This 1200 calorie minimum thing...

TourThePast · April 2011

I'm assuming that figure is for a normal sized person, however I'm only 4' 10" and only have 19lb to go to leave "Overweight" and reach the upper limit of "Normal" - should I be aiming for a lower net amount?

My weight loss, which had been 1lb a week, has stopped albeit only for a week. Thing is, although I realise it might just be a temporary glitch, it's made me wonder whether I'm eating too much, because I'm eating 1200 a day plus eating back a lot of my exercise calories, or whether I'm eating too little because I'm not eating all of my exercise calories!

Right now I'm still 200 calories under for today, but I have eaten 1500 calories. Yesterday I ate over 1800 calories. This just seems like an awful lot for someone my size who is on a diet, I've never eaten so little on successful diets before.

Can someone who actually understands all this stuff (no offence, but I mean understands as opposed to someone who is just quoting the "party line") take a quick look at my diary and tell me whether I'm eating about the right amount for someone as small as me?

Ignore yesterday, I made bad choices - but at least I was under on my calories!

EDITED TO ADD: I weigh / measure and log all food and drink accurately, and measure calories burned with a Polar HRM.

Perfectlycrooked · April 2011

Honestly, I was reccomended around 1000-ish and I'm 5' tall :P

Sarahcuda · April 2011

Take your current weight times by 7 and that is your minimum calorie requirements.
At 200 lbs I need to consume at least 1400 calories to keep my body from going into starvation mode.
Hope this helps!
-Sarah

Gawain · April 2011

I'd suggest with the regular exercise you're doing, you're eating too little. You really do need to maintain a 1200 calorie diet AFTER exercise. Starvation mode does really exist, and your body will start hoarding any food you eat, rather than burning it. Try for a week hitting 1200 a week after exercise, and see how you get on

JennaLee1486 · April 2011

1200 calories is the miniumum you should eat per day or you put your body in starvation mode and gain weight. Make sure you aren't under 1200 calories daily. Also, for exercise calories I eat back half of them. Sometimes I burn 800 calories in exercise so 2000 is way too many calories for me (I'm 5'3"). Once I started only eating back half, I am losing 2-3 lbs per week instead of 1.

LARPkitten · April 2011

Here's the formula for figuring out your ideal minimum calorie count:

Basal Metabolic Rate

Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the rate at which you burn calories without performing any activity. The most accurate method of determining your BMR is to measure your calorie expenditure rate while you're not digesting food. This method is not practical in most cases, so you must estimate your BMR from age, height and weight.

The Harris-Benedict equations estimate the BMR with a different equation for each gender. Women use the following equation: BMR = (Weight x 9.563) + (Height x 1.850) - (Age x 4.676) + 655.1. Men use this equation: BMR = (Weight x 6.25) + (Height x 12.71) -- (Age x 6.775) + 66.5.

Your weight must be in kilograms and your height must be in centimeters. Multiply your activity factor by your BMR to get your daily calorie expenditure. The lowest possible activity factor is one, and most lifestyles have an activity factor between one and two. A generally sedentary lifestyle has an activity level of 1.2.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/294367-minimum-calories-needed-per-day-for-weight-loss/

Sarahcuda · April 2011

: )
-Sarah

gaeljo · April 2011

My sports dietitian said to eat back half the calories I burn. Go get your metabalism tested that will tell you exactly what your caloric intake should be.

Lmsingh · April 2011

I've been seeing a nutritionist who has told me that 1200 is the absolute minimum unless you've had some kind of weight-loss surgery. However, she says that I should NOT eat back any calories burned from excercise. My daily calories are at 1535 right now, and I try not to go over that, even if I burn 500 calories in a day. When I'm able to stick to that I lose about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I add my excercise at the end of the day, which helps me stay under my alotted calories.

annacataldo · April 2011

ur body needs 1200 calories a day just to run.. ur only getting 1000 calories most days i went back, sometimes less... if u havent lost much and have seen a plateu for weeks, ur prob not eating enough... if u were eating to much youd be gaining so that is obviously not the case. if ur body doesnt get enough calories to run, it then starts eating away your muscles because it has to get enough calories somehow to survive... also, make sure your drinking enough water (8cups minimum), and watch sodium levels cuz salt helps u retain water weight, etc.. also caffeinated tea and coffee, pop, etc, anything with caffeine depletes water in your system so if u drink those items you ahve to drink extra water

get_it_gone2012 · April 2011

I'm not 100% sure, but I feel like height definitely plays a role in how many calories you should eat. Body frame size, too.
There are some really great websites out there that can help you determine how many calories you should eat to safely lose weight. One website that's really helpful is :
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It tells you for your age, weight, height etc. how many cals you should eat for fat burn... extreme fat burn, etc. w/o MFP "1200 cal" minimum restriction. Every body's different, so saying that "eating less than 1200 calories will put EVERYBODY in starvation mode" isn't exactly accurate. Test it out! Play around with your eating and see what your body responds to best.
Hope this site helps!

