Is 1200 calories/day sustainable?
Replies
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serinaster wrote: »I think more important than the calorie number is whether you are getting all the nutrition you need from your diet. If you stick to low calorie veggies, fruit, lean protein and drink only water you might find you can maintain 1200 without starving or being malnourished. I know it goes against what a lot of people here will say though, so watch me as I get flamed....
You can maintain 1200 without being malnourished, yes - but not on this diet, which completely misses out a major macronutrient.
I strongly recommend not taking dietary advice from someone who doesn’t realise that fat is essential to good health.
My enemy right now is not fat but carbs... and sugar! I end up going over my daily macros for carbs and barely hitting my protein and fat macros. I did subscribe to MFP in order to figure out what the carbs culprits are so I can switch them out with more protein and fat dense alternatives. I was looking to quit dairy (I drink like 2 cups of whole milk a day and one flavored Greek yogurt) but that affected my calcium. I'm iron and vitamin D deficient so I'm taking OTC supplements. I do tend to stress eat candy and that is where I waste some of my nutrients.
So any advise on foods I could incorporate would be appreciated! I've googled this to death and still feel a bit clueless. I have a desk job and I hate cold foods. I dont meal plan and sometimes have gone to work without packing snacks which is how I end up sabotaging my calories. I bought some vegan protein powder and am hoping to start making smoothies. Mostly with berries and a banana to avoid excess fruit sugars. I've read I shouldn't mix fruit and veggies... otherwise I was looking to add either spinanch or spring mix to the smoothies. And I also measured my last smoothie that was sans protein powder and it was 500 calories so I know I gotta watch that.
To be perfectly frank, and IMO only, you're believing silly niche-y things you read someplace.
It's just food; and the the nutrient numbers are just data.
What do you think are the odds that natural selection designed us not to mix fruits and veggies, over thousands of years of history where food was mostly on the slightly-scarce side if we were lucky, and the very-scarce side if we weren't? I'm betting on near zero odds. So put the veggies in your smoothie.
Further, fruit sugarz are not the debbil, so don't fret that. If you want to reduce fruit sugars to reduce calories - which is perfectly legit in order to reach other nutritional targets like adequate protein and fats - then banana is possibly your one of your worst available choices: Higher in sugar than a lot of other fruits (like those berries, for one - or the veggies). Again, inherent sugar, including fruit sugar, is not evil. It's just that getting lots of sugar can drive out other necessary nutrition from your eating, especially in a calorie deficit.
It's all about well-rounded nutrition, within your calorie goal. Balance!
Carbs are not your enemy, fats are not your enemy, and why would you quit dairy if you're not lactose sensitive/intolerant (well, ethical strictures would be a possible reason, if you feel that way - but not health)?
Think about eating as an exercise in finding enjoyment and nutrition at a reasonable calorie level, not as some kind of melodramatic epic battle of good and evil. IMO, drama doesn't help.
How do you know you're D and iron deficient? If the answer is logging in MFP, it might be wrong (most food labels don't include micronutrients, even if they're present - and with the crowd-sourced database, the user who entered the food may not have input them even if they were on the label. Iron is not something you probably should supplement unless your blood tests say you need it.
Take a deep breath, don't believe everything you read on XYZ blog, and look at some mainstream nutrition advice. Start there: Enough protein, enough fats, plenty of fruits and veggies, foods you enjoy, the occasional less nutrient-dense treat; commit to a little bit of prep and planning. See if you can meditate or exercise for stress management instead of eating; or if not, try to stress-eat fruit instead of candy (it's sweet, too - but less calorie-dense, more filling, and more nutritious).
You can do this. If you want to.
Best wishes!
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serinaster wrote: »I think more important than the calorie number is whether you are getting all the nutrition you need from your diet. If you stick to low calorie veggies, fruit, lean protein and drink only water you might find you can maintain 1200 without starving or being malnourished. I know it goes against what a lot of people here will say though, so watch me as I get flamed....
You can maintain 1200 without being malnourished, yes - but not on this diet, which completely misses out a major macronutrient.
