Have you tried GLP1 medications and found it didn't work for you? We'd like to hear about your experiences, what you tried, why it didn't work and how you're doing now. Click here to tell us your story
Can somebody tell me where this "1200 Calorie" number came from ?
Replies
-
Age, gender, height, current weight, activity level all need to be considered.1
-
1 -
shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.2 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
For some women, 1200 does legitimately reflect their weight loss goal, even if it is relatively small. However, not everyone finds MFP's estimates for them to be perfectly accurate based on their results.
However, the previous poster was just pointing out that many women receive a calorie goal of 1200, not because that corresponds to their weekly weight loss goal, but because that's simply as low as MFP will go. If a person's TDEE is 2000 and they choose a weekly goal of 2 lbs/week, the math would give them a calorie goal of 1000, but MFP will only (rightfully) give them 1200.3 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
I just ran your stats on my profile and came up with 1440 calories set at lightly active (moderate isn't a choice) and .5 lb goal a week. ??3 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
I just ran your stats on my profile and came up with 1440 calories set at lightly active (moderate isn't a choice) and .5 lb goal a week. ??
I just checked and you're right I had it at sedentary, not lightly active. However, when I set it at 1 lb. a week at lightly active it tells me when I go through my goal setting process that I can only lose .8 lbs. a week on 1200 calories. I changed it to maintenance awhile ago (I eat according to my TDEE).
My only point was that for many people (especially those shorter, lighter, or older than me), 1200 is not necessarily aggressive.
However, I AGREE with you that nobody needs to eat that little. My TDEE is anywhere from 2000-2500 and I'm not even that active (I get between 8,000-12,000 steps). It's just that MFP will often give people 1200 calories who are short or sedentary, even if they don't have an aggressive goal.0 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
I just ran your stats on my profile and came up with 1440 calories set at lightly active (moderate isn't a choice) and .5 lb goal a week. ??
I just checked and you're right I had it at sedentary, not lightly active. However, when I set it at 1 lb. a week at lightly active it tells me when I go through my goal setting process that I can only lose .8 lbs. a week on 1200 calories. I changed it to maintenance awhile ago (I eat according to my TDEE).
My only point was that for many people (especially those shorter, lighter, or older than me), 1200 is not necessarily aggressive.
However, I AGREE with you that nobody needs to eat that little. My TDEE is anywhere from 2000-2500 and I'm not even that active (I get between 8,000-12,000 steps). It's just that MFP will often give people 1200 calories who are short or sedentary, even if they don't have an aggressive goal.
You’re 4 pounds above the optimal BMI range for your height. 1 lb/week is therefore an aggressive goal for you. At this point, 0.5 lb/week is generally a healthier choice.10 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
I just ran your stats on my profile and came up with 1440 calories set at lightly active (moderate isn't a choice) and .5 lb goal a week. ??
I just checked and you're right I had it at sedentary, not lightly active. However, when I set it at 1 lb. a week at lightly active it tells me when I go through my goal setting process that I can only lose .8 lbs. a week on 1200 calories. I changed it to maintenance awhile ago (I eat according to my TDEE).
My only point was that for many people (especially those shorter, lighter, or older than me), 1200 is not necessarily aggressive.
However, I AGREE with you that nobody needs to eat that little. My TDEE is anywhere from 2000-2500 and I'm not even that active (I get between 8,000-12,000 steps). It's just that MFP will often give people 1200 calories who are short or sedentary, even if they don't have an aggressive goal.
Oh, absolutely! For some women, 1200 doesn't reflect an aggressive goal at all. However, it's not like MFP assigns that number randomly to short, sedentary women... it's strictly based on the stats and info the user enters and the math required to achieve the stated goal (with a floor of 1200). Most people, though not all, find MFP's estimates to be quite accurate. If yours is that far off, I would venture that you are much more active than your activity setting reflects.0 -
I shared this link earlier for a different reason, but for those who are unsure how MFP calculates a person's calorie goal, there is a nice explanation here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p11 -
"You’re 4 pounds above the optimal BMI range for your height. 1 lb/week is therefore an aggressive goal for you. At this point, 0.5 lb/week is generally a healthier choice."
Thanks for the advice, but I don't actually have a goal set in MFP, I just set it at maintenance and eat according to my TDEE. It's not uncommon to hear that 1lb. a week is a healthy weight loss, so many uninformed people might set their goal at 1 lb. week. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just pointing out that MFP gives 1200 as a limit more frequently than people might think. Let me emphasize once again that I THINK 1200 IS TOO LOW.3 -
Rayvis1014 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »MyFitnessPal bottoms out at 1200 for women. So if someone picks a weight loss goal that is too aggressive for their activity level and what they have to lose, they will get a goal of 1200.
Not necessarily. I am 5'2 and weight 140 lbs. and MFP gives me 1200 when I put in a loss of half a pound a week at moderately active.
However, I ignore MPF an use my fitbit to determine my TDEE, then I eat below that.
Duh! I just realized what may be the source of the discrepancy here You've been talking in terms of TDEE, but do you realize that MFP uses NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) to calculate calorie goals, which means that your purposeful exercise is not included in it's calculations? When a person uses MFP, it's intended that the activity setting be set according to regular day-to-day activities, and that purposeful exercise be logged separately, which will add extra calories to a person's goal for the day.
