something out of a bottle to ensure I get proper nutrition. My plan has 45--50% protein, 30-35% carbs, 20% fat, and that has been working for me, although I am raising the protein since I started lifting, I am at or over my body weight in grams this week.I can get everything I need in less than 1000 calories with a multivitamin. But it's a serious feat of meal engineering. And if this is the concern, then I'd be willing to bet my last dollar that the majority of people on this forum and in this country in general are not meeting all of the required minimums even when they're eating 3000 calories a day.
Honestly, I didn't feel great eating so little even though I was eating well, my brain needs more food to function properly. Also if you work out as I did all along, you just can't keep doing that to your body witthout paying a price, which will undoubtedly be the loss of muscle mass. You might not care about your muscle, but I sure as heck care about mine.
I have a friend who is a healthy weight and likes to dress skimpy in the summer and show off her body, but she is soft, she has a lot of fat, it jiggles when she walks, I look at her and think, when I finish losing my weight, that is NOT what I want to look like.0 -
Your body shouldn't have to "get used" to the small amount of calories you are intaking. Decreasing your calories slows your metabolism. Obviously there needs to be a deficit, but not that much. The magic number is not a myth, your metabolism will stop at some point due to starvation. Starvation doesn't actually feel like you are starving, but you will find at some time you will think you are plateauing and actually your metabolism has just stopped and you won't be able to lose any more fat and will be burning muscle instead. Take it from personal experience.0
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Have any of you saying it is fine to go on a long-term diet eating so few calories had your fat and muscle percentages measured? Do you look hot in a bikini (if you are a woman)?
I am just curious because there seems to be so little concern about muscle tone and body strength, just get the fat off...that is one club I do not want to be a member of.0 -
1100 calories is perfectly acceptable. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.0
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I agree with op. The magic number of 1,200 calories a day is a myth.
Sure, you're not going to die or go into starvation mode if you eat 1199 calories a day. But the point a lot of people here are missing is--why would you want to?
I know a lot of shorties on here that are losing weight eating 1500-1700 calories a day. If you could eat more than 1200 calories and still lose weight, why would you want to do it any other way? Because you're in a hurry to lose it? Well, that has negative consequences of its own.
ETA: Not to mention, I find it HIGHLY unlikely that anyone eating 1200 calories a day is getting enough nutrients. I would have to eat chicken breast and fish for every meal to meet my protein macro, and then I probably wouldn't be able to meet my fat macro. Carbs? Well, say goodbye to those. So how would I fuel my body properly? I just wouldn't be able to.0 -
right, well, you do that.. i eat more than double that and lift weight.. get my macros in and i am also doing awesome. I used to do this, then i realized i was fooling myself. Now i eat alllllllllllll day long and i am building muscle.
I am 5ft10 -
So that is net, right? So if you do the calculation of half your exercise calories and you end up with 1200 net, is that safe?1200 is the bare minimum for women...period...and at those levels if you are not very very careful you are missing out on a lot of macro/micro nutrients...period...and it doesn't matter how much weight you lose, you are losing a lot more than fat...
Yes net...
But think about it this way...the goal here is to eat as much food as you can and still lose a reasonable amount of weight not punish yourself by eat the least amount you can get away with and still function.0 -
THANK YOU OP!!!! I am 5 feet tall and YES, I eat between 1000 and 1200 daily and workout. I am NOT starving and my weight loss numbers prove I know what I am doing! I eat when I am hungry NOT when the clock says its time! What I do works for me...it does not work for everybody. Some people are very judgmental if you don't do it their way. Well, I tried their way and I gained! My way works for me. This is an individual process. I have gone from wearing a 20wp to a 4/6p.0
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I agree with op. The magic number of 1,200 calories a day is a myth.
proof please...just because you think it doesn't make it so.0 -
Hungry? That is what exercise is for. If you exercise for an hour a day, you can add a few hundred extra calories and have an extra meal! Also, the weight loss part of your new lifestyle doesn't last forever: when you get to maintenance and/or increase your activity level, you can eat more. Weight loss doesn't last forever... unless YOU ARE SHORT AND EATING OVER 1200 CALORIES!
