1200 is really low

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milliondays
milliondays Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started going to the gym and find that 1200 calories... well, I just can't seem to stay that low. Wondering if I should just adjust my numbers, perhaps to 1300. I never counted the exercice calories - my exercice routine was rather mild. Wondering if I should start counting exercice or not.
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Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    What are your activity level and weekly weight loss goal set to in MFP? According to your ticker, you want to lose 2 lbs. Is that correct?
  • julesg100
    julesg100 Posts: 109 Member
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    I couldn't eat just 1200 calories either. I chose the lightly active setting because I am on my feet, but not all the time. I also work out 6 days per week. MFP starts me at 1360 calories and adds exercise. I track my activity in the Fitbit app and let it sync with MFP. I try to achieve a 250 cal. deficit every day for a .5 lb loss each week. That might be an easier goal and would give you some additional calories to eat.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    1200 is too low unless you're very small and very sedentary. What is your height and weight?
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
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    I agree, but it also depends on the kind of food you eat. Spent most of my later high school years and college years eating between 800-1200 calories a day--never doing that again! lol.
  • milliondays
    milliondays Posts: 27 Member
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    I't too low, but if I go higher, I gain. I'm 51!
    Just counted my exercice points today - made me overeat by 500 calories.
    Not good.
  • milliondays
    milliondays Posts: 27 Member
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    I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. I'm 51 though - really tougher than when I was younger. I was tough then - it's brutal now. Will be horrible in about 10 years. Will survive on lettuce only, I assume.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    It's definitely low if you can lose at much higher calorie intakes, which is the case for most people. Find out when you lose and when you don't by experimenting with some different numbers.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Most people who are able to eat 1200 calories for a lengthy period of time are either very small people (very petite women) or they suck at counting calories. A poorly counted 1200 calories with a weekly cheat meal is much closer to 1800 calories then most people realize. If you are eating an accurately counted 1200 calories then I'm not surprised at all that it doesn't seem like much food. It's not. Raise calories to a higher level and see if you still lose weight. I try and lose weight at as high a level of calories that will still yield reasonably steady weight loss.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I't too low, but if I go higher, I gain. I'm 51!
    Just counted my exercice points today - made me overeat by 500 calories.
    Not good.

    Your diary says you've eaten over 1700 calories today and you're still under your goal.

    No idea what you're talking about.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    If you only want to lose 5 lbs. then set your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5 lb. Set your activity level to "lightly active" and eat back about half of your exercise calories. This will give you more calories to eat while still losing weight.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. I'm 51 though - really tougher than when I was younger. I was tough then - it's brutal now. Will be horrible in about 10 years. Will survive on lettuce only, I assume.

    Huh?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    If you're hungry eat more. If you only have 5 pounds to lose change your goal to lose .5 pound a week and it will give you more calories.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. I'm 51 though - really tougher than when I was younger. I was tough then - it's brutal now. Will be horrible in about 10 years. Will survive on lettuce only, I assume.

    Age is nothing but a number and doesn't affect weight loss. I know research indicates that metabolism slows with age but I call that BS because it only becomes an issue if a person makes it an issue. Age doesn't change the fact that you must eat at a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight. It doesn't prevent a person from exercising for good health. I'll be 51 in two weeks and two days. Now, ask me if I am going to allow my age to stop me.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    1,200 calories is a pretty low number but at one time, I did it for about 16 weeks and did lose a lot of weight. It's not for everybody.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. I'm 51 though - really tougher than when I was younger. I was tough then - it's brutal now. Will be horrible in about 10 years. Will survive on lettuce only, I assume.

    Age is nothing but a number and doesn't affect weight loss. I know research indicates that metabolism slows with age but I call that BS because it only becomes an issue if a person makes it an issue. Age doesn't change the fact that you must eat at a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight. It doesn't prevent a person from exercising for good health. I'll be 51 in two weeks and two days. Now, ask me if I am going to allow my age to stop me.

    I've always wondered if metabolism slows with age because people tend to lose muscle mass as they age. I dunno, that's just something I've always pondered.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I've always wondered if metabolism slows with age because people tend to lose muscle mass as they age. I dunno, that's just something I've always pondered.

    Metabolism does decrease with age. This is a well-understood fact, and the reason that BMR calculators ask for your age in addition to your height and weight.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    I've always wondered if metabolism slows with age because people tend to lose muscle mass as they age. I dunno, that's just something I've always pondered.

    Metabolism does decrease with age. This is a well-understood fact, and the reason that BMR calculators ask for your age in addition to your height and weight.

    I'm not saying it doesn't, as the bolded words in my previous post indicate. I was pondering why; what the biological reason for the decrease is. Do you know that part of it because I'm curious.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    Metabolism does decrease with age. This is a well-understood fact, and the reason that BMR calculators ask for your age in addition to your height and weight.
    I was surprised to see someone challenge this. Up till about age 25, I could eat entire cheesecakes without gaining weight. At 61, I gain weight by looking at cheesecake.
  • allie_oop_07
    allie_oop_07 Posts: 16 Member
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    I took a look at your diary and it looks like you are actually under every day. Whatever you go over on turns red. Some days you still had 400 calories before you hit your limit. Burning 500 calories exercising means that you can eat an extra 500 calories without actually going over your goal.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I'd like to lose about 5 pounds. I'm 51 though - really tougher than when I was younger. I was tough then - it's brutal now. Will be horrible in about 10 years. Will survive on lettuce only, I assume.

    Age is nothing but a number and doesn't affect weight loss. I know research indicates that metabolism slows with age but I call that BS because it only becomes an issue if a person makes it an issue. Age doesn't change the fact that you must eat at a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight. It doesn't prevent a person from exercising for good health. I'll be 51 in two weeks and two days. Now, ask me if I am going to allow my age to stop me.

    I've always wondered if metabolism slows with age because people tend to lose muscle mass as they age. I dunno, that's just something I've always pondered.

    Yes, metabolism does slow with age because of several factors like shift in body composition, reduced physical activity, and reduction of calories actually used by the body. These are real but I have had countless number of people in my personal life use these as excuses for not pursuing weight loss and good health. This is the reason I call it BS because this doesn't have to be a road block to weight loss.

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