Is 1200 calories safe??
DonnasJourney0805
Posts: 75 Member
I always get betwixt and between on the 1200 calories.. MFP gave me a total of 1330 for 1 lb a week loss. And 1200 for 1.5 lbs a week loss. But so many people say your body will go into starvation and store and stop your Metabolism.. Can I have some healthy feedback on that please.. I'm trying to loose my Last15 lbs and do it right... TIA
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Replies
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Starvation mode is a myth, 1200 is as low as mfp will go and you wont lose 1.5lbs on 1200 because you dont have enough of a deficit for that.
If you wanna lose the last 15lbs then eat the right amount of calories, which is starting with what mfp gave you and seeing how you feel.
Starving? Tired? Grumpy? Then your weight loss goal is too aggressive and you need to slow it down to .5lbs pounds per week
You also need to eat back your exercise calories24 -
if you're only going for 15 more lbs I'd choose a slower rate of weight loss, as you have fewer calories to play with to start with - no need to go for rock bottom if you can still lose consistently and at a decent rate while eating more
personally I find 1200 tough to stick to, but 1300-1500 is much easier (this is completely personal experience - your numbers may be different, as I'm short and just trying to get from high normal to mid-normal BMI) 6 -
DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »I always get betwixt and between on the 1200 calories.. MFP gave me a total of 1330 for 1 lb a week loss. And 1200 for 1.5 lbs a week loss. But so many people say your body will go into starvation and store and stop your Metabolism.. Can I have some healthy feedback on that please.. I'm trying to loose my Last15 lbs and do it right... TIA
With 15 lbs left to go, 1.5 lbs per week is an overly aggressive rate of loss. You will be risking muscle loss and honestly just getting too hangry to finish.
Most of us would suggest going as low as 0.5lbs per week at this point, but if you want to try for a rate of 1 lb per week, that's really as fast as you should go.
Starvation mode isn't really a thing. But if you undereat for an extended period of time though, you can lose muscle and mess up your hormones, plus experience some serious fatigue, all of which can cause you to burn a few less calories.
How much you should eat depends on your height, weight, activity level, and desired rate of loss. 1200 cals would be fine for a small group of people, unnecessarily tough for others, and actually dangerous for the rest.15 -
DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »I always get betwixt and between on the 1200 calories.. MFP gave me a total of 1330 for 1 lb a week loss. And 1200 for 1.5 lbs a week loss. But so many people say your body will go into starvation and store and stop your Metabolism.. Can I have some healthy feedback on that please.. I'm trying to loose my Last15 lbs and do it right... TIA
With 15 lbs left to go, 1.5 lbs per week is an overly aggressive rate of loss. You will be risking muscle loss and honestly just getting too hangry to finish.
Most of us would suggest going as low as 0.5lbs per week at this point, but if you want to try for a rate of 1 lb per week, that's really as fast as you should go.
Starvation mode isn't really a thing. But if you undereat for an extended period of time though, you can lose muscle and mess up your hormones, plus experience some serious fatigue, all of which can cause you to burn a few less calories.
How much you should eat depends on your height, weight, activity level, and desired rate of loss. 1200 cals would be fine for a small group of people, unnecessarily tough for others, and actually dangerous for the rest.
Thank you for the info... Helps so much ❣️2 -
I've been on 800-1000 for 6 weeks. Losing a Kg a week. Feel fine, running and cycling most days too.
When I was losing too fast, I felt great, too . . . until I didn't. It took weeks to recover from the weakness and fatigue that hit suddenly. (I was active, like you, spinning or rowing 6 days a week, but eating 1200+ at the time - how many calories is "losing too fast" depends on calorie needs . . . but 800-1000 is likely to be too low long term for anyone but the most petite).
Then there's stuff like this story:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10761904/under-1200-for-weight-loss/p1
Losing slowly can be frustrating. Losing too fast can be a health risk. I don't even have to think hard to know what side of that I'd prefer to be on, let alone want to be encouraging others to do. YMMV.15 -
Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.5 -
I started on 1350 calories (I'm 5'3") when I had ~35lbs to lose. I lost very quickly on this amount, and gradually increased to ~1600. I ended up going to the ER with bradycardia (low HR) low BP, low BS. My husband told the Dr I had been exercising and eating healthy. The Dr did not recommend exercising less, but said I needed to eat more, at least 1800. I still lost on this amount, just more slowly. I was probably working out between 40 min to an hour a day, plus a very active job(usually over 10000 steps just at work).
How active are you?5 -
When MFP recommends a daily calorie intake it is just doing the math based on the user's input. 1200 calories, or less, per day, can be a starvation diet, and even it is not, most people taking in so few calories will exhibit some of the symptoms of starvation such as tiredness, etc.
I could not stick to a 1200 calorie/day diet. Literally, I was hungry all the time and suffered the other symptoms of starving myself - tired, short-tempered, lethargic, and slower metabolism so I gained weight. I now work with a range of 1500 - 1800 calories per day and have been losing, on average, about 1 pound/week. I'm down about 30 pounds since Christmas, feeling better and exercising/moving more.