I strongly recommend not taking dietary advice from someone who doesn’t realise that fat is essential to good health.
My enemy right now is not fat but carbs... and sugar! I end up going over my daily macros for carbs and barely hitting my protein and fat macros. I did subscribe to MFP in order to figure out what the carbs culprits are so I can switch them out with more protein and fat dense alternatives. I was looking to quit dairy (I drink like 2 cups of whole milk a day and one flavored Greek yogurt) but that affected my calcium. I'm iron and vitamin D deficient so I'm taking OTC supplements. I do tend to stress eat candy and that is where I waste some of my nutrients.
So any advise on foods I could incorporate would be appreciated! I've googled this to death and still feel a bit clueless. I have a desk job and I hate cold foods. I dont meal plan and sometimes have gone to work without packing snacks which is how I end up sabotaging my calories. I bought some vegan protein powder and am hoping to start making smoothies. Mostly with berries and a banana to avoid excess fruit sugars. I've read I shouldn't mix fruit and veggies... otherwise I was looking to add either spinanch or spring mix to the smoothies. And I also measured my last smoothie that was sans protein powder and it was 500 calories so I know I gotta watch that.
If you’re trying to reduce carbs and increase protein, why would you reduce dairy (which is a good source of protein) and add extra bananas (which contain a lot of carbs - and fruit sugars)?
Mix up your fruits and veggies all you like; my apple-and-fennel salads ain’t killed me yet Try out some low fat dairy options to see if you like the taste; they tend to be higher in protein and won’t take up as many calories. But if you do that you may need to add fat elsewhere, for example a little extra oil in frying and roasting.
Eggs are good for protein and fat, if you eat eggs, and can be fairly easily added to any meal. You can’t beat a nice omelette, in my book.
And beans are a reasonable source of protein, and if you have an office microwave you can batch-cook a whole load of chilli or stew and reheat it for lunch.6 -
serinaster wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »If I could make a suggestion, why not set yourself to maintenance calories for one week out of the month, since you know you crave more food then? If you eat a little more you may not be tempted to binge, and maintaining means you are not undoing your hard work the rest of the month, just slowing things down for a week.
MFP gave me 1700 calories for maintenance. I think my problem is I mainly crave junk food that one week and not just any healthy foods. So the trick for me will be to figure out how to still eat more healthy food without going overkill on sugar. One thing that did help is I quit alcohol... the first few months were brutal with craving it that I've caved a few times. Funny thing is I never used to get PMS but the last couple of yrs its hit me with a vengeance... I'm still working out how to properly deal with it.
If you’re getting adequate nutrition most of the time and staying within your calorie limit there’s nothing wrong with eating some junk food for a few meals. Just plan ahead so you have a reasonably limited portion, and enough less calorie dense foods so that you don’t end up feeling starved.3 -
How do you know you're D and iron deficient? If the answer is logging in MFP, it might be wrong (most food labels don't include micronutrients, even if they're present - and with the crowd-sourced database, the user who entered the food may not have input them even if they were on the label. Iron is not something you probably should supplement unless your blood tests say you need it.
Take a deep breath, don't believe everything you read on XYZ blog, and look at some mainstream nutrition advice. Start there: Enough protein, enough fats, plenty of fruits and veggies, foods you enjoy, the occasional less nutrient-dense treat; commit to a little bit of prep and planning. See if you can meditate or exercise for stress management instead of eating; or if not, try to stress-eat fruit instead of candy (it's sweet, too - but less calorie-dense, more filling, and more nutritious).
You can do this. If you want to.
Best wishes!
My bloodwork has always shown am iron and vitamin D deficient. Last one my levels were so low I was prescribed some iron pills. I'm due for a physical soon so am hoping to see if both my levels have improved to see if I still need to continue supplementing iron.
You are probably right about me buying into the hype surrounding food! My mom is taking care of an elderly couple in their 90s and she told me they eat mostly all of the "forbidden" foods like ham, drink a soft drink each a day and even donuts and muffins and such. So it's all about perspective... and not overeating.1 -
Is 1200 calories/day sustainable?
