Do I HAVE to eat 1200 cal..

Hey guys!

This is my first post on here and I have a question!

I'm kind of a noob to the whole fitness lifestyle in terms of realizing there's more to it than just eating a salad and going for a run.

It says to eat 1,200 calories a day but to me that number sounds so high and I can't bring myself to eat that many. On cheat days, I'm sure I do but on days where I'm very aware of what I'm eating/burning off and logging everything, it sounds like such a high amount.

What will happen if I burn off more calories than I consume in a day?
I usually burn about 350-500 doing cardio, and these days it's more in the 400-650 range.
I thought in order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you intake, and if I were to eat 1,200cal/day, that would be 8,400/week and that sounds insanely high. If I burned off 500 cal/day, I would only be burning 3,500/week and it just doesn't make sense to me.

Hey guys!

This is my first post on here and I have a question!

I'm kind of a noob to the whole fitness lifestyle in terms of realizing there's more to it than just eating a salad and going for a run.

It says to eat 1,200 calories a day but to me that number sounds so high and I can't bring myself to eat that many. On cheat days, I'm sure I do but on days where I'm very aware of what I'm eating/burning off and logging everything, it sounds like such a high amount.

What will happen if I burn off more calories than I consume in a day?
I usually burn about 350-500 doing cardio, and these days it's more in the 400-650 range.
I thought in order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you intake, and if I were to eat 1,200cal/day, that would be 8,400/week and that sounds insanely high. If I burned off 500 cal/day, I would only be burning 3,500/week and it just doesn't make sense to me.

I see no mention of an eating disorder in this post??????

Okay thanks for the help guys. I didn't really understand the whole "net calorie" thing, and wasn't aware that we burn THAT many calories throughout the day (I thought maybe 200 at best). I guess I probably should have wrote in my post that I used to have an eating disorder a few years ago so that number just seemed high because I was used to counting calories a lot. This is the first time I've gotten really serious about losing weight through both diet and exercise instead of an unhealthy way but clearly what I'm doing is still unhealthy. Definitely going to research it more and try to hit 1200 a day.

Wow, so many negative posts. I have the same issue, it's hard for me to hit 1200/day when I'm choosing healthy meals. I think this is because not only are they lower calorie, but they keep you full longer. I'd say just eat healthy, count your calories, but eat if you are hungry! Don't force yourself to eat just to hit the 1200 calorie mark, as long as you are feeling well. Everyone's metabolism and body are different, your body may not require as many calories as anyone else's.

since OP has already admitted she has previously had an eating disorder, it's not a good idea to give her encouragement to avoid eating more calories. Unless you are an extremely small woman, it's very unlikely that 1200 calories is the healthy amount needed for you to sustain your lean muscle mass and appropriate brain and organ function. Just because you feel full does not mean your body is receiving all the calories it needs to function optimally.

Who said they had an eating disorder? Huh? How do you know this?????

My comments above are based on personal experience and the advice of doctors. It is not unhealthy to eat less than 1200 calories a day... as long as you someone who is supposed to be losing weight...and on that topic... if you're not needing to lose weight why are you here??

Okay thanks for the help guys. I didn't really understand the whole "net calorie" thing, and wasn't aware that we burn THAT many calories throughout the day (I thought maybe 200 at best). I guess I probably should have wrote in my post that I used to have an eating disorder a few years ago so that number just seemed high because I was used to counting calories a lot. This is the first time I've gotten really serious about losing weight through both diet and exercise instead of an unhealthy way but clearly what I'm doing is still unhealthy. Definitely going to research it more and try to hit 1200 a day.

Wow, so many negative posts. I have the same issue, it's hard for me to hit 1200/day when I'm choosing healthy meals. I think this is because not only are they lower calorie, but they keep you full longer. I'd say just eat healthy, count your calories, but eat if you are hungry! Don't force yourself to eat just to hit the 1200 calorie mark, as long as you are feeling well. Everyone's metabolism and body are different, your body may not require as many calories as anyone else's.

since OP has already admitted she has previously had an eating disorder, it's not a good idea to give her encouragement to avoid eating more calories. Unless you are an extremely small woman, it's very unlikely that 1200 calories is the healthy amount needed for you to sustain your lean muscle mass and appropriate brain and organ function. Just because you feel full does not mean your body is receiving all the calories it needs to function optimally.

Who said they had an eating disorder? Huh? How do you know this?????

My comments above are based on personal experience and the advice of doctors. It is not unhealthy to eat less than 1200 calories a day... as long as you someone who is supposed to be losing weight...and on that topic... if you're not needing to lose weight why are you here??

So, why do we stall. Why do we stop loosing if we are having less than 1200?

Plateaus are normal......weight loss is not linear. As you become a smaller person the calories to maintain your new "smallness" are less. This means a) you lose more slowly because the deficit is actually smaller than before OR b) you keep the same deficit by eating even less (bad idea if you want to keep lean muscle while losing fat).

Plateaus are not normal for people who are eating less than 1200 calories per day.

completely incorrect. It depends on your weight, height and structure. Smaller/petite people require less calories just as smaller/petite people burn less calories than larger/heavier people. There's no ONE rule that fits everyone. There are many factors to consider.

I had gastric bypass 44 days ago. I am following my dors orders. He order 1200 cal. have a protein shake for breakfast a cup of salad with chicken for luch and maybe a can of tuna for dinner that its about 900 cal

Okay thanks for the help guys. I didn't really understand the whole "net calorie" thing, and wasn't aware that we burn THAT many calories throughout the day (I thought maybe 200 at best). I guess I probably should have wrote in my post that I used to have an eating disorder a few years ago so that number just seemed high because I was used to counting calories a lot. This is the first time I've gotten really serious about losing weight through both diet and exercise instead of an unhealthy way but clearly what I'm doing is still unhealthy. Definitely going to research it more and try to hit 1200 a day.

Ya'll are so nice and friendly here. LOVE YOU!!

People with eating disorders should not be asking about losing weight. Period. People should also not jump all over someone who with all good intention provides advice based on personal experience and the advice of doctors.

And no I typically don't read the first full page of people's comments because as we can all see everyone is so loving and kind here. Excuse me for not actively looking for someone who is underweight or with an ED on a forum full of fat people like myself.... how strange.

If you have trouble eating 1200 calories you wouldn't be overweight in the first place. These posts get on my last nerve!

Ya'll are so nice and friendly here. LOVE YOU!!

People with eating disorders should not be asking about losing weight. Period. People should also not jump all over someone who with all good intention provides advice based on personal experience and the advice of doctors.

And no I typically don't read the first full page of people's comments because as we can all see everyone is so loving and kind here. Excuse me for not actively looking for someone who is underweight or with an ED on a forum full of fat people like myself.... how strange.