1200 Cals ??

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laur4795
laur4795 Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
I just started this journey and when I put in all my info mfp has me at 1200 Cals a day ! Is anyone losing on that ? I feel like I'll starve ? Lol . Sounds kind of low !
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  • Sandrathanoon
    Sandrathanoon Posts: 3 Member
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    Im on it for a week now lost 1.7 kg with no exerisise just walking in the park
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Did you set your goal at 2 lbs per week? Unless you are obese, 2 lbs per week is too aggressive. Change your goal to 1 lb and eat more. 1200 is the bare minimum most people should eat.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
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    If you are short it is not weird that it put 1200. I'm 5'2, on it, losing weight and not starving at all. I will open my diary if you want to check it out.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    It is low. More than likely, you chose a 2 lb/week goal and the required deficit to achieve that falls at or below 1200 calories. Try adjusting your weight loss goal. You may want to lose faster, but you'll likely give up faster if you are starving.
  • ruminantia
    ruminantia Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi Laur4795, I am using a Garmin Vivofit. I find that as it tracks my steps (I haven't loaded any other exercises yet) MFP will tell me that I have 'earned' so many extra calories for that day. The more steps, the more calories I earn. I am just up to between 10,000 and 11,000 steps and it has given me usually another 250 to 350 (+/-) extra calories each day. I think there is a way to adjust the number of calories in MFP, if you upgrade?

    Also, I do find that when focusing on eating nutrient dense foods, and plenty of the right kinds of healthy fats and proteins, I don't really feel hungry at around 1200 to 1300.
  • mo7hy
    mo7hy Posts: 3 Member
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    Could it be a metabolism thing? I still manage to put weight on at 1200. I only seem to lose weight at between 700 and 900.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
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    mo7hy wrote: »
    Could it be a metabolism thing? I still manage to put weight on at 1200. I only seem to lose weight at between 700 and 900.

    No! There is no one that has such low BMR... eating under 1200 for women and 1500 for men is unhealthy and dangerous. Do not suggest that to others and stop doing it yourself.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited March 2016
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    mo7hy wrote: »
    Could it be a metabolism thing? I still manage to put weight on at 1200. I only seem to lose weight at between 700 and 900.
    It's more likely that you aren't accurately tracking your calorie intake and you are eating more calories than you think you are eating. Are you using a food scale to weigh all solid foods and measuring cups/spoons for liquids? Are you using database entries with accurate nutritional information?
    laur4795 wrote: »
    I just started this journey and when I put in all my info mfp has me at 1200 Cals a day ! Is anyone losing on that ? I feel like I'll starve ? Lol . Sounds kind of low !
    I felt hungry all of the time on 1200 but I do fine on 1300-1350. It's amazing the difference that 100 calories can make in your level of satiation.
  • Caligirl95076
    Caligirl95076 Posts: 14 Member
    edited March 2016
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    @laur4795 I hear ya. I too just started MFP last Monday and feel it's a bit too low. Struggling to keep under 1,220 calories. I'm not starving but find myself craving munchies. I work at an office and have a pretty sedentary life except for just started going to the gym a month ago. My goal is to loose 2lbs a day and I currently weight 236 the nice thing Is that calories burned at gym are added so I can eat more but still is a struggle
  • mo7hy
    mo7hy Posts: 3 Member
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    I've been tracking it for the last six years using various databases and methods. I'm a fulltime baker so MFP recommends 2600, but like I said even as low as 1200 I'm still putting on weight. I'm not recommending it to anyone, but the only way I've been able able to lose weight is below 1000. Currently using MFP's own database for the figures and at around 1400-1500 a day I've put on 2lbs in the last month.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, since you haven't come back to clarify, I wanted to expand on my post:

    If you are set to 2 lbs per week, and have less than @ 75 lbs to lose, lower your weekly goal, it is too aggressive.

    If you are relatively short (like 5'3 or under) and sedentary, 1200 MIGHT be an appropriate goal. If it is, you can start off setting yourself to a half-lb per week to get used to a slightly higher calorie goal and then lower your calories further when you feel ready. It's not a race - you don't have to start off at full speed.

    Remember that MFP expects you to eat back your exercise calories. So log your exercise and eat back 50%-75% of them (MFP tends to overestimate calorie burns).

