eating 200 cals under recommendation?

thecanface
thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
i have a question: and before everyone yells at me .. i am aware that 1200 is the minimum calories recommended for your body being able to function properly.;)

so, i set my goals with the recommended settings because i dont know what the hell any of this stuff means, it said it recomends that i select to lost 1 lb per week, which is fine with me, so MFP put me at a calorie goal of 1200, and i work out 5xweek for at least 50 minutes everytime... i always eat my calories back, but that means i will only be losing 0.8 lbs a week, thats only 3 lbs in more than a month.. so its really gonna take me 4 months to lose 7 lbs???? this really is discouraging me, and making me want to forget the whole thing! and i know i know 1200 is the minimum calories it recommends due to your body being able to function, so i get WHY its saying only 0.8/more than a month..

but my question is if i set my calorie goal to 1000 to lose 1 lb a week, will i die? lol i mean its only 200 cals less, but is that enough to put me into starvation mode and stop me from losing weight? or am i screwed and just going to have to reach losing 15lbs by year 2014? i just feel crappy because i was really working hard and doing well, and kept wondering where that 1 lb a week was. i am not even close to 0.8lb/week.

also, my BMR is 1275, so i am only eating 75 less than my BMR?? i am hoping the BMR has a deficit?

22 y/o
i weigh 120.2
i want to lose 12-15 lbs

Replies

  • CobraBubbles
    CobraBubbles Posts: 60
    The body is more resiliant than you think. You could probably eat the 1000 calories, lose your weight a little faster and be 'okay'. There is, however, no guarentee that your body won't gain weight back once you resume normal eating habits.

    There are a lot of people who are successful with very-low-calorie diets and there are benefits to calorie restriction. If, however, you decide you cannot maintain that sort of lifestyle... you may very well gain the weight back.

    IMHO, it really isn't sustainable. You may be more likely to overeat due to the restriction. A couple hundred calories can make all the difference in the world.

    While I partake in intermittent fasting and occasional caloric restriction, I would not advise eating 1000 calories per day for any amount of time.
  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
    You are 22 years old and you apparently have a smokin' beach body. Do you really need to lose 12-15 pounds?*

    It is worth noting that when your body is starving for energy, weight will come off more slowly. Maybe work out a little more, increase your strength training, and consume more [healthy] calories. If most of your 1000 calories a day comes from jello shooters, you're going to be in pretty bad shape.

    There's no need to be a Karen Carpenter stunt double.
    -wtk


    *That was rhetorical. The answer, of course, is "no."
  • paigemang♥
    paigemang♥ Posts: 102
    If you are working out that hard you need to eat more than 1200 calories a day. Your weight loss might be higher if you eat more than 1,200 calories daily, because extra calories can help you burn more calories. Average women need and burn 1,600 calories daily for everyday activities..you need more if you exercise. You might lose more weight initially but your organs will suffer later. The quick fix sounds great but not really the way to go. I'm with you, its tough to look at but if you weight train and eat right you will LOOK better, your weight may stay the same or you might lose, but you will def have a different shape. GOOD luck and stay healthy :)

    Cheers!!
  • aplants
    aplants Posts: 1
    I always end up below my calorie goal of 1200. Not really intentionally, but because of what I eat. A lot of salad, and healthy foods. I have now lost 13 lbs total in 6 weeks. I have only joined MFP a few weeks ago, so it is not all recorded on here. But I don't think that you are going to die for being a little under...I'm still here! And still losing. I also have been working out 3-4 days per week for at least 30 mins per day.
  • mistyb47711
    mistyb47711 Posts: 861 Member
    I suggest looking at your BMI under the tools section and see where you are on that. If your on healthy it tells you the weight to stay in between. Its not healthy to be on the underweight section.
  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
    and you apparently have a smokin' beach body

    Oh, that's Kim Kardashian.

    Well, I guess everyone has a goal.
    -wtk
  • jamie78
    jamie78 Posts: 514 Member
    If you limit your body to 1000 calories a day with as small as you already are, you will probably not lose any weight, but lose lean muscle. When people are smaller the calories intake is very important.
  • nursemom27
    nursemom27 Posts: 36 Member
    First, what is your BMI? It doesn't look like you are over weight by much, so losing weight WILL happen slower if you are doing it in a healthy fashion. 1200 is simply a number, everyone is different. If you are sedentary, you could easily get away with 1000cal or even less. However, can you eat that way the rest of your life? The only way to be successful at maintaining your weight loss is to create habits that you can live with forever. So, try adding in little burst of exercise when you can. Really evaluate what you are eating- watch out for too many carbs. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein. Study after study have shown that when you eat a low carb, high protein breakfast, you are much less likley to crave food (esp sugary food) throughout the day. So, when you are putting in your info on here, don't just look at calories. You need to look at the whole picture. 12000 calories of mostly sugar and carbs (which esstentially turn into sugar) will be much less beneficial than one with enough protein.
    I hope this is helpful, and good luck!
  • jamie78
    jamie78 Posts: 514 Member
    and you apparently have a smokin' beach body

    Oh, that's Kim Kardashian.

    Well, I guess everyone has a goal.
    -wtk



    lol
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I have serious doubts you need to lose at all from looking at your pictures. 100 lbs seems like a dangerously low goal and 1lb a week is DEFINITELY too fast for you to be losing, even if your weightloss is a reasonable goal.

    IMO you should be thinking more about muscle tone, Body Fat% and actually enjoying food rather than an arbitrary scale goal.
  • jamie78
    jamie78 Posts: 514 Member
    I suggest looking at your BMI under the tools section and see where you are on that. If your on healthy it tells you the weight to stay in between. Its not healthy to be on the underweight section.

