Is 1200 too low

slenderspillane
slenderspillane Posts: 1 Member
edited November 20 in Getting Started
Hi all,

Just wondering do people find 1200 very little and are they hungry and also do people count veg?
Im a bit sceptical about the 1200 MFP are suggesting for me.

Replies

  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    What are your stats? Mfp doesn't give you a goal it uses what you input for goal. Perhaps aim to lose less per week.
    Yes veggies have calories and should be counted. Everything you eat needs to be counted.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    It's too low for most, but not all.

    How many lbs do you want to lose, and what did you set your weekly goal for? If you set your goal aggressively, change it to get more calories.

    Also, MFP gives a calorie goal expecting you to also log exercise and eat back those calories. So even if your base goal is 1200 calories, if you exercise you would eat more than that and still be in a deficit.

    I am 44, 5'4 and 130 lbs and I would chew my arm and kick several puppies if I tried to subsist on 1200 cals.

    Yes, veggies have calories, and in my opinion logging everything makes it easier to get in the habit of logging period. It's too easy to start coming up with all these exceptions and end up forgetting to log at all. :drinker:
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    You can play with this calculator:

    http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

    MFP uses "Mifflin St Jeor," which is quite well respected.

    Typ. is to set for "sedentary" and add a more for exercise. Alt. is to up daily calories to account for average amount of exercise. If losing or gaining, set for 1lb per week. Some weeks you could see more, but why torture yourself?
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    I am 5'8 currently 205 started at 250. I do 1200 calories a day and most days I manage ok on that. Your picture doesn't look like you have a lot to lose so 1200 is probably low. Hard to know without your stats. I would start higher and adjust depending on if you are losing or not.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    edited August 2017
    I get 1200 per day and I'm 4'11 and started at 153 lbs. How tall are you? and are you trying to lose weight? You look thin in your profile picture.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Yes, it's too low for almost everyone to sustain over time. Don't be in such a hurry to lose. Up your calories. If you have to exercise to do so, then do it. You'll be glad you did in the long run.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    It's too low for me, but I am 6' tall and presently 270.

    Many people find it hard to stick to 1200 on a long term basis. It might be what is recommended for fastest loss based on your height/weight/goals, but it's not always about getting to the goal as fast as possible! If you feel tired and hungry all the time, that's a good recipe to fall off track. You're better off settling in to a routine with a deficit that you can maintain long enough to reach your goals, and to ease in to your maintenance calories as you get closer to goal.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    It depends. It depends on how active you are and the quality of food you are consuming. 1200 calories of just soda vs 1200 calories of lean protiens, complex carbs and fresh veggies. If you are very active, you may need to up your calories, if not, then 1200 can be just fine.
  • AskMorphis
    AskMorphis Posts: 155 Member
    slenderspillane wrote: »
    Just wondering do people find 1200 very little and are they hungry

    1200kcal is the least that can be recommended : below isn't advised without a doctor's supervision.
    Assuming that you've entered everything correctly on MFP, 1200kcal will get you there. However, you might just have set a goal of lbs/week to high. If it's too low for you, and you don't think you can do this consistently, then just change your goal and aim for a slower loss :)
    slenderspillane wrote: »
    do people count veg?

    Of course. If you want to commit to this, you have to have to most accurate data you can. Log everything, weight everything. Sometimes I only eat veg all day, and I reach my goal. It would make no sense not to count veggies.



  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    For a full understanding of how MFP calculates your calorie allowance take a look at below:

    n9cpxzsluybj.jpg
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    The 1200kcal minimum seems rather arbitrary to me. There. Anyone know where it comes from?
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @tinkerbellan: awesome graphic! I add that the formulas used are the "Mifflin St Jeor" and are very well studied and accepted. They aren't perfect, and you might see a departure of +/- 5% for any particular individual. Also, the scaling of BMR to NEAT (or TDEE, if you are trying to account for all activity) is pretty crude: you are just multiplying the BMR calc by some factor based on presumed activity level. It's pretty hard to know objectively what factor to use.

    But, there's no reason to dispair! Calculate your numbers, follow the plan, and watch your weight, adjusting intake to get the results you want. I found the formula to be spot on for me!
  • delicateflower44
    delicateflower44 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone for all your input. I am just starting and 1,200 was what MFP recommended for me trying to lose 2 lbs./week. I may adjust my goals. All of this has been helpful!
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