WAT? This is an incredibly unhealthy way to look at exercise and weight loss in general. I seriously hope no one chooses to listen to you.0 -
Not sure why you felt the need to post this...it is common knowledge that the AMA says that in order to get in all your macro/micros you need at least 1200...and the fact you mention starvation mode...really?
I can get everything I need in less than 1000 calories with a multivitamin. But it's a serious feat of meal engineering. And if this is the concern, then I'd be willing to bet my last dollar that the majority of people on this forum and in this country in general are not meeting all of the required minimums even when they're eating 3000 calories a day.
Too much work. I'd rather just eat all the food and meet my macros too.0 -
My Doctor always says get your vitamins from food, but yeah I have been on vitamins since I started my eating program and I take some other vitamins as well, like I always take extra vitamin B and D in the winter. But I definitely do not expect something out of a bottle to ensure I get proper nutrition. My plan has 45--50% protein, 30-35% carbs, 20% fat, and that has been working for me, although I am raising the protein since I started lifting, I am at or over my body weight in grams this week.I can get everything I need in less than 1000 calories with a multivitamin. But it's a serious feat of meal engineering. And if this is the concern, then I'd be willing to bet my last dollar that the majority of people on this forum and in this country in general are not meeting all of the required minimums even when they're eating 3000 calories a day.
Honestly, I didn't feel great eating so little even though I was eating well, my brain needs more food to function properly. Also if you work out as I did all along, you just can't keep doing that to your body witthout paying a price, which will undoubtedly be the loss of muscle mass. You might not care about your muscle, but I sure as heck care about mine.
I have a friend who is a healthy weight and likes to dress skimpy in the summer and show off her body, but she is soft, she has a lot of fat, it jiggles when she walks, I look at her and think, when I finish losing my weight, that is NOT what I want to look like.
Your doctor definitely has a larger food budget than I do. To be honest, even if I had a million dollars a week to spend on groceries I don't want to think about how rough it would be to get everything just from food. But I'm new to trying to get all my nutrients, I had no clue how tough it was. Potassium is driving me nuts, and that isn't in multivitamins, except a token %3.
As for jiggling fat, that is a matter of genetics, age, previous highest weight, exercise (which I get none because I have asthma and joint issues).
Although if you tell me getting all my required vitamins and minerals every day and eat healthy I'll look like a fitness model, I'll try my hardest to believe you, because I'd really love for it to be true. :happy:0 -
THANK YOU OP!!!! I am 5 feet tall and YES, I eat between 1000 and 1200 daily and workout. I am NOT starving and my weight loss numbers prove I know what I am doing! I eat when I am hungry NOT when the clock says its time! What I do works for me...it does not work for everybody. Some people are very judgmental if you don't do it their way. Well, I tried their way and I gained! My way works for me. This is an individual process. I have gone from wearing a 20wp to a 4/6p.
This!0 -
THANK YOU OP!!!! I am 5 feet tall and YES, I eat between 1000 and 1200 daily and workout. I am NOT starving and my weight loss numbers prove I know what I am doing! I eat when I am hungry NOT when the clock says its time! What I do works for me...it does not work for everybody. Some people are very judgmental if you don't do it their way. Well, I tried their way and I gained! My way works for me. This is an individual process. I have gone from wearing a 20wp to a 4/6p.
Yup you lost weight......fat and muscle good for you....you punished yourself for being overweight by eating so little food that your body didn't have a choice but to use muscle for fuel...great job... /sarcasm
You don't gain if you are in a deficet period...if you gained you were eating more than you thought...and the fact you have lost over 100lbs proves to me you could have lost weight eating a whole lot more because the BMR of an obese person is always higher than a slim person because of the weight they have to move around.0 -
My doctor explained the same thing to me. Simple fact is that shorter people need fewer calories. He spent time going over fact sheets, recommending books to read, and helping me to understand that my body will not go into starvation mode if I eat fewer calories. He also showed me research that indicated calorie confusion is important for short people, so I have 2 days per week where my calories are higher than normal - not an all out binge, mind you, but 1600 calories is the target for those days.0
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I do eat a lot of chicken and fish, but to answer your question, I was in a hurry to get out of the obese range because I wanted my health back. It is much easier for me to do the things I am doing now than it would have been had I attempted them in the obese range. I had slowed down on my working out for the year before I started the diet because I was depressed that after 2 years of HIIT and sprinting and jumping rope and stuff, the main thing I had to show for it was a hiatal hernia, I had lost 20 lbs. and as soon as I slowed down it came back pretty fast. The hernia did make it more urgent for me to lose weight as it was causing me problems like acid reflux at night, I threw out my Prilosec after I lost the first 10 lbs. and the hernia doesn't even bother me anymore, not even with lifting weights, I know they don't spontaneously heal themselves, but I think having more room in my abdomen solved the issue.I know a lot of shorties on here that are losing weight eating 1500-1700 calories a day. If you could eat more than 1200 calories and still lose weight, why would you want to do it any other way? Because you're in a hurry to lose it? Well, that has negative consequences of its own.
