Do I stay on 1200 cals per day

You should not go under 1200. This is the minimum number of calories recommended for women. If you exercise, you should be eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories on top of that 1200.

Depending on your stats, you can likely eat more than 1200 and still lose weight. If you set your rate of loss to 1 pound per week, MFP will probably give you a higher calorie goal, unless you are very short, older, and/or sedentary.

Your weight loss will slow down as you get closer to your goal because your body will need fewer calories, and your deficit will therefore get smaller. The way to address this is to be patient and meticulous about weighing and logging all your food. Resist the temptation to go under 1200.

You should have MFP recalculate your calorie goal every 10-15 pounds or so, so now is a great time to do that.

You're currently losing more than 2 pounds a week. That's a very fast rate of loss. At this point, with 45 lbs to go, you could increase your calories so you are losing 1.5 or 1.0 pounds a week. When you get down to only 20 lbs left, then go to .5 or 1 lb. a week. Adding in calories makes it easier to continue with the weight loss, and it also teaches you how you'll need to eat when you've lost the desired weight and want to maintain that loss.

jojo19812018 wrote: »

Thank you for the replies. I am short. 5”1 😞

I'm under 5 feet. I lost 100 pounds on 1200 plus exercise.

You don't need to go under 1200, and you can probably start with more calories if you decrease your rate of loss. However, if you are sedentary, then eventually you will probably be eating around 1200 (again, plus exercise) to lose the last few pounds.

If you exercise, you get to eat more

jojo19812018 wrote: »

Thanks so much and congrats on your loss!! I go to the gym 2-3 days per week and I’m a nurse in a dementia unit so no stop at work. How do I get I MFP to recalculate my calorie goal?

Go back to your Goals page (My Home -> Goals) and just go through the setup again. It will recalculate based on whatever is entered for your current weight.

I'm guessing that your job involves a lot of walking and movement. If you are not using a fitness tracker to take into account your normal activity, then I would make sure your activity level is set higher than Sedentary. This will help account for the non-exercise movement that you do. Then, I would log intentional exercise separately. If you have a Fitbit or similar device, it should register your workday activity.

Also, it took me about 2.5 years to lose the weight, and I've been in maintenance for 1 year and 4 months.

jojo19812018 wrote: »

Thank you for the replies. I am short. 5”1 😞

But you're still losing more than 2 lbs a week. Go with the reality of your results. Eat more.

Cahgetsfit wrote: »

I have nothing to comment apart from loving all the cats in the profile pics =^.^= I just want to smooch them all.

Here is my fuzzy grumpybutt:

My dietitian says if weight loss slows down, I can keep the same calories, but lower my carbs from 40% carbs to 30% carbs.

Off topic but still important... jojo19812018 your cat is a little sweetie. Just remember like you, the cat needs healthy food. Make sure you only use dry food (kibble) as a supplement and feed mostly canned or raw if the cat will tolerate it. Their health is just as important as ours. This Veterinarian is one of many who encourage cat owners to stay away from dry food, preferably at all costs. The feeding of these obligate carnivores is exceptionally important if we want them to live long, healthy lives and only need to go to the vet for annual check ups after age 5. Dry food is inappropriate for cats except as a treat.

Regarding your weight loss you will likely see a drop off in the amount you lose weekly as there is always a plateau period. Sometimes when calories are restricted to 1200 per day the loss is mostly water and a little muscle. I agree that you may not need to adjust the amount but adjust the percentage of carbs unless it is already low. Just remember quick weight loss usually comes at a cost so slow and steady is the key. If you are not doing so already, start resistance (weights preferably) training or increase the amount of what you are already doing.

Dilvish wrote: »

Off topic but still important... jojo19812018 your cat is a little sweetie. Just remember like you, the cat needs healthy food. Make sure you only use dry food (kibble) as a supplement and feed mostly canned or raw if the cat will tolerate it. Their health is just as important as ours. This Veterinarian is one of many who encourage cat owners to stay away from dry food, preferably at all costs. The feeding of these obligate carnivores is exceptionally important if we want them to live long, healthy lives and only need to go to the vet for annual check ups after age 5. Dry food is inappropriate for cats except as a treat.

Regarding your weight loss you will likely see a drop off in the amount you lose weekly as there is always a plateau period. Sometimes when calories are restricted to 1200 per day the loss is mostly water and a little muscle. I agree that you may not need to adjust the amount but adjust the percentage of carbs unless it is already low. Just remember quick weight loss usually comes at a cost so slow and steady is the key. If you are not doing so already, start resistance (weights preferably) training or increase the amount of what you are already doing.

My vet disagrees with you on the dry food. Both of my cats have eaten dry food all their lives - one is 14 and one is 9 and both are very healthy. The older one does get wet food when her allergies act up (seasonal) to help with hydration.

Additionally, there is not always a plateau. I lost consistently and never went more than a week without losing. In my experience, usually a "plateau" is actually getting lax on portion sizes (i.e. not weighing and measuring food).

ETA to add the cats

Dilvish wrote: »

Off topic but still important... jojo19812018 your cat is a little sweetie. Just remember like you, the cat needs healthy food. Make sure you only use dry food (kibble) as a supplement and feed mostly canned or raw if the cat will tolerate it. Their health is just as important as ours. This Veterinarian is one of many who encourage cat owners to stay away from dry food, preferably at all costs. The feeding of these obligate carnivores is exceptionally important if we want them to live long, healthy lives and only need to go to the vet for annual check ups after age 5. Dry food is inappropriate for cats except as a treat.

Regarding your weight loss you will likely see a drop off in the amount you lose weekly as there is always a plateau period. Sometimes when calories are restricted to 1200 per day the loss is mostly water and a little muscle. I agree that you may not need to adjust the amount but adjust the percentage of carbs unless it is already low. Just remember quick weight loss usually comes at a cost so slow and steady is the key. If you are not doing so already, start resistance (weights preferably) training or increase the amount of what you are already doing.

How in the world did this thread turn into woo about both cat nutrition and weight loss?

My cat is on a prescription dry food because she had an extremely serious, life threatening illness a few years ago. She's healthy now and will be 12 in the spring. I'll continue to feed her according to her vet's recommendations, and I suggest others do the same for their pets.

There is no evidence to indicate that eating 1200 calories means you are losing "mostly water and a little muscle." If you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat. Nearly all people would be in a calorie deficit if they ate 1200 calories per day. You might also lose water and/or muscle, but that depends on things like hormonal fluctuations, strength training, etc. There is no reason why OP needs to adjust carbs besides personal preference or a doctor's recommendation.

The good advice in this post is that resistance training is beneficial for nearly everyone, unless you are under a doctor's orders regarding specific types of exercise you can or cannot do. It's not required for weight loss, but it is definitely a good thing for muscle retention and general fitness.

Anyway, have another picture of me and my best buddy: