1200 Calorie Diet???? Seriously???

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Replies

  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    pandamonium1987 wrote: »
    1. You do not need to "eat clean." (you can eat a variety of foods, lose weight, and meet nutritional needs)
    2. Drink the lemon water if you like the taste, but it will do nothing for weight loss.
    3. Meal timing is personal preference.
    4. You can eat lunch meat and still lose weight. (and be healthy)
    5. You do not have to limit condiments. (if it fits into your day, go for it.)
    6. You do not have to limit dairy. (unless you have a medical reason)
    7. You do not have to limit fruit. (fruit has numerous nutritional benefits)
    8. The only reason somebody should be restricting sugar is because of a medical reason. (sugar is carb, so track that.)

    I agree wholeheartedly!

    ^^^^ yep
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited November 2018
    paperpudding wrote: »
    KatyCSTinPNW wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Katy what are your current stats and how long have you been doing this and what lb per week did you set MFP to?

    Started in May at 167. Wasn’t really sure what I was doing at first but eventually set 1lb/week. In September I purposely went into maintenance (for my wedding). Started back in October again 1lb/week.

    Just the other day reset at current weight of 140 (138 today) and changed my goal to 135. MFP set me to 1340. (Sorry guess it’s not down to 1200 but fairly close).


    Ok, so without knowing your height, is still bit hard to comment.

    But presuming you are of average-ish height, then you are not far off an ideal BMI, if not already in the range.

    You probably should be setting a rate of 1/2 lb per week now - if you are shortish then 1340 may be right.
    That is NET - ie before eating back any excercise calories.

    For comparison, I am 5 ft 3 in and I was on 1460 to lose at 1/2 lb per week although I am older than you ( presuming your avatar is you.)

    Not disagreeing but just adding information: I'm also 5'3 and MFP has me at 1380 (with a non sedentary activity level) pre exercise for .5 lb/week. I'm within a healthy BMI, but if I were at sedentary and trying to lose 1 lb/week I'd get 1200 from MFP even above the healthy BMI. I think 1 lb/week is an okay goal even within the healthy range, especially if one is somewhat active, but the key is realizing you can add back in exercise and that most people aren't really sedentary (even pre exercise).

    I don't use MFP's goal, but a TDEE based one (that includes estimated exercise).
  • stwida
    stwida Posts: 10 Member
    It's all relative. IOt all depends on what your TDEE is. A 1200 calorie diet really isnt crazy for someone with a TDEE of like 1700. That's only a 500 deficit, which really isn't insane at all.

    I feel like this is really just a poorly thought-out / ignorant post made by someone who hasn't done the appropriate google searches.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    cnewsom1237 wrote: »
    It's all relative. IOt all depends on what your TDEE is. A 1200 calorie diet really isnt crazy for someone with a TDEE of like 1700. That's only a 500 deficit, which really isn't insane at all.

    I feel like this is really just a poorly thought-out / ignorant post made by someone who hasn't done the appropriate google searches.

    This depends on how much weight one wants to lose. A 500 calorie per day deficit is a 1 pound per week rate of loss. That's a reasonable pace for some people, but for those who don't have very much to lose, it's overly aggressive.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I'm reading @me0231's question as-
    Why do men get a higher minimum, 1500, than women, 1200, even if they weigh equal or less than a woman at the same height.

    The answer, as far as I know, is that men have a higher BMR, in general, due to a larger muscle mass. Bone density and testosterone probably come into play somewhere too.

    Cheers, h.

    Also, I don't know many (any, personally) men my height of 5'2. Smaller doesn't just mean lighter at the same height (I know you know this :wink: just clarifying for the peanut gallery). IMO it's probably never ideal for a 5'8 woman to eat 1200 either.

    At 5'9", I can confirm that 1200 calories is never my friend...

    Even at my shorter 5'5", I can also confirm that 1200 is not my friend.

    5'2 and agree :lol:
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    edited November 2018
    I’m 5’2.5” and 62 years old. MyFitnessPal has me at 1580 to maintain at 130, according to my Fitbit my TDEE is right around 1700.
    I lost quite nicely eating 1400 plus Fitbit step points.
  • KatyCSTinPNW
    KatyCSTinPNW Posts: 28 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    KatyCSTinPNW wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Katy what are your current stats and how long have you been doing this and what lb per week did you set MFP to?

