Structuring a 1200cal day

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  • juliebowman4
    juliebowman4 Posts: 784 Member
    tiffkittyw wrote: »
    BigMama24mfp wrote: »
    Maybe my input here isn't welcome but anytime I see people trying a 1200 calorie diet I feel obligated, as a lifetime failed dieter, to say something. 1200 calories is too few calories, it is simply starvation. Look into the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. Participants were put on a 1560 calorie diet for 24 weeks with disastrous results.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment

    Try this calculator to determine your BMR as well as your TDEE. You may be surprised to find out you burn many more calories than you think. http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    My advice for effective, long term weight loss is to reduce your intake by 500 calories at most.

    I burn 3000 calories a day and eat 2500.

    Your BMR changes with age and activity level (I.e, sedentary desk job). I am also hypothyroid which the calculators don't account for. Without accounting for my hypothyroidism my BMR is around 1,300 calories. I exercise 7 days a week but I use those calories on the weekend. I go by a weekly deficit rather than daily (i.e maintain a 1,200 daily average over the week).zunaex7zpv8q.png

    Ha! Newly diagnosed hypothyroid here too.

    I like the idea of a weekly deficit, rather than daily......it would make it easier to plan for meals out with friends
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    That assumes a normal BMR, which you do not have if you have hypothyroidism.
  • mlboyer100
    mlboyer100 Posts: 115 Member
    First, you never want to eat less than 1200, a good range is 1300-1400. Second, its not so much the calories, or lack of them, that makes you lose weigh, its more important to balance out the macros. I agree with a post above that 1200 calories will trigger starvation mode and can actually make you gain weight! there are several ways to determine your caloric intake. Here is one method:
    Take your current weight x 11 = Caloric Baseline
    Take Caloric Baseline + 400 (Calorie burn for exercise) = Caloric Needs to maintain weight
    Take Caloric Needs - 750 (Calorie Deficit) = Calorie Target per day
    If its under 1200, round up to at least 1200 or more
    If its more than 2300, round down to 2300
    This assumes you are working out for 30-45 minutes, five days a week. In order to keep your body fueled so you don't get tired, and not lose muscle mass while losing weight, macros should be set to 50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat = 100% this can be tweaked no more than 5% in any one macro.
    The important thing is to track everything you eat and drink.

    I've followed this plan and went from 168 to 127 in nine months. It works! I'm healthier now than I have been in years and this is the lowest weight I've been since High School! If you want more information on how I did this, PM me. You can do it too!
  • juliebowman4
    juliebowman4 Posts: 784 Member
    mlboyer100 wrote: »
    First, you never want to eat less than 1200, a good range is 1300-1400. Second, its not so much the calories, or lack of them, that makes you lose weigh, its more important to balance out the macros. I agree with a post above that 1200 calories will trigger starvation mode and can actually make you gain weight! there are several ways to determine your caloric intake. Here is one method:
    Take your current weight x 11 = Caloric Baseline
    Take Caloric Baseline + 400 (Calorie burn for exercise) = Caloric Needs to maintain weight
    Take Caloric Needs - 750 (Calorie Deficit) = Calorie Target per day
    If its under 1200, round up to at least 1200 or more
    If its more than 2300, round down to 2300
    This assumes you are working out for 30-45 minutes, five days a week. In order to keep your body fueled so you don't get tired, and not lose muscle mass while losing weight, macros should be set to 50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat = 100% this can be tweaked no more than 5% in any one macro.
    The important thing is to track everything you eat and drink.

    I've followed this plan and went from 168 to 127 in nine months. It works! I'm healthier now than I have been in years and this is the lowest weight I've been since High School! If you want more information on how I did this, PM me. You can do it too!

    You kinda lost me at 'starvation mode'.


