Who else has a calorie goal of 1200? Or anywhere close!

13

Replies

  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    ok but still even at that 1200 calories is too aggressive of a goal. even with a lot of fat and weight to lose you still can and should eat more and how do you know you arent losing muscle? everyone who loses weight loses some muscle mass which is why its recommended to take in enough protein and lift heavy to retain as much muscle as you can. as for closing your diary it was most likely a glitch.

    Thank you for your concern, but I don't need help I'm doing just fine. Also, it was not a glitch.
  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    not talking about saving the entry. Im talking about when you put in your weight and how much you want to lose. and MFP experiences glitches often. the only way it would let me save under 1200 is if I ate over that and my net was under 1200. is that what you are experiencing? are you getting exercise and netting under 1200?

    I don't eat back my exercise calories, but I also don't eat as low as 1200 on exercise days. I normally only drop my calories to 1200 if I have an injury and can't exercise.

    MFP uses the neat method so you are supposed to eat back 25-50% of your exercise calories back at least. it already calculates your deficit. if you are netting less than the recommended for women. you arent getting enough nutrition. this is a marathon not a sprint. weight loss takes time,and should be done in a healthy matter but if you dont want to do things the healthy way then you go ahead. thats up to you.

    There is nothing unhealthy about what I'm doing. I increase my calories when I increase my calories out. I just don't use MFP to track that. I track it using other apps.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Fiqahana wrote: »
    I honestly am having a hard time keeping my calorie goal under 1200-1500. Maybe because I just started doing this. I keep on having cravings. Any tips for a beginner? Thanks :)

    Anyway, to anyone out there, if you ever need a friend to accompany you through this journey to a happier and healthier life, motivate you to reach for you goals, support you through ups and downs, I'm always here to be that friend, so feel free to add me! I hope we all will succeed in this journey, until the end! Have a nice day everyone! <3

    I "manage" cravings. That means I allow myself 1 or 2 treats every day. I measure & log those treats. By "managing" treats, that still means I have to make choices. I can't mindlessly eat and lose weight, that won't happen.

    1500 is a perfectly respectable goal. If you struggle with 1200 (I would)....then bump it up to 1500. You lose a little slower....so what? Staying the course and being consistent is the most important thing.

    Protein, fat, and fiber are filling. You may have to tweak your menu a bit to figure out what things are most filling for you.

    Keep in mind MFP gave you 1200 BEFORE exercise. Take a walk....earn more calories.
  • CynthiaEvans
    CynthiaEvans Posts: 37 Member
    I am set for 1200 because I know that will work as long as I keep the carbs down also.
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I am set for 1200 because I know that will work as long as I keep the carbs down also.

    Weight loss is about calorie deficit.

    If lowering carbs is your method of reducing calories, then you will lose weight. Lowering carbs is also good for a few pounds of water weight loss the first couple of weeks.

    Your macro %'s (protein, fat & carbs)....are for health reasons or satiety, not weight loss.
  • Lucky7z
    Lucky7z Posts: 5 Member
    Mine was set at 1200 for the longest and I just set it to 1300,hopefully this helps me with my new goals.
  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.
  • LisaKay91
    LisaKay91 Posts: 211 Member
    Bariatric physicians and endocrinologists often prescribe a lower calorie diet for very obese patients to follow until they have lost a certain amount of weight. My doctor approved me for 500-800 until I lost 25lbs.

    We don't know who and who isn't under a medically supervised diet... we also don't know how much one person has to lose until they outright say it. I prefer not to jump the gun and make multiple assumptions and accusations without the full story.

    I have noticed those criticizing 1200 calorie diets on every thread are those who are quite active at work or exercise/weight lift 2-3+ times per week. It is obvious 1200 would be contraindicated for those who are quite physically active.
  • LisaKay91
    LisaKay91 Posts: 211 Member
    Also, like said in previous threads, some people simply don't weigh all of their food and they THINK they are eating 1200 calories but instead eating more. I wouldn't say this is the case for every person on 1200 but I know when I first started out years ago (at a higher intake) I was not weighing my food and I was not losing at the rate I am now.



