Why 1200?

Options
aj_rock
aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I search and search and NO ONE can give me a good answer why 1200 is ball-parked as the minimum safe caloric intake!

It seems silly that everyone, male or female, tall or short, large or small, needs to live by this magic number!

You can't even say it's because its recommended by doctors and nutritionists, because I asked! They throw their hands in the air and make funny noises until I stop asking questions about things they don't know!

It sounds to me like the conversation went something like this:

Doc: So how many calories a day minimum should someone eat?

Nutritionist: F*** if I know.

Doc: 1200 sounds... good, right? We can say 1200?

Nutritionist: Sure. Lets play angry birds for 2 hours and say we thought long and hard about this.


In all seriousness, can someone point me towards a SCIENTIFICALLY BASED/BACKED paper on why 1200 calories?
I would think that, as long as you get your daily required micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and you don't worry about lean mass loss (which could probably be counteracted by strength maintanence and some protein), why couldn't you theoretically just not eat any calories?

First person to mention starvation mode gets a special reward. And by reward I mean my car. And by 'gets' I mean 'gets run over with'.
«13

Replies

  • szczepj
    szczepj Posts: 422
    Options
    Not a clue. I don't go by it at all. Not even close.
  • VidaSana
    VidaSana Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    LOL! This made me laugh. Good question....curious to see if someone has an answer....
  • Cathy92
    Cathy92 Posts: 312 Member
    Options
    I like the 'Angry Birds' part of your 'rant'. Well done...also, don't have a clue as to the 1200 cal. I try to use it as it seems to be the norm.
  • PandaFlight
    PandaFlight Posts: 23
    Options
    I don't know. I know I've gone under it before (but not while eating three proper meals a day) and managed. I've heard 1000 as the cut off point before I came here. But that was told to someone who wouldn't admit that they were anorexic so maybe that wasn't the most accurate either.
  • Femtec74
    Femtec74 Posts: 347 Member
    Options
    Enquiring minds want to know...
  • laurad1406
    laurad1406 Posts: 341
    Options
    haha great question, thinking you'll get some interesting responses.
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    I think it's an I don't want to get sued number. They can always fall back on, "We told them to eat 1200 calories." Spoke with my "experts" and I maintain at 1200. The joys of being short. However, crash dieting is harmful so make sure you figure out what is right for you.
  • KasandraKristine
    KasandraKristine Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    I love your comment about starvation mode!! I'm so sick of people saying you are going to starve for not eating 1200 kcal's!!
  • jrhstarlight
    jrhstarlight Posts: 867 Member
    Options
    Not sure why its the magic number but its 1200 for women and 1500 for men :) There is that difference.
  • Improvised
    Improvised Posts: 925 Member
    Options
    First person to mention starvation mode gets a special reward. And by reward I mean my car. And by 'gets' I mean 'gets run over with'.

    Ahahaha! Thanks for the laugh, I needed that. :D
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
    Options
    isn't it something to do with BMR so... if my Basic Metabolic Rate meant I burnt off 1700 calories a day naturally. If I cut by 500 a day over the course of a week I'll have a deficit of 3500 which is a loss of 1 pound a week. And that is why you have to eat exercise calories back.
    I dunno, I've read so many posts about starvation mode blah blah blah and BMR I just kinda thought up this myself due to calories in calories out.
    I would like to know though if there is a scientific answer. Good question

    http://www.fitsugar.com/Why-1200-Calories-Day-Important-When-Dieting-13080864
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
    Options
    This was amazing. :laugh: From what my diatician told me, it's hard to get the right vitamins and minerals if you eat less than 1200 calores. But since veggies are so low calorie, I don't see this as a valid excuse either and they all have great nutrients. :huh:
  • pixidaisy
    pixidaisy Posts: 17
    Options
    The starvation mode comment in your post made me LOL. I have heard that you shouldn't go any lower than 1200, and then I have read no lower than 1500. I think people like to just pick random numbers out of a hat.
  • veganjeanie
    veganjeanie Posts: 158 Member
    Options
    It just don't see how it can apply to everyone, no matter what some people (and MFP) say. I am a small-boned person, 5'4". I net 1000 calories a day. I work out every day so I usually get another 200 or more. It sucks because despite the fact that it's the right number of calories for me, I still have a HUGE appetite. It's a struggle.
  • TheRaven2011
    TheRaven2011 Posts: 14
    Options
    F*** if I know.

    :-)
  • rissyroo2002
    rissyroo2002 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    Would love to know the answer to this also. There are days I am way under 1200 and am not hungry. Why should I force myself to eat more calories just to hit that number??
  • TigersLions
    TigersLions Posts: 34
    Options
    We recently had a lunch and learn at work. Unfortunately, you have to buy this: http://www.enasco.com/product/WA24678 but it ranks Males and Females by age and then level of activity (sedentary/Mod. active/Active). According to the scale, it says I should be taking in 2,0000 to maintain my current weight assuming I stay moderately active. Yikes! I've been going by ~1,200.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    I don't know why, but I know that it's too low for me. I won't say the S-M words, but I do better with more calories.

    I'm willing to bet it's a "because that's the way it's always been" answer, like 8 glasses of water.

    BTW, I drink between 12 and 16, so I'm not saying DON'T drink at least 8 glasses a day. I'm just saying the origin is fuzzy. I also think a good chunk of people "dieting" would do better if they upped their calories a little and didn't stress about it so much. If for no other reason than the psychological effect that going over your calories makes you feel like you did something wrong. If you ate 1253 instead of 1200, you're not going to gain weight. :tongue:
  • Selly7749
    Selly7749 Posts: 48
    Options
    1000 calories is the basic that your body needs to carry out standard functions like repairing itself, keeping your heart beating, keeping your lungs working etc, and then the extra 200 is to be on the safe side. Bearing in mind that it takes 302 muscles JUST TO STAND UP, this makes perfect sense. They do tests. people that consume less than this in the long term tend to get ill. simple as that.

    If you think about anorexia and things like that, where people take vitamins and minerals but don't eat over 1000 calories, you can see the effects and that that minimum intake is a result of scientific research, rather than doctors and professors messing about and making random guesses in their labs. My godbrother is doing a phd in nutritional research, so it's kind of annoying to hear someone make out like the work he does is a series of arbitrary guesses.
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
    Options
    According to the scale, it says I should be taking in 2,0000 to maintain my current weight assuming I stay moderately active. Yikes! I've been going by ~1,200.

    200000!!! Wow you get to eat loads, how many doughnuts can I get for that?
    Only teasing
    :tongue:

Categories