    If you would like more specific suggestions, you would need to provide your stats.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    mo7hy wrote: »
    I've been tracking it for the last six years using various databases and methods. I'm a fulltime baker so MFP recommends 2600, but like I said even as low as 1200 I'm still putting on weight. I'm not recommending it to anyone, but the only way I've been able able to lose weight is below 1000. Currently using MFP's own database for the figures and at around 1400-1500 a day I've put on 2lbs in the last month.
    There are many inaccuracies in the MFP database. Most items are entered by users. You need to double-check everything.

    This flowchart has many good suggestions to try:

    8wfk7rprq30n.jpg
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    mo7hy wrote: »
    I've been tracking it for the last six years using various databases and methods. I'm a fulltime baker so MFP recommends 2600, but like I said even as low as 1200 I'm still putting on weight. I'm not recommending it to anyone, but the only way I've been able able to lose weight is below 1000. Currently using MFP's own database for the figures and at around 1400-1500 a day I've put on 2lbs in the last month.

    Your profile says you are male. There are two possibilities:
    1. You are not using a food scale and are grossly underestimating your calories.
    2. You are some kind of medical miracle and need to see a doctor immediately.

    Either way, your experience has nothing to do with this OP's thread. You should start your own thread, rather than confuse this one.
  • jlcnuke
    jlcnuke Posts: 31 Member
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    KorvapuustiPossu wrote: »
    mo7hy wrote: »
    Could it be a metabolism thing? I still manage to put weight on at 1200. I only seem to lose weight at between 700 and 900.

    No! There is no one that has such low BMR... eating under 1200 for women and 1500 for men is unhealthy and dangerous. Do not suggest that to others and stop doing it yourself.

    You shouldn't make statements like this as you are obviously not that person's doctor. There are people with metabolism's that are significantly different from the norms (though rare). If a person is finding difficulty losing weight with the "normal" methods they should be advised to discuss their weight loss goals and eating habits with a medical professional that can assess that person's health conditions and provide professional, educated advice on how to proceed.

    Due to a medical condition, my mother is (per doctor's orders) on a meal plan that only includes 700 calories to maintain her current weight (not lose weight, to maintain it).

    While it is unlikely that the average person has a medical condition that would necessitate such usual dietary needs, none of us is the physician for a random person from the internet that we've never met.
  • orsolya_kiss
    orsolya_kiss Posts: 18 Member
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    1200 calories... It is only enough if you have to stay in bed 24/7... I recommend you to calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) based on your lifestyle. Then measure everything you eat in a day and track it here. Low calories might seem like a quick fix but they do more harm than good.
  • mo7hy
    mo7hy Posts: 3 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »

    Your profile says you are male. There are two possibilities:
    1. You are not using a food scale and are grossly underestimating your calories.
    2. You are some kind of medical miracle and need to see a doctor immediately.

    Either way, your experience has nothing to do with this OP's thread. You should start your own thread, rather than confuse this one.

    Being male doesn't automatically mean I don't use scales or underestimate calories. I have been a professional baker for 12 years so I understand the importance of appropriately measuring food and ingredients.

    The doctor hasn't found anything yet aside from a knackered back.

    I posted due to the OP's query on 1200 being too little. It fit in a way.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    laur4795 wrote: »
    I just started this journey and when I put in all my info mfp has me at 1200 Cals a day ! Is anyone losing on that ? I feel like I'll starve ? Lol . Sounds kind of low !

    I thought it was crazy low too, until I realized that MFP doesn't include exercise calories (even though it asks what you are planning to do) and so when you exercise you eat that back (or back of it, to avoid overestimating). This includes calories from walking around if you chose sedentary (beyond a minimum amount).

    I did 1250 + exercise calories and found it pretty reasonable. Then I got tired of eating so low on my rest day, so switched to a method that averages exercise calories over the week and ate 1600 (or so, I changed it various times).
  • AmandaOmega
    AmandaOmega Posts: 70 Member
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    I've been on 1200 calories for about three or four months now. It's not as hard as you think, especially if you exercise (I know people say not to eat back your exercise calories, but I eat back some). I have a fried egg and toast for breakfast, half a ham and cheese sandwich and salad for lunch, and some sort of chicken based dinner dish. I've lost about 21lbs doing this so far.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    I dunno, I've lost 80lbs with 1200 cals so far.
  • cathed42
    cathed42 Posts: 88 Member
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    I've been on it 34 days and I've lost 14lbs it wasn't easy at first but now I am always under the 1200 and don't usually feel hungry

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