  • gentleorange
    gentleorange Posts: 2 Member
    For the last two weeks I've followed a strict diet - porridge made with water, salads, steamed vegetables, lean meat. I was quite surprised when I started back on MFP again and it told me I wasn't eating enough. I ended up eating chocolate yesterday to get closer to 1200, but I don't feel great about that. Historically I either diet strictly, or I binge on junk food. I'm nervous about the middle road, I'm not familiar with it. Is there a way to see how other people on 1200 eat on MFP? I am doing better nutritionally right now though. During my overeating phases I don't get near a vegetable!
  • antoniaaa62
    antoniaaa62 Posts: 4 Member
    Mine is automatically set at 1,360 but I try to stay around 1200! Trying to lose in a healthy way but still quickly
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    one question; for those who arent using mfp pal they way its intended to be used, then why are you using it instead of some other site/app? I am literally curious and not asking to be rude.
  • sunshines4nate
    sunshines4nate Posts: 22 Member
    For the last two weeks I've followed a strict diet - porridge made with water, salads, steamed vegetables, lean meat. I was quite surprised when I started back on MFP again and it told me I wasn't eating enough. I ended up eating chocolate yesterday to get closer to 1200, but I don't feel great about that. Historically I either diet strictly, or I binge on junk food. I'm nervous about the middle road, I'm not familiar with it. Is there a way to see how other people on 1200 eat on MFP? I am doing better nutritionally right now though. During my overeating phases I don't get near a vegetable!

    Hey i also eat my calories and if i have spares at the end of the day and my macro percentage allows for it i have a treat to finish off my cals.. so today my protein was over, my carbs and fat was under andand i had a dessert which used my calories but i still remained within yhe recommended allowances! I cant see why this wouldnt be ok?
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.

    There is nothing magic about my thinking here. You say you are eating well below the recommended minimum for a male. I assume that you are at a huge deficit. We know that people at defecit that large lose lean mass. It's empirical science.

    I would be interested to understand how you KNOW you have lost no muscle. This is not something we can just tell as the weight comes off.....





  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.

    There is nothing magic about my thinking here. You say you are eating well below the recommended minimum for a male. I assume that you are at a huge deficit. We know that people at defecit that large lose lean mass. It's empirical science.

    I would be interested to understand how you KNOW you have lost no muscle. This is not something we can just tell as the weight comes off.....




    Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

    If you know your BF% a little math will get you pretty close to your lean mass. using the same formula every time is highly accurate.
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.

    There is nothing magic about my thinking here. You say you are eating well below the recommended minimum for a male. I assume that you are at a huge deficit. We know that people at defecit that large lose lean mass. It's empirical science.

    I would be interested to understand how you KNOW you have lost no muscle. This is not something we can just tell as the weight comes off.....




    Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

    If you know your BF% a little math will get you pretty close to your lean mass. using the same formula every time is highly accurate.

    How are you getting your body fat percentage?
  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.

    There is nothing magic about my thinking here. You say you are eating well below the recommended minimum for a male. I assume that you are at a huge deficit. We know that people at defecit that large lose lean mass. It's empirical science.

    I would be interested to understand how you KNOW you have lost no muscle. This is not something we can just tell as the weight comes off.....




    Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

    If you know your BF% a little math will get you pretty close to your lean mass. using the same formula every time is highly accurate.

    How are you getting your body fat percentage?

