1200 calories a day for women

I think the same thing. I personally feel like I'm starving all the time if I have less than 1400 a day.

I did it for a while since it was what MFP assigned me. From February 2nd through mid-April I stuck to 1,200 most days. I can tell you a few things:

1. I successfully lost weight.
2. By mid-April I was miserable. I became lethargic, dizzy, and famished. I upped my calories to 1,350 or so (I can't remember exactly). For me 1,200 wasn't sustainable and I'm much happier now. My running performance has improved too. It was eye-opening for me to discover I wasn't fueling my body properly.

Good luck!

Edited to add stats:

5'8 and my SW was 150. Sedentary with a goal of losing 1 lb per week. I think officially it was 1,250 I was assigned now that I think hard about it...

I'm only looking for .5 - 1 lb a week and MFP gives me a 1200 cal goal. That is difficult to stick to, especially if you are social. However, if you exercise you can "earn" extra calories so that's what I do. I generally earn about 400-500 cals and eat half of them. That's still only about 1400 calories but you can eat well on that if you're mindful. I even manage to allow myself a glass of red wine most days. On days that I don't exercise (which is rare) it's difficult

I'm 5'0. I can be happy on 1200 if I eat the right things. The second I add some wine or pop in there, I can feel the lack of food.

But, I use 1200 as a base and rarely eat below 1400 with my fitbit adjustment.

1200 is low, but for shorter women, it's somewhat easier.

For me, 1200 cals a day is what works for me to lose weight. But I want to stress the "for me" part. I am short. Like, "do you need a child's ticket today?" short. I'm 45 years old and just under 5' tall. And it really sucks, because 1200 calories is not a lot. But if I concentrate on hitting my macros, I really can nourish my body with 1200 calories. I just don't have a lot of room for error - or yummy, gooey, densely packed with sweetness and fat treats. (Sorry, I'm hungry today.) You gotta do what works for you. Calculate your TDEE and cut from there. Don't go overboard - slow and steady is the way to go. Make sure that you get your nutrients in, and if you're miserable, up your calories a bit. You can't listen to your stomach - it will tell you you're hungry. Instead, listen to your body. If you are tired, weak, brain-foggy... you need more calories.

Weight loss is an individual thing. You need to figure out what works for you - and if you're not super short, it probably is going to involve more than 1200 calories.

Good luck!!

When I'm at my best for my sports, I'm light enough (and short enough) that my BMR is just short of 1200. Thankfully, however, if I'm in that shape I'm doing enough exercise to eat waaaay more than that, and my TDEE is still 1500ish on a lazy day, because I know that on 1200 calories a day (if I was that weight and sedentary) I would eat anything and anyone that stayed still long enough!

Even during desk job times where I was trying to lose just the few pounds to get back to my best, my TDEE without exercise was at least 1500 and I would create the deficit by doing more, not eating less.

I'm sure there are people who are okay health-wise on 1200 and have the willpower to do it, but I know I couldn't.

I've been eating 1200 a few times before when I wanted to start off. It is hard, but not too hard if you choose the right foods. MFP says I should be maintaining on 1730 (more of 1800 as I empirically found out) so 1200 would only make me lose 0.3 kgs per week, which is basically nothing compared to losing/gaining up to 1 kg in a day just because of food and poop... I usually stick to it a few weeks then increase it to 1400.

KathrynZeda wrote: »

My calorie goal is 1,200 and I'm 5'2. I found an easy way to achieve my goal is by having 2 protein shakes a day ( different flavors of course). By doing this i can get in a couple snacks a day as well as a satisfying dinner. The low cal snacks are usually a granola bar or a fiber brownie, sometimes even popcorn! Either way, i feel like this goal is accurate after my research of how to get in my protein and nutrients.
Just my two cents on things.

Your calorie goal is 1200 because you probably set your calorie goal to 2lbs per week, which is quite aggressive for someone only looking to lose 20lbs. My wife is the same age as me, same height as you and gets more than 1200.

I wouldn't recommend replacing 2 meals with protein shakes either (hopefully you mean MRPs at least, protein shakes have little on the overall nutrition side). It does nothing to teach us about portion control for when you do return to eating normally.....unless you plan on having protein shakes instead of meals the rest of your life, then carry on.

1200 is what MFP assigned me. I have a sedentary job, only want to lose .5 -1 lb a week. But I am in my 50s. I have to exercise each day and eat back a portion of those calories to stay within goal. Otherwise I could never stick to 1200, because I refuse to be hungry and miserable. I don't worry if I go 50 or 100 calories over occasionally, I know I am still at a deficit.

Any time I see someone who is not old and short like me eating 1200, I think I hear a kitten dying somewhere.

Older and shorter women DO need to eat 1200 to lose weight, and because our metabolisms are at an appropriate rate to handle such an intake, I don't think there's really a problem eating that many calories. I certainly don't struggle with hunger. Or with getting nutrition. Or with fitting in treats here and there.

Anyone else? Just no.

I'm 5'5", weighing approximately 174, I've set my goal to loose 2lb a week and my calorie intake is at 1220. I've only been doing this since Sunday so I'm really really new to this, but so far so good, some days I do feel like I could do with eating more but my weight is causing me back problems, so the sooner the better for me personally....saying that, when I get to comfortable point I will knock it down to a lower goal...

I don't think i've ever in my adult life eaten under 1200 calories (unless i was ill or very very hungover )!
I think most women who are on 1200 cals, do some exercise..... enabling them to eat more.

I am 5'2", 48 years old. I want to lose 35 pounds. I have mine set at 1500 just because I have gone as low as 800 (drs. orders - i was 237 pounds at that time) and was starving but I lost 95 pounds in less than a year. SInce I got off that diet though, I gained 35 which I am now trying to lose again

I eat 1200, I'm 5-7 and been doing it since jsn, lost 32lb. I'm pretty happy with it- don't feel starved or anything, but far more mindful about what I eat. I sometimes I eat few exercise calories back and sometimes for me it's ok to go over- like a glass of wine at the weekend etc I think it encourages me to eat better, more healthy food I know a lot of people on here say you shouldn't but it works for me just gotta find what works for you x x x

I am on 1200 Calories/day and doing well. I am older (57) and it is the calorie allotment that MFP gave me. I eat very nutrient dense foods. Not hungry. I do have to plan for indulgences, but it is workable for me.