sweetheart03622 · April 2011

The 1,200 calorie/day this is a net calorie (i.e. what you eat minus what you burn in exercise should be more than 1,200). Some days that means eating only 1,200 calories, some days it can mean eating up to 2,200. There is debate on this. I'm a firm believer in eating your exercise calories. Your body needs fuel. Think of it this way. If I handed you 20 dollars, you probably wouldn't go spend it right away. If I handed you another $20 tomorrow, you might be okay with spending it. If I handed you $20 a day for a month, you'd be find with spending that money because you knew more would be coming your way soon. Your body works the same way. If you body is confident that it'll get more fuel, it'll be comfortable with burning the fuel stores (fat) that you have.

Now, regarding your comment about never having eaten so much on past diets. I hate to be harsh, but these diets were not "successful" because you are back trying to lose weight again. The only "successful diet" is the diet that keeps the weight off forever. Your weight will come off slowly. Being a small person, it'll come off even slower as your height will have a lot to do with the amount of calories you are burning. This is to be expected. If you ask me, you're probably in the midst of a plateau. Try mixing it up. Maybe have a spike meal where you go out and completely eat too much, this can often be very useful in kick-starting your metabolism. Or look at any trends you may have seen in your eating patterns. You seem to eat a LOT more carbohydrates than protein. I hadn't lost more than .2lbs/week for about 6 weeks and then I realized that I was doing the same thing. I switched so that I was aiming for 40% calories from carbs and 40% from protein. This kicked me back in gear and I dropped 2lbs in a week and have been going steady ever since.

So.. moral of the story is, don't eat less. Try different things. If this isn't working, research possible ways to switch it up and give it a try. If those don't wory, trying something else. This is about trial and error. You need to find something that works to help you lose as well as something that you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Chefbaby · April 2011

It's definitely going to be less. Honestly, each body is different, and a supposed "base level" to fit every body type is obviously not going work out for weight loss. What works for a 18 year old, athletic male with no stress, is not going to be so successful for the average 30-something year old who works a desk job and does not exercise. If you are a smaller individual to begin with, you should eat enough healthy food to feel full, following general guidelines for health, instead of meeting the supposed "minimum" calorie count.

I have an extremely slow metabolism, and at 5' 8", I cannot consume more than 1000 calories a day, or I gain weight. I am active, and have plenty of energy, but if I eat more than 1200 in a day, I GAIN weight. No, there's nothing wrong with my thyroid, nor do I have some strange digestive problem; my body is simply different, and I follow the rules that are right for me. Do what you know is best, and you will do fine. Sounds like you are doing great already - keep it up!

menchi · April 2011

MFP also has a BMR calculator (Tools tab, BMR on the menu bar) which tells you how many calories you burn just by being alive (i.e. if you did nothing but maintain your body functions). At your height and assuming 30 yr old female and 135 lbs, it's 1220Cal/day so I'm guessing yours is going to be lower. Mine was about 1450 when I started dieting and MFP recommended 1200 goal cals for losing 1.5lbs/week.

My recommendation based on my experience would be if you were in the overweight/obese BMI range (calculator also on the Tools tab), then you can reasonably go a little below your BMR, but as you get to the healthy range and closer to your goal, you should make sure to stay above your BMR. It will be slower going, but healthier for your body in the long run. One last thought/caveat, these numbers are only rough estimates so you should listen to your body and see what works for you (e.g. the maintenance cal goals MFP tells me were making me gain weight, so I lowered them by 100 and I'm holding steady).

mdickhaut · April 2011

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Go there, and type in your info. I actually just did this and finally understand what I need to do for myself.

annacataldo · April 2011

I've been seeing a nutritionist who has told me that 1200 is the absolute minimum unless you've had some kind of weight-loss surgery. However, she says that I should NOT eat back any calories burned from excercise. My daily calories are at 1535 right now, and I try not to go over that, even if I burn 500 calories in a day. When I'm able to stick to that I lose about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I add my excercise at the end of the day, which helps me stay under my alotted calories.