    I measure my waist, hips, wrist, thigh, and some other things and drop it in a calculator.
  • CatherineLaurel
    CatherineLaurel Posts: 197 Member
    Meeee lost 4 lbs the first week it's now week 2
  • karl317
    karl317 Posts: 87 Member
    edited July 2016
    I stick to 1200/day. I'm 6'4" (47 years old) and finally in my home stretch weight-wise. My goal is to be right smack in the middle of my "normal BMI" range, which is around 175-180lb. I started at 300lb in feb, and am down to 207 as of this morning, just a couple of pounds shy of the upper "normal" range. Sticking to a 1200 calorie a day diet enabled me to drop over 90lb in 5 or 6 months, with no ill effects. I'm not passing out from undernourishment, I'm still able to get my 16,000 steps a day on my fitbit, and I have enough energy to get through the day.

    When I started the whole 1200/day thing, it took me about a month to get used to my reduced intake. But once I got accustomed to it, it became easy.

    There are some days where 1200 cals seems like a *lot*, even when I'm walking 8mi per day (would run, but can't because of arthritis; can't take the impact).

    Some days I fall 100 or so cals short of eating my 1200, so I click the "complete this entry" button just so I can laugh a little at the "YOU ARE LIKELY NOT EATING ENOUGH" warning. Then I go to one of the other thousands of weight prediction calculators available on the web and get my damn number and due date :)

    Once I get to 180 or so, i'll change everything around in MFP with a maintain goal and do my best to stay put.

    So yeah, if anyone tells you that 1200 calories a day isn't enough for even a 6'4" man, I would certainly beg to differ. Maybe my experience is typical, maybe it isn't. But I'm doing just fine.

    Edit: added my progress photo to my profile if anyone wants to see what 5-6 months can do at this calorie level.

    Edit2: And to those who are inevitably going to start spewing about "lean mass loss", yes, yes, yes, there might be some - but even if you eat whatever "appropriate" level of calories you think you need to eat (or what MFP recommends), and 60+% of those calories come from protein, you're STILL likely going to lose some muscle mass during your weight loss.

    Seriously, some of you people who go on and on about this "lean mass loss" make it sound like VLCD's will give you the end result of looking like a sack of jello with some strategically-placed slim-jims as your only musculature. That's not going to happen.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    Why did I get flagged for abuse??
    People are weird!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I'm aiming for 1500 a day, which might be a slight deficit, or might be maintaining. I wish I were a person who could eat 1700 a day and maintain the weight I want to maintain.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited July 2016
    LisaKay91 wrote: »
    one question; for those who arent using mfp pal they way its intended to be used, then why are you using it instead of some other site/app? I am literally curious and not asking to be rude.


    Didn't know you had to use it a specific way... because you literally don't. People on WW and other diet 'brands' use MFP to log their food.. it's a food diary to me. It has a large database of food and is easy to log meals to see how many calories one intakes. Easier than paper. I am not on a 'myfitnesspal diet'. Are we going to be kicked off the site because you don't like how we utilize it? lol Why are you so insistent that everyone is doing their own journey wrong? The same people jump on these 1200 calorie threads to stir the pot and cause drama... one would think they would have others things to do with their time.