    Started in May at 167. Wasn’t really sure what I was doing at first but eventually set 1lb/week. In September I purposely went into maintenance (for my wedding). Started back in October again 1lb/week.

    Just the other day reset at current weight of 140 (138 today) and changed my goal to 135. MFP set me to 1340. (Sorry guess it’s not down to 1200 but fairly close).


    Ok, so without knowing your height, is still bit hard to comment.

    But presuming you are of average-ish height, then you are not far off an ideal BMI, if not already in the range.

    You probably should be setting a rate of 1/2 lb per week now - if you are shortish then 1340 may be right.
    That is NET - ie before eating back any excercise calories.

    For comparison, I am 5 ft 3 in and I was on 1460 to lose at 1/2 lb per week although I am older than you ( presuming your avatar is you.)

    I’m 5’4” and 35 yo. I agree and think I’ll adjust to 0.5 lbs/week. I am in a healthy BMI. I actually didn’t have an exact weight goal. I’ve been too skinny before and hated it (110-120lbs). I guessed maybe 130lb but I’m actually pretty comfortable so I adjusted to about 135. Plan to stay in that area +/-5lbs.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I'm reading @me0231's question as-
    Why do men get a higher minimum, 1500, than women, 1200, even if they weigh equal or less than a woman at the same height.

    The answer, as far as I know, is that men have a higher BMR, in general, due to a larger muscle mass. Bone density and testosterone probably come into play somewhere too.

    Cheers, h.

    Also, I don't know many (any, personally) men my height of 5'2. Smaller doesn't just mean lighter at the same height (I know you know this :wink: just clarifying for the peanut gallery). IMO it's probably never ideal for a 5'8 woman to eat 1200 either.

    At 5'9", I can confirm that 1200 calories is never my friend...

    Even at my shorter 5'5", I can also confirm that 1200 is not my friend.

    I’m debating gnawing my arm off at 1900 cal during cut - down from 2600...I can’t even imagine 1200
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    Sam29a wrote: »
    This post is a bit patronising. I am short with a petite frame and am for the most part inactive. I lost most of my weight eating around 1200 calories. It took me over a year and a half to lose 57 lbs. That's hardly fast weight loss! I'm currently on 1250 calories, losing weight VERY slowly. It's taken me over a month to lose 2.4 lbs. If I was eating more, I would not lose any weight, but likely gain it.

    Just because something works for you, that doesn't mean it will work for the rest of us. It doesn't mean your way is the only right way and the rest of us are doing things wrong.

    we arent talking about petite women as women who are very short,elderly.sedentary or A combo of the 3 many DO need less calories. but the whole point was the poster who is MALE needs more calories just to get enough nutrients to fuel his body. its 1500 for a male who is very short,sedentary,elderly or a combo.1200 is way too little for a male unless he is an outlier or under the direct care of a dr,same with MANY women. many very short women here also eat and maintain on more than 1200 calories. The more active a person is the more calories they need to be taking in to fuel their bodies.1200 might be fine for some people but its not for everyone.

    I was only 70 lbs overweight and I was eating more than 2000 calories and still losing weight being sedentary(at 5'6 1/2). so if someone who is more than 100 lbs overweight surely they can eat more than 1200 and still lose weight as their intake to maintain their weight is probably more than 2500 calories.(depending on height,weight,age and activity level).

    There is also those who think they are eating 1200 calories and in reality are eating way more calories.Those are the ones who post later on in the forums that they are maintaining their weight on low calories and cant lose and cant figure out why. they had blood work done and everything comes back normal. when they start using a food scale and weighing everything their eyes are opened as to how much they were really eating and they start losing again. of course those scenarios arent going to apply to everyone either,but most of the time its the case.

