1200 calories too low?

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I think that the 1200 calorie goal is too low honestly. Eating only 1200 calories makes me feel sick and dizzy, should I up my calories or..?

Replies

  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
    As you've said you feel sick and dizzy I definitely would - did you feel this way before? Do you do exercise to bump up the cals? 1200 is the MINIMUM minimum, and many people on here eat considerably more than that and lose at a faster rate. Depends on your activity level, metabolism and what you're actually consuming in those 1200 :)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If you are feeling sick or dizzy then YES, up your calories. You have to do what works for you - and if you're feeling that way, 1200 calories isn't working. Try upping them by about 200 calories and see what happens (but give it time - AT LEAST 2 weeks!).

    Everyone's body is very different. Heck, I eat 2200-2500 calories a day and I'm maintaining my weight.. so, do what works for YOU.
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
    If you don't feel well try to up your calories a little until you feel better, stay at that intake for a few weeks and see how your body reacts to the new discipline. Once you get used to the new intake you can start working on reducing a little bit at a time.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Also, I am fighting off a cold. Would that require more calories or less..?
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
    Also had a peep at your diary - seems to be quite a few processed foods in there. These 'fill you up' instantly but don't leave you satiated for very long. Oats in the morning are great... they keep you going and are fab for lowering cholesterol.

    Subway however I have issues with haha. Lots of their stuff is NOT as healthy or fresh as it's made out. You'd be better buying good quality wholegrain bread and doing your own version, without the nasty processed additives. Protein also keeps you much fuller for longer - if you are working out then add in a protein shake as a snack... this will curb hunger and also do your muscles some good.

    Hope this helps

    H :)
  • JessicaMarie9382
    JessicaMarie9382 Posts: 197
    I think that the 1200 calorie goal is too low honestly. Eating only 1200 calories makes me feel sick and dizzy, should I up my calories or..?

    I think if it makes you feel dizzy and sick then that's NOT a good thing. I ate 4 times a day. Breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, dinner (and if I have leftover cals I may or may not sneak in a desert). I was doing 1200 cals before I joined on here and was so fatigued due to lack of food that I couldn't go to the gym and workout for an hour without feeling like I was going to passout...and I actually did one (yep, that was mortifying!)

    I say up your calories even by 200-300 hundred. I'm not expert, but how your feeling can' tbe good.
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
    I can't make sense of your food dairy. Some meals are missing, you're not eating to your goal, and goal calories change. Consistency is key. I'm not sure what's up.
  • corymomma
    corymomma Posts: 405 Member
    Not a doctor, but I believe that would require more. Just thinking your body needs more rest when you are sick it seems that your body is using more calories to get better as well. As everyone else has said bump up the calories a bit. I realized after a couple of days I wasn't putting enough sugar in my diet nowhere near half of the basic recommend and was dizzy and just week, couldn't function, upped it a bit and I feel great...no two people are the same...
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    What do you mean goal calories change? And meals are missing? I eat at least 3 meals a day (except for the last couple days whereas I slept pretty much all day and was vomiting with a stomach bug)
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
    I'll message you. Maybe there's a glitch or something.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Also I have not really used the diary religiously, only really started using it on monday. I don't always have the time to fill it out.
  • juliekin
    juliekin Posts: 139 Member
    Friend me and you can see my calories. I think they are talking about grabbing fast food and not using quick processed foods.
  • chillijam1
    chillijam1 Posts: 62 Member
    just have a look at your food everyday ,theres no fruit or veg or dairy products hardly plus your not eating 1200 cals your eating less each day ,thats why your bodys rejecting you ,put some healthy fuel back into it instead of the crap your eating everyday like Maccy Ds and Subways .is it any wonder your feeling dizzy and sick :smile:
  • pictureperfect101
    pictureperfect101 Posts: 75
    personaly i think its enough but if you need to then definately cuz then youll always feel sick
  • pictureperfect101
    pictureperfect101 Posts: 75
    personaly i think its enough but if you need to then definately cuz then youll always feel sick
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
    It's possible that it's a bit too low for you, everyone needs to keep in mind that as awesome as MFP is, it is not always perfectly accurate, take a look at your goal page, and check the adjusted BMR and see what the calorie deficit is. If it is 500 calories or less you're fine, if it's more I would probably adjust it. I just recently adjusted mine to 1355 goal since MFP originally gave me a deficit of 655 which was too much a day.
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
    just have a look at your food everyday ,theres no fruit or veg or dairy products hardly plus your not eating 1200 cals your eating less each day ,thats why your bodys rejecting you ,put some healthy fuel back into it instead of the crap your eating everyday like Maccy Ds and Subways .is it any wonder your feeling dizzy and sick :smile:

    And I gotta say I agree with this, whenever I eat a bunch of processed junk I end up feeling run down and tired. Even if you hate fruits and veggies, throw a vitamin shake or a V8 or 2 in there each day :) That's what I do when I don't have time to actually cook a decent meal.
  • chellydee
    chellydee Posts: 6
    I use to feel the same way. I don't know about the feeling dizzy, but just the sound of only eating 1200 calories and knowing how fast I could rack up 1200 calories was killing me! But exercising helped. It allowed me to eat more. Also, i had to learn how to be a little more creative with my menu so that i could eat better, but still eat good food. You just have to find what works best for you. Good Luck!
  • ahnpe
    ahnpe Posts: 32 Member
    Definately up your calories. Calorie counting shouldn't weaken you- as long as the food you eat provides your body with an array of effective nutrients, you're doing the right thing.

    Personally I struggle to get to 1200 calories a day. I can eat about 600, exercise, and feel great- so i forget that I need to eat more until I'm almost ready to finish my food intake for the day on MFP iPhone app. Lol by that time my choices are ramen noodles or raisin bran. =/
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Is 1200 calories what MFP recommends for your goal weight or is it an arbitrary number you've picked up from people saying on here it's the minimum? Go back to your settings and go with what MFP recommends for you for a 1lb a week weight loss. Bet it's more than 1200! Oh, and eat most of your exercise calories!
  • audweaver
    audweaver Posts: 23
    When I first started I was trying 1200 calories and found that I binged more. So I changed it to 1500 cal and did fine. In about 2-3 weeks I bumped it down to 1400 again did fine. Now I am down to 1300 cal and am finding myself feeling full and not deprived. In about a couple of weeks I will go back down to 1200! So sometimes you have to taper yourself down so your body can get used to it and your stomach will shrink. Good luck!
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
    Is 1200 calories what MFP recommends for your goal weight or is it an arbitrary number you've picked up from people saying on here it's the minimum? Go back to your settings and go with what MFP recommends for you for a 1lb a week weight loss. Bet it's more than 1200! Oh, and eat most of your exercise calories!

    From what I've noticed from a LOT of people on this site, many women want to lose as much weight as possible so they put the max hoped for weight loss and MFP gives the 1200 goal as a sort of default. I had that goal for over 2 weeks before I actually looked at my goal page and saw my calorie deficit was way over 500. 500 calories a day = 3500 a week = 1lb. It isn't really good for your body to try to lose more than that. If you eat properly and exercise regularly you may very well lose more than that 1lb but you shouldn't *try* to.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    I was meant to lose 1 lb a week on 1200 but always lost more. Now I find my maintenance calories are around 2350, so I had a 1000+ deficit daily!

    I survived by counting all the exercise I got, even hanging out the clothes. Strangely enough, it never made me feel bad, just hungry, which I didn't mind. I do wonder though whether it caused the anaemia I'm now suffering from...

    I will never be on 1200 again! I hope to have baby weight to lose again some day, but I know 1200 is not for me. Listen to your body. Mostly it's right!
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