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What is the 1200 calorie based on?

13

Replies

  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    Come on. There's at least one attention-seeking anorexic teenager here per *day* talking about why she needs to be eating way under 1200 calories. And there are thousands of other people coming on here setting aggressive goals as newbies and trying to eat 1200 calories because "that's what MFP told me to eat".

    At least at 1200 they're probably not doing themselves too much damage until they figure it out. At 800 or 600, they would be.
  • Posts: 15,487 Member
    This is strange. I am 5'4" and my stats are this:

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1252
    Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1503
    Daily calories to loose 2.4 a months is 1202. 2.4 in a month is not nearly enough for me. I have to eat around 900 a day...

    1200 for is maintaining really with a little exercise 3 times a week. MFP overestimates my goals.

  • Posts: 1,147 Member
    yoovie wrote: »
    i cant anymore

    You're a little more than dramatic about something I just said, wasn't specifically "fighting" with you or whatever it was you messaged me about so really, I'm sorry you took it personally when it really wasn't personal, it was a comment on a comment you made, not an attack not a fight, a comment.

    Have a great day :)
  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    gia07 wrote: »
    2.4 in a month is not nearly enough for me. I have to eat around 900 a day...

    Actually, 2.4 a month is probably exactly enough for you, or maybe even too much. If that's your TDEE-20%, you must be fairly light already. In fact, reverse-inputting your stats into most calculators suggests that you're probably around 120-130lbs right now, which puts you at a healthy BMI for your height already. If you're eating 900 calories/day in attempt to lose more weight, then that's very unhealthy and you should stop.

    Even if I'm getting your stats wrong, you still need to target a much slower weight loss if you are already fairly light and have very little to lose.
  • Posts: 15,487 Member
    Gosh what is unhealthy. I weight 118.6 with a BMI of 22%. I am in the suggested FDA healthy range but I am too chunky because I am short.

    I am completely uncomfortable lugging around 10 extra pounds. I have been small all my life and yes these extra 10 are a bit of a problem.

    I AM NOT HAVING AN EATING DISORDER EITHER.. I am healthly and I like it just not the extra 10 pounds and do not put me in the I am unhealthy crap.
  • Posts: 651 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    Come on. There's at least one attention-seeking anorexic teenager here per *day* talking about why she needs to be eating way under 1200 calories. And there are thousands of other people coming on here setting aggressive goals as newbies and trying to eat 1200 calories because "that's what MFP told me to eat".

    At least at 1200 they're probably not doing themselves too much damage until they figure it out. At 800 or 600, they would be.

    We are on a weight loss website. Of course you are going to attract people with unhealthy attitudes towards weight loss. It is not the national public health crisis you are making it out to be.
  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    I'm just saying that if you're trying to lose 10 pounds, you should be aiming to do it slowly. 10 pounds on you is 8% of your body weight. When you say that 2.4 pounds per month is "not enough" and that you're limiting yourself to 900 calories per day? Yeah, that's unhealthy. I know you're going to get all defensive when I say that, but it doesn't change the facts.

    If you still feel "chunky" at a BMI of 22, then you either have a distorted body image, or your body composition is not where you want it to be. In the case of the latter, hit the gym and strength train -- and UP your calories to support it! In the former's case, there are lots of help and support resources available.

    Nobody's attacking you, gia. It's just that what you've said doesn't make reasonable sense.
  • Posts: 1,147 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    Nobody's attacking you, gia. It's just that what you've said doesn't make reasonable sense.

    It's apparently a thing though, that by commenting you're fighting with them. I really didn't know that until today.
  • Posts: 1,948 Member
    It's mentioned in here as being around 31 calories per day, per pound. Which is not very limiting. With a BMI of 26, I probably have 50 lbs. of fat. 50*31=1550 calorie deficit to adequately fund from body fat. That's like 90% of my TDEE so obviously I can't do that. But it suggests LBM is safe at normal deficit levels.
    Good to know. Thanks.

  • Posts: 15,487 Member
    I DO NOT HAVE DISTORED thinking. OMG... I am a small frame and I look leaner at 110.

    What the hell??????

    I will not die or nor am I unhealthy 1200. My energy is great and I feel great. There are examples of people that are not anorexic or attention seeking.

    You don't know me and you have no idea of anything about me. Judements every where here for those that know more than most!
  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    I rest my case.
  • Posts: 12,294 Member
    edited January 2015
    gia07 wrote: »
    This is strange. I am 5'4" and my stats are this:

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1252
    Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1503
    Daily calories to loose 2.4 a months is 1202. 2.4 in a month is not nearly enough for me. I have to eat around 900 a day...

    1200 for is maintaining really with a little exercise 3 times a week. MFP overestimates my goals.

    I would be more inclined to think that you are overestimating what you eat, so you think your maintenance is only 1200 cals. My sig other does not work out is 5'6" 116lbs and maintains at 1600-1800 cals at 36 years old.

    And with less than 15 lbs to go you should not be aiming to lose more that 0.5lbs/week, otherwise a larger % of your weight loss will come from lean muscle, not just the fat you want to lose.

