1200 calories is not right !

You should never go below 1200 calories. That is why mfp give you that. 1200 is the minimum anyone should eat.

1200 is the minimum..anything below that is starving your body.

Hi, I'm 50 yrs old and 5' 1 1/2 in. and 141 pounds. When I plugged in all my #'s my maintain calories = 1356, so in order to lose weight, I should only be having 856 calories per day is that correct ? I starting at 173 pds, and normal range should be approx. 115 pounds. thanks for any suggestions

MFP automatically creates a healthy deficit for you based on your goals. You need to eat the number it tells you not add a deficit to that.

to lose 1 lb/week you would need 500 less than maintenance. I have a question for you though, is your BMR 1356 or is your maintenance 1356, as there is quite a difference. BMR is what you would burn in a coma each day, once you wake up and move you burn more. To get maintenance calories go to goals and look at calories burned from normal daily activity.

That number should be higher than 1356, if it is 1700 you only need 1200 to lose 1 lb/week, if it is 1500 you would need 1000/week, but 1 lb/week may be too aggressive for you given your stats and goal, so you may only want to aim for 0.75lbs/week instead. You will even lose weight eating 1356 as I beleive that is your BMR, not your maintenance caloires.

Since you are shorter you may be able to get away with less than 1200, but I would not go below 1000 Net on any day.

I don't believe 1200 calories is correct for everyone. It's a baseline. I gain like crazy with 1200 calories.

That's why exercise is so important. If you eat 1200 cals a day and exercise at least 350 calories worth a day, you should lose around a pound a week over time. Daily exercise has been the key to my being able to successfully and consisently lose.

Stay above 1200 for sure, that's basically the lowest recommended. But the more you exercise, the more MFP lets you eat because since you've burned it, you've earned it. The number isn't magic, you can eat above the number and still lose weight as long as you exercise and eat moderately healthy, but MFP's equations help with their motivating little "If every day were like today...!" updates.

Most women need at least 1200 calories just for their body to function--heartbeat, breathing, muscle maintenance, organ function, brain function, etc.

If you're over 55 or obese, you may need to go lower, but not by much and you should check with your doctor. If you're active, you likely need more, even at 5'1". Every body is different, but you have to be careful not to let your body get below starvation level, or you'll begin metabolizing your own muscle--not at all a healthy way to lose weight, even if it didn't cause you to also retain fat, which it does.

Here's an article from Livestrong that might help you understand it a bit.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/352916-1-300-calorie-a-day-diet-for-women/

I suspect you're looking at your BMI calculation, not your maintenance calculation. Is there a maintenance calculator on this site? I haven't found it yet...

Thanks Eric mfp says only .08 lbs a week not the 2 lbs I would like to lose

2 lbs is too aggressive if you have less than 75lbs to lose. You could eat 1100 and that should be safe given your stats and will put you at 1 lb/week.

well you are very small .. what is your BMR ?



Edit: ... Your BMR would be 1187cal .. so i i wouldnt go under 1200 either ...

that said... i dont think you'd go in starvation mode under 1200 yet...

Personnally if id be you, i would EAT at least 1200 cal per day but, maybe i dould eat only half of the exercice calories...
Like anyone... you gotta try some variation and see what does work for you .. just be sure you arent starving...

I have the same problem, it seems i cant lose weight when i eat my 1200 cal per day..
I usually try to keep around 1000 cal-day. And i do burn 500-800 cal. 6x a week. ( on a treadmill )

I have the same problem, it seems i cant lose weight when i eat my 1200 cal per day..
I usually try to keep around 1000 cal-day. And i do burn 500-800 cal. 6x a week. ( on a treadmill )

Sounds like your metabolism has slowed way down. Try eating maintenance calories for 3-4 weeks (you may gain a few pounds at first) then switch to a 1 lb/week weight loss goal. This will re kick start your metabolism.

I am no expert by any means but have always read, heard, seen, been told, etc... that 1200 is a minimum and should not be decreased unless under strict health care supervision. Your body requires calories just to breath while you sleep. Your body also requires calories for proper digestion. If you are not consuming enough calories just to function on a daily basis, I would be more worried about the stress on your organs than not losing weight, or gaining. It is about proper nutrition, not starving yourself. I would definitely look into the calculations again and make sure something didn't go awry.

Good luck to you!

Sorry Jo Ann I don't know what to tell you but you have my support. I would just stick to your original calculations since you have lost weight. Good Luck