ETA: Not to mention, I find it HIGHLY unlikely that anyone eating 1200 calories a day is getting enough nutrients. I would have to eat chicken breast and fish for every meal to meet my protein macro, and then I probably wouldn't be able to meet my fat macro. Carbs? Well, say goodbye to those. So how would I fuel my body properly? I just wouldn't be able to.
So, my point is there can be health reasons (not just vanity) why people want to drop some fat quickly. Now that I have accomplished that, my focus has changed to fitness, getting and staying fit for the rest of my life.0 -
I am 5'1.5" and 1200 was way too few calories for me even with eating back all of my excersize calories (which I always do). I maintained a steady weight loss on 1400 net calories, so I don't know what the OP is talking about saying there are going to be a lot of "short fat people". If you feel alright on 1100 calories that's fine, but I certainly wouldn't.0
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You are short. And there are a lot of short gals on MFP, if you hadn't noticed us!
The most accurate calorie calculator, http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ puts a person of my height 5 foot, 1.5 inches, my age, 37 years, and my weight, told me that if I am sedentary and want to lose at a 20% reduction, I should be eating 1104 cals a day. I did that for 7 months and lost 30 lbs and am in better shape now than I was when I was 17.
YES, 1104 cals a day! I did not die, no I was not tired, no I did not go into starvation mode, and after a few months getting used to it, no I was not hungry! I have more energy and muscle definition now than I have ever had in my life (as with any calorie goal, I made sure I was eating plenty of protein and veggies, not just chocolate and potato chips!)
Telling EVERYONE that 1200 is too low becauuse 1200 or below is the EVIL UNSPEAKABLE NUMBER on MFP, you are going to get a lot of short fat people on MFP who give up because they are eating what their taller fellow MFP'ers are eating.
When someone new writes a post about "is 1200 o.k." don't just jump in and say "you'll die." Say "what are your stats?" Please. Can we stop the misinformation? Why is it so notoriously hard for short people to lose weight? Because they are following diet plans and calorie goals designed for average sized people - i.e. taller/bigger than us shorties. It need not be hard with the right information.
1200 is a 100% completely arbitrary number. Get the facts and go to the free website for an accurate calorie calculation: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Hungry? That is what exercise is for. If you exercise for an hour a day, you can add a few hundred extra calories and have an extra meal! Also, the weight loss part of your new lifestyle doesn't last forever: when you get to maintenance and/or increase your activity level, you can eat more. Weight loss doesn't last forever... unless YOU ARE SHORT AND EATING OVER 1200 CALORIES!
Agreed!0 -
If I thought I had to eat under 1200 calories for the rest of my life to maintain my weight I would…
I don't know.
I would do something drastic.
And it wouldn't be pretty.
*shudders*0 -
sometimes (on both sides of the argument) the individual person is lost. calorie requirements, genetics, metabolism, medical conditions, medications and hunger are not entirely one size fits all. yes, generally, all bodies work in the same way--but there are so many other factors we can't necessarily address in sweeping statements.
