1200cals - how much are you loosing?

I adjusted and am losing 1.5 to 2 lbs weekly. At 1200 I would lose .08.

So, to calculate your target, MFP takes the numbers you input and calculates your daily caloric needs (NEAT) based on your height/weight/age/etc. Then it subtracts a certain number of calories per day, based on the amount of weight you say you want to lose (it take a deficit of 500 calories per day to lose a pound per week, or 1000 per day to lose 2 pounds per week). However, MFP won't ever give you a target less than 1200.

Just making up numbers...if your NEAT is 1700, and you say you want to lose 1 pound per week, MFP says 1700-500=1200. If you eat 1200 calories per day, you'll lose 1 pound per week.

If your NEAT is 1700, and you say you want to lose 2 pounds per week, MFP says 1700-1000=700, but the system won't let it spit out 700, so it bumps it up to 1200 automatically. You could say that you want to lose 10 pounds per week, and it would still tell you to eat 1200.

Not everyone can lose 2 pounds per week safely, and you're probably not one of them.

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OP, the question isn't "how much are people losing at 1200 cals" it should be, "is 1200 the right amount of calories for me?". As others have said, MFP sets your goal based on information you give it when you set up your profile including: Gender, Age, Height, Weight, Activity Level, and Desired Rate of Loss. Based on the first 5 data points, MFP will calculate an estimate of your maintenance calories without exercise. Then, depending on your desired rate of loss, MFP will subtract the appropriate amount of calories to help you achieve that goal, if it is reasonable. That looks like this:

0.5 lbs/week = 250 cal deficit
1 lb/wk = 500 cal deficit
1.5 lb/wk = 750 cal deficit
2 lbs/wk = 1000 cal deficit.

With this said, the default minimum for MFP is 1200 cals, because this is a minimum number of calories that most people need in order to not lose too rapidly, still get in appropriate nutrients, etc. Please note this is a MINIMUM, most people need more calories than this, even to lose weight. This is also the calories excluding exercise, which means if you do choose to exercise, you are meant to eat a portion of these calories back.

So if MFP is giving you 1200 cals but telling you that you will only lose 0.5 kg/week (sorry I just saw that you were using kg and all my numbers above are in pounds), that is because you are at the bottom of their recommendation for you and it is probably not appropriate for you to lose weight at 1 kg/week.

I strongly suggest you read this thread, as well as the other links provided within it and the others at the top of the forum sections for more information about how best to set up this tool and have the greatest success.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1

londonanni wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I guess the logic explanation is that 1200 cals is the lowest default but I can't lose 1kg on that and that's ok! I'm eating healthy and if I'm hungry I'll eat more. It's about healthy choices and exercising.

That sounds good but keep in mind, if you are exercising, and logging it in MFP, you should be eating some of those calories back. 1200 is a NET calorie minimum.

londonanni wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I guess the logic explanation is that 1200 cals is the lowest default but I can't lose 1kg on that and that's ok! I'm eating healthy and if I'm hungry I'll eat more. It's about healthy choices and exercising.

Great attitude!

I lose about 1.5 pounds a week total 18 pound loss in 4 months no exercise.

I am 5'1 and I think at my heaviest I was only able to lose about 1.5 lbs at 1200 calories. I am 18 lbs from my goal of 120 and the largest amount I can lose now at 1200 is 1.1. I find that MFP has been accurate when I enter my exercise calories and eat what it tells me too.