Age and 1200 calorie minimum

dwilliamca · October 2017

I notice a lot of younger people automatically think a woman is "too aggressive" at 1200 calories. Yes 1200 is the minimum set by MFP for women, but for some of us it is not aggressive at all. What some don't realize is that age is a bigger factor than even size for determining your BMR and therefore calorie base. I'm over 60 and on 1200 calories with only a 500 deficit before adding exercise. By the time a woman gets into her 50's and beyond, her BMR can drop down around 1100-1300 and obviously calorie base drops as well. Sad, huh? I figure by the time I reach my 130 goal I'll only by able to eat 1400 calories in maintenance plus whatever I can add with exercise (and I'm not burning 600-700 a day like some of you young energetic types).

maggibailey · October 2017

I had this conversation on here with a couple of pretty amazing ladies the other day in your age group. I agree with you that people jump on the idea that it is too aggressive without knowing all the details. But their points were valid, most of the people on here eating 1200 are not in your shoes and could eat more. I just wish there was a request for reference before jumping on a poster.

JRSINAZ · October 2017

Good luck to you. I'm over 60 too

swimmchick87 · October 2017

My mom is 60 and maintains on 1300 calories per day most days. She does a 1600 calorie day one time per month and a completely "free" day 4 times per year. She also works out 3x per week (mostly lower intensity, but for around 2 hours per session) and doesn't "eat back" exercise calories. She's also really short, so she's got that going against her too! 135 pounds is overweight for someone her height.

PowerliftingMom · October 2017

I'm 58, only 5' tall and my caloric intake is 2200 calories. ZERO cardio, lift weights only 4x/week and that's pretty much maintenance calories for me. Two weeks ago, I went to Orlando for vacation and for a meet I was participating in. I ate out 6 days straight, multiple meals plus took a full week off doing NOTHING but resting and watching TV. At the end of that period, I expected to be somewhere near 150 lbs. I got on the scale and was still 143.6 lbs. which was the same weight I was when I left for vacation. When I was on a 1200 calorie diet a year ago, I was literally starving myself! The scale was not moving! Your metabolism doesn't really change when you get older. People tend to be less active as they age. If you are hitting a plateau, take a few days off from dieting, then go back to a calorie deficit again. I never cut more than 2-3 months at a time. I will go on a maintenance diet for a few days, then back to a deficit diet

middlehaitch · October 2017

I think I was probably one of the women @maggibailey was conversing with.

I am a very average petite woman, 5'1, 64yo, and maintain at 100-105. My BMR by most calculators is 950-ish. My TDEE is around 1600 ( I no longer log on a consistent basis but that was the last number I established using personal data).

The drop in BMI as we age is a calculated average and assumes that the older one gets the less one will move.
This means less calories burnt by daily activity. The less active one is, the more muscle one will lose- this will also drop ones calories a little.

It is estimated the drop is 50-100 cals per decade depending on height, weight, and gender. At my age I would expect to have 200 cals less now than I had at 24 (I weighed the same then)

You can counteract the assumed calorie drop that estimators give by moving more, daily activity and exercise, and retaining as much muscle as possible through resistance training.

I am not a marvellous athlete, in fact I am quite a sloth, but I do make sure I move and get in an hour of exercise daily (weights and a bit of cardio).

This is enough to boost my TDEE from MFP's expected 1200 a day sedentary, to the 1600 I eat. My hour a day exercise burns 200. The extra 200 is because I have purpose worked on muscle retention, and having a more active daily lifestyle.

I started at 130lbs when I was a menopausal 54 with 1200 + exercise to lose 1lbs a week. It took a year.

The kick back on 1200 is because a lot of people choose it as their goal then ask questions without giving their stats.

The responders usually ask for stats to put the 1200 in context, this can take from hours to never so, with no information, are left to assume an average height overweight woman and give advice for that.

I have never had negative feedback on my calorie intake.

Sorry for the ramble.

