1200 calories seems like allot

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grace42d
grace42d Posts: 156 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, you may think I am crazy, but since starting the plan a week ago, I have never been able to eat 1200 calories. I eat breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. I feel fine, not hungry at all. 1200 calories seems like too much to me. I am only 5'2", started at 117, trying to get to 100 lbs. I have always been small, and I have always exercised moderaterately to allot. But I don't think I will be able to loose weight on 1200 calories. Any thoughts? And I don't want to hear any baloney about begin too thin. I am not thin and I am not delusional about what my body looks like. I have a roll on my belly, my arms don't look thin, I have plenty of fat on my legs. I am trying to get toned so I can turn 50 with dignity.

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  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
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    It's true that 1200 calories isn't the magic bullet for everyone, so it's possible you may be able to go lower since you're small, but do give it an honest try for a few weeks. You WILL lose weight on it, because even if you lied in bed all day doing nothing you'd burn more than 1200 calories. To consume more calories without overstuffing yourself, try swapping some of the foods you're eating for higher-calorie options (switch to whole milk, etc.)
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    how much were you eating before you started dieting? surely it was more than 1200 calories. also make sure you are actually at or under 1200 a day. a lot of people don't read the nutrition labels on their foods closely, and they end up eating multiple servings of a food but only counting it as one serving.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    What do your macros look like (carbohydrates, protein, fiber, sodium). When you are petite and lean you *may* have some calorie leeway. But the composition of what you eat becomes even more critical. Especially if what you are hoping to do is reduce your overall body fat and retain or increase your lean muscle.
  • cindystrano
    cindystrano Posts: 1
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    I think if you want to get toned you should be focusing on light resistance training along with your diet. This will help build the toned look you are looking for. As for 1200 calories being too much? I am not sure about that. I am just going to say...do what feels best to you. It doesn't sound like you are starving yourself...just make sure you are eating a well balanced diet. Good for you for turning 50 with dignity! You Go!
  • monicathin
    monicathin Posts: 2 Member
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    What are you eating for your 1200 calories per day? It really isn't that much when you eat a balanced meal. Also you need to eat foods that are going to help give you muscle. Are you eating low calorie or fat free items instead of just portion controlling your meals...maybe that's the difference.:smile:
  • LindseyAlyssa
    LindseyAlyssa Posts: 156
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    I'm 5'2" and started at 155 lbs. I wasn't eating nearly enough for my body (think 500 daily) so while I don't always get to 1200 now, I know that for my body I needed to up the calorie intake. It all depends on what works for your body and how it responds.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    For the body changes you are talking about, you need to make sure that your exercise plan includes strength training. It will give you the look you want and the new muscles will burn more calories than the rolls.
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
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    your a skinny fat person then
    your thin but high body fat!

    your plan of action needs to be a lot of weight training and minimal cardio!
    dont count calories then and just eat healthy and often...
    get 100gr of protein and lower your sugar intake to 30gr a day!

    thats the way to get skinny FIT!!
    good luck
  • bhougas
    bhougas Posts: 2
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    Hi there! I'm 5'3" and down to 110 pounds from 122. My goal is to get around 105-107. I am not anorexic and don't have body issues either, but I tend to get the same reaction from people that I'm too thin. I did a fitness program and utilize a personal trainer. I've dropped 4% body fat in 8 weeks. So if anything, I'm getting more lean and toned... as I suspect you're trying to do.

    Anyway, the point is... I realize that MFP yells at you for eating under 1200 calories in a day. My trainer told me to aim for 1,000 to 1,200 per day while I'm dieting/exercising to lose weight. My resting rate for burning calories in a day (without doing anything) is only about 1,350... meaning I shouldn't each much more than 1,200 in a day anyhow. If I do and don't exercise, I'll gain weight. My trainer also said the magic number is 800 calories and though I don't suggest going THAT low, you definitely shouldn't eat less than that in a day. Otherwise you risk putting your body into supreme shut down mode.

    Hope this helps!
  • Kat120285
    Kat120285 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I'm 5' 2 and a half and my base is now 1690, with exercise that goes up to around 2400. When I weighed in last I was at 114.4. Some days it can be tough but you have to get creative. I also do P90X and so I need the calories not only for the work outs but to maintain the muscle I've built.

