1200 Calories a day!

I'm at 1200 based on my age, height, and a 1.5 to 2lb weekly weight loss. I am not a vegetarian, but enjoy cooking vegan and vegetarian meals which give me a lot of nutrition for my calories. I've tried some of Hummusapien's recipes, which are on this sight and they are delicious!

DaTruBlondie wrote: »

Depending on your information we gave the app does it just give us a calorie goal a day?

Yep, the way the calculates your caloriea is by your inputs. It will takes your stats (height, weight, age) and your lifestyle (sedentary, lightly active, etc...) and come up with a estimated total daily energy expenditure (aka maintenance calories). From there it ask you what you want to lose and it will create a deficit or surplus based on your rate (2 lbs is tdee - 1000 calories, 1 lb is tdee - 500) and all in between. The only limiting factor is mfp will not allow anything under 1200 calories.

Since the lifestyle factor does not include exercise and you already have a deficit, is why you are supposed to eat back exercise calories.


What mfp doesnt tell you is what is an acceptable per week loss. While 1 to 2 lbs is the general normal, it doesnt mean that you should go aggressive, especially if you are lean. What mfp and other sites dont tell you are the associated issues with high deficits, especially for those who do not know nutrition and the requirements (higher protein with resistance training) and precautions required to minimize things like muscle loss and minimizing adaptive thermogenesis.

okimo75 wrote: »

how do you increase your calorie intake? right now mine is 1200 and I would like to increase it to at least 1400-1500.............

Change either your activity level - are you really a sedentary 45 hr weekly desk job/commute with no kids and outside exercise a bump on the log all evening and weekends?
or more honestly Lightly Active.

And/or change your weight loss goal - did you pick 2 lb weekly with only 20 lbs left to lose - then better to pick 1 lb weekly.

Both those options that you picked made the eating goal where it is.

And in case you missed it in many of the comments to this topic - the eating goal given by MFP is ONLY on non-exercise days. Because that's what it starts the math with. Eating less than day with no exercise.
You exercise though, you burn more, you eat less to burn fat, you'll be eating more than day with no exercise.
So log your workouts and meet your daily eating goal.

chismmegan wrote: »

I'm set on 1200 calories also. I changed my goal to 1lb a week and it only gave me 70 extra calories..so I just went back to 2lbs a week. Which I am absolutely not doing so I don't know where MFP is getting these numbers.

Because MFP will not let you choose a calorie goal below 1200. You will not lose 2lbs a week eating 1200 calories.
FOR EXAMPLE: If your current maintenance calories are 1770, and you chose 2lbs per week, that's 1000 calorie a day deficit. So your calorie goal would only be 770. That's NOT ENOUGH food for your organs to function properly. So the lowest MFP will set any female is 1200. That's why when you change it to 1 lb a week you only get 70 more calories. In the calculation you are actually getting 500 more calories, but you'd never be set up at only 770 in the first place.

courtneylykins5 wrote: »

It's not too hard when you get used to it. But I don't have a plan per se other than saving most calories for a big dinner. I eat what I want and swap out higher calorie foods for lower calorie substitutions when I can and when they are palatable. Feel free to add me. My diary is open to friends.

I myself am on a 1200 calorie diet. My dietitian recommended that. I weigh 185 lbs. I need to be at 115-155. I lost 35 so far. Just need more support

I'm on a 1200 calorie diet but I'm on the optifast diet through a dietician and hospital. I started at 250 lbs and have lost 11 lbs in 4 weeks. I'm still working at adjusting my diet. I ate way to many carbs. I also didn't drink any water. It's been a huge commitment for me.