    How much protein do you take in at 900 cals/day. You should be getting 85-100 grams/day which would be 340-400 cals alone.
  • Posts: 15,357 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    I rest my case.
    Ha, I had to laugh...
  • Posts: 12,294 Member
    edited January 2015
    gia07 wrote: »
    I DO NOT HAVE DISTORED thinking. OMG... I am a small frame and I look leaner at 110.

    What the hell??????

    I will not die or nor am I unhealthy 1200. My energy is great and I feel great. There are examples of people that are not anorexic or attention seeking.

    You don't know me and you have no idea of anything about me. Judements every where here for those that know more than most!

    I think it is more out of concern, no need to get defensive. No one said 110 at 5'4 was unhealthy, they are saying 900 cals/day is.

    FYI: My son 39" tall, 34lbs, eats around 1000 cals/day.
  • Posts: 13,454 Member
    gia07 wrote: »
    I DO NOT HAVE DISTORED thinking. OMG... I am a small frame and I look leaner at 110.

    What the hell??????

    I will not die or nor am I unhealthy 1200. My energy is great and I feel great. There are examples of people that are not anorexic or attention seeking.

    You don't know me and you have no idea of anything about me. Judements every where here for those that know more than most!

    But you said you were eating 900, not 1200. I don't think people have issue with you wanting to lose 10 lbs or get leaner, it was your comment that 2.4 lbs/month isn't fast enough for you. When you have little to lose, it takes longer. 0.5 lbs/week is a healthy rate for maintaining lean muscle and getting the look that I think you are striving for, not just the number on the scale.

  • Posts: 12,294 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »

    So if I ate 1200 calories worth of white sugar, I would somehow get all of those nutrients that I need?

    The problem with the 1200 number is that it is a measure of energy justified by a measure of micro-nutrients. MFP and others tell people that you need to eat 1200 calories to get enough nutrition, ignoring that calories are NOT a measure of nutritional value! If I could eat my daily nutrient requirements in 600 calories worth of food, what then is the justification for the 1200 cal number?

    I don't think it would be possible to get required nutrition (fat and protein) on 600 cals/day. Think if you need 80 grams protein that would be 320 cals, and 40 grams of fat, would be another 360 cals for 680 and you may not have gotten any micros (vitamins and minerals) in those 680 cals.. and most of us should be getting more fat and protein I included above.
  • Posts: 15,487 Member
    I eat 900 to 1000 cals a day (sometimes more sometimes less) and have been for while. I am not dead yet. I can work out, go to work and have a happy life and I had no idea posting anything here start some crazy folks thinking I am going to die at any giving moment.

    This is crazy.
  • Posts: 4,925 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »

    Actually good healthcare professionals - and I recommend good - do not us arbitrary numbers. They look at their patients lifestyle, way of losing, activity level and so on.

    If your health care professional is sticking you to a number because you happen to be a male, or you happen to be 40 or you happen to be 5'9 . . . I personally wouldn't continue to use them. Maybe some do use them, but in my experience, good ones whose practice is in nutrition or weight loss, do not use those kinds of numbers.

    They have to use something. If they had to reinvent the wheel and do controlled studies for every patient that came through the doors, they wouldn't accomplish anything.
    Zedeff wrote: »

    So if I ate 1200 calories worth of white sugar, I would somehow get all of those nutrients that I need?

    The problem with the 1200 number is that it is a measure of energy justified by a measure of micro-nutrients. MFP and others tell people that you need to eat 1200 calories to get enough nutrition, ignoring that calories are NOT a measure of nutritional value! If I could eat my daily nutrient requirements in 600 calories worth of food, what then is the justification for the 1200 cal number?

    Of course not, as I have said in other threads that were about this same topic. But if you are following a well balanced diet, 1200 is a good number.
  • Posts: 4,926 Member
    Gia- There is a strong belief here that losing slower retains muscle and that is everyone's number one priority (or should be). I know it's not everyone's and I believe that you can't really make a huge difference in what type of tissue you lose when comparing two shallow deficits, but that's just based on my own reading. It's not like losing 1/4 lb. a week is a guarantee it's all fat and losing a 1/2 lb. is all muscle, which is what many attitudes here seem to imply. The medical community considers either a safe rate of loss.
  • Posts: 1,663 Member
    As an older, shorter person who is netting between 1100 and 1200 a day (I eat back exercise calories), it is a struggle to meet my protein macros, and I take a multivitamin and other supplements to cover all my bases. I find it hard to believe that a young, active person could be adequately nourished at under 1000 calories a day. Even at my age, I was having some side effects, such as nails breaking, constipation (from inadequate fat intake), and fatigue. These young women are going to incur some long-term consequences in the pursuit of basically losing "vanity weight."
  • Posts: 4,599 Member
    Gia- There is a strong belief here that losing slower retains muscle and that is everyone's number one priority (or should be). I know it's not everyone's and I believe that you can't really make a huge difference in what type of tissue you lose when comparing two shallow deficits, but that's just based on my own reading. It's not like losing 1/4 lb. a week is a guarantee it's all fat and losing a 1/2 lb. is all muscle, which is what many attitudes here seem to imply. The medical community considers either a safe rate of loss.