No ... nor is it supposed to be.8 -
serinaster wrote: »According to my smart watch, I burn on average 1500 - 1800 calories/day. I currently weigh 161 lbs at 5 ft 3. I'm female and almost 40. My ideal BMI weight is 135 but the last time I was that weight I looked malnourished so I'd settle for 145. I've been struggling with losing 15 lbs for almost 10 years now. I tried intermittent fasting and went down to 151, but thanks to PMS among other things, I end up eating like crazy for a week out of the month.
Should I shoot for 1200 calories or 1500? I do workout like 3 -5 days a week for 20-30 min and burn on average 200 calories. I also like to drink warm water but I think I may have been drinking distilled water instead since sometimes the water on my electric kettle is almost close to boiling so I add some more from my brita pitcher.
I've had folks tell me 1200 calories is basically starvation. Any advice on how to get the weight off and stay off would be appreciated!
I have been at this crossroads myself recently
I eat clean most of the time so struggle with eating 'enough' calories if that makes sense. Recently I have made a conscious effort (on advice) to up my protein and my training. By upping protein it seems to have upped my calories and gives me the extra push (maybe subconscious) to train harder.
I'm almost 2 weeks into the changes and so far they seem to be working for me.
I think so long as you are getting the nutritional value in your meals then calories aren't everything I have found.
Sorry if this post is as clear as mud as I am 18 months into my journey so due to body changes I am trying to figure it out myself hahah4 -
serinaster wrote: »Should I shoot for 1200 calories or 1500?
Why not 1350 ... or 1412 ... or 1298 ...
You don't have to go for either 1200 or 1500.
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I'm also kind of curious about the not mixing fruit and vegetables thing. Especially since tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and squash are all fruits, so that would really start limiting your options!3
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I'm also kind of curious about the not mixing fruit and vegetables thing. Especially since tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and squash are all fruits, so that would really start limiting your options!
Yes ... and what if I eat veggies with dinner, then have a handful of grapes for "dessert" ... like I did tonight? Fruit and veg are together in my stomach!0 -
In fact, technically, from a botanical standpoint, grains are fruits. So no rice, bread or pasta with your veggies either!
(Though I'm guessing that whoever made up the stricture was thinking in terms of the culinary definition, which is mostly about which things taste sweet)1 -
I'd settle at around 1350 calories, OP, for the first 4 or 5 weeks and then re-assess. Focus on nutrition as well as calories so that you get the most bang for your calorie buck. Aim for at least 400 of those calories to be spent on protein. Get enough fat (~40 g or so). For your carbohydrate choices, look for whole grains, legumes (which will help meet the protein goal as well), vegetables and whole fruits. If you can tolerate dairy, this is a good food item to include for both protein and calcium.2
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rheddmobile wrote: »If I could make a suggestion, why not set yourself to maintenance calories for one week out of the month, since you know you crave more food then? If you eat a little more you may not be tempted to binge, and maintaining means you are not undoing your hard work the rest of the month, just slowing things down for a week.
Yes, many women eat at maintenance premenstrually.
Increased appetite is actually my first and sometimes only sign that my period is imminent. I used to satisfy that with 1200 calories of Ben & Jerry's but have since learned one extra meal or an extra snack and larger meals will do the trick for less calories.
I wasn't actually craving ice cream - my body just needs more food at this time as my metabolism revs up in preparation.4 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »serinaster wrote: »I've had folks tell me 1200 calories is basically starvation.
LOL!!
Trust me. It's no where near.
What sort of workout are you doing to burn 200 calories in 20 min?
Depends on individual goals. I need about 2,200-2,400 to maintain so slashing that to 1,200 does feel pretty terrible for me! But I'm almost 6 ft tall and reasonably active.
Evidently 1,200 calories is about what a toddler eats. I'm not sure if it's true but I remember blinking when I read that!
Personally, I try not to eat less than my BMR--OP, like others have said, figure out your TDEE and choose a deficit that feels good for you.4 -
Any advice like don't mix fruit and veg (or any particular foods or macros) is garbage. Add spinach to the smoothies and see if you like it.