    never said every one is doing their journey wrong.MFP is set up to eat back some of your calories and follow the calorie allowance it gives you for you activity.sure you can log your food still and be on weight watchers, no one said you couldnt now did they? no you wont be kicked off as it is a calorie counting site. Im not stirring the pot its an actual legit question that I think I have the right to ask without being called a *kitten* stirrer. but these same people who say they eat under 1200 calories later come back and say "why am I not losing weight,why am I so tired,etc etc. most of the time if they just follow what MFP gives them for a calorie goal they will be fine. sure people have days they eat under or over. as for being insistent. the site specifically doesnt support very low calorie diets. thats why they set it to 1200 for women and 1500 for men at the minimum. and they expect you to eat back at least some of your calories.my point is if people want to eat so low calories that down the road they suffer from it its up to them but if I or anyone else can help them prevent them from harming themselves,whats so wrong with that? as for one thinking others have better things to do with their time. Its not like Im on here all day every day,because Im not.I have helped quite a few people with my advice and letting them know they can eat more and so on.not to mention once you lose weight what happens when you stop? are you going to lower your calories even more to keep the weight loss going? many obese people can lose on a lot more calories and you are supposed to recalculate your calories with every 10lbs you lose as well which gives you lower calories,cant do that if you eat less than 1200 now can you? and you wont get the nutrition you need either going so low but hey if someone wants to harm their body in the long run thats a personal problem.
  • FaithMathias
    FaithMathias Posts: 56 Member
    I am trying to get down to the 1200 a day. Trying to lose 120lbs in a year to be healthy.
  • Lbutt123
    Lbutt123 Posts: 1 Member
    Hello, I am also set at 1200 however, some days I'm slightly under or over. I am still trying to work that out.
  • LisaKay91
    LisaKay91 Posts: 211 Member
    never said every one is doing their journey wrong.MFP is set up to eat back some of your calories and follow the calorie allowance it gives you for you activity.sure you can log your food still and be on weight watchers, no one said you couldnt now did they? no you wont be kicked off as it is a calorie counting site. Im not stirring the pot its an actual legit question that I think I have the right to ask without being called a *kitten* stirrer. but these same people who say they eat under 1200 calories later come back and say "why am I not losing weight,why am I so tired,etc etc. most of the time if they just follow what MFP gives them for a calorie goal they will be fine. sure people have days they eat under or over. as for being insistent. the site specifically doesnt support very low calorie diets. thats why they set it to 1200 for women and 1500 for men at the minimum. and they expect you to eat back at least some of your calories.my point is if people want to eat so low calories that down the road they suffer from it its up to them but if I or anyone else can help them prevent them from harming themselves,whats so wrong with that? as for one thinking others have better things to do with their time. Its not like Im on here all day every day,because Im not.I have helped quite a few people with my advice and letting them know they can eat more and so on.not to mention once you lose weight what happens when you stop? are you going to lower your calories even more to keep the weight loss going? many obese people can lose on a lot more calories and you are supposed to recalculate your calories with every 10lbs you lose as well which gives you lower calories,cant do that if you eat less than 1200 now can you? and you wont get the nutrition you need either going so low but hey if someone wants to harm their body in the long run thats a personal problem.


    Then let it be a personal problem. You are no doctor.

    I eat 1200 and I still recalculate my goals.. it has dropped 300 calories since losing 36lbs.. from 1600 to 1300.. you do know it is eventually going to tell me to eat 1200 calories PER MFP guidelines, right? Will it be wrong then? When you get below 1200 you lower the amount of weight you are set to lose per week... simple. 1200 truly is not that hard to obtain and stick with if you are dedicate and especially if you are extremely sedentary. My doctor said 500-800 calories but I did 1200 instead because THAT was not attainable to me what so ever.

    I eat 1100-1200 under updated doctors orders and I sometimes can barely get that much food in me, even when I am exercising 2 hours of cardio per day 3 days per week. If I was going to eat exercise calories back I just simply wouldn't exercise. There would be no point to it for me. Why not eat a sandwich and coke while on the elliptical? And there's people who seem VERY obsessed with food.. I am not... I don't WANT to get in that mindset that I need to exercise so I can eat eat eat eat eat. I make food fit into my allowance when I really want it.. cake, crisps, alcohol, etc and I still lose without feeling guilt. Some exercise for fun and some do it for acceleration.. and some do it just to stuff their face more. Do you go to the success stories and harp on people who lost weight too quickly? There's quite a few of them who ate strict low calorie diets but people are praising them... and they still eat 1200 a day 500 days later... especially those who decided to get surgery.

    We aren't all running the same race here.. every journey and every physical body/needs are different person to person... if I ate what some of these people say they eat I would be gaining 2lbs a week instead of losing it..