    I agree,
  • mistyb47711
    mistyb47711 Posts: 861 Member
    according to your post that you weigh 120.2....unless you like under 5 feet tall your not in the catergory of unhealthy. Seriously calculate your BMI.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    You should add strength training to your plan and focus on that rather than calories...it will help you get the "Look" of losing 10-15 lbs because you will be losing body fat. If you drop your calories too much, you will lose muscle and will be "skinny-fat", where you are thin but flabby. "skinny-toned" should be your goal (by the way you look AMAZING so don't get discouraged...in the scheme of things a few months isn't a big deal and if you eat lots of protein like 100 g a day and lift you WILL see a noticeable difference in a few weeks)

    Good luck!
  • jemmie00
    jemmie00 Posts: 14
    Going under 1200 calories a day will be more detrimental than helpful. Like someone else said early, eating more can help burn more, but in addition to that, if you're eating less than 1200 calories a day, you can put your body into metabolic shock. Doing this will basically slow down your metabolic rate and place your body into "starvation mode." This will make you feel sluggish but worse than that, this "starvation mode" basically tells your body you're hungry and to store as many calories and fat that it can. So instead of burning the calories your taking in, your body will be trying like crazy to hold onto them.. especially fat calories. A lot of times, calorie depletion to this level results in a lower amount of lean muscle and a higher amount of fat. I hope this helps and I hope you do the right thing for your body. Remember, more than how many calories you're eating, it's what KIND of calories you're eating. Good luck! If you have any other questions, feel free to add or e-mail me.
  • thecanface
    thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
    I have serious doubts you need to lose at all from looking at your pictures. 100 lbs seems like a dangerously low goal and 1lb a week is DEFINITELY too fast for you to be losing, even if your weightloss is a reasonable goal.

    IMO you should be thinking more about muscle tone, Body Fat% and actually enjoying food rather than an arbitrary scale goal.

    i try to put my focus on muscle toning, but how can i tone muscle if i am eating too many calories? dont i have to worry about how i eat if i am working out too? i work out as much as my schedule allows me. sorry.. i am kinda clueless when it comes to this stuff.
  • thecanface
    thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
    You should add strength training to your plan and focus on that rather than calories...it will help you get the "Look" of losing 10-15 lbs because you will be losing body fat. If you drop your calories too much, you will lose muscle and will be "skinny-fat", where you are thin but flabby. "skinny-toned" should be your goal (by the way you look AMAZING so don't get discouraged...in the scheme of things a few months isn't a big deal and if you eat lots of protein like 100 g a day and lift you WILL see a noticeable difference in a few weeks)

    Good luck!

    THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM GOING FOR! okay maybe i misspoke.. or maybe i dont understand how it works, but i am not as worried about the scale as i am about how toned i am, but i also dont want to be look like a weight lifter lol thanks!!
  • thecanface
    thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
    according to your post that you weigh 120.2....unless you like under 5 feet tall your not in the catergory of unhealthy. Seriously calculate your BMI.

    maybe i dont understand how it works, but i am not as worried about the scale as i am about how toned i am, but i also dont want to be look huge with muscle... i just am worried that if i keep working out but am eating more than i should am i doing it all for nothing?
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
    It would require some serious calories and serious lifting to look like a weight lifter. You're probably safe from that.
  • loganaw
    loganaw Posts: 62 Member
    consuming 1,000 calories is NOT starvation mode. people have a screwed up idea as to what starvation mode is. you'll know when you're in starvation mode. trust me. every organ in your body will literally hurt. you'll feel like you're on the verge of dying and you have to hunch over when you stand up from the soreness. also, every little bit of food you put in your body will make you look HUGE from your tummy pushing out so much. so 1,000 calories for a day is fine. you'll lose a little faster but like you said....it's ONLY 200 calories less. unless you're really strict, you can assume that throughout the day you'll somehow rack up those 200 calories by snacking or miscalculating measurements or something.

    i don't mean to be a pissy chrissy or a debbie downer, but 1,000 is fine. you won't be starving. you'll lose faster, but not a significant amount unless you dropped 1,000 cals down to 500. or unless you exercised a lot and didn't eat back the exercise calories.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    consuming 1,000 calories is NOT starvation mode. people have a screwed up idea as to what starvation mode is. you'll know when you're in starvation mode. trust me. every organ in your body will literally hurt. you'll feel like you're on the verge of dying and you have to hunch over when you stand up from the soreness. also, every little bit of food you put in your body will make you look HUGE from your tummy pushing out so much. so 1,000 calories for a day is fine. you'll lose a little faster but like you said....it's ONLY 200 calories less. unless you're really strict, you can assume that throughout the day you'll somehow rack up those 200 calories by snacking or miscalculating measurements or something.

    i don't mean to be a pissy chrissy or a debbie downer, but 1,000 is fine. you won't be starving. you'll lose faster, but not a significant amount unless you dropped 1,000 cals down to 500. or unless you exercised a lot and didn't eat back the exercise calories.

    Or if you eat significantly below your BMR calories consistently your metabolism will slow. 1200 IS just a guideline because most people are in the 1300-1400 BMR range when they are petite, so they say don't go below 1200 to keep you from pushing too far away from the lowest/lower BMRs. Generally though, it is healthiest to keep your minimum NET calories in the area of your BMR.

    Starvation and "starvation mode" are not the same thing.What you are describing is starvation- Starvation mode is when you eat small amounts of food regularly, and your body slows down your metabolism so as to make those calories last. It's particularly bad because the first time you eat 1500 or 2000 calories, your body will store as much of that away as it could. It is a danger for any calorie deficit diet- it's why when you reach maintenence you should build up to eating maintenence calories slowly, not all at once. Eating at 1000 calories may give you a temporary bump but eventually your metabolism will slow down.

    On what basis do you say that 1000 calories is a safe amount of caloires to consume?
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