    Here that is in chart form:

    miscalculating-1200-calories.jpg

    https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

  • Clau_Ioana1202
    Clau_Ioana1202 Posts: 40 Member
    My TDEE (I am in the normal BMI range, 22.5) is 1715 so if I want to lose weight, MFP gave me 1200/day. And I am tall: 5.9 (or 175cm).
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,284 Member
    That seems strange claucescu - as I am 6 in shorter and probably older than you and it gave me 1460.

    What rate of loss have you put in - given you already have a BMI right in middle of healthy range , you must only have very small amount you want to lose, so you should be setting it at 1/2 a week.
  • Clau_Ioana1202
    Clau_Ioana1202 Posts: 40 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    That seems strange claucescu - as I am 6 in shorter and probably older than you and it gave me 1460.

    What rate of loss have you put in - given you already have a BMI right in middle of healthy range , you must only have very small amount you want to lose, so you should be setting it at 1/2 a week.

    Look, I calculated here: https://tdeecalculator.net/. I am 38, 5,9 and 69 kg (152 lbs?) So my TDEE is 1,720 cals. That, for a weight loss the deficit should be of 500, I guess this is why MFP gave me 1,200 which is absolutely fine with me, I am not feeling hungry or something. :smile:
  • Clau_Ioana1202
    Clau_Ioana1202 Posts: 40 Member
    And the same calculator gave me an ideal weight of 142-146 lbs (64-66 kg)
  • DRGrazie
    DRGrazie Posts: 10 Member
    edited November 2018
    MOST IGNORANT POST I'VE EVER SEEN. I know about starving. I am under medical care for some serious health problems. First, the amount I eat is carefully monitored as I went through a month of not being able to put more then 400 cal a day in and that's with shakes. If I lose weight too fast now at this point, I won't even be able to have surgery, there will only be less time in life for significant liver problems. Gallbladder just taken out with surgery. That is starving. All my specialists agree that an ideal weight loss which is healthy is '1200-1450' calories a day. That's a literal health direction for me. My Dr was even happy with 1000 calories and was clear even that was not starving but bordering on less safe.

    Eating smaller meals is a choice-I am certain I am not the only one with GERD and other related medical problems that have to eat like that or it can't be done. It's not unhealthy nor is it healthier for an average person to eat just 3 meals a day. Again, I have to drink all day but if I drink anything less then 80 oz now, my whole mouth stays white, I get thrush and sore throats.

    Then there are tons of people of all different sizes here. I started at 300 lbs and frankly, the first priority to health is to lose the weight. I know my gi and regular dr would have been fine before this approving the 800 calorie diet for the fact of health risks and what led me to where I am at. This is really subjective. There is truly nothing I hate worse or find more arrogant are non-medical know-it-alls whom never had to live as others live posting things like this. It can really do serious damage. Judging other people and how they lose weight is just stupid. This is supposed to be a forum for support. And frankly, if you don't know what you are talking about, please zip it and suck it in or try to learn.

    You are talking about Keto mostly. If you eliminate starches and carbs and go that route then you can definitely eat more calories with moderation. Also, while limiting extras such as mayo, taking a teaspoon or two of oil is helpful. I am on the most restrictive and based diet under medical care that you can think of and was told by all specialists to take in healthy fats like olive oil. I have been told that carbs are not good for my problems and also told, ironically, to drink at least a cup of coffee a day if I can handle it with my meds for liver health.

    I have also been told to not live your life with a list of limits. My Drs literally roll their eyes when I am panicked about all this stuff and how strict dieting should be. Try to be healthy but as my Dr states-just eat in moderation and try to balance it. You don't have to live as limited as others and you shouldn't live for your diet. These are really directly from all 6 of my Drs. Exercise but you don't have to go nuts on it. I can't actually. I can walk a mile or two some days and make it with a lot of breathing difficulties and my Drs are fine with this. If you want to exercise more-that is great. If you want to eat with life limits-that's great. Whatever works. Let's just not be idiotic about this. What works, works for different people.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    DRGrazie wrote: »
    MOST IGNORANT POST I'VE EVER SEEN. I know about starving. I am under medical care for some serious health problems. First, the amount I eat is carefully monitored as I went through a month of not being able to put more then 400 cal a day in and that's with shakes. If I lose weight too fast now at this point, I won't even be able to have surgery, there will only be less time in life for significant liver problems. Gallbladder just taken out with surgery. That is starving. All my specialists agree that an ideal weight loss which is healthy is '1200-1450' calories a day. That's a literal health direction for me. My Dr was even happy with 1000 calories and was clear even that was not starving but bordering on less safe.

