Is eating 1200 calories really safe?! And if so, what is the best way to do it?

charlireah
charlireah Posts: 100 Member
edited December 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been advised by some people that to shed a couple of pounds and basically drop some fat percentage (I want to get leaner and stronger) I should eat 1200 calories a day. Does anyone have further advice and info about this?
I eat approx 1500 calories a day. I do not weigh my food. My BMI is 20, my fat percentage is 20, I weigh 7st12 and I am 5ft 2, 24 years old.

So because I am shorter, naturally I should eat less but BMR calculators have told me that my BMR is around 1800, which sounds like too much.

My current exercise:
3 hours of fast paced walking.
Always on my feet at work, rushing around 30 hours a week. (I know this isn't real exercise but my legs ache and I do sweat after a good day of grafting so it has to count for something right???)

Thanks everyone!!!

PS I am aware that my weight is already healthy and I am thin. This is about a leaner lifestyle and a stronger body :)
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Replies

  • pvju
    pvju Posts: 115 Member
    Since you are lean and really pretty active rather than reducing calories I would step up the protein. Getting lean means lots of it - a nauseating amount imo - along with lifting weights. 1200 calories is safe as long as it's hitting your nutrician requirements. However at your age and activity level I would suspect you need more calories.
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    Thank you for that. MFP says that I should be eating 1400 calories a day if I'm lightly active and want to lose two pounds. I just used that as an approximate to see where I wanted to be. Two pounds is pretty exact but it gives me a goal at least.
  • amybugfit
    amybugfit Posts: 40 Member
    You mention in another thread about talking to a personal trainer... I would go with their advice first since they can see you in person and assess your needs personally.
    Cheers!
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    Great idea! I'll talk to them about it!
  • benlockyer
    benlockyer Posts: 5 Member
    3 hours of fast paced walking, I would guess that's 12 miles? That's about 900 calories in itself lol. Eat more!
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    charlireah wrote: »
    Thank you for that. MFP says that I should be eating 1400 calories a day if I'm lightly active and want to lose two pounds. I just used that as an approximate to see where I wanted to be. Two pounds is pretty exact but it gives me a goal at least.

    That 1400 is the goal if you want to lose 2 lbs *per week* which is very aggressive for someone who only has a few lbs they want to lose in first place. Set MFP to lose a half a lb per week - eat to that level and incorporate strength training to maintain muscle. Since you're going to see a trainer, they can help you set up a lifting program.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    charlireah wrote: »
    Thank you for that. MFP says that I should be eating 1400 calories a day if I'm lightly active and want to lose two pounds. I just used that as an approximate to see where I wanted to be. Two pounds is pretty exact but it gives me a goal at least.

    7st12 = 110 pounds, yes? What's your goal weight?

    When you say "want to lose two pounds" do you mean two pounds per week or two pounds total? If you meant two pounds per week, at your weight, you should only be trying to lose 0.5 pound per week. 2 #/week is for people who have around 100 pounds to lose.
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    benlockyer wrote: »
    3 hours of fast paced walking, I would guess that's 12 miles? That's about 900 calories in itself lol. Eat more!

    Haha I do that in a week though, not a day! I am eating 1500 calories I hope that is OK. I need to learn more as I get so much misinformation!
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  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    charlireah wrote: »
    Thank you for that. MFP says that I should be eating 1400 calories a day if I'm lightly active and want to lose two pounds. I just used that as an approximate to see where I wanted to be. Two pounds is pretty exact but it gives me a goal at least.

    7st12 = 110 pounds, yes? What's your goal weight?

    When you say "want to lose two pounds" do you mean two pounds per week or two pounds total? If you meant two pounds per week, at your weight, you should only be trying to lose 0.5 pound per week. 2 #/week is for people who have around 100 pounds to lose.

    MFP is giving me a goal of 5 weeks so yes about 0.5 a week
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    charlireah wrote: »
    Thank you for that. MFP says that I should be eating 1400 calories a day if I'm lightly active and want to lose two pounds. I just used that as an approximate to see where I wanted to be. Two pounds is pretty exact but it gives me a goal at least.

    That 1400 is the goal if you want to lose 2 lbs *per week* which is very aggressive for someone who only has a few lbs they want to lose in first place. Set MFP to lose a half a lb per week - eat to that level and incorporate strength training to maintain muscle. Since you're going to see a trainer, they can help you set up a lifting program.

    Believe it or not that goal is for 0.5lbs a week :( I've put my activity to "lightly active" rather than moderate and that altered it.
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  • Labyrinthine93
    Labyrinthine93 Posts: 46 Member
    I'd say keep eating what you're eating and lifting heavy.
  • pumpkinRIP02
    pumpkinRIP02 Posts: 131 Member
    Depending on your current height and weight plus activity level, 1,200 calories might be a dangerous or safe thing.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited May 2016
    You can get sufficient nutrition on 1200 calories. Since you are vegetarian I would recommend maybe adding a vegetarian protein supplement of some type.