If low on protein and you like dairy, greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good sources (more protein than just milk).
Easiest way to increase fat/protein and reduce carbs (if you are truly low on fat and protein -- I will say that if you are eating 1200 and not hitting the MFP default protein I'd work on that, since I think the MFP default for protein is too low at 1200 cal) is to just decrease servings of higher carb foods and increase servings of foods with protein (and fat if you are really low).
Nuts and eggs provide fat and some protein, and aren't high in carbs.
I wouldn't cut back on fruit except if you are low in protein and fat and actually getting lots and lots of cals from fruit I might think about switching out some fruit for more vegetables.
Cooking veg in olive oil or adding dressings with some olive oil (or adding nuts or seeds to a salad) adds some fat.
For protein I'd mainly look at serving sizes and make sure you were including a decent amount with all meals (and snacks if you snack). Sometimes people fall into patterns where they eat lower protein breakfasts and/or lunches.9 -
I'd settle at around 1350 calories, OP, for the first 4 or 5 weeks and then re-assess. Focus on nutrition as well as calories so that you get the most bang for your calorie buck. Aim for at least 400 of those calories to be spent on protein. Get enough fat (~40 g or so). For your carbohydrate choices, look for whole grains, legumes (which will help meet the protein goal as well), vegetables and whole fruits. If you can tolerate dairy, this is a good food item to include for both protein and calcium.
At 1350 would I eat back my exercise calories on days I do workout?0 -
I'm 5'6", was 40 when i started my weight loss journey (have been maintaining a 145 pound loss for three years) and i worked out four days per week and walked my dog twice a day and i was eating 1,200-1,300 calories per day. i lost an average of 3 pounds per week. if you feel fine eating 1,200 - there's no reason to change that. don't fix it if it ain't broke11
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I'm 5'6", was 40 when i started my weight loss journey (have been maintaining a 145 pound loss for three years) and i worked out four days per week and walked my dog twice a day and i was eating 1,200-1,300 calories per day. i lost an average of 3 pounds per week. if you feel fine eating 1,200 - there's no reason to change that. don't fix it if it ain't broke
3 pounds a week isn't an appropriate goal for everyone. "Feeling fine" isn't necessarily an indication that you're getting everything that you need. Your calorie goal should be determined by things like a safe weight loss goal, your activity level, and your starting weight.16 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I'm 5'6", was 40 when i started my weight loss journey (have been maintaining a 145 pound loss for three years) and i worked out four days per week and walked my dog twice a day and i was eating 1,200-1,300 calories per day. i lost an average of 3 pounds per week. if you feel fine eating 1,200 - there's no reason to change that. don't fix it if it ain't broke
3 pounds a week isn't an appropriate goal for everyone. "Feeling fine" isn't necessarily an indication that you're getting everything that you need. Your calorie goal should be determined by things like a safe weight loss goal, your activity level, and your starting weight.
Agreed. Many people “feel fine” until they suddenly don’t feel fine anymore. The negative effects of undereating can take some time to become apparent.8 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I'm 5'6", was 40 when i started my weight loss journey (have been maintaining a 145 pound loss for three years) and i worked out four days per week and walked my dog twice a day and i was eating 1,200-1,300 calories per day. i lost an average of 3 pounds per week. if you feel fine eating 1,200 - there's no reason to change that. don't fix it if it ain't broke
3 pounds a week isn't an appropriate goal for everyone. "Feeling fine" isn't necessarily an indication that you're getting everything that you need. Your calorie goal should be determined by things like a safe weight loss goal, your activity level, and your starting weight.
Yes, this.I'm 5'6", was 40 when i started my weight loss journey (have been maintaining a 145 pound loss for three years) and i worked out four days per week and walked my dog twice a day and i was eating 1,200-1,300 calories per day. i lost an average of 3 pounds per week. if you feel fine eating 1,200 - there's no reason to change that. don't fix it if it ain't broke
If I'm following, when you started your weight loss efforts and were losing 3 lb per week is also when you had 145 lb to lose. OP is 161 and wants to lose around 25 lbs. OP is overweight, but not obese.
