feeling sluggish, fatigued with 1200 calories

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knaya8158
knaya8158 Posts: 2 Member
edited May 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost about 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks and have been sticking to 1200 calories a day. Lately I have been feeling sluggish even with consuming 1200 calories. What am I doing wrong? I try to consume lots of protein, a good balance of carbs and fats.

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  • xGreatWhiteNorthx
    xGreatWhiteNorthx Posts: 335 Member
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    That's probably because 1200 is less than most people need to maintain even basic body functions while comatose, let alone if you actually are up moving around.

    You should up your calories.
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
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    How many calories did MFP give you when you put your info in?
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    what are your stats? Age, height, current weight, goal weight? What loss rate are you trying to achieve? What activity setting did you set yourself at? Are you exercising, and if so, are you eating back your exercise calories? MFP uses the NEAT method to calculate the goal weight based on your inputs, which means it excludes purposeful exercise and expects those to be eaten back.

    As others have said, if you are feeling sluggish, that's likely a warning sign you are not eating enough to fuel your body.

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  • KrissFlavored
    KrissFlavored Posts: 327 Member
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    1200 calories total? Or 1200 calories NET

    because if you're working out, and not eating those calories back, then you're not eating 1200 you are eating much less and your body is getting nothing from you for energy cause the little you're feeding yourself is being used for your vitals and that's it... and you're not even eating enough to cover that.
  • Allgaun
    Allgaun Posts: 222 Member
    edited May 2020
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    I'm always given 1200 calories, if I put in to lose 1/2 lb or 2 lbs a week. I'm significantly overweight, about 50 lbs. I can also change my activity level from sedentary to active and still it's 1200! I'm thinking it's because I'm short, 5'2"

    I can add extra by exercising, but baseline is always 1200
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Allgaun wrote: »
    I'm always given 1200 calories, if I put in to lose 1/2 lb or 2 lbs a week. I'm significantly overweight, about 50 lbs. I can also change my activity level from sedentary to active and still it's 1200! I'm thinking it's because I'm short, 5'2"

    I can add extra by exercising, but baseline is always 1200

    Then you need to report that as a bug. That calorie level is too low for someone who is active, trying to lose 1/2 pound and overweight/5'2".
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,515 Member
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    Check all your settings again, TO. Something is off there. Maybe you accidentally made yourself 100 years older, or a whole meter shorter. Certainly something is very wrong.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    Allgaun wrote: »
    I'm always given 1200 calories, if I put in to lose 1/2 lb or 2 lbs a week. I'm significantly overweight, about 50 lbs. I can also change my activity level from sedentary to active and still it's 1200! I'm thinking it's because I'm short, 5'2"

    I can add extra by exercising, but baseline is always 1200

    When I plug in 5'2" @ .5lbs per week the result is 1700 .... and that's sedentary ...

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    Age plays a role as well. My maintenance at 5’4”, 160 lbs at 46 years old is 1600 as a base/NET goal (to which I add would add exercise). That puts me at 1350 for 1/2 lb/week. I’m 30-ish pounds overweight. This poster’s profile mentions grown children and grandchildren so it’s not out of the realm of possible for someone a bit shorter and a bit older to hit 1200 (Or very close) at 1/2 lbs/week (to which they should be adding exercise). This poster isn’t OP though.

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    I didn’t say anything about eating 1200 calories. Everyone should be adding exercise and eating those calories too. My goal is 1200 (for less than a pound/week), I eat around 1600.

    The point was only that it’s not unrealistic to end up at or near 1200 as a BASE goal-particularly for older and shorter women.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,515 Member
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    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    Even at 5' 2" and 80 years old - the calorie goal would be 1410 - the point? very few people actually need to be eating 1200 calories...

    MFP gives me maintenance calories of 1540 per day. I'm nowhere near 80 years or 5'2. Ok, in reality my maintenance cals are around 1750 plus workout. But it's absolutely possible to get close to 1200 if you don't have a lot to lose.
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    Even at 5' 2" and 80 years old - the calorie goal would be 1410 - the point? very few people actually need to be eating 1200 calories...

    MFP gives me maintenance calories of 1540 per day. I'm nowhere near 80 years or 5'2. Ok, in reality my maintenance cals are around 1750 plus workout. But it's absolutely possible to get close to 1200 if you don't have a lot to lose.

    I'm not disputing that its possible, just that very few people actually need to be eating 1200 calories...... This whole thread is a waste anyways as the OP hasn't even responded with more info

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