Is 1200 enough?

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  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    BridgetHarrington wrote: »
    I thought that it wasn't enough myself...but I've been losing 3-5lbs a week on it. For comparison,

    I wouldn't necessarily call losing that much a week a good thing. In the first couple weeks it is probably fine but long term unless you have 100 or more to lose that's an awfully big loss each week. I'd be concerned about getting adequate nutrition on such an extreme deficit, muscle loss, being able to maintain your loss when you get to your goal weight, loose skin from losing so rapidly, etc...
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    kelleybean1 wrote: »
    Depends on your height/age. Older shorter folks like me, maybe.

    ^^This.

    I lost a lot of weight @ 1200 calories and have kept it off for almost 3 years @ 1800 maintenance. I start gaining if I eat over 1800. I am pretty active now and sedentary when I began. It seems to be enough calories for me.
    5' - 2 3/4" age 65.
    I have been doing MFP with my dr's guidance and blessing for total calories for over 4-1/2 years now.

    There are general guidelines, but truly, everyone can be different.

  • BridgetHarrington
    BridgetHarrington Posts: 41 Member
    edited October 2016
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    girlinahat wrote: »
    you aren't eating enough. Based on your stats you BMR is 1469. losing 3-5lbs a week is an unhealthy rate of loss and some of that will be lean muscle mass.

    Then why, I wonder, does MFP set me at 1200? I really think that a lot of what I've lost so far is water. I started off at 185, and I'm larger boned. To give you an idea of what that might look like on me, the profile pic I used was last summer, and I was about 165 in that pic. I've lost 12" off my waist alone and my face is much thinner. My rings also no longer fit. At most, all I had was 30-35 pounds to lose. I gained that weight from eating junk and not sleeping for days on end (crappy relationship had a lot to do with me not caring what I put in my mouth and sleep), and also because I'd gotten an IUD. I'm sure the IUD played a part...I got it out and immediately dropped 7 pounds, and that was before I got on here.

    I can't be at THAT much of a deficit, because I'm not very hungry between meals. Nutritionally, I don't think I'm at a loss, either. My skin looks better than it has in years and I'm not tired or unfocused like I can be when I don't eat enough. I never had any kind of a weight issue until this recent situation, because I always ate the way I relearned eating to fit MFP limits (mostly veggies and lean meat, no sweets or soda, no junk food). I never had to monitor my weight before, ever!

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Petite (shorties between i.e. 4'10 - 5'4"), completely sedentary may be so inclined to get this 1200 limit. It also depends on where you start with your weight.

    I would say its not enough calories, but would need to know your stats before determining if you fit into the 1200 calorie min. How many pounds (rate of loss each week)?

    In the very beginning of your weight loss, some hunger or changes in those hunger signals are bound to happen as you are getting used to eating less calories before you started. Sometimes meal timing and what you eat to provide fullness and satiety which can help when on lowish calories.

    Constant hunger, perhaps the hunger that's uncomfortable may mean to me that you are possibly eating below BMR or close to it and it just may not be enough to fuel your day to day and be able to lose weigh comfortably if you will. You throw in exercise (EAT) on top of that and a deficit too steep will cause a person to be quite uncomfortable. Changing your rate of loss will give you more calories to eat, also you can move more and if you are currently sedentary, this would allow you to increase your activity level in MFP if you were to change your "real" activity level (this gives you more calories as well).. Or you can do TDEE 15%- 20% and go that route.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited October 2016
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    BridgetHarrington wrote: »
    girlinahat wrote: »
    you aren't eating enough. Based on your stats you BMR is 1469. losing 3-5lbs a week is an unhealthy rate of loss and some of that will be lean muscle mass.

    Then why, I wonder, does MFP set me at 1200? I really think that a lot of what I've lost so far is water. I started off at 185, and I'm larger boned. To give you an idea of what that might look like on me, the profile pic I used was last summer, and I was about 165 in that pic. I've lost 12" off my waist alone and my face is much thinner. My rings also no longer fit. At most, all I had was 30-35 pounds to lose. I gained that weight from eating junk and not sleeping for days on end (crappy relationship had a lot to do with me not caring what I put in my mouth and sleep), and also because I'd gotten an IUD. I'm sure the IUD played a part...I got it out and immediately dropped 7 pounds, and that was before I got on here.

    I can't be at THAT much of a deficit, because I'm not very hungry between meals. Nutritionally, I don't think I'm at a loss, either. My skin looks better than it has in years and I'm not tired or unfocused like I can be when I don't eat enough. I never had any kind of a weight issue until this recent situation, because I always ate the way I relearned eating to fit MFP limits (mostly veggies and lean meat, no sweets or soda, no junk food). I never had to monitor my weight before, ever!

    1200 is based on "I want to lose xx pounds per week." It's a default minimum. Sometimes a moderate weekly weight loss goal results in 1200......for very petite, and/or elderly women.

    But more often 1200 is the result aggressive weekly weight loss goals.

    Pound per week goals
    75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
    Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
    Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
    Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range

    Also keep in mind 1200 is BEFORE exercise. When you log exercise in MFP you "earn" more calories. Eat a portion of those calories as well. Just a portion because calorie burns are estimates. This keeps the deficit in check, so a larger % of your weight loss is fat (not muscle).
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    "Then why, I wonder, does MFP set me at 1200?"