    And the information isn't really all that muddled.

    MFP is giving you 1400 calories a day to lose .5 pounds a week, or a deficit of 250 calories a day. That is a small deficit and it is easy to negate if with inaccurate logging. Package food is allowed to be off by 20%, so if you ate only pre-packaged foods and they were all 20% over then you could think you are eating 1400 calories, but really be eating 1680...so no deficit.

    Since you do not want to use a food scale the 1200 was suggested as a way to buffer against potential under estimation of calorie intake.

    ETA: here are a couple of videos re:food measurement, not to convince you to weigh, but to show you why a lower target was suggested.

    youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    youtube.com/watch?v=XpHykP6e_Uk

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited May 2016
    You don't need to lose any weight - to shed fat you need to start lifting weights, that gets great results imo.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i thought you'd decided from your last thread to do recomp?
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    I am but I'm still unsure of how many calories to consume?
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    You don't need to lose any weight - to shed fat you need to start lifting weights, that gets great results imo.

    Great OK that's what I'll do!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    charlireah wrote: »
    I am but I'm still unsure of how many calories to consume?

    If you are unsure of cals to consume, how has your weight been doing eating at 1500+ recently?? that'll tell you if you need to up them etc.
    Maintenance for me at 5ft 2"/46yrs is 2100-2300, (I'm active)
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    you say you are already a healthy weight and that you are thin, but still want to lose a couple of lbs? reducing your calorie intake is probably not the best thing for you here - you are more interested in getting stronger and fitter, and improving body composition.

    Start looking into lifting heavy weights. Brisk walking is great for your cardiovascular system, but to build muscle (to drop the body fat) you ought to include some resistance training.

    just as an aside - have you had your body fat measured professionally? 20% is pretty low for a woman.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    charlireah wrote: »
    I am but I'm still unsure of how many calories to consume?

    you don't need to be in a deficit for recomp, so keep eating the same amount that you eat now.
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    OK will do!
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    you say you are already a healthy weight and that you are thin, but still want to lose a couple of lbs? reducing your calorie intake is probably not the best thing for you here - you are more interested in getting stronger and fitter, and improving body composition.

    Start looking into lifting heavy weights. Brisk walking is great for your cardiovascular system, but to build muscle (to drop the body fat) you ought to include some resistance training.

    just as an aside - have you had your body fat measured professionally? 20% is pretty low for a woman.

    Yes I have. :) Well athletes can be as low as 10% and things like that so fortunately I'm healthy. O just want a more toned physique.
  • charlireah
    charlireah Posts: 100 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    charlireah wrote: »
    I am but I'm still unsure of how many calories to consume?

    If you are unsure of cals to consume, how has your weight been doing eating at 1500+ recently?? that'll tell you if you need to up them etc.
    Maintenance for me at 5ft 2"/46yrs is 2100-2300, (I'm active)

    Well everyday I eat 1500, but once in the week I eat 2000 because I go out for a meal and I have to allow that excess so I have stayed the exact same weight since I was 17 (I'm now 24) so this tells me this is close to my BMR but I'm no expert :(
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    If you want to get stronger, this is not going to do it.

    What is your exercise program?

    How do you plan to eat less calories if you don't track?
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
    edited May 2016
    I'm eating 1200 currently, trying to lose another 7 or so lbs on top of the 7 i've lost and do a massive recomp. I sometimes find I actually struggle to get enough calories, here is what a typical day looks like for me:

    breakfast- two cups of coffee with non-dairy creamer and a very small amount of sugar

    lunch around noon- 1/4 lb ground beef sauteed with 1tbsp fish sauce, 1tbsp soy, salt & pepper topped with 2 c of spinach (wilted, no oil), one fried egg + 1 egg white, and 2 tbsp of sriracha (it sounds weird, but trust me, this little bowl is awesome)

    "snack" 4pm- 2 scoops of protein powder (i use muscle milk light) mixed with 2c of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

    dinner 8pm- 6oz of lean protein, 2-3 cups of steamed or baked veggies, and either peas, spaghetti squash, or a baked sweet potato

    My personal goal is high protein, moderate fat and carbs, low complex carbohydrates (sugars and starches). I'm finding that the high protein diet is really helping me sustain the muscle gains while keeping me full
  • trishfit2014
    trishfit2014 Posts: 304 Member
    From 17 to 24 you should gain weight. Your body finishes growing. Your bones get denser etc. Gaining a few pounds in those years is healthy. I don’t think you need to lose weight but rather gain some muscle. You should continue at the 1500 and lift weights. Keep those bones strong and build some muscle.
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