How many calories to maintain after a 1200 calorie diet??? 4 ft. 10. girl

I'm guessing 1500-1600 would be a good idea

I'm very light and currently maintain on around 2000, however had to increase up to that amount very slowly - increase up to 1500, then reverse diet by adding another 100 a week or so until you are maintaining on an amount that leaves you feeling satisfied, energised,and not deprived. It is possible to slow your metabolism by maintaining on too little, many people could eat far more if only they went about it the right way! But the most important thing to do is listen to your body (easier to do with wholesome, unprocessed foods), and remember that you don't have to eat the exact same amount every day!

vinegar_husbands wrote: »

To be honest, you probably don't need 1800-1900 per day to maintain your weight, unless you exercise a lot...

I couldnt agree more!

5 foot no inches. 100ish pounds. 41 years old. I eat 1900-2000 calories a day. I work out about 5 hours a week. This is the calculator I used as a starting point: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ I still lost weight so had to adjust and eat more (YEAH!).

5'2", 109 lbs, and I maintain on about 1600 calories plus exercise. If you can eat more, great, but we shorties don't always get to eat as much as taller people.

KGiss1 wrote: »

Hi friends,
I have reached my weight loss goal a few times now, but I struggle with maintaining it. I'm 4 ft. 10 in. and 106 lbs and I struggle going from such a low calorie amount to the recommended 1800-1900 calorie amount. If your body type is like me, short and petite, what was a realistic amount of calories for you to eat to maintain? I've never recorded the amount of calories I eat after I reach my weight loss goal, so I'm not sure how many I can eat to maintain, and because I'm so small, I don't trust websites to give me accurate numbers.

OOOOO 'fun size'!

I am the same exact height & I've just celebrated my 2 yr maint anniversary. My TDEE at 45 yo working out 6 days a week at 'Difficult' pace is 1498. So although MFP may suggest my maint calorie be 1600-1800, I ignore it because it is well over my TDEE. Make sense? If my body only needs 1498 to support what I'm doing then why in the world would I want to eat more? Eating more than what my body needs is what made me fat in the first place so ahhm yea. LOL

I'm not sure where 1800-1900 came from but to your original question your daily calories should reflect your level of activities.

Run your TDEE using a calculator based on your height, age, and most importantly activity level.

Also keep in mind that MFP is geared towards the average and us 'fun size' gals are certainly not so do your homework, run your numbers and use that as a baseline.

Best of luck to you!

I'm 5'2" and maintain at 1400-1500 calories. My MFP setting is at "lose 1/2 pound a week". So increase your allowance by 100 calories every week or two until you stop losing.

auddii wrote: »

On average, how much weight did you lose each week when you were eating 1200 calories? If you lost a pound a week, your maintenance would likely be somewhere around 1700 calories. If you lost 2lbs per week, your maintenance would be around 2200, etc.

If you are worried about increasing your intake, do it slowly. Add 100 calories per day each week until you hit your maintenance level.

This is exactly what you need to do - if you don't plan on changing your workout routine.

Forget the calculators assuming you are sedentary - which is impossible to advise as you shared nothing regarding your exercise or daily life routine. That advice is based on nothing then.

That's just as inane as saying you should be eating 1800 calories without that knowledge.

And you should gain water weight - same big rush in firs week that was water weight.

Good needed part of LBM water weight, increase your metabolism slightly water weight. Part of natural body function water weight.
And since it's spread out throughout your muscles - shouldn't even notice it.

If that concerning, then realize you should have a weight goal range - not number.
Or you'll drive yourself batty thinking something is going on when it's not.

Always be aware of the math for fast increases in case you think it's fat.

You'd have to eat 100 calories DAILY over maintenance for 35 days to slowly gain 1 lb of fat.
If weight lifting - won't even be all fat.

Anything faster is water.

KGiss1 wrote: »

Hi friends,
I have reached my weight loss goal a few times now, but I struggle with maintaining it. I'm 4 ft. 10 in. and 106 lbs and I struggle going from such a low calorie amount to the recommended 1800-1900 calorie amount. If your body type is like me, short and petite, what was a realistic amount of calories for you to eat to maintain? I've never recorded the amount of calories I eat after I reach my weight loss goal, so I'm not sure how many I can eat to maintain, and because I'm so small, I don't trust websites to give me accurate numbers.

I'm a few inches taller (5ft 2) and very active and maintain on 2100..it'll take you a little time figuring yours out, just up your cals by say 200 cals/day for a few weeks and see how it goes...