  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    mlboyer100 wrote: »
    First, you never want to eat less than 1200, a good range is 1300-1400. Second, its not so much the calories, or lack of them, that makes you lose weigh, its more important to balance out the macros. I agree with a post above that 1200 calories will trigger starvation mode and can actually make you gain weight! there are several ways to determine your caloric intake. Here is one method:
    Take your current weight x 11 = Caloric Baseline
    Take Caloric Baseline + 400 (Calorie burn for exercise) = Caloric Needs to maintain weight
    Take Caloric Needs - 750 (Calorie Deficit) = Calorie Target per day
    If its under 1200, round up to at least 1200 or more
    If its more than 2300, round down to 2300
    This assumes you are working out for 30-45 minutes, five days a week. In order to keep your body fueled so you don't get tired, and not lose muscle mass while losing weight, macros should be set to 50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat = 100% this can be tweaked no more than 5% in any one macro.
    The important thing is to track everything you eat and drink.

    I've followed this plan and went from 168 to 127 in nine months. It works! I'm healthier now than I have been in years and this is the lowest weight I've been since High School! If you want more information on how I did this, PM me. You can do it too!

    Oh please. I am tall, active and ate at 1200 for several years. No starvation mode. It doesn't work that way.
  • c613477
    c613477 Posts: 296 Member
    mlboyer100 wrote: »
    First, you never want to eat less than 1200, a good range is 1300-1400. Second, its not so much the calories, or lack of them, that makes you lose weigh, its more important to balance out the macros. I agree with a post above that 1200 calories will trigger starvation mode and can actually make you gain weight! there are several ways to determine your caloric intake. Here is one method:
    Take your current weight x 11 = Caloric Baseline
    Take Caloric Baseline + 400 (Calorie burn for exercise) = Caloric Needs to maintain weight
    Take Caloric Needs - 750 (Calorie Deficit) = Calorie Target per day
    If its under 1200, round up to at least 1200 or more
    If its more than 2300, round down to 2300
    This assumes you are working out for 30-45 minutes, five days a week. In order to keep your body fueled so you don't get tired, and not lose muscle mass while losing weight, macros should be set to 50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat = 100% this can be tweaked no more than 5% in any one macro.
    The important thing is to track everything you eat and drink.

    I've followed this plan and went from 168 to 127 in nine months. It works! I'm healthier now than I have been in years and this is the lowest weight I've been since High School! If you want more information on how I did this, PM me. You can do it too!

    50% protein? That is a very high protein intake and 20% fat is a little low. I developed kidney problems with 40% protein and am now aiming for no more than 30. It is best not to generalize statements like this. I had no previous kidney issues prior to my switch in macros.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    mlboyer100 wrote: »
    First, you never want to eat less than 1200, a good range is 1300-1400. Second, its not so much the calories, or lack of them, that makes you lose weigh, its more important to balance out the macros. I agree with a post above that 1200 calories will trigger starvation mode and can actually make you gain weight! there are several ways to determine your caloric intake. Here is one method:
    Take your current weight x 11 = Caloric Baseline
    Take Caloric Baseline + 400 (Calorie burn for exercise) = Caloric Needs to maintain weight
    Take Caloric Needs - 750 (Calorie Deficit) = Calorie Target per day
    If its under 1200, round up to at least 1200 or more
    If its more than 2300, round down to 2300
    This assumes you are working out for 30-45 minutes, five days a week. In order to keep your body fueled so you don't get tired, and not lose muscle mass while losing weight, macros should be set to 50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat = 100% this can be tweaked no more than 5% in any one macro.
    The important thing is to track everything you eat and drink.

    I've followed this plan and went from 168 to 127 in nine months. It works! I'm healthier now than I have been in years and this is the lowest weight I've been since High School! If you want more information on how I did this, PM me. You can do it too!

    1200 is not "starvation mode." Repeating that it is does not make it so. Weight loss is only about calories. People use a wide variety of macro ratios and all seem to lose weight on their chosen path just fine. Even if someone were eating too little they would still lose weight and they most certainly won't gain. That's not scientifically even possible.
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