    Eating smaller meals is a choice-I am certain I am not the only one with GERD and other related medical problems that have to eat like that or it can't be done. It's not unhealthy nor is it healthier for an average person to eat just 3 meals a day. Again, I have to drink all day but if I drink anything less then 80 oz now, my whole mouth stays white, I get thrush and sore throats.

    Then there are tons of people of all different sizes here. I started at 300 lbs and frankly, the first priority to health is to lose the weight. I know my gi and regular dr would have been fine before this approving the 800 calorie diet for the fact of health risks and what led me to where I am at. This is really subjective. There is truly nothing I hate worse or find more arrogant are non-medical know-it-alls whom never had to live as others live posting things like this. It can really do serious damage. Judging other people and how they lose weight is just stupid. This is supposed to be a forum for support. And frankly, if you don't know what you are talking about, please zip it and suck it in or try to learn.

    You are talking about Keto mostly. If you eliminate starches and carbs and go that route then you can definitely eat more calories with moderation. Also, while limiting extras such as mayo, taking a teaspoon or two of oil is helpful. I am on the most restrictive and based diet under medical care that you can think of and was told by all specialists to take in healthy fats like olive oil. I have been told that carbs are not good for my problems and also told, ironically, to drink at least a cup of coffee a day if I can handle it with my meds for liver health.

    I have also been told to not live your life with a list of limits. My Drs literally roll their eyes when I am panicked about all this stuff and how strict dieting should be. Try to be healthy but as my Dr states-just eat in moderation and try to balance it. You don't have to live as limited as others and you shouldn't live for your diet. These are really directly from all 6 of my Drs. Exercise but you don't have to go nuts on it. I can't actually. I can walk a mile or two some days and make it with a lot of breathing difficulties and my Drs are fine with this. If you want to exercise more-that is great. If you want to eat with life limits-that's great. Whatever works. Let's just not be idiotic about this. What works, works for different people.

    You know that first post is from 2013, right? Person is not around. Did you read any of the rest of the thread?
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited November 2018
    Claucescu wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    That seems strange claucescu - as I am 6 in shorter and probably older than you and it gave me 1460.

    What rate of loss have you put in - given you already have a BMI right in middle of healthy range , you must only have very small amount you want to lose, so you should be setting it at 1/2 a week.

    Look, I calculated here: https://tdeecalculator.net/. I am 38, 5,9 and 69 kg (152 lbs?) So my TDEE is 1,720 cals. That, for a weight loss the deficit should be of 500, I guess this is why MFP gave me 1,200 which is absolutely fine with me, I am not feeling hungry or something. :smile:

    I got 1784 with sedentary -- are you really sedentary?

    MFP assumes you will eat back exercise if you do its method, so its number would mean without exercise and would be higher if you exercise.

    Also, if it gave you 1200, you must be asking for at least a half kg/week, and possibly 1 kg. If the latter, that's way too aggressive. Others will say 1 lb/week (around half a kg) is too aggressive too, I don't, but I'd say it's extremely important if you are going for such an aggressive rate that you do other things intended to bolster muscle, like eating sufficient protein (around .8 g per lb of weight at your current level) and strength training, and that you either eat back exercise or calculate TDEE with your actual activity level included. (I'll note that sites that use the TDEE calculator will usually recommend a percentage of calories to cut, no more than 20%, which at 1720 would be around 340, so well above 1200).

    But your choice, obviously -- I just don't think your stats suggest the average person, even the average person seeking to lose vanity lbs, should be eating 1200. I'm only 5'3 and older than you, and am in the same situation, and lose weight on more calories than that, because I am active.

    (I'm not anti 1200, I think it can be the right choice for people who aren't yet active and shorter/older people with lots to lose -- I started at 1200 + exercise and haven't regretted it.)
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