This does mean that she needs to eat less (on average) to lose than someone 3 inches taller and with a lot more to lose (when you started), but it also means that 3 lb/week or even 2 lb/week is not an appropriate goal for her, and that if she exercises and wants to avoid unnecessary muscle loss, it's a really good idea to eat back the exercise calories.
I think 1200 + exercise calories could certainly be reasonable (although she might be able to lose on more too).8 -
I have no problems at 1,200 cals per day and it is not starvation at all. It's my maintenance calorie allowance. I'm also 5'3" and weigh 130 lbs. In order to lose weight I have to be at about 1,000 cals a day. I have a busy life but no formal exercise.8
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1200 calories is sustainable for some people and not sustainable for others.
It depends on your gender, height, weight, bodyfat %, musculature, activity level, types of exercise, strategy level of food choices, and probably 27 other things I can't think of right now.
There is also the issue of logging accuracy - many people who say they are eating 1200 calories are falling victim to common logging errors. Not everyone of course, but many.
Without any of the above variables defined, what your weight is doing would be the best barometer.
If you are logging 1200 calories and are maintaining your weight, you are eating the calories your body needs and there is no reason it wouldn't be sustainable outside of poor food choices.
If you are losing weight at a reasonable pace (0.5lbs - 1lb per week for most, 1.5lbs - 2 lbs for those with a lot to lose) it could be sustainable with the right food choices, but might not be at some point in which case you can just eat more and reduce your rate of loss. Even if the rate of loss is reasonable, good food choices may be key as it can be difficult to get enough protein, fat, and nutrients at that calorie level. Many people find they have to settle for a slower rate of loss and eat more to stick to it or to keep important parts of their lifestyle intact, and there's no shame in that.
If you are eating 1200 cals and losing 2+ lbs per week and are not at least obese, it is most likely not sustainable, and would most likely be starving your body of the fuel and building blocks it needs to some extent.
It was never sustainable for me personally, I had to eat more like 1400-1500 at least.11 -
serinaster wrote: »I think more important than the calorie number is whether you are getting all the nutrition you need from your diet. If you stick to low calorie veggies, fruit, lean protein and drink only water you might find you can maintain 1200 without starving or being malnourished. I know it goes against what a lot of people here will say though, so watch me as I get flamed....
You can maintain 1200 without being malnourished, yes - but not on this diet, which completely misses out a major macronutrient.
I strongly recommend not taking dietary advice from someone who doesn’t realise that fat is essential to good health.
My enemy right now is not fat but carbs... and sugar! I end up going over my daily macros for carbs and barely hitting my protein and fat macros. I did subscribe to MFP in order to figure out what the carbs culprits are so I can switch them out with more protein and fat dense alternatives. I was looking to quit dairy (I drink like 2 cups of whole milk a day and one flavored Greek yogurt) but that affected my calcium. I'm iron and vitamin D deficient so I'm taking OTC supplements. I do tend to stress eat candy and that is where I waste some of my nutrients.
So any advise on foods I could incorporate would be appreciated! I've googled this to death and still feel a bit clueless. I have a desk job and I hate cold foods. I dont meal plan and sometimes have gone to work without packing snacks which is how I end up sabotaging my calories. I bought some vegan protein powder and am hoping to start making smoothies. Mostly with berries and a banana to avoid excess fruit sugars. I've read I shouldn't mix fruit and veggies... otherwise I was looking to add either spinanch or spring mix to the smoothies. And I also measured my last smoothie that was sans protein powder and it was 500 calories so I know I gotta watch that.
