1200 is really low

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
    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
    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
    1200 is too low unless you're very small and very sedentary. What is your height and weight?
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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: 15,151 Member
    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
    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: 1,856 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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: 1,856 Member
    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
    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
    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.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    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.

    Is the bolded simply due to the decrease in muscle mass and the reduction of physical activity or does it have it's own reason? Do you know?
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    @Brower,

    In the study I read a while back, it stated because muscle mass burns a lot of calories compared to fat, the total number of calories needed goes down as muscle mass is reduced. It also mentioned the decrease in the calories used by the body's organs, such as the heart and liver, seem to occur as the body ages.
  • wallelf1
    wallelf1 Posts: 36 Member
    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.

    I just have to read the word "cheesecake"...so thanks a lot! :):)
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    @Brower,

    In the study I read a while back, it stated because muscle mass burns a lot of calories compared to fat, the total number of calories needed goes down as muscle mass is reduced. It also mentioned the decrease in the calories used by the body's organs, such as the heart and liver, seem to occur as the body ages.

    Interesting, thanks.
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
    I just upped my calories from 1200 to 1400 after a stressful and annoying week. I was amazed. I felt like I could eat anything, just with 200 extra calories. I ate kind of poorly today but damn, I ended up eating 1200 calories after all. Amazing. The struggle was completely psychological.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,856 Member
    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.
    This is one of the reasons my diary is private. I'd have to deal with the comments from friends who think I'm not eating enough. Actuallly, I don't always log my last meal because once I've decided to eat it, it doesn't matter. I'm not trying to create a meal archive, just a guide to what I should eat next.
  • alereck
    alereck Posts: 343 Member
    You really have to weight in how you feel compared to how much and how fast you want to lose.

    I was on 1200 for about three months and lost about 20 lbs but I was not miserable. I was measuring and counting accurately, but I also had cheat meals twice a week. If you are hungry and cranky then add calories because you won't stick to it for long. I find that I can lose weight at 1400 but very slowly, if I want result I go to 1200 and it drops pretty fast.

    Listen to your body and your mind, do what feels right. Don't go to 1200 unless it's sustainable but keep in mind that you won't have to stay at the number forever. I did it for 3 months, then slowly added calories and I am now at 1800 and have not gained a pound.

    Once you reach your goal weight you will be able to eat more as long as you continue to exercise regularly.

    Good luck
  • milliondays
    milliondays Posts: 27 Member
    Not sure I'm replying at the right spot. Re : keeping my diary private.

    I'm new to the message board, and I post the thought of the day - but yes, I overeat, and I undereat, and I have real funky meal days. When I look back at my own diary, I confuse myself sometimes. But I have to say, I do find it helpful to view other people's diary. Shows I'm not all that strange after all.

    My goal is 1200, but I might change it since I started going to the gym.
  • EverSinging
    EverSinging Posts: 30 Member
    It feels low because it IS low. That would be based on a sedentary lifestyle, and if you've started exercising, that's not you anymore, right? Congratulations on that by the way. Keep up the good work. This means you get to eat back exercise calorie. For me, since sometimes calories are an estimate because I don't weigh everything, I don't eat back all exercise calories. Why don't you aim for half of your exercise calories and see how that goes. If you're still not feeling satisfied, make sure the calories you are consuming count! I find good protein helps curb hunger, so I try to keep nuts around to grab a small handful if I feel hungry. Helps save me from binging and leaves me enough energy to go about my day. Good luck!
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I'm 55 and 5'1.5", 120 lbs. I have to say those last 5 lbs. are a lot harder if you are smaller and older. That being said, I have tried going below 1200 (following the CR diet for longevity) which goes below 1200 and couldn't manage with my activity level. Basically, I have to eat back the exercise calories, or I feel tired and weak after workouts. I too could be 5 lbs. less than I am, but I am choosing to stay at 1200, eating back exercise calories, and using exercise to get the body shape I want. I've been plateau'd for 2 months but have seen some good results. I'm actually eating closer to 1400-1500. Also, if you eat the right stuff and lots of small meals,, you can get quite a bit of food without too much deprivation. My diary's open, but don't look at last week! I was just on vacation this past week, so not great at logging or eating properly. However, check my diary in a couple of days and feel friend to message or "friend" me, since we are close to the same age with the same goals.

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