Cheers, h.

Nony_Mouse · October 2017

This thread may give you some ideas for non-exercise ways to increase your TDEE, OP: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss#latest

maggibailey · October 2017

@middlehaitch yes indeed you were and I enjoyed the discussion! Thank you for your insight!

RoxieDawn · October 2017

I am 5'3.75", I will be 50 soon, I started MFP when I was 46 so peri-menopause my whole journey and official menopause lurking around the corner, working through this has been a major player in my weight loss and maintaining for sure.

When you run my stats through a calculator my estimated BMR is approx 1130, most have my maintain around 1430. To lose .4 pounds a week when I first started MFP which put me in this 1200 calories to lose weight, very sedentary at this time. One of my goals and this seems a strange one, was to be able to eat way more than what these calculators put me at, and of course based on my real worlds results over the course of time, its better but in the beginning it was kinda sad to be honest.

While I am not quite 60 yet, the encouraging news I can offer is that a woman can do a lot (excluding those with physical limitations and medical conditions) to improve their maintaining amounts through body composition changes, increasing NEAT, etc. Right now at my current activity I can maintain on 1700-1750 as long as I stay consistent with what I am doing. If I were to go back to moving and exercising less, it would decrease for sure.

I have been on these boards quite a bit in the past 3 1/2 years, I can review a post, go into a posters profile/pic, and diary (if open) and assess their case before 'jumping' on a poster for 1200 calorie goals. I am sensitive to those shorter, with not much to lose (maybe vanity pounds) and take age into account their age. Some are very young, some are just very inexperienced with weight loss, some do not understand the app in general, if I can help a person or assist them into as healhty a weight loss stragety as possible, I do cause I certainly hate to see any one doing dangerous and unnecessary methods to lose weight. Live long, be healthy, enjoy life, cause we all have come here to be healthier and feel better, not become unhealthy while trying to losing weight.

Polo265 · October 2017

I understand, OP. I'm 68 and 1200 calories is really a challenge. I've been on MFP for 97 days and have lost 22 lbs. I have about 12-14 lbs to goal. I've been trying to get at least 10,000 steps, which are mostly obtained by marching around the house, driveway, etc. That gives me 200-300 extra calories to eat. The last couple of weeks have been a real challenge and I've been going over my calories by a couple of hundred per day and regained 2-3 lbs. I think I've got diet fatigue.

paperpudding · October 2017

I have no doubt that 1200 is the right level for some older, shorter,less active women.

My losing calories were 1460 - I was 50, 5 ft 4 in and lightly active.

As many women are shorter and/or older and/or less active than me, it is realistic that they would lose on 260 less calories than me.

Lounmoun · October 2017

1200 calories is appropriate for some people and too aggressive for others. Some people choose the lowest possible calories to get a fast lost. I wouldn't advise a calorie goal without knowing someone's stats.

scarlett_k · October 2017

I'm 31, 5'6", have about 35 kilos left to lose, and currently have 1200 as my base calories for 2-3 weeks at a time, followed by a week of 1700. It's working for me just fine and I find it quite daft that people are so quick to jump in and say it's "too aggressive".

tess5036 · October 2017

I have a calorie allowance of 1200 ( before exersize), as I am short and 52 this is only a 550 deficit. Based on that ( with a lot still to use) I will then use exercise to increase the deficit, but no more than a 1, 000 deficit total. I'll reduce the maximum deficit as my weight decreases.

Trina2040 · October 2017

I think I'm another of those ladies that @maggibailey conversed with from an earlier thread. I'm 68 years old, 5'2.5" tall and weigh in at 128-132; in maintenance for almost 3 years. Average in every way and at an appropriate weight for my age, height, and frame size (medium). I ate all the food I wanted and more; never exercised.

Most people on here set a way too aggressive 2lb. or more loss to get the weight off quickly instead of losing slowly and steadily. I lost 50lbs starting around 1450ish without exercise (MFPs formula). As I lost weight over time, MFP recalculated my calories down to 1200 (without exercise).