You can definitely mix fruit together with vegetables! I have a green smoothie several times a week, which is a mix of berries, a banana, kale and then 0% fat greek yogurt. The banana flavor hides the flavor of the kale
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For me when I'm strict about meal planning and not drinking, 1,200 is sustainable. I get great results and tend to eat really healthy. 1,200 is not the way I intend to live my life forever but it's great for now and the way I am living. But when I'm at the first goal, about 50 lbs down, I will loosen up those calories to find a good balance where I'm still losing but having a little bit more freedom.2
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serinaster wrote: »I'd settle at around 1350 calories, OP, for the first 4 or 5 weeks and then re-assess. Focus on nutrition as well as calories so that you get the most bang for your calorie buck. Aim for at least 400 of those calories to be spent on protein. Get enough fat (~40 g or so). For your carbohydrate choices, look for whole grains, legumes (which will help meet the protein goal as well), vegetables and whole fruits. If you can tolerate dairy, this is a good food item to include for both protein and calcium.
At 1350 would I eat back my exercise calories on days I do workout?
MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
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Besides the not mixing of fruits and veggies, which others have already addressed as a silly arbitrary rule, I’m curious about your mention of drinking warm water in your OP? Why do you believe this would be noteworthy? Do you believe there are some benefits of drinking warm water? Spoiler alert - there aren’t any4
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When I eat veggies & have healthy fats and proteins I find I eat far less often, going under my calorie suggestion. Sometimes I’ll force myself to eat something tiny to get extra in but lately if I don’t feel hunger, I don’t eat. So... I’m still here and I seem to be ok. 2
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serinaster wrote: »I'd settle at around 1350 calories, OP, for the first 4 or 5 weeks and then re-assess. Focus on nutrition as well as calories so that you get the most bang for your calorie buck. Aim for at least 400 of those calories to be spent on protein. Get enough fat (~40 g or so). For your carbohydrate choices, look for whole grains, legumes (which will help meet the protein goal as well), vegetables and whole fruits. If you can tolerate dairy, this is a good food item to include for both protein and calcium.
At 1350 would I eat back my exercise calories on days I do workout?
I'd start with adding 100 - 150 calories on days I work out.
Also aim for a reasonable rate of loss. For me, that's a half pound to a pound a week. More than that requires too steep a deficit.1 -
Tracie_Lord wrote: »serinaster wrote: »According to my smart watch, I burn on average 1500 - 1800 calories/day. I currently weigh 161 lbs at 5 ft 3. I'm female and almost 40. My ideal BMI weight is 135 but the last time I was that weight I looked malnourished so I'd settle for 145. I've been struggling with losing 15 lbs for almost 10 years now. I tried intermittent fasting and went down to 151, but thanks to PMS among other things, I end up eating like crazy for a week out of the month.
Should I shoot for 1200 calories or 1500? I do workout like 3 -5 days a week for 20-30 min and burn on average 200 calories. I also like to drink warm water but I think I may have been drinking distilled water instead since sometimes the water on my electric kettle is almost close to boiling so I add some more from my brita pitcher.
I've had folks tell me 1200 calories is basically starvation. Any advice on how to get the weight off and stay off would be appreciated!
I have been at this crossroads myself recently
I eat clean most of the time so struggle with eating 'enough' calories if that makes sense. Recently I have made a conscious effort (on advice) to up my protein and my training. By upping protein it seems to have upped my calories and gives me the extra push (maybe subconscious) to train harder.
I'm almost 2 weeks into the changes and so far they seem to be working for me.
I think so long as you are getting the nutritional value in your meals then calories aren't everything I have found.
Sorry if this post is as clear as mud as I am 18 months into my journey so due to body changes I am trying to figure it out myself hahah
Ha... I get it/you! I happen to run across your post and was exhausted after reading it...LOL. I do think you've done a great job on your weight loss journey, but also get how frustrating being so close yet not so close to your ideal weight can be!
I kinda feel I'm getting conflicting advise too on calories so I'm trying to figure out what works for me. Unlike you, I haven't been as religious nor accurate in tracking my calories. So I've started measuring everything... amazing how small a 3 oz serving of chicken is! Also started measuring the olive oil I use when I'm making eggs and it's an eye opener to see how quickly sometimes calories can add up! Seeing how much junk food does rob me of eating healthy more filling meals is inspiring me to start eating clean and whole foods. So I think in actuality I may have been consuming upwards of 1400. I too need to increase my protein so am going to start making smart food choices and see where it leads me.3
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