1200 calories a day for women
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Hi all, sorry this is a bit of a long one, and not really a response.
I'm struggling with this whole thing. Been on 1200 as prescribed by MFP for about a month. I want to go from 64.5 to 54. I realise that MFP gave me this target as I selected to lose a kilo a week. I do know this is asking a lot, and wasn't really expecting to achieve it - but I wanted a decent goal!
Anyway, to my surprise I've actually managed to stick to 1200 most days. I do go over some days but I tend not to eat back my exercise calories so I guess it balances out.
The thing is, as I say I'm about month in and although I have lost weight (which I'm delighted about btw) it amounts to only about 0.5kg per week. So if I'm sticking to the low calories and still exercising as before, why aren't I losing more?
The second thing I've become really aware of is being hungry. The first few days were a bit tough, but I got used to it pretty quickly and actually started to enjoy it. But more and more now I find I feel hungry or unsatisfied. I find that once I have my first meal it's like I awaken some hungry beast in my belly and I'm just starving for the rest of the day! Too get around this I've decided to skip breakfast and just power through to lunch. I try to be a bit more mindful to try to understand if I'm actually craving a particular thing, like more iron or whatever - but generally there's nothing in particular, I'm just 'hungry'.
I try to keep on top of the macros, although I tend to be a bit carb heavy (i eat a fair bit of fruit), and have started to increase my fats a bit but so far it's not helping.
I am scared to go for too much fat in particular as they are so calorific - even the good ones - and because I'm always hungry I'll just end up increasing my calories again!
So really I'm just a bit confused and down about it all at the mo. Logging has been really excellent at keeping me focused,but it's also made me realise I really wasn't eating that much before and I wasn't eating less healthily...
If I can't even get close to a kilo a week (and before you criticise, as I say it was a 'goal' rather than a realistic or sensible target) on the minimum healthy calories - then what's going to happen if I start to eat more?!0 -
For a large number of women, BMR+NEAT less 1000 (1000 calorie per day deficit for a 2 lb/wk weight loss) is 1200 or less. Many women who chose 1.5 pounds per week (750 calorie per day deficit) run into the same thing. The number of women who choose those two options in their MFP setup is high because, given the choice, they would prefer to lose faster rather than more slowly. I don't think that most of them have gone to the doctor and been prescribed a 1200 calorie diet, though some may have.
(FWIW, I'm sure that there are some women who would end up at 1200 even with only choosing to lose a pound but I think that most end up there because of choosing 1.5 or 2 lbs.)
Yep, even when I choose one pound per week it gives me 1200.
But, I do eat my Fitbit adjustment, even though several people have told me not to. Every once in a blue moon, I manage to eat a good amount and only hit 1200. Like yesterday I had two eggs and a slice of toast for breakfast, chicken breast and a salad for lunch, spaghetti with a slice of garlic bread for dinner, a greek yogurt and a frozen greek yogurt bar for snacks. (And yes, I weigh it all!) Came out to 1203. That's a rare day, though, I usually go over and accept that I will "only" lose a pound per week if I am lucky. 0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »I made the mistake of calulating on Scooby what my maintenance will be at my goal weight. (Shouldn't have looked ahead.) At age 60, 5'6", I'll only have a TDEE of 1375, without taking into consideration that I'll be even older by the time I hit goal.
May as well learn to cope with 1200 a day since 1375 isn't significantly better.
That's strange. I am 62..5'6"...light exercise and I get a maintenance of 1700. That is with a goal weight of 145.
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brightsideofpink wrote: »Just wanted to say that those ladies who replied saying they were over 50 or self-identified as 'old' look great! I'd have never have guessed your age. So while its a bummer that you're stuck with less calories, you do look awesome!
I love you0 -
Hi I'm 5'2 and I've been able to lose over 25 lbs in the last 9 months. Currently, I workout about 5-6 days per week for 60-120 minutes. I strength train and do Cardio just like I did when I was in my 20s when I weighed 105 lbs0
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I'm nearly 50. Only 4:11 and in a desk job. Eat 1150 a day. Eat about 600 for breakfast and lunch then I think 550 is plenty for dinner. Can even fit a snack in most nights. Don't feel hungry very often and have plenty of energy. Losing about 1 per week. Happy with this0
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I did 1,240 a day to lose (just hit goal and maintenance) because that's what MFP gave me.
Remember that's net cals so you can eat exercise cals on top. I ate back all my exercise cals and did either running or cycling most days, so normally ate around 1,500-1,600.