    Go through the forum and see how many times people pop in these threads just to be redundant.. if they wanted people to criticize their eating they would ask but they are looking for like minded people to be friends with but they get the opposite. I haven't seen anyone tell someone they should eat 1200 a day but I have seen many a people tell others that they shouldn't.. based on.. presumptions.
  • ginaDDDD
    ginaDDDD Posts: 27 Member
    I'm on 1200-1300. Just started 3 days ago. Today is day 4. Please add me too
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    [
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    Colt1835 wrote: »
    I'm doing 1200 at the moment, but I usually go for 1500 cause I'm 6'1" and I'm a guy.

    If you're a guy 1500 is the MINIMUM.

    MFP puts the minimum for men at 1200 and the minimum for ladies at 1000. I know this because I tried to close my diary at 1194 and a message popped up.

    The truth is, you could eat 4000 calories and still suffer from malnutrition if all you eat is honey buns. You can also eat 1000 or lower and still get proper nutrition if you have enough body fat to give your body energy. The minimum that you've read about on the internet is there to keep people from dying who don't understand nutrition.

    if MFP put a woman at 1000 calories then it was a glitch because I have messed around with the settings and it wont go below 1200. Im eating more than 2000 calories and Im only 5'6 and I lost 0.6lbs this week alone. and Im 163.8 lbs as well. so if I can lose eating that much then a male taller than myself or even 6'1 could lose eating more than 1200-1500 calories. also Im lightly active. most days I get in over 10,000 steps,some days more.Im going to get back to lifting weights too. but if someone is more than lightly active then 1200-1500 most likely is not enough. you have to fuel your body and your workouts. if you arent eating enough and getting enough protein you are losing muscle mass as well. losing too fast too quickly is not good unless you have a lot of weight and fat to lose in which case it will eventually slow down.

    Go back and read the thread. There are two other explanations about where I got the 1000-1200 for women from.

    I never said I couldn't lose eating 2000 calories.

    I'm not losing muscle.

    I do have a lot of fat to lose.

    If you are male and eating 1200 calories, you are most assuredly losing muscle.

    Your statement that people can safely eat under 1000 calories is not responsible. Diets this severe need to be medically supervised.

    You don't have a clue what I'm losing and what I'm not. Don't pretend you know anything about my progress. It just makes you look like a silly magician trying and failing to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

    Medical supervision isn't a bad idea, but it's not necessary IMO. You are welcome to have your own opinion.

    There is nothing magic about my thinking here. You say you are eating well below the recommended minimum for a male. I assume that you are at a huge deficit. We know that people at defecit that large lose lean mass. It's empirical science.

    I would be interested to understand how you KNOW you have lost no muscle. This is not something we can just tell as the weight comes off.....




    Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

    If you know your BF% a little math will get you pretty close to your lean mass. using the same formula every time is highly accurate.

    How are you getting your body fat percentage?

    I measure my waist, hips, wrist, thigh, and some other things and drop it in a calculator.

    That formula gives a reasonable estimate. It is not, however, highly accurate. (I wish it was as it gives me an extremely low number!)

    Most everyone who loses a significant amount of wait at a decent pace is losing some lean mass. I lost 70 pounds at ~2500 calories a day; and I VERY likely lost some when I was losing-despite eating lots of protein and more than double the 1200 number of calories.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited July 2016
    LisaKay91 wrote: »
    never said every one is doing their journey wrong.MFP is set up to eat back some of your calories and follow the calorie allowance it gives you for you activity.sure you can log your food still and be on weight watchers, no one said you couldnt now did they? no you wont be kicked off as it is a calorie counting site. Im not stirring the pot its an actual legit question that I think I have the right to ask without being called a *kitten* stirrer. but these same people who say they eat under 1200 calories later come back and say "why am I not losing weight,why am I so tired,etc etc. most of the time if they just follow what MFP gives them for a calorie goal they will be fine. sure people have days they eat under or over. as for being insistent. the site specifically doesnt support very low calorie diets. thats why they set it to 1200 for women and 1500 for men at the minimum. and they expect you to eat back at least some of your calories.my point is if people want to eat so low calories that down the road they suffer from it its up to them but if I or anyone else can help them prevent them from harming themselves,whats so wrong with that? as for one thinking others have better things to do with their time. Its not like Im on here all day every day,because Im not.I have helped quite a few people with my advice and letting them know they can eat more and so on.not to mention once you lose weight what happens when you stop? are you going to lower your calories even more to keep the weight loss going? many obese people can lose on a lot more calories and you are supposed to recalculate your calories with every 10lbs you lose as well which gives you lower calories,cant do that if you eat less than 1200 now can you? and you wont get the nutrition you need either going so low but hey if someone wants to harm their body in the long run thats a personal problem.


