Isn't 1200 calorie too low?

jhamby24 · March 2018

Hello to all,
I have been struggling with my weight for a loong time. I've also seen a dietician who is a clearly expert and helped many including my friends. When I went to her, she put a 2100 calorie diabetic diet for me ( 100 kg, 1.70 cm) and said if I can lose weight at that calorie level, we can slowly drop it. In fact, i did. However, I moved to another city and started to myfitnesspal but the calorie limit is confusing me.

My dietician used to said, if you start with 1200 and stopped losing weight how can you drop the calorie level,it's too low. What is your thoughts? Should I stick to my diet plan or simply follow myfitnesspal ?

Thank you so much, i dont want to give up this time. ^^

pinuplove · March 2018

I suspect you've chosen 2 pounds per week as your weight loss goal and/or set your activity level to sedentary. Adjust one or the other (or both) as needed and you will get a higher calorie goal.

If you were losing on 2100 per day, there is absolutely no reason you need to drop to 1200.

toxikon · March 2018

I personally believe that the best way to lose weight is slow and steady, at a pace that feels good for YOU.

If you'd like to take a stab at calculating your own calorie goals, here's what you can do:

1. First, you need to figure out your approximate TDEE - total daily energy expenditure. This is the number of calories your body burns in a normal, everyday 24-hour period, NOT including intentional, strenuous exercise. So if you have a desk job without a lot of movement, your activity level is probably "Sedentary". If you're on your feet most of the day, your activity level is higher. There are lots of TDEE calculators on the web. Try a few and compare the results.

2. Once you have your TDEE, you simply need to subtract a number from it to calculate a calorie deficit that fits you. A pound of fat takes about 3500 calories to burn away. That means that eating at a daily calorie deficit of 500 will result in losing about 1 pound of fat per week.

3. So let's say your TDEE is about 2000. To lose a pound a week, you'd want to eat 1500 calories per day. To lose half a pound a week, you'd want to eat 1750 calories per day.

4. The final question of the equation is your intentional, strenuous exercise. Like going for a jog, lifting weights, etc. You'll want to eat back those calories (or a portion of them) that you burn through exercise. So let's say you go for a jog and your Fitbit tells you that you burned 200 calories. You'll want to eat those 200 calories in addition to your regular goal. Some people only eat back a portion (50% or 75%) of those exercise-burned calories, just in case the Fitbit or machine calorie estimate is off.

That's all there is to it! Hope that helps. You can lose weight at whatever pace you choose, you definitely do not need to only eat 1200 calories.

MelanieCN77 · March 2018

1200 is very low but her reasoning isn't solid. "You can't drop it lower" implies that regular Joe could be truly eating 1200 cals a day and not losing weight, which just isn't the case.

etherealanwar · March 2018

It is the lowest a female can go without doing harm to herself. You definitely do not need to begin with such a high deficit especially if you're starting weight is on the higher end. There are some great replies above. A loss of 1lb to 0.5lb a week is much more manageable in the long run.

rheddmobile · March 2018

There's no need to be at 1200 unless you are very slim, petite, elderly, or sedentary. When I first joined MFP put me at 1200 and I was losing almost four pounds a week and felt terrible! I lost most of my weight (down 118 lbs) eating close to 2000 gross calories and creating a 500 calorie deficit using exercise.

As one diabetic to another, what helped my glucose control the most was regular testing to determine how much of different foods I could handle, and regular exercise. And studies have found three ten minute walks after eating are better for control than one thirty minute walk. Best of luck to you!

jhamby24 · March 2018

Wow, thank you guys for explaining in detail ! I will definitely consider all of this and adjust my own calorie goal ^^ - It was a big confusion for me to start dieting, you have no idea how this helped me

-

MHarper522 · March 2018

When I had gestational diabetes, I managed best by looking at macros and regular testing. My goal with calories was to not undereat (so as not to hurt the baby's development) so obviously that was different, but I still managed to lose some weight slowly. Did your doctor suggest carbs target per meal or snacks?