I had two days a week of no exercise and found 1,240 tough but do-able. I would have struggled to do it every day, but you shouldn't need to unless you're not doing any exercise.0 -
BTY I've lost 21 lbs in 6 months0
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I am 5,7, 40 years old currently weigh 163, and eat at 1200. There are hungry days, but not that many. I am not very active, so my body needs less fuel to run than someone fit in their twenties (worth remembering). The less fuel your body needs, the less hungry it will feel.
On some days, my intake feels positively indulgent while staying in calories - I had fruit for breakfast (a lot, in my opinion) a burger for dinner and cheesy macaroni for lunch yesterday - I struggle to understand how anyone else could feel sorry for themselves or deprived on that, but then I remind myself that there are bigger internal engines with bigger demands than mine.
I have lost just under 9 pounds in seven weeks.0 -
Taking 800 or sometime 1200 lbs with doing cardio half hour stationary cycle. Lost 2 kg in 2 weeks . Happy . But anyy one can tell its gud or nt??0
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Nd i need frnds . I dnt know how to add. So kindly u guys plz add me0
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I lost my last 20lbs on 1200 (though that number would pop up for 2lb, 1.5lb, and 1 lb loss. .5 loss only gave me 40 more calories, so I didn't bother) but I also exercised 6 days a week so I was able to earn more. I only chose the 2lb loss because I wandered onto the forums way too late, and by then I figured 'what the hell' and just continued.
But I never net very much, and while I'd be hungry, I'd drink some hot tea, lots of water, or just ignore it. Now I'm in maintenance (and struggling a lot with the concept) I can eat more.
I'm 28 year old female at 5'3.5" and 105lbs. My start weight was 132 lbs and my goal was 110lbs.0 -
I'm 5'8" and age 44. I have a desk job which makes me 'sedentary'. I said I want 2lb pw loss (I started at 180lb) and it gave me 1200 cals a day. I'm occasionally slightly hungry but not much. I've lost 2lb pw so far but expect it to slow which is fine.
Having only 1200 to play with makes me very aware of my nutrients and I find iron and calcium are difficult areas for me so I do take a supplement. I feel as time goes by and I get more exercise in I'll increase to 1400 and expect to drop to 1lb a week loss. Plus I might get better at choosing what to eat! But I'm happy in the short term.
It seems strange though that MFP gave me, at my height, such a low target. It must be based on some sort of science right?0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »I made the mistake of calulating on Scooby what my maintenance will be at my goal weight. (Shouldn't have looked ahead.) At age 60, 5'6", I'll only have a TDEE of 1375, without taking into consideration that I'll be even older by the time I hit goal.
May as well learn to cope with 1200 a day since 1375 isn't significantly better.
That's strange. I am 62..5'6"...light exercise and I get a maintenance of 1700. That is with a goal weight of 145.
I went back and re-entered my stats in Scooby and you are right. This time I get a TDEE at goal of 1595. I feel much better now.
Sorry, everyone, for whining about nothing.
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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...
Wow, I"m 5'8" and my goal is 155. I can't imagine trying to lose another 1.5-2 lbs/wk once I get there - I would be exhausted!0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »lthames0810 wrote: »I made the mistake of calulating on Scooby what my maintenance will be at my goal weight. (Shouldn't have looked ahead.) At age 60, 5'6", I'll only have a TDEE of 1375, without taking into consideration that I'll be even older by the time I hit goal.
May as well learn to cope with 1200 a day since 1375 isn't significantly better.
That's strange. I am 62..5'6"...light exercise and I get a maintenance of 1700. That is with a goal weight of 145.
I went back and re-entered my stats in Scooby and you are right. This time I get a TDEE at goal of 1595. I feel much better now.
Sorry, everyone, for whining about nothing.
I started not to say anything but I just couldn't help myself...I didn't want to see you thinking that was all that you were going to get to eat.
For me to get 1700 I have to at least keep my activity level at lightly active...I hope to increase that between now and the time I hit goal weight to moderately active. I have no hopes of ever getting to "extreme"...the body is just too old for that! I might break it. It is already protesting on some days. We are in a rainy season right now and the joints would just rather sit on the couch and be pampered.
Sigh...the price of getting old and letting myself go all of those years.
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laurenmw1990 wrote: »Hi,
I have been on a STRICT diet of no more than 1200 calories a day, and I feel great! I am also 5'10... I use MFP to track every bite lol and I still have the energy to work out 4 times a week, and walk everyday... it is totally doable, as long as you are committed. One thing I found using the App, was that you can eat ALOT of GOOD food for 1200 calories, if you are tracking it correctly! I also have a young child, who requires a lot of movement, with soccer and swimming.