You want to make sure that your NET calories are at 1200 minimum... that means that if you ate 1200, and then excercised burning 300 calories, youd only be at 900 net calories, meaning your below the absolute minimum. If ur goal is 1535 and you burned off 300, youd be over 1200 net calories, so its more okay to not eat back all your calories, however if you burned off 400calories, itd put you below 1200 and youd want to eat back enough to at least be over 1200.

girlruns · April 2011

Your body MAY be different, and your height might have something to do with it, however, I would not let a one week plateau have you questioning the MFP system. I looked through your diary for the past week and overall it looks pretty good. Given your numbers, I would suggest on those days you have some extra calories to try and eat a banana with 1T of peanut butter (~200 calories), 4 cups of air popped popcorn (~120 calories), yogurt & cheese stick (~200 calories), cottage cheese & fruit (~175 calories). Most of these should keep you in the number you have. And while being under by 200+ calories might be okay if your net was closer to 1500 or 1600, when you are trying to reach a net of 1200, being under by 200 is a lot. Trust MFP. Many people here have found that tweaks to the system work better for them, but you have to have a starting point--let the MFP numbers be your starting point. Keep being dilligent, give it a few months, then look at where you might need tweaks.

LARPkitten · April 2011

Ooo, good link m****haut! They've even got links below for figuring out the minimums based on your BMR and so on. Nice find!

"If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low."

littlemili · April 2011

I think it's stupid to say everyone needs to eat 1200 net or more to avoid starvation mode. There is no way the same net calories apply to a 6' tall man and a sub-5' woman, you can't just magic up a number and apply it equally to everyone regardless of any individual circumstance. It defies all common sense.

I am eating under 1200 a day (at 5'1" about 1000 net per day) and losing at a safe and steady rate. I think if you are a lot shorter than average try what I tried: start aiming for 1200 net, see how you feel when your body has got used to it and adjust depending on how much you are losing. If you eat so little you start to slow your loss down, obviously you need to go back up. It's pretty simple.

scarnall2 · April 2011

Definitely don't eat back your burn calories. Cut it in half and see if there are any changes. I eat 1200 a day no matter how much execise I do and so far I've been losing 1.5 a week. I figure if you burn 500 exercising and you add those extra calories to your 1200, in reality, you are eating 1700.

erisfreenici · April 2011

There are exceptions to every rule, and if you think that 1200 is too much for you, talk to a Dr and/or a Nutritionist to see where you should be ideally for weight loss. The whole idea is to make sure that you get enough nutrients in your body to be healthy, and to have enough fuel in your system to keep going in a safe way. Obviously, at your height, the rules might be a little bit different.

Good luck to you!

TourThePast · April 2011

Take your current weight times by 7 and that is your minimum calorie requirements.

966... That formula might work for the middle ranges of weight, but it sounds a bit low for me.

I'd suggest with the regular exercise you're doing, you're eating too little. You really do need to maintain a 1200 calorie diet AFTER exercise.

I hear what you're saying... However, as others have suggested on this thread, everyone's BMR varies, and mine is obviously extremely low.

Trouble is, my daily requirement WITHOUT exercise is somewhere between 1150 (Mifflin - St. Jeor) and 1300 (Harris - Benedict) - so if I eat 1200 calories PLUS the calories for ALL the exercise I do, I will either gain 1lb in 70 days (Mifflin - St. Jeor), or lose 1lb in 35 days (Harris - Benedict), neither of which are an appealing prospect.

So, given the above figures for someone as small as me, you see why I am querying the need to eat ALL the exercise calories, and would really appreciate some expert advice.

girlruns · April 2011

I think it's stupid to say everyone needs to eat 1200 net or more to avoid starvation mode. There is no way the same net calories apply to a 6' tall man and a sub-5' woman, you can't just magic up a number and apply it equally to everyone regardless of any individual circumstance. It defies all common sense.

I am eating under 1200 a day (at 5'1" about 1000 net per day) and losing at a safe and steady rate. I think if you are a lot shorter than average try what I tried: start aiming for 1200 net, see how you feel when your body has got used to it and adjust depending on how much you are losing. If you eat so little you start to slow your loss down, obviously you need to go back up. It's pretty simple.

First, the minimum for men is 1500, not 1200. Second, that number isn't "magic", the WHO came up with the number when determining food supplies needing to be sent to countries in need. They set the number as the minimum so that the supplies should cover at least that amount. Thirdly, it isn't going to be the same for all women (or men). In fact, for some women, 1300 or 1400 might be the minimum before their body objects. And yes, it might be 1000 or 1100 for some as well. However, trying out the formula provided FIRST is going to be safer than just cutting because you think you should.

@Tour, unfortunately, given your height and the fact that you only have 19 pounds left, this likely won't be a quick journey. You can help yourself by continuing to eat clean and exercise, get lots of water, and track everything. But I would still give it another couple of weeks at NET 1200 before considering lowering it.

sweetheart03622 · April 2011

So, given the above figures for someone as small as me, you see why I am querying the need to eat ALL the exercise calories, and would really appreciate some expert advice.