You seem to have a system that works for you, so I realize you don't necessarily need this info, but it may be useful to others that come along.7 -
heh i love that site, dude cracks me up0 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
12 -
My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?3 -
BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »BasedGawd412 wrote: »Many years ago I capped my calories at 1200 a day on my 6ft frame dropping down to 178lbs. Didn't kill me, nor was I starving 🤷🏾♂️
1200 is never a healthy recommended amount for a male. Just because it didn't kill you doesn't mean that it was good for your health. Even if it didn't cause any negative health effects, that still doesn't mean it was recommended. There are plenty of smokers who live very long lives. Doesn't mean that smoking is fine.
How are you quantifying what is good for ones health?
Very likely, depending on how big of a deficit this represented for you and how long you were in it, you suffered some nutritional deficits and loss of lean muscle mass.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
If I stop lifting weights, taking my vitamins, I lose muscle mass and go into a nutritional deficiency compared to before. That doesn't make me "unhealthy", no different from when I lower my caloric intake to 1200 cal a day.
Most of us would consider a nutrient deficiency to be detrimental to our health, so you seem to be using a...unique definition of "unhealthy."8 -
My weightloss is being closely watch by my Dr first off just explaining that first!!
He put me on a thousand calorie diet a month ago, I told him I feel more comfortable between 1300-1400 so thats what I started at, and lost 20lbs in May. My loss has slowed down but now I am very satisfied at a 1100-1200 calories a day. My goal from mfp is 1300 something... I don't feel deprived or starving, I am usually very full. Just pushing more protein and usually between 70oz - 100oz of water a day.
When I go maintenance I am sure my calories will change. Shoot when pain management releases me and I can start boxing, I am sure my calories will change. Meaning go up again.
My stats:
Height: 5'5
Sw:224
Cw:200
Gw: 145-130 wherever I feel happy.
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
It's not really that it's safe. It's that there is a doctor monitoring your health so if some damage is being done it can be caught before it gets too bad (when a layperson would notice). Often it also means that Rx supplements are being administered to avoid deficiencies and possibly blood work at regular intervals as well.
Unfortunately, some doctors simply don't know much about weight management and give patients arbitrarily low calorie targets with no further monitoring, which is no different than a person randomly choosing to undereat and accepting the risks that come with that.4 -
A genuine question - just because a doctor is watching the weight loss, how does that make the calorie deficit 'safe'?
Similarly a doctor and patient may make the conscious decision to accept some risks in an attempt to mitigate other risks.
A personal pet peeve is that in general, I feel that the medical profession seldom fully articulates and describes the risks even when asking for "informed" consent. Of course a lot of that is a patient management issue: it just would take too long to fully educate everyone and have them give truly informed consent and often they would not be able to provide one anyway! So the presentations seem, to me, to sometimes push patients towards making the decisions that have already been deemed best for them!6 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.9
-
Being rather new at tracking calories - I just plugged into mfp what I'd like to do and wound up at 1200 cal. I did lose about half the weight that I need to and am about 10 lbs away from my goal weight... here's the kicker, I bumped up my calories this week because I've been so tired lately. It's been a weird week, but I think my body is happier - I'm more in the 1500-1600 range now.
My mistake - plugging in losing 2 lbs a week as my goal. Yes, I'd like to do that - but it's not feasible for me to lose at that rate. ( I wish I could). I'm grateful for the forums and people that give advice - the 1200 cal is calculated by a computer and doesn't take everything into account. It seems much for feasible for me to shoot for .5 lbs a week to ditch the last 10.
This is what I plugged in for it to show I should be consuming 1200 cal daily - 42yo, 5'8" 154 lbs and moderately active. Light workouts 5x a week (I walk a lot).6 -
Perhaps age has something to do with it too. I'm male and 59 years old. My minimum it lists for me is 1200 per day or it won't save my diary etc. So that it will save my diary about half the days I end up adding a cup or two of rice and some dates to the list although I didn't eat them. lol When I was a young Marine I could eat all I wanted. As you age though you need fewer and fewer calories. A few years ago there was a guy in Montana in a nursing home that was the oldest man on the planet at 114. In an interview he said he was a wrestler in high school at 132 pounds or something like that and had never been more than 3 pounds away from that wrestling weight since high school. He said not gaining or losing weight is a key to long life along with never eat more than one meal per day as you don't need it. Another tip he gave was to never get married. lol The nursing home confirmed they had never seen his weight vary in years there and he refused to eat more than once per day.
Sort of scary for me at 54 going on to 55 to think that in 4 years my maintenance is scheduled to drop by over 1500 Calories! Because at 49 I lost ~72.5lbs eating ~2560 a day, and at 50 another ~11.1 eating close to 2915 a day (+/- a calorie or gram or two).
Absent the inability to do so due to medical reasons, you may want to examine the possibility of both eating more and doing more while losing at a slightly slower rate. It's too late for either of us to worry about never gaining and never losing weight, so I doubt we can emulate the gentleman's example! Take care of yourself and make sure you're not under-eating too much!2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 413 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions