What is the 1200 calorie based on?

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  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    HPCalantog wrote: »
    @brianpperkins‌ I know I'm at a healthy range for my height. But I'm not one for complacency. I've already achieved my goal weight(s) at this time and have a new physical challenge I've picked up. If you read my responses then you would know that, as well as that I'm not looking to lose weight necessarily, I'm looking to gain a flat stomach and lose 2-3 inches to do so.

    Thanks for your initial comment, which was so helpful! As I said before, after this overall experience on this forum, I am going back to 1200 calories with more strength/toning time at the gym. Good luck with all your weight loss goals!

    If your goal is a recomp, an aggressive deficit isn't needed. Deficits are for weight loss ... period.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    brianpperkins wrote: »
    HPCalantog wrote: »
    @brianpperkins‌ I know I'm at a healthy range for my height. But I'm not one for complacency. I've already achieved my goal weight(s) at this time and have a new physical challenge I've picked up. If you read my responses then you would know that, as well as that I'm not looking to lose weight necessarily, I'm looking to gain a flat stomach and lose 2-3 inches to do so.

    Thanks for your initial comment, which was so helpful! As I said before, after this overall experience on this forum, I am going back to 1200 calories with more strength/toning time at the gym. Good luck with all your weight loss goals!

    If your goal is a recomp, an aggressive deficit isn't needed. Deficits are for weight loss ... period.

    THIS^^^

    If you are already at a healthy weight, but you want a flatter stomach… It sounds like you need to focus more on weight training than on calorie deficit.
  • HCalanAlfano
    HCalanAlfano Posts: 19 Member
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    "As I said before, after this overall experience on this forum, I am going back to 1200 calories with more strength/toning time at the gym."

    Thanks though, @cincysweetheart‌ & @brianpperkins!

    @brianpperkins‌, thanks again for all your tips! I can tell you've learned a lot since you lost 3 pounds :) Have a nice night! And good luck with the rest of those pounds! I'm sending good vibes your way.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    edited January 2015
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    If you are eating 900-1000 calories, your eating disorders aren't history. They are alive & present. Patients in recovery are advised to eat 2000+ calories a day (usually closer to 3000).

    Please seek help from a psychiatrist/psychologist who specializes in eating disorders.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    For a week, eating below 1200 isn't likely to cause great harm, unless you have certain medical conditions. But it isn't wise to try to sustain that lifestyle. There are things your body needs to operate that it can't get from stored fat. The 1200 calories is the minimum number of calories you need to provide your body with those things. But based on your picture, you need to be eating more than that.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    HPCalantog wrote: »
    "As I said before, after this overall experience on this forum, I am going back to 1200 calories with more strength/toning time at the gym."

    And /thread.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    HPCalantog wrote: »
    "As I said before, after this overall experience on this forum, I am going back to 1200 calories with more strength/toning time at the gym."

    Thanks though, @cincysweetheart‌ & @brianpperkins!

    @brianpperkins‌, thanks again for all your tips! I can tell you've learned a lot since you lost 3 pounds :) Have a nice night! And good luck with the rest of those pounds! I'm sending good vibes your way.

    I'm not trying to lose any weight ... so the good vibes of a person with a history of eating disorders who is in a healthy weight range but now eating 1000 cal per day might be best kept for themselves. Just an observation. Deficits are for weight loss. Even with your slightly upped caloric goal, you still are running a deficit to lose nearly 1 lb per week .. if you accurately log.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Why don't you try a re-comp?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    HPCalantog wrote: »
    I've been searching for answer to this question without finding a verifiable conclusion.
    A baseline variable value that a programmer wrote into the calorie counting application.

    It's not based on anything but whim.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    Guys, us shorties need less food. I am 5"1". My TDEE - 20% - 1036 calories. If I eat over this, I gain weight. If I want to lose, I have to stick to about 900 to 950 a day and it it really slow. No way I can eat 1200 calories a day.
  • olivia_june
    olivia_june Posts: 111 Member
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    There is a lot of terrible advice here. If you want a flat stomach, that comes with strength training and eating foods that won't make you bloat. But you shouldn't be eating under 1200. You should talk to a nutritionist at your local gym, or someone with experience in diets for athletes.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Really depending on size and such you may be able to eat less. that said it is difficult to get the required micro and macros on a diet less than 1200 cals. that would be vitamins, minerals, fat and protein... In other words, even at 1200 cals you don't really have room for "empty" calories, if you plan on hitting the 4 things mentioned above
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    HPCalantog wrote: »
    I've been searching for answer to this question without finding a verifiable conclusion.
    A baseline variable value that a programmer wrote into the calorie counting application.

    It's not based on anything but whim.

    I don't necessarily agree with the 1200, but it was not on a whim. I beleive it came from FDA or some other agency that suggests not going below 1200 cals
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Some people can eat less than 1200 perfectly healthily and safely. Smaller, shorter women above a certain age who are very inactive often don't need quite that many calories. That's fine. The 1200 minimum is based on the "average" sized woman, and those of us far below average (I'm 5'1") don't always fit into that.

    BUT -- and here's the kicker -- I still eat more than 1200 because I'm not sedentary and because I'm in my 30s. My real-world observed TDEE over the past 90 days is somewhere in the 1800-2000 range, even though the calculators claim it ought to be only 1750 with exercise or 1550 without. I am losing steadily at 1325 calories per day.

    The 1200 "rule" is still a good one on a website where far too many teenagers and young adults come here with eating disorders, body dysmorphia or other risky behaviours. It tells you that nutrition is important, that eating enough to fuel your body is important, that slow and steady weight loss is better than eating too little or losing too quickly. It teaches you that crash or fad diets aren't healthy. It's good advice for most people, in short.

    If you're an outlier, and are educated and savvy and healthy and getting enough nutrition to meet your body's needs, then fine.

    But far too many people have special snowflake syndrome. Most of us aren't outliers. Most of us will do nicely to stick to that 1200+ calorie rule.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    HPCalantog wrote: »
    Thanks for all your responses! If anyone has any resources they find credible that I could read up on, please send me a link :)

    These are the calculators I used to choose 1100 as my ball park number, if anyone is interested: 1) http://www.healthycalculators.com/calories-intake-requirement.php
    2) http://www.calorieking.com/interactive-tools/how-many-calories-should-you-eat/?ref=nav
    3) http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    @Lifting4Lis, thanks for your reply, too! Even though you didn't answer the question I asked at all, I appreciate your concern. Just so you and @Thorsmom05‌, five years ago, I ended a daily binging and purging process I started at 13. Its been a decade since then, and half a decade since the worst of it. Eating disorders and depression are mental illnesses that require a lifetime of attention, and I realize that. I'm really very proud of my progress, and its in my nature now to take on new physical challenges every so often. This 'flat stomach thing,' is just the latest. Thanks for your encouragement.

    I think I will go back to 1200 calories/day, with more strength training/toning. Hopefully, I will have a great accomplishment to update you all on before summer!

    Just a random note, those are just basic calculators and will tell you what they are programmed to calculate, not necessarily what is safe or optimal for your situation.

    For example, the first site told me I need to eat 2800 calories to maintain my weight. I said I wanted to lose 6lbs per week, and so it told me to eat -166 calories a day. Ultimately it's up to ourselves to determine what works best for us.

    If you're interested in a flat stomach and not losing weight, I'd suggest giving this a read:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
  • Jlan11
    Jlan11 Posts: 61 Member
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    I have a friend who is obese and her doctor put her on a 1000 calorie/day diet. She has to be super careful about the calories she consumes to make sure they are very nutrient dense. She has been on this diet for 6months+ and plans to continue the diet until she gets down to a healthy weight range. I must also say that she goes to the doctor weekly to check her progress.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    HPCalantog wrote: »
    I've been searching for answer to this question without finding a verifiable conclusion.
    A baseline variable value that a programmer wrote into the calorie counting application.

    It's not based on anything but whim.

    I don't necessarily agree with the 1200, but it was not on a whim. I beleive it came from FDA or some other agency that suggests not going below 1200 cals

    Oh, you wrote that variable set?
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    i might be wrong, but I think it is a rule of thumb for sedentary to lightly active women around 5'2-5'4 with less than 20-30 pounds to lose?
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited January 2015
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    yoovie wrote: »
    i might be wrong, but I think it is a rule of thumb for sedentary to lightly active women around 5'2-5'4 with less than 20-30 pounds to lose?

    There isn't really a rule of thumb - everyone's body is different so you can't say it will work for everyone.

    I'm 5'10, workout 5 - 6 days/week but have a desk job and I lose at 2000. Maybe when I drop more, it will be less and less (most likely) but the rate I drop at isn't going to be a rule of thumb, it's going to be what works for my body. Granted I have a lot to lose (100lbs + overall, lost 70 of it already) but I never once thought of going to 1,200. I researched and read and figured out as I went. It's not easy, but 1,200 isn't the magic fix all number.

    The 1,200 thread happens almost daily and it's ridiculous . . . it's usually trolling and I think most educated people recognize there isn't a right or wrong answer - if you want to harm your body do it, if you don't then figure out what works for you. That's really all there is to it.
  • Nekrachael
    Nekrachael Posts: 74 Member
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    I wonder if you would get better advice in the fitness/nutrition forum, as what you might benefit more from is a change in exercise routine rather than diet. I know that "great abs" are more often an issue of the kitchen rather than the gym, but maybe you've already dealt with the kitchen aspect well enough.

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