I am the first to defend 1200 calories for the right people.
Shorter older ladies usually.
I am 50 and 5 ft 3 and lightly active and I lost on a net of 1460.
Not hard to imagine someone bit older, bit shorter and less active would only need 1200.
However THIS IS NOT YOU!!!
At 5 ft 10 and much younger than 50 ( I presume your avatar is you) 1200 calories is not enough.
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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.
I myself am 5'1 and I was 202 pounds I started to go on a 1200 calorie diet since December. I have lost 29 pounds. For me this works. I am losing slowly but actually in a safe way. And it helps me with portions. I really never realized what I was eating till I really watched how much and what I ate. I still eat out but watch my portions and watch what I pick. When I lost 15 pounds I started to feel better and started to exercise and not out of breath doing so. So for me it is a challenge everyday. This for me works. And to say I am proud of myself.0 -
I found this analysis really helpful to understand where the 1200 comes from, and why many don't see the results they expect.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1318741/in-5-weeks-youll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working/p10 -
I'm on 1200 net calories/day and it's working wonders for me. I exercise daily and eat back most (if not all) of my exercise calories. This allows me to lose about 1 lb/week (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less).0
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My daily goal is 1360... I did 1200 for awhile and I was pretty much miserable. Even just that extra 160 calories makes a big difference for me, although I tend to use it as a guideline and sometimes don't mind going slightly over.0
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I was doing 1240 calories, I'm 36 and fairly sedentary, but my family kindly requested I eat more, as I was not my usual sweet self
. I have dropped my weight loss goal down and everyone is happier. I don't even usually eat to my new goal, but having the option without seeing my stats go into the red is great. 0 -
I'm at 1200 calories. My bmr and tdee are very low. I'm 40 years old, 5 feet tall and have a desk job. I can manage 1200 most days. Some days I use my fitbit calories but that's not often. I don't feel deprived or anything.
And 1200 is for a setting of 1/2 a pound a week.0 -
I'm as 1200. I'm 5'2. I eat back most of my exercise calories which makes it doable. Without exercise I feel like I can eat barely anything. With about an hour of exercise each day I'm able to go out and eat socially, snack, a cupcake sometimes, etc. I cook not just for myself so I'm not eating any kind of special diet (I cook relatively healthy meals anyway), but I swap out some things for myself like cauliflower rice for regular rice, or weigh out small portions.0
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"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.[/quote]"
This^^^^^^^
Protein shakes are not a good substitute for an actual meal. You are better off eating a piece of chicken. Of course they are great for post workout or when you need more protein to hit your macros but like he said, it does not help you learn about portions and maintain healthy eating habits.
And 1200 calories a day is just ridiculous to me. You are better off exercising everyday to allow more calories than starving yourself and being "sedentary". For instance, I make sure I burn at least 2100 calories a day so I can eat at least 1700-1800 calories a day. I know it's different for everyone and everyone's goals are different, but think about it, wouldn't you rather workout and be active and still be able to eat a sustainable amount of calories. You should eat however may calories that makes you feel good and function like a normal human and not some sloth. Then workout enough to still make the deficit you need to reach your goal. I'm not a DR this is just my opinion and what works for me.0 -
I set mine to lose 1.5 lbs/week and it gives me a 1200 goal. I often go over 1200 but in reality, I'm happy to lose even a pound/week, so it's not a big deal. I have my calorie goal set low so its more of a big reminder to stop eating. For example, if after lunch I see I have 400 cal left for dinner, I tend to make smarter decisions than if I saw 650 or so. In the end I might eat a ~550 calorie dinner, but it's still a good deficit in the end.0
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I think that 1,200 would be fine if we were filling it with only nutritious food.
I am sure that most of us (myself included) fill it with things that are not so nutritious.0 -
Monday - Friday I am on 1200 calories a day and I'm not starving, I just plan out my meals carefully so I'm nutritionally getting the most bang for my buck ( and especially with protein which keeps me full)
Weekends are another story : )0 -
I eat 1200 a day but i have a job where i sit at a desk all day long. If i feel hungry i eat. I actually feel like i'm constantly eating...I just make sure they are better choices. At first it was very hard for me to do 1200 but now i'm used to it. I do have splurges now and then too, last weekend it was pizza and the weekend before was tacos. You can check out my diary. I am approx 70 days in and down 22lbs. Ive found if i go over the 1200 or eat alot of carby foods (regardless of the calories) i don't seem to lose as consistently. But thats just me... Feel free to check out my diary.0
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