    Because you told it to via your answers to what you wanted. MFP is just a calculator, it isn't a person giving you advice. You put in numbers, it spat out a number.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    My calculations give me 1250 calories a day to lose 2lbs per week. I started at 256lbs and am a 5'6" female, so I have about 100lbs to lose. 1250 seemed IMPOSSIBLE to me, but the math made sense, and I really want to lose 2lbs per week until I get to 200lbs. Then, I plan on changing to 1lb per week until I'm closer to goal.

    I also committed to 1-3 walks per day (usually walking the dog twice and then one extra walk during my lunch break), and I eat back at least half of my exercise calories. I end up eating between 1300-1400 per day. I feel like I have had a good deal of success so far, but a lot of it is getting it right in my head about "food feels." I do feel hungry and I do drink a lot of water to not feel as hungry. I have to plan and pre-log my meals every day to make sure I won't feel starving and stay within my goals.

    It's hard work, but I've had some good success which keeps me going. I had to be all in on this, though, and stop making excuses for all the reasons why I can't (too busy, too tired, too fat, too in pain) and focus on what I can do and what I can control. Small tweaks lead to big changes is something I tell myself constantly.

    You can look at my diary and see what I eat to hit those calories.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    I am old and short and started out sedentary, so I started out at 1200.

    I didn't stay there long.

    Most people do not need to eat 1200 calories. Anyone who is the least bit active should not be eating 1200 calories. You need to fuel your activity, and ideally should be striving to become more active.

    OP, from the sound of your post, 1200 seems as if it's too aggressive a deficit for you. Can you share your stats?
  • terrinicolefit
    terrinicolefit Posts: 99 Member
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    I would not use MFPs default setting of 1,200 calories. It's not a one size fits all. Use a macro calculator, such as IIFYM.com and use that to determine your macros and how many calories you should be eating. But again, everyone is different so after following it for a few weeks, you might need to make some changes in order to better reach your goals.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    BridgetHarrington wrote: »
    I thought that it wasn't enough myself...but I've been losing 3-5lbs a week on it. For comparison, I'm 48, 5'7," 168 pounds, lightly active (mostly sedentary with some activity here and there) and I am trying to get to 150-155. It depends on your diet, but I fill up on cauliflower, broccoli, eggs and squash (use salsa and hot sauce as condiments), throw in lean chicken, beef or fish a few times a week, occasionally snack on low-fat cheese crackers (150 calories for 25) and don't feel hungry too often outside of mealtime.

    I figure I'll get to where I want to be and then just maintain. The calories to maintain my goal size are around 1500.

    If you're losing 3-5lbs per week at your size @BridgetHarrington then i can almost guarantee you'll be losing plenty of muscle along with fat. Retaining muscle at our age is super important, you may not like what you look when you get down to your goal weight, because your body fat compared to muscle will not be at optimum levels. Google "skinny fat".
  • Ne0Indigo
    Ne0Indigo Posts: 17 Member
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    Hey everyone thanks for your responses! Sorry I didn't even think about adding my stats.

    I'm 26, 5 foot, and way 70kg which apparently puts me in the obese range. I also work an office job. I'm trying to go to the gym at least 3 times a week for an hour but struggle as I have been inactive for over a year. My goal is to lose roughly half a kg a week (not sure what that is in lbs)
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I don't get it, you are constantly hungry and you think you should eat less? This makes no sense.
    Whether or not anyone else lost weight eating under 1200 has nothing to do with your situation. The answer is in your own body. But what is your height? That is the main basis for your maintenance, and anything under maintenance is a calorie deficit, and all you need is a calorie deficit over time to lose body fat (which is not the same as body weight since your body is so much more than fat cells and retains and releases water continuously). Rather than the 1200 number you need to focus closer to your maintenance number and just eat under that in a manner that fits your own body. Hunger ebbs and flows and there is not always a ryme or reason, but eating low doesn't help, and certainly your body adapts to too little food and too much food and that will affect your hunger
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Ne0Indigo wrote: »
    Hey everyone thanks for your responses! Sorry I didn't even think about adding my stats.

    I'm 26, 5 foot, and way 70kg which apparently puts me in the obese range. I also work an office job. I'm trying to go to the gym at least 3 times a week for an hour but struggle as I have been inactive for over a year. My goal is to lose roughly half a kg a week (not sure what that is in lbs)

    At your current stats, your BMR is approx 1360. As I previously thought you are eating way below your BMR. Your sedentary TDEE came to approx 1635. So yes you should consider changing your rate of loss that you gave MFP to .5 pounds a week + add back any exercise calories you might do while losing weight. This should help with your hunger issues and make this a much more sustainable weight loss rate for you.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
    edited October 2016
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    MFP gives me 1200/ day to to lose a pound a week. I thought i could do even better by not recording my exercise calories, while exercising every day. It worked most days for about 8 weeks, but some days were a struggle. Now I've upped my goal to 1350, and I enter all my exercise calories and eat them back if I want to, and it feels better. There's some enthusiasm in the beginning, so I think I was able to do some things I won't be able to keep up in the long term. These forums have helped me see that. I'd say If you're always hungry, it's a recipe for failure, in the long term.

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