    The problem is that she's trying to lose enough weight to get her down to an unhealthy BMI of <18.5, and she wants to do it so quickly that she's limiting herself to 900 calories per day.

    A healthy rate of loss is all relative; faster absolute numbers for larger people can be perfectly healthy. Whereas someone who is of a healthy weight who is borderline starving herself in an attempt to become underweight is not losing at a healthy rate no matter how quickly or slowly she's going.
  • Posts: 1,147 Member
    rosebette wrote: »
    As an older, shorter person who is netting between 1100 and 1200 a day (I eat back exercise calories), it is a struggle to meet my protein macros, and I take a multivitamin and other supplements to cover all my bases. I find it hard to believe that a young, active person could be adequately nourished at under 1000 calories a day. Even at my age, I was having some side effects, such as nails breaking, constipation (from inadequate fat intake), and fatigue. These young women are going to incur some long-term consequences in the pursuit of basically losing "vanity weight."

    Well said for sure!

    Sorry to hear it's a struggle for you! I cannot relate at all - I'm a 5'10 woman with a solid frame, no one will ever say I'm petite . . . but I can say being a bigger woman also has its struggles.

    :)
  • Posts: 4,926 Member
    segacs wrote: »

    The problem is that she's trying to lose enough weight to get her down to an unhealthy BMI of <18.5, and she wants to do it so quickly that she's limiting herself to 900 calories per day.
    I think her goal puts her at the very bottom of 'healthy BMI', which isn't my thing but she appears to be an adult, so I'm not going to judge. Same with 900, since either she's an outlier in calorie burns or underestimating intake, or both. And we all do that latter.

    I just am tired of the advice that "an extremely shallow deficit is the ONLY RIGHT deficit, for anyone with X or less pounds to lose." She said x lbs/month doesn't suit her goals. Who knows what her goals are.
  • Posts: 1,038 Member
    Go to Scooby Workshop Calculator and figure out your TDEE: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    Take a 10% deficit (because you don't need to lose much weight).

    OR - just keep lifting heavy weights while eating at TDEE to do a body recomp.
  • Posts: 19 Member
    Literally 1200 calories is fine. The thing I've found most affective is 8+ cups of water a day (I usually aim for 12) and no carbs; breads, rice, crackers, etc.
  • Posts: 651 Member
    erickirb wrote: »
    I don't think it would be possible to get required nutrition (fat and protein) on 600 cals/day. Think if you need 80 grams protein that would be 320 cals, and 40 grams of fat, would be another 360 cals for 680 and you may not have gotten any micros (vitamins and minerals) in those 680 cals.. and most of us should be getting more fat and protein I included above.

    You are calculating macro-nutrients which provide energy. The entire procedure of weight loss involves restricting your energy-providing macro-nutrient intake so that you cannibalize your own reserves. If you are suggesting we should eat exactly what we are burning, then nobody would ever lose any weight.
  • Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited January 2015
    I find it sad that there are people here that seem to justify what the OP does or want.

    OP is 5.0 tall at this moment 113 pound and want to loose 11 pound

    She goes for 1200 to 1300 calories ( now if we must believe it) And next to that she trains a couple hours a day!

    What ever is proven or not proven scientifically to be the right amount to stay alive without damaging your body in the wrong run. The thoughts she has is wrong!
    She has a history of ED ( she stated that her self in her first post)

    And than there are people here that justify what she does???

    Come on think people even when 1200 is enough ( or not) Don't encourage this kinda of eating disorders and young people.

    She is at a healthy weight has a beautiful body and dont need people in here encouraging her to lose more weight!
    Maybe she wants body toning ( which i understand and always will encourage) But losing weight is ridiculous.
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »

    It's apparently a thing though, that by commenting you're fighting with them. I really didn't know that until today.

    Nice, I've been missing some silly derp comments. lol.
  • Posts: 15,487 Member
    I think her goal puts her at the very bottom of 'healthy BMI', which isn't my thing but she appears to be an adult, so I'm not going to judge. Same with 900, since either she's an outlier in calorie burns or underestimating intake, or both. And we all do that latter.

    I just am tired of the advice that "an extremely shallow deficit is the ONLY RIGHT deficit, for anyone with X or less pounds to lose." She said x lbs/month doesn't suit her goals. Who knows what her goals are.

    First, I was not giving advice.
    Second, I just stated I was confused by the 1200 calorie question
    Third, I do not have a large deficit
    Fourth You do not know my goals or anything else except I want to lose 10 lbs.
    Fifth BMI between 19 and 20 is not unhealthy if you are 21.8 BMI now.

    I got attacked pretty hard here!
  • Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited January 2015
    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.

    And I only have 1" on you for height, my TDEE is 2200. Everyone is different. I move A LOT ☺
    I can lose eating 1600-1800 cals a day.
This discussion has been closed.