I am just pointing out that the 5'2'' 30-ish woman who doesn't exercise that states 1100 calories is sufficient is NOT necessarily wrong, nor is the woman with the same stats who eats 1500 or 1700 calories a day. bodies do vary. it is finding out what works best for the body we have.0 -
Anybody can be more fit, and you should be able to do something, even if it is walking, but it is easy to make excuses why you cannot. I have thyroid disease, but it doesn't have me, I don't let it slow me down at all. I will tell you what, when I am ready I will post before and after pics in a bathing suit (I only have one in a 2-piece after 20 lbs. down but that is good enough), then you will see exactly what I am talking about.Although if you tell me getting all my required vitamins and minerals every day and eat healthy I'll look like a fitness model, I'll try my hardest to believe you, because I'd really love for it to be true. :happy:
Jiggling fat means you are out of shape, it is not genetics, it is called not being fit.0 -
You are short. And there are a lot of short gals on MFP, if you hadn't noticed us!
The most accurate calorie calculator, http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ puts a person of my height 5 foot, 1.5 inches, my age, 37 years, and my weight, told me that if I am sedentary and want to lose at a 20% reduction, I should be eating 1104 cals a day. I did that for 7 months and lost 30 lbs and am in better shape now than I was when I was 17.
Key part is bolded.
If you are so sedentary that you need to eat 1100 calories to lose weight, your lifestyle is a major risk factor for heart disease and premature death.
Seriously.
That should be the takeaway from this thread: if you need to eat 1100 calories a day to lose weight, you need to get off your butt and get more physical activity.0 -
I'm new to trying to get all my nutrients, I had no clue how tough it was. Potassium is driving me nuts, and that isn't in multivitamins, except a token %3.
...
Although if you tell me getting all my required vitamins and minerals every day and eat healthy I'll look like a fitness model, I'll try my hardest to believe you, because I'd really love for it to be true. :happy:
Potassium is in a lot of foods, but it isn't something required to put on labels in the U.S. (don't know where you are.) If you aren't experiencing weakness, fatigue, muscle spasms, then you're probably ok -- though low/high potassium is a SERIOUS problem, I want to add. However, if you are eating a sensible diet filled with a variety of healthy foods, you are unlikely to be deficient.
Getting all of your vitamins and minerals is more about being healthy than losing weight. Having glowing skin, strong hair, strong bones, being in a good mood, having a brain and heart that functions at peak levels.0 -
if you need to eat 1100 calories a day to lose weight, you need to get off your butt and get more physical activity.
Q.F.T.0 -
I used to wonder what was with all the 1200 bashing myself, but honestly I think on a public forum such as this, the best thing is that the majority of people don't recommend it. It's really important that people who join here do question themselves as to whether they are eating what they need to do this in a healthy, sustainable way.0
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Anybody can be more fit, and you should be able to do something, even if it is walking, but it is easy to make excuses why you cannot. I have thyroid disease, but it doesn't have me, I don't let it slow me down at all. I will tell you what, when I am ready I will post before and after pics in a bathing suit (I only have one in a 2-piece after 20 lbs. down but that is good enough), then you will see exactly what I am talking about.Although if you tell me getting all my required vitamins and minerals every day and eat healthy I'll look like a fitness model, I'll try my hardest to believe you, because I'd really love for it to be true. :happy:
Jiggling fat means you are out of shape, it is not genetics, it is called not being fit.
Actually it is genetics to some extent, according to recent studies.
Regardless, if I can't breathe, I can't walk. But I certainly agree, fitness does matter. However, that was my point. Eating 1200 calories a day if one is sedentary regardless isn't going to make things any worse. However, if I were exercising, I'd be eating more than that, personally, at least over the long haul.0 -
My weight went up 1 lb. from retaining since I started, size-wise I am getting smaller, and I swear my abs look great, I could see them before I started (at least started to see them) but now they are becoming more defined and going in on the sides. I have pics in a 2-piece from 20 lbs. and 40 lbs. down, and pic in my underwear (didn't have a bikini, finally broke down and bought one) at 40 down because the 2 piece was pushing up my fat to my waist and making me look fatter, so the underwear pic is going to make a really good comparision later, it looks like a bikini anyway, who cares.
The difference between me and the OP is that when I ate too little, I knew exactly what I was doing and what the consequences could be, that is why I stopped as soon as I got enough fat off, although I still may have to keep raising, taking it a week at a time.okay well then...at 30lbs a TDEE-20% deficet is too high...sorry...