    Everyone is different though so what works for me or is working for me, may not work for someone else of my stature. Do make sure you make sure how every many calories you decide on are enough so that your body doesn't turn to the muscle for fuel.

    I know it's driven into the ground but the last thing I want is for the scale to drop because I'm losing my muscle, I would never want to go back to skinny fat ya know?

    Just tweak things and see what works for you.
  • grace42d
    grace42d Posts: 156 Member
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    Thanks for all the input. Yesterday I had cereal, skim milk and banana for b-fast. Apple and almond-nut butter for lunch. Pistachios and a small piece of chocolate for snack. Beans and rice with tomato and avacado for dinner. Piece of toast and honey for snack. Not too bad nutritionally wise, could use more veggies. For exercise, until recently I was swimming 10+ miles a week with a masters swim team. I had to quit because my husband took a 20% pay cut and I took 30% last fall so we can't afford a gym. Now I am walking, doing my exercise ball for abs and back, pushups and such, and gardening for several people. Nothing like hard labor. Also some swimming, but not with a team anymore, so it is not nearly as intense. Ski season is coming to a close so I will try to bike more. I guess I will have to see what happens in a few weeks. What I really need is someone to do strength exercises with in my basement so it is not so booorrring! Snore!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Thanks for all the input. Yesterday I had cereal, skim milk and banana for b-fast. Apple and almond-nut butter for lunch. Pistachios and a small piece of chocolate for snack. Beans and rice with tomato and avacado for dinner. Piece of toast and honey for snack. Not too bad nutritionally wise, could use more veggies. For exercise, until recently I was swimming 10+ miles a week with a masters swim team. I had to quit because my husband took a 20% pay cut and I took 30% last fall so we can't afford a gym. Now I am walking, doing my exercise ball for abs and back, pushups and such, and gardening for several people. Nothing like hard labor. Also some swimming, but not with a team anymore, so it is not nearly as intense. Ski season is coming to a close so I will try to bike more. I guess I will have to see what happens in a few weeks. What I really need is someone to do strength exercises with in my basement so it is not so booorrring! Snore!

    If you want to tone up, you are definitely going to need to add protein, as well as veggies.
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    are you actually measuring out your portions? for instance, are you using a measuring cup to find out how much cereal you are putting into your bowl, and also measuring the milk?

    i ask this because for a few weeks I was drinking what i thought was 1 cup of milk (or 1 serving of milk on the container) and it turned out to be 2 servings when I finally got around to measuring it.
  • grace42d
    grace42d Posts: 156 Member
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    I am not measuring. I will start. It will be interesting to find out how far off I am. Also going to go home and make some hard boiled eggs and add a salad to dinner to try to boost my veggies and protein. Just are 2 carrots so I am off and running.
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
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    How much did you eat before you starting dieting. If it was less than 1200 then I guess it's probably true that you won't lose on 1200, at least at first. But you might have to put up with an initial gain to lose healthily?
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    yes. you should definitely start measuring. you might be surprised at how small a serving really is.
  • grace42d
    grace42d Posts: 156 Member
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    Interesting measuring experiment. I poured my usual cereal and milk, thinking both were a cup. Ceral was 1.1 cups and milk was .75 cup. Measured my beans, came out right on the mark. Rice, under. Pshew! At least I don't need to make huge adjustments there. I also looked up my BMR with the calculator and it is actually 1080. So, I will shoot for that instead of 1200. More protein, veggies and strength exercises and I hope to see some change! Power to the small people.
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    well, it could be your metabolism also. the older you get the slower your metabolism becomes even if your activity level is the same as it used to be. it comes with the fact that you lose muscle mass with age, so a 20 year old's metabolism seems to be really fast compared to a 50 year old's. however, if you use resistance training and you do cardio, i think you should be able to keep your metabolism pretty high.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    yes. you should definitely start measuring. you might be surprised at how small a serving really is.

    I agree, our eyes are not as good as we think they are. I've been doing this for almost a year and just now measured out my cereal the other day I was WAY under 1 cup...I could have been enjoying more all this time lol

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