But to answer your question...yes 1200 is probably too low. While weightloss is not that simple, at a maximum of 2 pounds/week that's about a 1000 cal/day deficit, which is high. For me, that's eating about 1500 calories/day for sedentary (273 down from 291, 5'8") but I usually burn 2800-3200 calories daily. I start with a target 1800 and eat more if I burn more. My Fitbit helps and has been quite accurate/on track with my loss. I will probably decrease my deficit and loss of rate as I go.

A few back I lost 75 (270 to 195) and maintained for a couple years before moving down South and discovery soul food/getting married and stay at home wife for a bit, and a baby. 1800 was my target then, but I wasn't adjusting for activity so my progress often halted.

In the end though, I think you doctor's advise is the best. Starting high and adjusting when you see how it affects you will let you and your doctor learn what is best for you.

jhamby24 · March 2018

Thank you MHarper522 and a big congrats to you!
I do not live in USA and sometimes I have trouble understanding the measurements. But in Turkey, usually the doctors give you 12 slice of bread equal to your carbs in one day. You can eat whole bread pasta, soup, crackers, pilaf and all the measurements are according to it. Actually, although I didn't starve myself today I only eat 750 calories ( I've never count calories before) so I think I still need time to adjust.But Thank you for your time ❤️

MegaMooseEsq · March 2018

I have a theory that a lot of the confusion around how many calories you need to eat comes from diets that promise results but don't teach people how to measure their calories with any sort of precision. Those diets might say you're eating 1200 calories, but you're probably doing it by cutting out broad food groups that people tend to overeat and/or exercising way more than necessary, which could put you in a deficit and thus lead to weight loss, but wouldn't necessarily get you all the way down to 1200 calories. Someone who weighs 200 pounds might have been used to eating 3000+ calories a day (I know I was!), so cutting down to 2000 can seem like a huge drop all at once.

When those people switch to straight calorie counting, they think you can only lose weight by dropping your calories as low as possible, but don't actually have a good sense of what 1200 calories actually looks like because those other diets never really taught anything about portion size or caloric density or nutrient balance and so on. The thing is, you can lose by eating any deficit at all - it's just a matter of how good you are at estimating your calories because small deficits can easily be wiped out if you're sloppy. Personally, I'm a fan of finding the highest possible daily calories that gets you a rate of loss you can live with - not so fast as to cause health problems, not so slow that you lose patience or that doesn't have a little built in wiggle-room for logging errors or the occasional pizza party.

Anyhow, sorry for the babbling after your question was already answered, it's just something I think about. I've been at this for 14 months and probably have another 9 to go, so I've got to keep myself amused somehow!

LivingtheLeanDream · March 2018

What calories does MFP give you to lose 2lbs a week?

jhamby24 · March 2018

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

What calories does MFP give you to lose 2lbs a week?

It was 1200 calories ^^

Xxjayxxxxx · March 2018

1200 calories far to low. Tbh you don't want lose weight fast and risk being unwell but losing weight at a steady pace is best.

Build4Longevity · March 2018

What did you set your active level to? Is it sedentary, active, or very active? if you set it to sedentary or active, change it to 1LB per week, but nothing wrong with setting it at 2, but you need to be realistic about your activity level. 1200 calories sims very low, but I don't know your age, sex, weight, and height so I can't really judge by just that number. Another suggestion I will give you is, say if you are at 2500 calories and your were losing. You get to a certain point and you quit losing for a week or two, adjust your calories by 20% less of 2500. This will bring you to a 2000 calories. This should help stabilize your rate of loss and keep it steady. Good luck!

Build4Longevity · March 2018

Keep in mind MFP will automatically make adjustment to your calories once you hit a weight loss of 10-11LB. If it doesn't, you can then apply the 10-20% method i suggested above. Remember a steady gradual loss is better than trying to lose alot at a time. Good luck!

jhamby24 · March 2018

Thank you so much for your replies ! My goal was to give 1 kg - 2 pound each week but now I'm okay if it's going to be slower than that. I do not want to give up so I think , I will be eating around 1800 calories. ( Female, 24,107 kg, 1.70 cm btw )

Fitwithsci · March 2018

If you had a diet plan that worked, stick with it. Don't fix what isn't broken. A personalized program from a Registered dietitian is likely going to be much better for you than using the algorithm that MFP plugs your information into (and uses for every other user). No offense MFP please do not rise up and destroy us all!

Isn't 1200 calorie too low?

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