Am I Too Small for 1200 a Day?

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flaminica
flaminica Posts: 304 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'0" and small-boned, from a family of tiny people. For years I've complained that I can't understand why I'm so fat because I eat so little. People would nod and say "Yeah sure."

Well I started logging my food and realised that when I cook for myself, I've been routinely eating only 900-1000 calories a day for years. Now that I'm logging, I find myself at the end of the day with the food diary sternly warning me that I "probably haven't eaten enough." So I trudge off and force myself to eat an apple even though I'm not hungry and it makes me feel bloated.

I'm beginning to think that part of my weight problem is that all my life I've been eating up to other people's portions. In social settings, restaurants, family meals, etc., I'm expected to consume as much food as people a foot taller.

I understand that 1200 is the healthy minimum for a normal adult, but is it the healthy minimum for a 12 year old girl? Because barring the fat, that's how big I am.

Replies

  • karen_fitzgibbon
    karen_fitzgibbon Posts: 736 Member
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    That's me too!!!!!!! Except I'm shorter than a 12 year old girl lol
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    12 year old girls need more calories because they are still growing :smile:

  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
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    Go here - plus your stats in http://www.mydr.com.au/tools/basal-energy-calculator and find out your BMR.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    I'm quite worried that just eating that apple makes you think you are bloated. It's just an apple, no one should feel bloated from one unless they have a medical condition. Maybe see a doctor.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    How can you say that mockchoc, I am fully eating 1100-1200 calories every day and I'm working out most days burning off 4-500 calories extra through exercise. If I tried to eat more than that amount I would be very full. If you are already full/satisfied anything can make you feel bloated.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    So you have been eating 900-1000 calories a day for years and you are overweight?
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    So you eat 1100-1200 minus the calorie burn of 4-500? If that is correct then you are netting only around 700 calories a day on average. I hope that is not what you meant you are eating 1100-1200 plus at least some of those exercise calories as MFP expects you to do? You weren't clear sorry.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    You're 12. You're not even old enough to be on here, please talk to your parents. A growing girl needs more calories. You are growing.

    Talk to your parents.

    And get off websites where you are not suppose to be. I say this as a mother of a 13 year old.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You need to go to spark teens.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Mockchoc yes that's exactly what I'm saying. Before I was logging I always checked food labels and did a mental calculation each day of what I ate and it ranged from 1200 calories (most days) to a maximum of 1700 calories possibly once a week or less. I know this from years of calorie counting and weighing and measuring, and some days I also did this without actually logging it physically. I also exercised but only around 3 times a week and it was not a specific program I was following so some days I'd go for a long walk and other days I'd be in the gym working out doing cardio or weights.

    Anyway my point is that even when I was not so active I was not eating a lot more than I am now. Plus the extra calories compared to now did not come from food on the whole, but from things like sweets, a little alcohol and the odd bit of chocolate (things which weren't filling.

    I have found in the past that when I've started doing a lot of long workouts for an hour or 2 a day I have got a lot more hungry and I've gained even more weight because I've been eating more. This time round I am doing short workouts of 30-60 minutes which are HIIT training therefore burn a lot of calories in a short time. I am feeling satisfied after this is I have a protein shake and other than that I have only been having 1 large meal a day and a couple of snacks which have generally been fruit in order to get to 1100-1200 calories.

    It's more than enough for me as I'm pretty full as I'm getting in more protein than I was before and more fruit and veggies. I am not losing that much weight (in almost 2 weeks I've lost 2.5 pounds) so I know that I couldn't eat more if I wanted to lose the weight.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    The OP is clearly not a 12 year old girl. She doesn't write like a 12 year old. She was just saying that her size is comparable to one. I know a few people who are 5 foot or under and have the same problem but are still overweight. Don't judge
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    higgins8283801 wrote: »
    You're 12. You're not even old enough to be on here, please talk to your parents. A growing girl needs more calories. You are growing.

    Talk to your parents.

    And get off websites where you are not suppose to be. I say this as a mother of a 13 year old.
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You need to go to spark teens.

    If you actually bothered to read, the OP is not actually 12. Their profile says 51. They were just comparing their body structure to that of an adolescent in terms of size. Way to jump to conclusions though based on just one word.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    The answer to OP's orig question is no ... as I am 4'10" and is about the size of the average 4 or 5th grader! LOL And I've maintained for coming up 2 years now in the range of 1300 - 1400. My current BMR is 967 & TDEE is 1457 (I workout 6 days a week).