    Then let it be a personal problem. You are no doctor.

    I eat 1200 and I still recalculate my goals.. it has dropped 300 calories since losing 36lbs.. from 1600 to 1300.. you do know it is eventually going to tell me to eat 1200 calories PER MFP guidelines, right? Will it be wrong then? When you get below 1200 you lower the amount of weight you are set to lose per week... simple. 1200 truly is not that hard to obtain and stick with if you are dedicate and especially if you are extremely sedentary. My doctor said 500-800 calories but I did 1200 instead because THAT was not attainable to me what so ever.

    I eat 1100-1200 under updated doctors orders and I sometimes can barely get that much food in me, even when I am exercising 2 hours of cardio per day 3 days per week. If I was going to eat exercise calories back I just simply wouldn't exercise. There would be no point to it for me. Why not eat a sandwich and coke while on the elliptical? And there's people who seem VERY obsessed with food.. I am not... I don't WANT to get in that mindset that I need to exercise so I can eat eat eat eat eat. I make food fit into my allowance when I really want it.. cake, crisps, alcohol, etc and I still lose without feeling guilt. Some exercise for fun and some do it for acceleration.. and some do it just to stuff their face more. Do you go to the success stories and harp on people who lost weight too quickly? There's quite a few of them who ate strict low calorie diets but people are praising them... and they still eat 1200 a day 500 days later... especially those who decided to get surgery.

    We aren't all running the same race here.. every journey and every physical body/needs are different person to person... if I ate what some of these people say they eat I would be gaining 2lbs a week instead of losing it..

    Go through the forum and see how many times people pop in these threads just to be redundant.. if they wanted people to criticize their eating they would ask but they are looking for like minded people to be friends with but they get the opposite. I haven't seen anyone tell someone they should eat 1200 a day but I have seen many a people tell others that they shouldn't.. based on.. presumptions.

    we are not talking about those who had weight loss surgery or those under a drs care. as for barely being able to get 1200 calories in with all that exercise can I ask how you became overweight to begin with then? as for me harping on those that lose too fast. if a person isnt eating enough and not under drs care,then yes I will inform them that what they are doing can be and is often dangerous.Im not the only one who does that either. so you need to stop singling me out. a lot of people who have been here for years will inform others that eating too little its not safe. its not harping on someone when you are trying to help them lose weight the healthy way. harping is when you do it over and over and over again.not to mention this is a public forum and they dont have to ask people to put their 2 cents in. people are going to state facts,truths,untruths,etc.

    we just want newbies to know that very low calorie diets are frowned upon on this site and dangerous unless under a drs care. no where did I see anyone say they were under a drs care.if a person is highly active 1200 is going to be too low,when they say burn more calories than you take in that is not what that means. they arent saying take in 1200 and burn off 1400.so you go onto the other threads and single other people out that state the same things I have? Im willing to bet you dont or havent yet.like I said if people want to harm themselves so be it,its on them. but if one person can give them the info to prevent that I dont see the harm. many of the members here have done low calorie diets and they know what happens when you dont get the nutrition you need from not enough calories or too much exercise/both. But if it makes you feel better by singling me out then go ahead. I will continue to try and help inform others and help them out. I guess if it was something that I shouldnt be doing the mods would have prevented me from posting by now.