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mullanphylane wrote: »When MFP recommends a daily calorie intake it is just doing the math based on the user's input. 1200 calories, or less, per day, can be a starvation diet, and even it is not, most people taking in so few calories will exhibit some of the symptoms of starvation such as tiredness, etc.
I could not stick to a 1200 calorie/day diet. Literally, I was hungry all the time and suffered the other symptoms of starving myself - tired, short-tempered, lethargic, and slower metabolism so I gained weight. I now work with a range of 1500 - 1800 calories per day and have been losing, on average, about 1 pound/week. I'm down about 30 pounds since Christmas, feeling better and exercising/moving more.
That is great.. I think that is what I have done to myself.. I have stayed too low too long.. And I have literally halted on any progress.. For a long time now.. Working on keeping them up now.. I think that's what I need to do and reset my system3 -
DancingMoosie wrote: »I started on 1350 calories (I'm 5'3") when I had ~35lbs to lose. I lost very quickly on this amount, and gradually increased to ~1600. I ended up going to the ER with bradycardia (low HR) low BP, low BS. My husband told the Dr I had been exercising and eating healthy. The Dr did not recommend exercising less, but said I needed to eat more, at least 1800. I still lost on this amount, just more slowly. I was probably working out between 40 min to an hour a day, plus a very active job(usually over 10000 steps just at work).
How active are you?
I do 30 to 40 minutes of cardio and HIIT at least 4 days a week... I have just been at a stand still for a long time.. But mentally struggle with upping my calories.. I usually consume at 1250ish a day.. But I'm setting it to what MFP gives me for 1 lb a week which is 1390.. see if I can get this train moving again.2 -
tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.
I have lost 85 lb already. Just standing still on the last 15. But I think I have halted myself staying so low my body don't want to let go.. Gonna up them to the MFP settings of 1390 a day for a 1 lb lose weekly and see what happens 🙏7 -
DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.
I have lost 85 lb already. Just standing still on the last 15. But I think I have halted myself staying so low my body don't want to let go.. Gonna up them to the MFP settings of 1390 a day for a 1 lb lose weekly and see what happens 🙏
If you are at the tail end of a long weight loss you have very little to lose and a lot to gain by losing the last bit very slowly and easing into maintenance.
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DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.
I have lost 85 lb already. Just standing still on the last 15. But I think I have halted myself staying so low my body don't want to let go.. Gonna up them to the MFP settings of 1390 a day for a 1 lb lose weekly and see what happens 🙏
If you are at the tail end of a long weight loss you have very little to lose and a lot to gain by losing the last bit very slowly and easing into maintenance.DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.tgillies003 wrote: »Remember this is not a program or a diet, it is a lifestyle to a healthier you.
The last few pounds are more difficult to lose than the first 15. It will take longer. I recommend targeting no more than a pound per week.
I have lost 85 lb already. Just standing still on the last 15. But I think I have halted myself staying so low my body don't want to let go.. Gonna up them to the MFP settings of 1390 a day for a 1 lb lose weekly and see what happens 🙏
If you are at the tail end of a long weight loss you have very little to lose and a lot to gain by losing the last bit very slowly and easing into maintenance.
I am heading that way..🙌🙌🙌.. Been a long journey.. Just trying to find the right place and not gain any back
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Dear posters,
Please note: promotion for very low calorie diets (VLCD) is against forum guidelines. We want all our users to enjoy a safe and healthy journey.
If you need to review this or other forum guidelines they can be found here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10701884/play-nice#latest
Thanks for your cooperation,
4legs
MFP volunteer moderator14 -
Congratulations on what you've lost so far.
As everyone has said, the last lbs are the hardest / slowest. However, have you had a diet break? I'd suggest switching your goal to 'Maintain current weight' and eat that number of cals (plus your exercise cals) for one to two weeks. Then, when you resume, select a rate of losing 0.5lb a week. It's slow, but it's safe and it's also good practice for when you really will be maintaining.4 -
MFP recommened 1236. It’s been kinda hard to stick to especially since I try to be under my goal. So I usually end up around 1100.
I’m starving. But I’m learning to eat until I’m satisfied rather than being full. It’s a really weird feeling.1 -
MFP recommened 1236. It’s been kinda hard to stick to especially since I try to be under my goal. So I usually end up around 1100.
I’m starving. But I’m learning to eat until I’m satisfied rather than being full. It’s a really weird feeling.
Make sure you don’t eat under 1200 as that is very unhealthy.11 -
MFP recommened 1236. It’s been kinda hard to stick to especially since I try to be under my goal. So I usually end up around 1100.
I’m starving. But I’m learning to eat until I’m satisfied rather than being full. It’s a really weird feeling.
can I just ask why you try and stay 100+kcal under? 1200ish is low as it is and if you're weighing and measuring your portions you should be ok eating the numbers mfp gives you6 -
I think it depends on numerous things. If someone was completely sedentary, there wouldn't be a need for more than 1200 calories.1
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Another vote for a weekly weight loss goal of a half pound per week when one only has 15 pounds to lose.
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