Going Under 1200 Calories per day

mollyvidovich
mollyvidovich Posts: 2
edited October 4 in Introduce Yourself
Hi! I've been following MFP for almost two months now. Before I started this, I was losing weight on my own, not measuring anything but eating lots of salad, soup, and lean proteins.


Since I started MFP, I've been so conscious of my calories per day and all the percentages I need to keep up with. I fill up on fruits and veggies, eating every 3ish hours. Here is a typical day/week:

Wake up: 5am M-F and do one hour of cardio: mixing it up with running, spinning, and run/walk intervals. Working with weights on Saturdays. One long run on Saturdays-whenever I wake up, and 60 minutes cardio on Sunday morning before Church.

Breakfast:
1 cup of Kashi Go Lean Cruch Honey Almond Flax Cereal
1/2 cup of 2% milk
Coffee with No Sugar Added creamer and 1 packet of Stevia
(This keeps me full for a good while! Lots of carbs and as much protein as an egg!)

Mid Morning Snack (around 10:30am):
1 Apple or 1 banana or 1 packet of Weight Control Oatmeal

Lunch:
Some sort of Progresso Soup--This stuff is SO good! Especially the WW endorsed kinds!
Usually I just have the container of soup because it fills me up. If i don't have soup, I have a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, no cheese, light mayo and mustard.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
Carrots and Hummus or 1 apple or 1 banana

Dinner:
VEGGIES! Lots and lots! I love to mix it up with zucchini, squash, potatoes, brown rice.
For my protein I will either have 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or an egg white omelet with diced tomatoes and mushrooms (sometimes with a little reduced fat cream cheese!) I have fish when I can-maybe once or twice every couple weeks.

On this plan, i definitely do NOT deprive myself. Once a week I will go to my favorite frozen custard place and get a mini size of my favorite treat! Maybe once a month I will have a slice of pizza. It is definitely hard to stick to but so rewarding!

I am a little nervous though, because I find that with what I eat, I am almost always under 1200 calories per day. Maybe 1-2 days per week will i meet 1200 or go a little over. I get full quickly with the raw fruits and veggies, and they keep me full.
.....am I putting myself in danger? I feel great, however sometimes my weight loss stalls and I can never figure out what it is. Anybody out there able to help? Remember I am extremely active.....

Thanks!
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Replies

  • starliye
    starliye Posts: 2
    My doctor told me I could do1000 and I would be fine.
  • crystalhendon
    crystalhendon Posts: 2
    I try to stay at 800 calories a day, 8 glasses of water, 80+ grams of protein, less than 25 carbs, and take a multivitamin everyday (mpst all calories from food is protein based...tuna, cheese, fish, eggs, etc). I've lost 84 pounds since June 10th. :) you can easily do 1000 a day. I also walk about 1 mile a day..briskly.
  • crystalhendon
    crystalhendon Posts: 2
    and try increasing your protein and water if weight loss stalls. those are usually the two reasons why.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    An occassional increase in calories will help you avoid a plateau.
  • mollyvidovich
    mollyvidovich Posts: 2
    Thanks everyone for the tips. I find myself at/near my goal weight here around the holidays. I am filling up on more lean protein and are fruits and vegetables, but am seeing an increase in weight and it's very discouraging, even though I am doing a solid HOUR of cardio every day. Why am i gaining? I have an incredibly healthy lifestyle now and once in a while i do reward myself with frozen custard or something similar. However I am becoming very discouraged and confused about now maintaining my weight. Any advice or thoughts??
  • dancer4275
    dancer4275 Posts: 149
    Anything from 1000-1100 is good. I try to stick to around 800-900. I think you'll be fine as long as your eating over 800 cals.
  • rw4hawks
    rw4hawks Posts: 121 Member
    bump to read later.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
    Anything from 1000-1100 is good. I try to stick to around 800-900. I think you'll be fine as long as your eating over 700 cals.

    So 701 is ok?

