Below 1200?

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I know MFP doesn't want us to go below 1200 calories, but I'm wondering if that's low enough for me. I'm only 4ft and almost 10 inches tall with a small build. I weigh 111-109 lbs right now and would like to lose another 5 or so. I eat back all my exercise calories. Would it hurt me to try dropping down to 1000? I could easily do it if I ate healthier. Or should I just stick with it and see if this plateau ever breaks. What do you think?

Replies

  • learnbygoing
    learnbygoing Posts: 103 Member
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    Maybe, based on your height and whatnot...but seriously, I wouldn't make a decision like that without talking to a doctor or nutritionist first. Have you stopped seeing results? Are you sure you just aren't plateauing? Honestly, sometimes our body needs us to eat MORE healthy calories when we are so close to our goal weight. Your body may be holding on to the last few pounds because you're not feeding it enough...it's worried that if it lets go of that last bit of fat, it will starve.
  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
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    I took a peek at your diary. You may want to consider eating healthier, not just trying to manage calories. With some solid fruits, veggies and lean meats you most likely can break the plateau and still stay at 1200 cals. If your body is getting the nutrition it needs it will shed the pounds.
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    I'm 4'11" and my nutritionist recommended I be at 1000-1100 a day. She told me then that if I were taller she'd say no lower than 1200. You may want to check with a doctor or nutritionist though. Everyone is different.

    In my calories though she was very specific that I have at least 5 servings of produce. Then she also recommended I do at least 5 servings lean meat/beans protein, 7 healthy carbs, and 3 of healthy fat.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
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    To the best of my knowledge, 1200 is the lowest you should go...period. Anything less than that and your body is not able to function properly and will start burning muscle tissue because it thinks that it is starving. You may have reached a plateau because you are not eating enough calories and your body already thinks it is starving.
  • dorisholaway
    dorisholaway Posts: 531 Member
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    I went to a "Fat Dr" and this is how he told me to figure out how many calories to eat in one day: Put in what you want to weigh, multiply that by 10, subtract 500 That is how many calories you should eat in a day. He then said that you give your self up to 200 over that number. Here is my example: I want to get to 150 lb. So 150x 10 is 1500, subtract 500 from that and you get 1000, when I give myself up to 200 more that puts me at eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. By the information I put in MFP I should eat 1560 calories a day. When I started out with MFP this is the number that I tried to stay within, now I have decided that I need to get back closer to the 1200 goal.
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
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    Thanks for the input. My dairy is not me at my best at the moment (got frustrated and fell of the wagon). I'll run it past a doctor.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    I went to a "Fat Dr" and this is how he told me to figure out how many calories to eat in one day: Put in what you want to weigh, multiply that by 10, subtract 500 That is how many calories you should eat in a day. He then said that you give your self up to 200 over that number. Here is my example: I want to get to 150 lb. So 150x 10 is 1500, subtract 500 from that and you get 1000, when I give myself up to 200 more that puts me at eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. By the information I put in MFP I should eat 1560 calories a day. When I started out with MFP this is the number that I tried to stay within, now I have decided that I need to get back closer to the 1200 goal.

    So. I should weigh between 110-120lbs. By that calculation -110 *10= 1100 - 500 = 600.

    600-800 calories a day??????

    Those sums don't take into account how much the person weighs, what kind of food the person is eating, how active they are etc. If I were to try eating 600 calories a day, I wonder how long I'd stick to that....
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
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    I went to a "Fat Dr" and this is how he told me to figure out how many calories to eat in one day: Put in what you want to weigh, multiply that by 10, subtract 500 That is how many calories you should eat in a day. He then said that you give your self up to 200 over that number. Here is my example: I want to get to 150 lb. So 150x 10 is 1500, subtract 500 from that and you get 1000, when I give myself up to 200 more that puts me at eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. By the information I put in MFP I should eat 1560 calories a day. When I started out with MFP this is the number that I tried to stay within, now I have decided that I need to get back closer to the 1200 goal.

    That puts me at 1140...no way. Not even 1340 is doable for me, anyway. I NET between 1400-1830 a day.
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
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    i'm 4'9" (used to be 4'11" but shrunk). Basically, we are the same height xD

    I don't think a lot of people understand how short we really are...I tried the 1,200 calorie thing and wasn't losing..

    This past week I changed my mind and decided to try 800-1000 calories per day, and now I am losing (so far) 2 pounds per week.

    Some people accused me of being anorexic when I asked this same question a few weeks ago. Obviously you know if you are or are not.

    We are legal midgets...it is illogical to say our bodies will enter starvation mode if we eat less than someone 5'5" <.<
    Also, at 124 pounds I was considered overweight AND had high blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and would sweat profusely.
    124 pound on someone of a normal height would NOT be overweight.
  • Paperthinwaferthin
    Paperthinwaferthin Posts: 16 Member
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    I also too a Sammy peek at your diary. A
    Although you don't want to give up the things you love, maybe just try eating them occasionally. I would recommend eating more fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean meats. The extra fiber and nutrients should help get you off your plateu.