However, as soon as I lost a few pounds I felt better; I began walking and was able to eat more calories because I was burning more calories. When I'm at the gym 3 days per week doing cardio and weights (10lb limit due to health problem) I eat around 1800-2,000 calories per day. When not at the gym I maintain around 1650-1750ish because I'm active during the day -- 20K+ steps every day. If I had to stop exercising completely, my maintenance falls around to around 1400-1450ish.

I never ate at 1200 or below and most older women do not have to eat at 1200 calories or below either. You should eat the amount that is appropriate for your weight, size, and age. How tall are you, and how much weight do you have to lose? How large of a deficit did you set on MFP? Cut calories by 250 instead of 500 and eat more. Age is only one small factor not the determining one. Are you physically able to move around? If so, then take a walk around the block a couple of times a day so you can add more calories.

Most of the long time posters on MFP don't jump on anyone -- they're truly trying to help. Everything I've learned about losing weight started with reading all the material here on MFP. It has been a real jumping off point for researching nutrition and separating the science of weight loss from all the pseudoscience. I'm grateful to every last one of those posters who questioned why someone was eating 1200 or fewer calories.

It is sad that I can't eat all the food I want. I've finally come to terms with it. If I want to stay healthy into my quickly approaching 70s I have to eat less and move more. And I'll be right here on MFP counting my calories in and calories out.

lucerorojo · October 2017

I am at 1200 calories now and do not like it! I am 51, soon to be 52. I started at about 1380 calories, and have lost 25 lbs. so far, at 2 lbs. per week. My starting weight was 237, and I'm relatively short, so I had to get that weight off fast, and while losing, at each month my calorie intake is lowered. I do a lot of exercise to compensate, at least 1 hour of walking each day, plus zumba and swimming a few times a week. I'm going to keep the agressive 2 lbs. a week until I break 200. I will still have over 60 lbs. left to lose, but I will switch to 1 lb. - 1.5 lbs. per week because compensating with even more exercise will not be sustainable--not because I can't do it physically, I can, but because I'm not retired and I have to work, so I can't spend more time in the gym, and already walk everywhere... I felt fine eating around 1300-1400 calories without exercise, but 1200 is just too little for me, no matter how good and nutritious my meals are. My biggest incentive to exercise is so that I can add more calories now.

dwilliamca · October 2017

Thanks everyone for your support and insight. I too noticed I've been more active since starting logging, so there is hope for more calories out there someday.

kimny72 · October 2017

The reason BMR drops as you age is mostly reduced activity and muscle loss. If you work on increasing activity and building/maintaining muscle, the BMR hit for getting older will be much less dramatic.

Yes, there are some short sedentary older women who have to eat 1200 or slightly less.

Unfortunately many women over 50 think they have no choice but to be sedentary, lose muscle, and eat way less. But unless there is a physical disability (and sometimes even when there are) you are never too old to walk more, strength train, and build more movement into your every day activities so you can eat more.

I am 44, 5'4" 127lbs and maintain at @ 1800 cals getting 8000 steps and working out 3 times a week. My goal is to increase my tdee rather than watch it decrease

I wish most of the posters asking for help to eat 1200 cals were short, older, sedentary women but they usually aren't. When the info isn't available, I'd rather assume the poster is one of the like 95% of people who should eat more. Especially since those threads always end up including many posts supplying tips on how to eat that low anyway.

lorrpb · October 2017

kimny72 wrote: »

The reason BMR drops as you age is mostly reduced activity and muscle loss. If you work on increasing activity and building/maintaining muscle, the BMR hit for getting older will be much less dramatic.

Yes, there are some short sedentary older women who have to eat 1200 or slightly less.

Unfortunately many women over 50 think they have no choice but to be sedentary, lose muscle, and eat way less. But unless there is a physical disability (and sometimes even when there are) you are never too old to walk more, strength train, and build more movement into your every day activities so you can eat more.

