Why 1200?

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2

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  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
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    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.

    This.

    I think it's just a general idea that 1200 should be low enough for anyone to lose weight, by high enough that they're not killing themselves.

    I get irked when people start frothing at the mouth when someone eats or nets under 1200. I never provide advice saying that people SHOULD eat less than 1200, but once in a while, if you're not hungry, it's not going to ruin you. Plus, Ms. Five-Foot-Eight, what do you know about the caloric needs of Ms. Four-Foot-Eleven?

    1200 is a myth. There is no single number that could possibly work for all people and all bodies. BMR's vary too much from body-to-body. It takes one person's heart more calories to beat during a day than it does another's based on the size of the heart, the person, their blood pressure, their heart rate, etc. etc. etc.

    It's pretty much just silliness. 1200 maybe safe for some but, honestly, it could be dangerous for others. I think it is just generally the line where most people are good. (I say it's silliness, but it's silliness that I use, and it works for me! [PS -- I was Ms. Five-Foot-Eight in the above hypothetical snarkiness.])
  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
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    That's what I mean guys! It seems like some round table of fitness kids got together and just pulled some numbers out of their butts!

    And the ONLY reason that we do it now is because, well, enough people say it must be so, so it must be so!

    I've also heard that calories flow out through your mouth when you breath really really fast!
    Spread that little tidbit to all your friends so that they too can spread this helpful information!
    And when I walk the streets and see people pass out on the sidewalk from hyperventilation, I'll just chuckle to myself :P
  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
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    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.

    All jokes thus far aside, anorexia becomes a huge problem when you lose too much lean mass & don't get your vitamins, not when you restrict your calories. Everyone ON THIS SITE has the potential to become anorexic should they continue restricting calories past their minimum BMI.
  • veganjeanie
    veganjeanie Posts: 158 Member
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    And when I walk the streets and see people pass out on the sidewalk from hyperventilation, I'll just chuckle to myself :P

    Ha, we need more laughs on this site! keep posting!
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    lol. 1200 just sounds nice I guess. I usually eat more or way more than this.
  • glenbabe
    glenbabe Posts: 303 Member
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    when i was younger they used to say 1000 cals a day now its 1200 cals i think its just a sensible ball park figure acquired with a little commonsense and a little bit of maths maybe for example they have said it takes 3500 cals to create one pound of fat and an adult woman needs approx 2000 cals a day.To lose one pound a week you need to decrease your calorie intake by 3500 cals over 7days this works out at 500 cals less each day.How they reach these figures i have never understood but it seems to get results when you stick at it.Men are supposed to be allowed more than women though and i think this may be due to muscles and strength.At the end of the day its not important why, if it works why try to explain it lol
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    BMR's vary too much from body-to-body. It takes one person's heart more calories to beat during a day than it does another's based on the size of the heart, the person, their blood pressure, their heart rate, etc. etc. etc.

    Kinda makes me wonder what happened to the Grinch's caloric needs when his heart grew three sizes in one day. :heart:

    :tongue:
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
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    BMR's vary too much from body-to-body. It takes one person's heart more calories to beat during a day than it does another's based on the size of the heart, the person, their blood pressure, their heart rate, etc. etc. etc.

    Kinda makes me wonder what happened to the Grinch's caloric needs when his heart grew three sizes in one day. :heart:

    :tongue:

    LOL. BEST.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    It annoys me that so many people take that number and run with it. It's the BARE MINIMUM. Why would you eat the bare minimum when you could eat more?
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    I've never seen anything on that and I've never even paid attention to it.

    As you point out, the idea that 1200 calories is "the standard" doesn't bear even the most cursory scrutiny because, for some people, 1200 calories is more than their BMR. Further, I have questioned the value because it's silly to think that a 6' 8" female lumberjack would require the same minimum calories as a 4' 11" male, paraplegic, accounts payable clerk.

    Having said that, though, I don't see 1200 calories as having no merit. Yes, I'll argue "the other side".

    Most folks on this site will be able to lose weight successfully if they don't eat less than 1200 calories. In addition, by not going below 1200 calories, people will tend not to feel hungry. And that, I suspect, is a huge reason why people quit trying to lose weight — hunger is an "alarm sound" and if folks feel hunger they will subconsciously tend to change the behavior that is causing the "alarm" to sound.

    One of the goals of sites like MFP is to help people lose weight. The 1200 calorie limit, like the 8 glasses of water a day, may not have any scientific backing but that doesn't mean they aren't effective. My belief is that adhering to both of those guidelines will result in more people having a positive outcome for their dieting efforts.
  • jillcwhite
    jillcwhite Posts: 181 Member
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    What I understand was that the average person just living in a day burns about 1200 calories so they can eat and burn 1200 without gaining weight.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
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    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'.

    AJ You are funny.
  • mariasheehan
    mariasheehan Posts: 335
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    Starvation mode ツ please don't run me over.... NOPE haven't a clue!!!
  • szczepj
    szczepj Posts: 422
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    . And that is why you have to eat exercise calories back.

    You don't HAVE to eat exercise calories back. I find that it kind of erases the point of exercising. I'm exercising to get in shape, not so I can gorge.
  • loeyb24
    loeyb24 Posts: 6
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    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

    this is totally correct
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
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    . And that is why you have to eat exercise calories back.

    You don't HAVE to eat exercise calories back. I find that it kind of erases the point of exercising. I'm exercising to get in shape, not so I can gorge.

    I don't eat mine back either but I know there is something scientific about your net calories being way under 1000 and that is bad, so either way I look at the week as a whole for calories and exercise and try to have a deficit of 5000-7000 to get a two pound loss.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    When I questioned this a long time back someone said it 1200 female and 1500 male were considered the cut off for providing minimal nutrition for aid agencies. When people are under those numbers they are considered to be starving. Whether that is true or not, or whether it has any scientific basis I don't know. I doubt it does, but it seems like fairly appropriate numbers.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=ACSM_News_Releases&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=12541

    This article mentions both using the 10 calories per 1lb of bodyweight for women and 11 calories per 1lb of bodyweight as a minimum (an approach which I prefer) but also under the calorie restriction section that 1,200 is the minimum recommended.

    I will try and find the 1999 study by the WHO which I believe was where the original recommendation came from.
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
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    I do not have scientific proof, but Dr. Neal Barnard says to use the power of 10 to figure out your minimum caloric intake to control your binges. So if you want to be 130 pounds, you must eat at least 130x10=1300 calories a day or else your chances of binging are high.
  • alz139
    alz139 Posts: 36
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    That's what I mean guys! It seems like some round table of fitness kids got together and just pulled some numbers out of their butts!

    And the ONLY reason that we do it now is because, well, enough people say it must be so, so it must be so!

    I've also heard that calories flow out through your mouth when you breath really really fast!
    Spread that little tidbit to all your friends so that they too can spread this helpful information!
    And when I walk the streets and see people pass out on the sidewalk from hyperventilation, I'll just chuckle to myself :Pand

    LOL! The first post made me giggle and this made me laugh! Anyway, I have no clue about why everyone is focused on 1200 cals. Its really obvious that with weight loss a one size fits all doesnt work! So how can 1200 be the minimum for all?

    I generally am under 1200 cals. But am very rarely hungry and am losing weight! I exercise about 5-6 days a week don't generally up my daily cals because of it. What's the point of working out if I'm going to put those cals back into me???

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