is 1200 calories enough?

I follow this website and it always has great information: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/not-eating-enough-calories/

I'm 4'11 also and when I moved to maintenance it gave me only 1300 a day, so I feel ya. We littles can't eat much. Of course if I burn calories, I can eat more. My fitbit does all of those calculations for me though.

Congratulations on the progress you have made thus far!

You're right at the middle of the healthy range for BMI at your current weight. If you commit to a good progressive lifting program (not a pink weights kind of thing) and continue 2-3 times a week, I think you will be pleased with the results. Either the 1200 or the 1400 levels should be fine, as long as you are getting enough protein to repair and build your muscles (recommendations range around 1 gram per lb of lean body weight, or .8 gram per total lbs, which is my rule of thumb). It just depends on what you feel is more sustainable for the long-term goal. MFP is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories you burn, so the days you are doing cardio, you will have a higher amount to eat (while still maintaining a deficit). Frankly, you could eat at your current TDEE and just focus on recomp...although the scales might not move, you will probably see the results you are looking for over the next few months. Since I started lifting in February, I've gone from the low end of a size 10 to the high end of a size 6 without much change in my weight (I am 5'6" and 140 lbs). I lost most of my weight (25 lbs) before that on 1200 a day, but was very active (hiking, biking, kayaking, walking, plyometrics, etc) and ate back my calories, which helped prevent me from getting stabby and hangry.

I'm not sure what your friends mean by "bad" food (if I listened to every person who demonized a certain food or group of foods as evil, I would pretty much be living off of kale), but carefully managing your calories and macros, and paying close attention to your micros, will naturally force better eating habits, while still allowing the occasional treat. Also, unless your body is breaking down, I'm not sure there is "too much cardio" as long as you enjoy it--just don't let it cut into your lifting time.

Regarding eating habits and body comp, there are plenty of people (think young college athletes) who build beautiful muscular physiques on absolute crap. But there is a lot more to health. We raise show rabbits and very carefully manage their diets and give them the best, highest quality of everything, and it shows in their overall look, glossiness, etc. I used to jump horses, and again, a high-quality performance diet is crucial. Genetics also plays a big role, but I would err on the side of eating the highest quality foods you can afford if you want sparkly eyes and glossy hair like a show bunny. Just the fact that you are a healthy weight and you are doing regular exercise just about every day are two of the best things you can do for your health.

Again, congratulations--you seem like you are on a really good track.

shiraashira wrote: »

TarahByte wrote: »

I'm 4'11 also and when I moved to maintenance it gave me only 1300 a day, so I feel ya. We littles can't eat much. Of course if I burn calories, I can eat more. My fitbit does all of those calculations for me though.

only 1300? the calculator I used gave me 1560 and there was another that I used, even that gave me somewhere around 1400. 1300 is too little. Also, us little people can not burn as much while exercising too. Bummer!

Yup my TDEE is only 1238 from what I've calculated at a sedentary office job. Of course I exercise every weekday so that goes up a little. I'm only 95 lbs though. Sucks 'cause I like food. Just gotta run around a lot.

shiraashira wrote: »

Some basic information : I am a very small person at 4.11 or a little more with 114 lbs. I look fatter than I weigh. I have been doing cardio/HIIT four to five times a week and I strength train about 2/3 times in home...

Several things here. First off, 1200 calories is starvation rations for pretty much anyone. As with many things, there is a balance. The calorie intake/output equation sounds simple, but in reality intake and output are interrelated as variables; reduce intake, and your body will go into conservation mode, lowering your BMR. Increase calorie burn with exercise, and your body will expect you to replenish those calories with food and will make you hungrier to encourage that. 1200 calories is a recipe for failure; you'll either go into conservation mode and not lose anything while being miserable, or you'll have to keep your activity level so high to avoid a BMR crash that you could easily eat more than that and still lose weight.

Extremely low-cal, high-activity weight loss is The Biggest Loser's model, and while it works to a point, it's not consistent, it's prone to unhealthy forms of cheating (like tweaking a player's hydration up to and including total dehydration to fine-tune the number on the scale), and it's not sustainable long-term (many very successful contestants have gained most of their weight back because what they teach them on the show only works for professional fitness experts.

Second, 4'11", 114 lbs is fairly healthy all things considered; that's a BMI of 23, on the high side of normal but nothing to really worry about. You look heavier than you weigh because the weight's on a shorter frame, so you're "denser" than a woman with the same weight distributed over four more inches of height would look. You have something to lose if you want - a BMI of 21 would be right around the 100 pound mark - but I wouldn't be concerned. Definitely don't go on the look of magazine models, obviously; they average about 10 inches taller than you for about the same weight, which for them is significantly underweight, and for you to look the same with your shorter frame (if it's even possible) would require a weight less than 90 pounds, putting your BMI somewhere in the 15-16 range which is very unhealthy.

Also, as a quick aside, don't take BMI as gospel. At best, it indicates a healthy weight for a highly active but not "bulked" person; the modern definition of fitness tends to involve a higher percentage of muscle mass to keep BMI high and fat low, which pushes many people who are prime examples of physical fitness into the "overweight" category. At worst, it's an unrealistic standard for human physique, based on a 200-year-old survey of people in agrarian and early industrial economies, with average life expectancy about 2/3 that of today, developed by a mathematician with zero medical training. More modern mathematical assessments such as various caliper tests (Jackson-Pollack 3-site, Yuhasz 6-site etc.) or body density tests based on weight and volume displacement (i.e. BodPod, Siri equation) provide a much more accurate assessment of body fat regardless of the number on the scale.