I am 44, 5'4" 127lbs and maintain at @ 1800 cals getting 8000 steps and working out 3 times a week. My goal is to increase my tdee rather than watch it decrease

I wish most of the posters asking for help to eat 1200 cals were short, older, sedentary women but they usually aren't. When the info isn't available, I'd rather assume the poster is one of the like 95% of people who should eat more. Especially since those threads always end up including many posts supplying tips on how to eat that low anyway.

MFP took away 50 cals on my 62nd birthday. It had nothing to do with a change in activity or muscle mass. FYI I'm in maintenance.

GottaBurnEmAll · October 2017

I'm 55, 5'1" and started out on 1200 because I was at the time quite sedentary.

I'm not sedentary any more. This week, my Fitbit average steps are over 24K and I've lifted weights 3 times. Most of those steps were incidental daily movement.

According to Fitbit, my average TDEE floats between 2100-2200. I don't know what my BMR is (I mean I know what it is according to calculators) and I always get confused when I see it mentioned in these discussions because it's pretty much a useless metric when it comes to weight loss. So I really don't care what my BMR is

I'm not some super able bodied person either. I have chronic migraines, a benign brain tumor, and two forms of arthritis. I run, albeit slowly, walk quite a lot, and can't lift heavy weights due to said migraines (they get triggered by lifting heavy). I work within my limits because eating 1200 calories was sad and I didn't want to be thin and maintain on only a handful more calories than that and watch THAT calorie amount dwindle over the years.

BMR is a baseline that we can only affect slightly by maybe building muscle mass, but that's hard to do without bulking, and I don't think most older women want to run a bulk cycle. You can preserve the muscle you do have and keep your BMR from decreasing (and thus your baseline from dropping) by lifting weights (or doing some form of resistance training and eating adequate protein.

Where we really can have some impact on our lot in the calorie intake game is our TDEE. That in may respects is a choice. Some people have limitations and those limitations limit how much impact they can have on their TDEE, but you can raise it with either intentional exercise, or through more non-exercise activity.

To the subject of suggestion to some people that their goal of 1200 is too aggressive, there are those of us who have had the experience of having done the stupid thing and dieted too aggressively and paid the price. I don't feel that it's wrong to try to caution those people how what they're doing can backfire and why.

Older people for whom the math of 1200 works out and is appropriate? Well, if it's appropriate and their goal is not, in fact, aggressive, then there's nothing contained in the message for them in a thread concerning a 20-something with 12 pounds to lose who's trying to lose 2 pounds a week.

kimny72 · October 2017

lorrpb wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

The reason BMR drops as you age is mostly reduced activity and muscle loss. If you work on increasing activity and building/maintaining muscle, the BMR hit for getting older will be much less dramatic.

Yes, there are some short sedentary older women who have to eat 1200 or slightly less.

Unfortunately many women over 50 think they have no choice but to be sedentary, lose muscle, and eat way less. But unless there is a physical disability (and sometimes even when there are) you are never too old to walk more, strength train, and build more movement into your every day activities so you can eat more.

I am 44, 5'4" 127lbs and maintain at @ 1800 cals getting 8000 steps and working out 3 times a week. My goal is to increase my tdee rather than watch it decrease

I wish most of the posters asking for help to eat 1200 cals were short, older, sedentary women but they usually aren't. When the info isn't available, I'd rather assume the poster is one of the like 95% of people who should eat more. Especially since those threads always end up including many posts supplying tips on how to eat that low anyway.

MFP took away 50 cals on my 62nd birthday. It had nothing to do with a change in activity or muscle mass. FYI I'm in maintenance.

I wasnt aware they did that, but that doesn't mean your NEAT or TDEE dropped 50 cals. It means a generalized calculator assumed it did. Because the average person doesn't proactively try to keep it from happening.

Age and 1200 calorie minimum

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