Perhaps time to see an expert then?

MyNameIsNotBob · April 2011

I think it's stupid to say everyone needs to eat 1200 net or more to avoid starvation mode. There is no way the same net calories apply to a 6' tall man and a sub-5' woman, you can't just magic up a number and apply it equally to everyone regardless of any individual circumstance. It defies all common sense.

I am eating under 1200 a day (at 5'1" about 1000 net per day) and losing at a safe and steady rate. I think if you are a lot shorter than average try what I tried: start aiming for 1200 net, see how you feel when your body has got used to it and adjust depending on how much you are losing. If you eat so little you start to slow your loss down, obviously you need to go back up. It's pretty simple.

The lowest recommended amount of caloric intake is 1200 cal. / day for women and 1800 cal. / day for men.

Bridgetc140 · April 2011

I'm 4'11" and I eat 1050 per day...................I'm losing weight. My maintenance calories are only 1400, so to do 1200/day would take a long time to lose weight. We're sized more like children...lol.....I don't think I NEED 1200 calories per day.

cupotee · April 2011

1200kcal is not a magical number. It's just hard to consume all the coenzymes and minerals you need. (Starvation mode only applies if you have under 7% body fat, which is unlikely). That being said, I took a look at your food journal- you're definitely eating enough nutrients. Go under if you feel comfortable with it

I'd recommend you take a quick look at the symptoms of vitamin deficiency, just in case you start to experience any during your diet. But other than that, go ahead and lower your intake

.

jellybaby84 · April 2011

"Take your current weight times by 7 and that is your minimum calorie requirements."

"966... That formula might work for the middle ranges of weight, but it sounds a bit low for me."

Yeah, I don't know my exact weight but that formula gives me a minimum requirement on 780ish to avoid starvation mode. Not convinced!
I'd love it to be right because I'm a chronic undereater and starvation mode sceptic but ... seems very low.

I'm short too and doubt that eating exercise cals on top of a 1200 minimum that probably isn't really our minimum seems unnecessary to me. But I'm no expert so not qualified to advise you really.

TourThePast · April 2011

So, given the above figures for someone as small as me, you see why I am querying the need to eat ALL the exercise calories, and would really appreciate some expert advice.

Perhaps time to see an expert then?

That would be ideal, but I've no idea how to go about finding one, no doubt they have opinions as varied as those displayed on here, it's nearly 11pm at night and I'm sure they're not working right now, and finally I doubt I could afford it anyway. :bigsmile:

The responses I have had on here have been extremely helpful.

What I would love to do is to lose 1lb a week - if I eat all my exercise calories (from specific workouts rather than calories to just get me through the day) and end up with 1200 net, the most I can lose is 0.7lb a week - which means it will take me SIX MONTHS to lose 19lb. That is without any plateaus. It's a pretty daunting prospect for so little to lose.

gottabekd · April 2011

So, given the above figures for someone as small as me, you see why I am querying the need to eat ALL the exercise calories, and would really appreciate some expert advice.

Perhaps time to see an expert then?

That would be ideal, but I've no idea how to go about finding one, no doubt they have opinions as varied as those displayed on here, it's nearly 11pm at night and I'm sure they're not working right now, and finally I doubt I could afford it anyway. :bigsmile:

The responses I have had on here have been extremely helpful.

What I would love to do is to lose 1lb a week - if I eat all my exercise calories (from specific workouts rather than calories to just get me through the day) and end up with 1200 net, the most I can lose is 0.7lb a week - which means it will take me SIX MONTHS to lose 19lb. That is without any plateaus. It's a pretty daunting prospect for so little to lose.

It seems daunting, but if it takes six months it's far more likely to stay off. If you really want to be 100% sure of how much and what you should eat, talk to your doctor and get a referral to an expert. But my guess is that you may just need to adjust your viewpoint a bit, I have only 15lbs to lose and went into this thinking I could lose it all in probably three months but then I started to realize that I need a lot more muscle on my body so rather than just losing 15 lbs I have to work at getting stronger and then the weight will adjust itself in time. So far I've lost 1 lb/week but as I get closer to my goal weight I know that will slow down, so I'm really trying to focus on seeing muscle definition as a reward, rather than weight.

melaniecheeks · April 2011

Regardless of the 1200 a day guideline, a quick look at your diary shows an awful lot of processed food - have you tried tracking your sodium? Maybe switch in a few more homemade meals would help.

This 1200 calorie minimum thing...

Replies

Categories