Third, ask three fitness experts what "good food" is and you'll get four answers. The answers will generally center around "natural" and "high-density". Natural nutritionists will tell you to avoid highly-processed foods in general, even those marketed for fitness use, and look for natural, direct sources of macros and essential nutrients like fresh meats, dairy, nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The high-density nutritionists will say pretty much anything goes; protein's protein, B12 is B12, sugar's sugar. The trick is getting enough of everything in the right balance on a reduced-calorie "budget" for weight loss, for which you need all the help you can get, so modern processed foods that pack more nutrients into each calorie, like protein bars, whey isolate shakes etc. are encouraged.

Lastly, both strength and cardio are important for weight loss. Strength training builds muscle, and every pound of muscle in your frame increases your BMR by about 40 calories, so it becomes that much easier to burn fat. However, cardio and other aerobic exercise encourages the body to burn fat more directly, and also provide a higher burn rate during the workout than lifting. That burn is also more easily and accurately estimated by fitness trackers. There are also combination exercises that both keep your heart rate high and force your muscles to go anaerobic. These include cycling (especially hill-climbing or interval training), rock climbing, stairclimbing, wind sprinting, burpees/popups, and other favorite torture techniques of school coaches and personal trainers alike.

shiraashira wrote: »

jmbmilholland wrote: »

Congratulations on the progress you have made thus far!

You're right at the middle of the healthy range for BMI at your current weight. If you commit to a good progressive lifting program (not a pink weights kind of thing) and continue 2-3 times a week, I think you will be pleased with the results. Either the 1200 or the 1400 levels should be fine, as long as you are getting enough protein to repair and build your muscles (recommendations range around 1 gram per lb of lean body weight, or .8 gram per total lbs, which is my rule of thumb). It just depends on what you feel is more sustainable for the long-term goal. MFP is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories you burn, so the days you are doing cardio, you will have a higher amount to eat (while still maintaining a deficit). Frankly, you could eat at your current TDEE and just focus on recomp...although the scales might not move, you will probably see the results you are looking for over the next few months. Since I started lifting in February, I've gone from the low end of a size 10 to the high end of a size 6 without much change in my weight (I am 5'6" and 140 lbs). I lost most of my weight (25 lbs) before that on 1200 a day, but was very active (hiking, biking, kayaking, walking, plyometrics, etc) and ate back my calories, which helped prevent me from getting stabby and hangry.

I'm not sure what your friends mean by "bad" food (if I listened to every person who demonized a certain food or group of foods as evil, I would pretty much be living off of kale), but carefully managing your calories and macros, and paying close attention to your micros, will naturally force better eating habits, while still allowing the occasional treat. Also, unless your body is breaking down, I'm not sure there is "too much cardio" as long as you enjoy it--just don't let it cut into your lifting time.

Regarding eating habits and body comp, there are plenty of people (think young college athletes) who build beautiful muscular physiques on absolute crap. But there is a lot more to health. We raise show rabbits and very carefully manage their diets and give them the best, highest quality of everything, and it shows in their overall look, glossiness, etc. I used to jump horses, and again, a high-quality performance diet is crucial. Genetics also plays a big role, but I would err on the side of eating the highest quality foods you can afford if you want sparkly eyes and glossy hair like a show bunny. Just the fact that you are a healthy weight and you are doing regular exercise just about every day are two of the best things you can do for your health.

Again, congratulations--you seem like you are on a really good track.

This was thus far the most insightful and amazing comment I have gotten. I was planning on joining gym as soon as I move in my new apartment which is mid January, which also will be my official six months of 'trying to be healthy' life. I think the mindset of losing X amount of weight is what making me all tensed. I should be happy of what I have achieved and try to maintain what I am doing by not thinking too much. If I am able to maintain the routine I am following, which is good eating along with regular exercise and if then the scale remains the same, so as the tape, I would know that I have to do something different and if it works out, then I should be continuing what I am doing. I know it hasn't been much since I started, but I now am gradually realizing, it's about being steady, patient and consistent and everything pays off in the end.

Thank you. You were wonderful. Your comment somehow inspired me heaps.

Well, thank you so much. What you are doing reminds me of how I started when I finally "woke up" and decided to get rid of my extra baby weight. My nephew, who is also a trainer, sent me the link to MFP. I spent 6 months counting calories from a 1280 (basically a 500 calorie deficit) base and doing my own cardio, and then finally joined a gym, set up a home gym, and had my nephew set up a lifting program for me (I still remember freaking out when I got the list: "Romanian deadlifts???!!! Bulgarian split squats???!!! Garhammer--whats??? Aaaahhhh!!!") I wish I had started lifting from the start, because although I made good progress before, lifting is what made me start to get lean and strong. And thank God for MFP--one of the most powerful tools in my toolbox.

It seems like you are taking a sensible approach, having a lot of success, committing for the long term, and building a good foundation for the rest of your life.