Anyone 5ft eat fewer than 1200 a day

mari5466
mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
edited December 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5ft tall and I usually eat around 1,000 calories a day because I'm worried because of me height I won't lose weight eating 1200. I excercise 5 days a week and I have been trying to add more muscle to my body and I'm now getting toned. I have 5-8 more pounds to lose but im not sure if I should start eating 1200 or stick to what I've been doing and I want to know what other people my height do.
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Replies

  • mari5466
    mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
    I'm 5'1 went from 130 lbs to a maintenance range of 100-105 lbs eating 1200 plus a minimum of 150 cals for each hour I exercised. (Usually in the 175-225 range)

    There should be no reason (except medical) for you to eat under 1200 cals. Eating lower, even when exercising will have little effect on muscle development, you are probably losing more than needed. The toned look is because you have less fat covering the muscle, not that you have grown new muscle.

    Up your calories, get plenty of protein (treat the MFP goal as a minimum), and eat back your exercise calories.

    You may lose a little slower, .5 lbs a week on a good week, but you will like the results so much more.

    Cheers, h.

    My boyfriend has been telling me the same for a few weeks now. I am kinda going through the same journey you are, I was at around 130 and I've gone down to 120 and I want to be between 115-110. I was at one point 105 a few years ago. I dont think I could go back down to that weight. I was wondering approximately how long it took you? I get very discouraged losing .5 pound a week.
  • mari5466
    mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
    Instead of making your weight your goal, switch it up to making your body composition your goal.

    I am assuming you want to look good as well as feel good and unless you get your weight tattooed on your forehead no one knows how much you weigh.

    I'm not sure what you are doing for exercise, but think of starting a weightlifting programme. Don't be intimidated- you can start with Dumbbells, machines, or body weight and progress to a barbell if, or when, you are ready. Read through the programmes here and see if one fits your goals.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    You can do cardio on your alternate days if you wish.

    Just remember for a strong, healthy body that looks good - you need to fuel it.
    Eat as much as you can to reach your goal. With proper nutrition you could reach your goal weight at an average loss of .5 lbs a week in 3-4 months.

    Cheers, h.
    Wow, I used up my daily allowance of the word goal in this post. Sorry- pre glass of wine fuzziness.

    Your right. I don't have it tattoed. Sometimes I get very OCD about my weight loss. I also do cardio and weight lifting and I've started trying different work outs.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    So glad you didn't get the tattoo @mari5466.
    Eat more. Keep up the work outs, and put the scale away for a few weeks. If you can't put the scale away get a weight trending app. It will even out your weight trends, TOM bloat etc.

    Cheers, h.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    I'm 5'0". When losing weight I eat between 1600-1700 calories a day. I am pretty active. I would be very grumpy and possibly homicidal eating 1200 calories a day.

    If you only have a couple pounds left to lose do it slowly like @middlehaitch suggested.
  • brooklyn7214
    brooklyn7214 Posts: 22 Member
    You should never ever eat below 1200 calories because it'll cause metabolic damage which will eventually lead you to having difficulty with losing any weight at all and your weight will stall. I'm 5'2 and even though MFP tells me to eat 1200, I don't follow that guideline. I used a professional website to calculate my calories and now I eat 1500 and am successfully losing weight.
  • CarolF11
    CarolF11 Posts: 67 Member
    I'm 5'1". I don't lose weight by eating 1200. I don't eat more than 1000 and still there are weeks I don't lose, but then again I also don't exercise.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited October 2016
    I'm hearing ya @Aaron_K123 , My dessert tonight is 771 calories :open_mouth: I can only get away with it because my dinner has pitifully low calories, and I'm taking full advantage with a bumper dessert!
  • jess427
    jess427 Posts: 36 Member
    I'm 4'11 my mfp daily goal is 1200 if I go over I just workout a little extra that day only on week 3 & I hv lost weight each week. I know it feels discouraging to lose .5 a week but you're so close to your goal and you gotta keep yourself healthy too because that should be 1st priority and it's true, you won't gain muscle in a deficit as someone else mentioned.
  • Jeyradan
    Jeyradan Posts: 164 Member
    edited October 2016
    I'm 5'2" with an unusually small frame and low metabolism. I used to eat 1000 calories a day with a doctor's permission - it was totally doable, but apparently made me grumpy. Right now, I eat 1200 calories a day along with a reasonable amount of exercise.