    BMR is if I do nothing at all but lie in bed - breathing all day ... that is the MINIMUM my body needs to function and I'm 44 yo!

    SO based on the OP post I like to offer my take:
    #1 - MFP is geared towards the AVERAGE height male (5'10") & female (5'4") Anyone falling outside of that the generic MFP recommendations can be a little 'off' I'd HIGHLY recommend you getting your BMR & TDEE (based on your age & lvl of activities) and pick somewhere between the two for your daily caloric allowance. iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
    #2 - By your own admission if you are ONLY eating 900 - 1000 and is still overweight than I would suggest to take a hard assessment of the QUALITY of calories you are consuming. 900 - 1000 calories of white rice and simple starches and sugars is not the same as 900 - 1000 calories of complex carbs, veggies, & lean protein. If someone eats 900 calories of donuts for example they can't possibly expect to be healthy Sure technically its only 900 calories but the amount of carbs, sugars, & fat will accumulate faster than most bodies can burn it without exercise
    #3 - Something to consider ... if you have habitually eaten 900 - 1000 calories, unless you incorporate exercise to give your metabolism a boost, results may not come as quick as you like if at all. If your body thinks that it is in a perpetual starvation mode then it is going to hold on to EVERYTHING so that it can function.

    Just a few things to consider.

    Best of luck to you.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    edited January 2015
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    elphie754 wrote: »
    higgins8283801 wrote: »
    You're 12. You're not even old enough to be on here, please talk to your parents. A growing girl needs more calories. You are growing.

    Talk to your parents.

    And get off websites where you are not suppose to be. I say this as a mother of a 13 year old.
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You need to go to spark teens.

    If you actually bothered to read, the OP is not actually 12. Their profile says 51. They were just comparing their body structure to that of an adolescent in terms of size. Way to jump to conclusions though based on just one word.

    So people are always honest about their ages?
    Guess she's eating 900 calories for years now and it resulted in here being overweight too.
  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
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    All I can say is, weigh and measure. You might be surprised. It's easy to 'guesstimate' a tbs of peanut butter or just log an average banana when in fact those things need to be accurately weighed or measured.

    I started measuring my milk and realized I was having less then I thought. I also 'saved' a lot of calories on certain fruits that I was overestimating on.

    I get lazy sometimes and guess because I think I can eyeball a half cup or a tbs, and sometimes I'm probably close, but probably not all the time.

    You might be getting more calories than you think. Just try being a control-freak about your measuring for a few days and see what you come up with.
  • AMamaLana
    AMamaLana Posts: 21 Member
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    I think it is perfectly ok to adjust your portion sizes to what you feel physically comfortable with. I am 5'1, supposed to be more slender than I am at the moment (after having all my children and weaning them, I was right back down to 116-120#, this is where my body feels happy) and I have found that as I drop these extra pounds, my stomach shrinks literally. I simply cannot consume even a full 6" grinder anymore without feeling unhappy stuffed (flatbread is the greatest thing ever.) When I go out to eat, I ask for a box and immediately cut those huge restaurant portions in half. Mentally, I am just dying to open the box and eat every last crumb, but if I stick to half I walk away feeling satisfied AND comfortable to the point I can continue on to a 3 mile hike, not stuffed, just energized. Plus, I've got my next meal waiting in the fridge.

    Echoing all the other constructive replies though, I think they touched some good points and questions.
    What are your weight goals?
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Yes, I think it's possible that if you're on the small side and if you're 51 and if you're not that active, to actually have lower calorie needs.

    The reason people shy away from saying that on MFP is that, all too often, it's being asked by someone who really should be eating more than 1200 calories, and for whom going under would be dangerous.

    But OP, you might be one of those people for whom 1200 could well be too many calories. If so, as long as you're getting your nutrients in and you're regularly visiting your doctor and screening for any health issues, then do what works for you.

    Just be aware that, below 1200 calories, there's far less room for error. Eating the occasional Big Mac is no big deal for someone eating 2000 calories, but for you, it *is* a big deal. If you want to get your RDAs of your macro- and micro-nutrients, enough vitamins and minerals (especially calcium, really important for women as they get older) and stay healthy, you're going to have to be really careful about maximizing the nutritional value of every one of those calories.

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