    I think you should put all your data into mfp and follow the guidelines strictly. I think you should lift weights 3 times a week.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I'm no expert, but I think there are two big reasons why someone should avoid eating ridiculous calorie intakes. IMO, 1200 is bordering ridiculous (700 is idiotic for almost everyone) but it absolutely depends on an individuals stats:

    1) Are you very carefully eating nutrient dense foods to avoid nutrient deficiencies? Low calorie diets lack nutrients and the lower you go in calories the more careful you need to be with food selection.

    2) Can you succeed long term while eating like this?

    And while 1) clearly is the health related question, I think 2) is the big reason why people are silly for even trying. How many people are here because they tried WW, or they tried Slim Fast, or they tried Nutra whatever (insert diet here) and they are coming back because they couldn't keep the weight off?

    Then they come here and try to create a massive calorie deficit by eating 1000 calories. This is equally as short-sighted as the person reaching for the pills or strapping on the hot pants.

    There genuinely are people who probably do have maintenance intakes that are low enough that 1200 calories is actually a perfectly reasonable intake. I'm willing to bet it's not the majority and it's certainly not the majority of people who come to this site.

    Ok, that was my saturday morning rant.

    Carry on.
  • dancer4275
    dancer4275 Posts: 149
    Anything from 1000-1100 is good. I try to stick to around 800-900. I think you'll be fine as long as your eating over 700 cals.

    So 701 is ok?

    I think you should put all your data into mfp and follow the guidelines strictly. I think you should lift weights 3 times a week.

    whoops! I meant to put 8.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
    So, 801 is ok? What a joke.
  • dancer4275
    dancer4275 Posts: 149
    So, 801 is ok? What a joke.

    I guess I shouldn't be telling anyone 800 is okay for them. Personally, I can eat around 800/900 a day and not be starving. Just to make sure I'm getting good nutrients though, I usually eat around 1000-1100. All I was saying was that it will not kill you to eat 400 cals under 1200.
  • hollyromann
    hollyromann Posts: 1 Member
    mega dittos to Sidesteal!
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    So, 801 is ok? What a joke.

    so do you have any useful info, or did you just want to look down your nose and scoff?

    OP - if you are ever in doubt of what you are doing, I would suggest talking to your doctor. He/She will know you second best, and can probably give you advice that is tailored to you.
  • vonigolden
    vonigolden Posts: 7
    @ sidesteel, It sounds like you know a lot about this stuff. Are you a trainer?
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    ding ding...these threads never end well :(

    My advice, seek help from a doctor and go with that..what is good for one is not good for all.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
    So, 801 is ok? What a joke.

    so do you have any useful info, or did you just want to look down your nose and scoff?

    OP - if you are ever in doubt of what you are doing, I would suggest talking to your doctor. He/She will know you second best, and can probably give you advice that is tailored to you.

    I already posted my opinion, which was to follow mfp strictly.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    @ sidesteel, It sounds like you know a lot about this stuff. Are you a trainer?

    <--- not a PT. (But if it would make anyone listen to me more, I'll go get a few PT's to come in here and support my statements. LOL).
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    Toddlers need around 1000 calories a day, granted they are growing and developing rapidly at that age but still...

    It all depends on the person and what their individual calorie needs are. My maintenance is 1710 so to lose about 1 lb a week my goal is 1210. If I exercise, I eat more, and I try to go way over the MFP recs on protein. The lower your BMR and Maintenance requirements are, the lower you can probably safely go, but all that depends on your current weight and activity levels. Blanket statements like 'you're fine as long as you don't go under 800' may not be true for everybody - every person here has different requirements. I probably could eat 800 once in awhile (net, that is) but I know for me personally if I go much under my goal for several days in a row I don't feel well. I experimented for a short bit and did not feel better until I upped my calories back closer to the goal that MFP gave me.

    Anyway, I'm not saying its right or wrong for anyone or everyone, I'm just saying you need to look at your own situation/numbers and decide what is realistic. If you're not confident in what seems realistic for you, either go with the MFP recs or seek out a talented expert in nutrition and weightless for a consultation. Just my opinion. :-)
  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    Seriously...talk to your doctor. Everyone is different!

    I was wondering about the same thing until I spoke with my doctor who explained that I have enough fat to lose that I don't have to worry about going too low on calories "AS LONG AS I FEEL OK". This means I can do as little as 800 FOR ME...personally.