    My diary isn't public, but here's a place where you can find a lot of 1200ish-calorie days:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/

    Also, just as an example, here's today's under-1200 meals for me:
    - Breakfast: 2 Weetabix with milk and caramel syrup, vanilla meal replacement shake* with half a frozen banana blended in, strawberry jelly
    - Lunch: broccoli soup, seeded flatbread with cream cheese and chargrilled peppers, raw snacking vegetables
    - Dinner: vegan red lentil stew, buttered oven bottom muffin
    - Snack: hardboiled egg with mustard (for protein after aikido class)
    - Drinks: tea (I don't like coffee), no-added-sugar ginger beer, fruit squash, fizzy vitamin C tablet

    *The meal replacement shake isn't because I need the nutrition - I could easily have something else for the same calorie value, like a couple of eggs or some avocado cheese toast or a bagel thin with butter or jam or a sultana scone. I just really like the flavour of these particular shakes!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    I can see that 1200 is suitable for some adults - usually females who are small, short, older, inactive.

    When I was losing weight I lost steadily on 1460 - I was 50 years old, 5ft 4 and lightly active.

    It is not difficult to find someone shorter, older, less active than me and I can see that they would be right eating 260 calories a day less than me

    (that was net calories)
  • Rosiemozo
    Rosiemozo Posts: 6 Member
    http://www.losertown.org/eats/cal.php
    Put your details into this calculator and it should tell you a projection of future weight based on your caloric intake. I found it helpful :)
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    I would argue (and have) that in order to lose weight, some of us HAVE to go down to 1200 or even below in order to lose weight IF you are sedentary...but you're not, you exercise quite a bit and are trying to build muscle. Maybe consider body recomp. Eat at maintenance and lift heavy weights...you'll(hopefully) lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

    Good luck.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    Also, my toddler and I have vastly different body goals...while he is growing rapidly, I am doing my best to shrink ;) which ends up with us having similar food intake.
  • mari5466
    mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
    Thank you everyone for the advise. The reason I was curious mostly about going up to 1200 is because since I've been weight lifting I've become a lot hungrier. I know muscle helps burn calories at rest so I've been trying to bulk up. I work out 5-6 days a week. Usually 4 days of lifting. Also I agree I don't eat like a toddler. I am the size of a 6th grader, of course I don't eat like a normal sized adult. I also don't shop for normal size adult clothing or take medication at the same amount as an adult because I'm a petite woman. Not everyone is built the same.
  • ashleyx41987
    ashleyx41987 Posts: 26 Member
    I'm 5'5 and was eating on average about 800 calories a day (reallyyy terrible I know. I've been meal skipping since I was a kid), I was gaining weight because my body was stuck in starvation mode. To top it off I was doing 1-2 hr weight lifting sessions about 5-6x a week and eventually my body gave out and my health went to crap. I actually listened to my husband and started eating 1200 calories a day or more to see if it really made a difference and have lost 13 lbs in 6 weeks. I'm no expert but maybe up your calories to 1200 for a few weeks and see how your body reacts. I feel much stronger and have upped my weight and reps at the gym thanks to the extra fuel. Might work for you also.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you want to bulk, then your calories will need to be upped even further, as you need a calorie surplus
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited October 2016
    People need to stop being offended by the idea of eating like a toddler...they pack it away! Remember that they are not at maintenance for their size, they eat at a massive surplus to fuel rapid brain and muscle growth....And they run from sun up till sun down.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,645 Member
    ogtmama wrote: »
    People need to stop being offended by the idea of eating like a toddler...they pack it away! Remember that they are not at maintenance for their size, they eat at a massive surplus to fuel rapid brain and muscle growth....And they run from sun up till sun down.

    It's being told that it's wrong and that I need to "eat like a grown-up" (not his words, just the sentiment) that bothers me.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited October 2016
    I know, I just actually know how toddlers eat ;)
This discussion has been closed.