How fast does weight lifting work? I just started a week ago yesterday and already my abdominal muscles have a huge difference, my husband was like...keep going. Now I also do T-Tapp and Pilates, but it seems like lifting weights contributed to this, is that possible that fast? I can't believe what my abs are starting to look like, talk about motivation.
Weight lifting begins working almost immediately but that being said new exercise causes water/glycogen stores in the muscles which can mask weight loss so don't get discouraged and don't look at the scale for a reward or validation.
Make sure you take pics, measurments and watch BF% go down....
I've been lifting for 7 months (I know sounds like a long time) but the changes are dramatic...I weigh 156 and wear a size 5/6...and I am 5 ft 7.
I have a great pic even in clothes that shows my ab fat around when I started, it is from last November. If you friend me you can see pics in clothes on my blog up to 40 lbs. down, I haven't posted bathing suit pics yet, but at some point I will. 0 -
THANK YOU OP!!!! I am 5 feet tall and YES, I eat between 1000 and 1200 daily and workout. I am NOT starving and my weight loss numbers prove I know what I am doing! I eat when I am hungry NOT when the clock says its time! What I do works for me...it does not work for everybody. Some people are very judgmental if you don't do it their way. Well, I tried their way and I gained! My way works for me. This is an individual process. I have gone from wearing a 20wp to a 4/6p.
So true! I'm 5'1" so started at the 1,200 calories and only had vanity weight to lose. I had no problems with that at all getting to goal weight. I upped the goal to 1,400 calories but average 1,300 calories and am stalled at my goal weight so just went back to 1,200 calories to the low end of healthy.0 -
You are short. And there are a lot of short gals on MFP, if you hadn't noticed us!
The most accurate calorie calculator, http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ puts a person of my height 5 foot, 1.5 inches, my age, 37 years, and my weight, told me that if I am sedentary and want to lose at a 20% reduction, I should be eating 1104 cals a day. I did that for 7 months and lost 30 lbs and am in better shape now than I was when I was 17.
YES, 1104 cals a day! I did not die, no I was not tired, no I did not go into starvation mode, and after a few months getting used to it, no I was not hungry! I have more energy and muscle definition now than I have ever had in my life (as with any calorie goal, I made sure I was eating plenty of protein and veggies, not just chocolate and potato chips!)
Telling EVERYONE that 1200 is too low becauuse 1200 or below is the EVIL UNSPEAKABLE NUMBER on MFP, you are going to get a lot of short fat people on MFP who give up because they are eating what their taller fellow MFP'ers are eating.
When someone new writes a post about "is 1200 o.k." don't just jump in and say "you'll die." Say "what are your stats?" Please. Can we stop the misinformation? Why is it so notoriously hard for short people to lose weight? Because they are following diet plans and calorie goals designed for average sized people - i.e. taller/bigger than us shorties. It need not be hard with the right information.
1200 is a 100% completely arbitrary number. Get the facts and go to the free website for an accurate calorie calculation: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Hungry? That is what exercise is for. If you exercise for an hour a day, you can add a few hundred extra calories and have an extra meal! Also, the weight loss part of your new lifestyle doesn't last forever: when you get to maintenance and/or increase your activity level, you can eat more. Weight loss doesn't last forever... unless YOU ARE SHORT AND EATING OVER 1200 CALORIES!
I am 5'0. I lose weight at 1700.
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THANK YOU OP!!!! I am 5 feet tall and YES, I eat between 1000 and 1200 daily and workout. I am NOT starving and my weight loss numbers prove I know what I am doing! I eat when I am hungry NOT when the clock says its time! What I do works for me...it does not work for everybody. Some people are very judgmental if you don't do it their way. Well, I tried their way and I gained! My way works for me. This is an individual process. I have gone from wearing a 20wp to a 4/6p.
So true! I'm 5'1" so started at the 1,200 calories and only had vanity weight to lose. I had no problems with that at all getting to goal weight. I upped the goal to 1,400 calories but average 1,300 calories and am stalled at my goal weight so just went back to 1,200 calories to the low end of healthy.
I'm not sure I understand. You ate 1200 calories, got to your goal weight, upped your calories and "stalled" at your goal weight which makes sense since it's your goal weight, but then decided to go back to 1200 calories because you were maintaining the goal weight?0
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