    He did say if you are closer to a goal weight...around 10% or less of your body weight to lose, that is when the 1000-1200 calorie recommendations come into play.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
    So, go and ask your doctor. You may be one of the tiny minority for which this is a healthy calorie deficit.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    This is daft!

    Way below BMR.

    Unless told to you by your doctor please dont eat below BMR.
    It robs vital organs of nutrients!

    Calculate yours here!

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • big_dog8
    big_dog8 Posts: 43 Member
    what is your weight? height? maybe your weight is stalled because you're at the weight you need to be at. your exercise routine is great and probably gaining muscle so that weighs more. have you lost inches? the scale is not the only way to measure success...
    personally i would switch to skim milk and instead of just bananas, eat more berries. soups are great choices but do have alot of sodium so could make you retain water. are you drinking enough water? if not, could be retaining water so not seeing a loss on the scale....
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Hard to build muscle at that cal level.
    Just loosing the fat and discovering that you have had some muscle is nice but protein and calories need to go up up up.
    A great body is built in the kitchen and while sleeping!
    Workout 3-5 times a week and eat right and get those 8 hours rest!
  • michedarnd
    michedarnd Posts: 207 Member
    Yep. Here come the arguments. Basically, figure out what works for you. You have gotten some positive advice on how to make what you are already doing work. I'd sift through that and talk to a doctor (although my trust of doctors is limited). 1200 is not a magic number, and if you are losing on it and think that you can maintain it, then great. Personally, I have found that I CAN maintain it. I've been trying to zig-zag my calories, and I find it VERY difficult to stuff myself with enough food to meet my higher-calorie days, even when I'm TRYING to, so, most likely, your diet is already maintainable for you. If you feel great, and you are making progress, steadily, then I'd stay the way that I was.

    Good luck!
  • lequire
    lequire Posts: 20 Member
    I have found that it is hard for me to reach 1200 calories a lot of the time. I snack when I am hungry, mostly almonds at work so I don't snack on the candy dish but at night I find myself having to fill calories by drinking milk or something. It just feels pointless to eat when I am not hungry.

    I usually don't eat back my exercise calories, which is a whole different story. Especially if it is on Saturdays when I go on my long runs. If I can't eat 1200, I sure as hell won't be able to get to 2000 unless I go out and get hammered or something. It has all worked out pretty well so far so I believe it is okay to go under 1200.
  • techgeeksquared
    techgeeksquared Posts: 30 Member
    If you are only eating 800 cals a day, make sure make sure make sure you are taking a whole foods multivitamin every day. Also, ensure they are not synthetic vitamins but whole foods. Because on 800 cals you are more than likely missing some vitamins and minerals that you need to keep your body healthy. I applaud your success, you are doing great.
  • FancyChick305
    FancyChick305 Posts: 13
    It all depends on your current weight, activity level, and goals. My doctor once told me to eat no more than 1200, dont eat after 7, nothing white (bread, rice, etc..), no sugar, no fried, and you will lose without even exercising. It was very true. I had better results than when i had a trainer. I also walked too.

    I am doing the Fat Burning Soup Diet now for a jumo start but will go back to that regime when i am done on wednesday.
  • uptonia
    uptonia Posts: 26
    A lot of people have really passionate opinions about this subject.

    I have 75 lbs to lose total, and went to a doctor to start a medically supervised weight loss program. They have me on 1000 calories a day, and to not eat my exercise calories unless I'm doing more than 180 minutes of cardio a day (which I'm not!).

    I eat 5 small meals a day with limited carbs and and lean protein with every meal. There's no room for calories without much nutrient value.

    This is going really well for me, and I'm losing almost all fat and keeping most of my muscle - but it's monitored by the doctor every 2 weeks. Not something I would try on my own!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    So, go and ask your doctor. You may be one of the tiny minority for which this is a healthy calorie deficit.

    Actually, anyone who is obese and has large stores of fat can afford this type of diet. The body sort of has a priority list for what energy gets used and how. If you are obese, your body has been storing fat for just such an occassion and gladly uses that first. As someone else stated, the closer you get to your goal the more dependent your body will be on food for energy.
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