What's the absolute lowest you'll go on calories?

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Replies

  • I will never drop below 1800 again. My goal is to be able to lose on 2000 a day.
  • pds06
    pds06 Posts: 299 Member
    1200
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    Eh, I don't know. There are days that I'm just not that hungry (like today I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon on the toilet) or I'll happen to be really into my workout and burn off more than I'd intended to. I just let it be. I generally have ~1500 give or take so I don't see the harm in having some very low calorie days.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    My ticker is set to 2450 (TDEE method so gross) and I'd probably have to go a ways back to find a day that ended in the green, but I can't imagine eating less than 2000 at this point and not ending up STARVING by the next morning. I am also in the eat as much as possible while still getting the weight to go down camp.
  • joez71
    joez71 Posts: 8 Member
    As my weight loss increases I seem to do ok on lower calories, these days I find 1450-1500 is as low as I can got without getting cravings and still maintain my engery levels.

    I think its wrong to think of it as a static figure, your body is changing so it makes sense your requirments will too. I'd recommend you review it monthly.
  • What ever it takes to get the job done!
  • civilizedworm
    civilizedworm Posts: 796 Member
    I am physically unable to go much below 2,000 -- otherwise bodies are left in my hangry wake.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    When I started on MFP I net 1850. Eventually figured out that I could still lose 1 lb a week on 2250 net. On maintenance now and I aim to net 2500-2600, though I had a day when I hit 4478 and I think that was net.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    1400 unless I take a completely sedentary day
  • Rock bottom gross calorie intake is at LEAST 1,200. Typically I'm in the 1,600 range. If you are counting net calories, that really varies from day to day based on how active I am... sometimes net is as low as 300 but never higher than 1,200.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
    I am set to net 1200, but I have had a few times where I netted between 1000 and 1100, usually on a day when I was too tired to make a real meal for myself at night. However, those are rare occasions. If I'm very active, often I have trouble not going over the 1200.
  • ddkphotos
    ddkphotos Posts: 304 Member
    I have been under my goal of 1400 net calories only 7 times in the last 90 days... My struggle is to not go too far over... Considering that before my lifestyle change a little over a year ago I could easily eat 2500 to. 3000 calories a day... I try my best..
  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 176 Member
    Was 1200 for 6 weeks, then moved to 1290 to transition to maintenance... Starting next weigh-in (Thursday), I will move to maintenance intake of 1530 per MFP recommendation...

    Never thought I could manage at the 1200 cals/day. Walking helped add more cals on those days I needed more energy :-) Both looking forward to and anxious about increasing calories for maintenance (don't want to gain the weight back, but happy about more food ;-) )
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    Unless I'm sick I would very, very rarely net below 1800. My maintenance is 2800 net, and most days I would gross about 3000-3200. Love food!
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
    I used to say 1400, but I've upped that and now I say 1550. That is based on my TDEE or BMR or RMR or one of those numbers. Whatever it is, some folks say if a person goes under that (not 1550 specifically, but whatever set of letters it represents) it causes a person to burn more muscle and less fat. After 2.5 years of logging and sorting out the results, I kind of suspect that there might be some truth to that.

    But in the beginning of my journey, I routinely ate under that set of initials, and still managed to drop about 2 pounds a week and have 75% of it be fat, not muscle. So I know it isn't a hard/fast rule. Of course, I was working out 5 or 6 days a week back then, so that would make a difference.

    Anyway, 1550.
  • I usually shoot for exactly 1200, as I have a lot of weight to lose, but sometimes I end up as low as 800. It freaks me out when that happens, though, so I try to eat extra the next few days to compensate.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    My TDEE is 1750. I like to eat between 1400-1750. I always make sure that I net at least 1200. On lower/less intense workouts (i.e. yoga) I aim to eat 1400-1500 calories. On days like today, where I burned over 500 calories, I want to eat 1700-1750 calories.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    0 when waiting for surgery or too sick to eat. Willingly? About 500 (since get this IF rush every now and then). Normally? Around 800 when I don't feel like eating, but it's rare. I usually aim to eat 1000-2500, dictated by the things I feel like eating that day.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    No low, no high. A few days, I just eat to take pills. Other days, I eat a lot.

    It yells at me on the days I don't eat much, but hasn't yelled at me when I eat too much.

    Some days I'm hungrier or less hungry. Seems crazy to me to eat just to reach some number...or to starve just to stay at it.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    I normally stay around 2,000-2,200 gross while cutting. But I just recently tried 7 days at 1,700 cals (body weight x 10) and it worked well. But I wouldn't want to do it for long.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I have set mine at 1600 and honestly that is the lowest I will go. I am satisfied with that amount and when I eat less I stay hungry and feel aggravated. I am still losing so its all good.
  • GlamourVintage
    GlamourVintage Posts: 60 Member
    The lowest I would go on calories is 400-500
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    NET 1500 or i'd be gnawing my arm off in my sleep...
  • 1000.

    I'm on 1200 but I have health issues that mean I'm often in too much pain to eat so some days are only 1000.
  • curiouscreaturee
    curiouscreaturee Posts: 19 Member
    1000-1200
  • 1000. I'm 5'5", 146lbs, and fairly sedentary. If I don't hit that 1000 calorie mark I will force myself to eat. I usually eat 1200-1300 but I am "allowed" 1490. I don't think I've hit that in over a month.