1200 calories a day? Bare minimum no?

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eliakrathore
eliakrathore Posts: 36
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi :)
So i'm new here and all. I basically downloaded the mfp app for my blackberry to help me keep track of the food I eat. They gave me a recommended 1200 daily calorie intake. Will this be enough? Also, how am I supposed to know the calorie intake of homecooked foods? AAANNDDD also, how long should I expect to lose 20 lbs in? Haha thankyou! :D

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    What is your weekly goal at? If it's 2lbs a week that might be too hard (that's why it's telling you 1200). Try a half pound to a pound a week. That's a more reasonable rate and should give you a calorie goal you can actually stick with. This will also preserve more muscle as you lose.

    There is a recipe builder for home cooked foods.
  • hsk1019
    hsk1019 Posts: 235 Member
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    What is your weekly goal at? If it's 2lbs a week that might be too hard (that's why it's telling you 1200). Try a half pound to a pound a week. That's a more reasonable rate and should give you a calorie goal you can actually stick with. This will also preserve more muscle as you lose.

    There is a recipe builder for home cooked foods.

    I highly recommend the recipe builder. You put in the ingredients for your meal as you make it, and it lets you know the calorie content per serving based on what you tell it re: the total number of servings you make. It;s a good reality check too to beter understand what a serving size should be. Good luck to you! This is a great tool.
  • kcgslp
    kcgslp Posts: 212
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    1200 calories may be difficult at first if you are used to big meals but you do get used to smaller meals.

    I try to do 4 meals at about 300 calories each but it's typically more like 3 meals (breakfast, lunch & snacks) at 250 and dinner at 450. But truth is now that I've added daily workouts I have more room for error and consume up to 1400 calories on some days.


    How long will it take to lose 20lbs? Now that depends on you. Do you exercise? How hard and how long? How strictly can you follow 1200 calories and what kind of calories do you consume? All that will determine the rate at which you will lose.

    Calories for home cooked meals....some things are listed in the database. others you may have to add ingredients or search online.

    Good LUCK!
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
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    I can see this thread blowing up... It depends on height, weight, sex, if your goal weight is attainable or healthy for you.
  • OSC_ESD
    OSC_ESD Posts: 752 Member
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    I would need a lot more info to give you an accurate answer ... but 1200 calories can be very filling if the proper foods are eaten. Did you fill out the info for MFP to give you a " 1200 " day ? You can add home made food by using the recipe tab and listing ingredients ... it is time consuming, but once you list it ... it will always remain in your history. The healthy way to lose weight is generally based on 1 to 2 lbs per week. Depending on your current weight ... heavier individuals will lose more weight faster in the beginning. But for a " normal " loss it would take 10 weeks to lose 20lbs if exercise and diet were merely perfect ! Your gonna need to do some reading and get up to date on what works.

    Just FYI .... 3500 cals = 1 pound lost ( so in order to lose 1 pound a week, you need to have a 500 cal deficit each day .. 7 days a week x 500 cal saved = 1 pound lost ).

    I wish you the very best of luck ! :)
  • lasinbb
    lasinbb Posts: 14
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    You can use 1200 as a base, but when you exercise you can add the number of calories that you burn so you can eat more on those days. Homemade meals can be calculated under the recipe tab. I think that is what it's called. I calculated my homemade sauce and bread there. Hope that helps. Welcome to the community!!
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    Seriously, if you're feeling overwhelmed, start out not trying to lose any weight at first. Just log what you're eating now. Measure EVERYTHING. That will give you an idea what you're eating now. Once you get the hang of that, you can set a daily goal to lose weight.

    1200 calories is pretty low for an 18 year old. You may be trying to lose too fast. That means you won't be learning anything about how you will need to eat in the future to maintain your weight loss. You're not that far above your goal weight, so your maintenance calories won't be much lower than you're already eating. Becoming more conscious of what you're eating and how much exercise you're doing is the most important improvement you can make for your long term success.
  • mariah118
    mariah118 Posts: 13 Member
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    I can see this thread blowing up... It depends on height, weight, sex, if your goal weight is attainable or healthy for you.

    very true. there are many factors in calorie intake. i think you will find that 1200 is plenty...how long it will take you to lose the weight depends on the above factors and how you choose to use your cals.
  • eliakrathore
    eliakrathore Posts: 36
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    Thank you all so much for your feedback! I had no idea the community would be so supporting!
    Yes I'm kinda new to this so sorry if I ask kinda obvious questions or don't know how something works. I have a pretty busy schedule but I do try to do yoga everyday :D
    Also, I hope to lose 20 lbs in 5 and a half months, more like 24 weeks. Do-able, you think?
    Any tips or advice would be AWESOME.
  • jrskillings
    jrskillings Posts: 14 Member
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    I had the same issue with the website- it told me 1400. I thought that considering my weight, that wouldn't be enough for energy to live much less exercise. One thing this website has is a disclaimer that says information on this site shouldn't replace a doctor's opinion, and that's true. Even thought myfitnesspal.com has a lot of helpful tools, it doesn't have the power to know exactly what your caloric needs are. If 1200 sounds like too little, then ask your doctor how much you should be taking in. He/she should know your body's specific needs better than this website. My doctor recommended 1,800 for 2 lbs a week until my weight comes down more, so I just came on the website and changed my goals. I have more energy than when I tried to go with 1,400, and I'm able to get some exercise in too.
  • natalieg0307
    natalieg0307 Posts: 237 Member
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    Hi eliakrathore

    I'm new here too. When I put in my weight loss goal, mfp gave me 1200 calories per day too. Holy cow! Today was my first day and I felt like I didn't each much all day and I still went over. And history shows, the more I exercise the more I want to eat. So, I'll keep track of everything.......I did turn down lots of sweets today.......I didn't want to have to log them. So I drank skim milk instead and it filled me up so I didn't need that cookie and fudge after all. I'll keep track, if I go over a little, so be it.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    With MFP you get to eat the calories you burn when exercising, however, I think 1200 calories is probably too low for you.

    From this site http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ I entered the information you have on your profile here and this is what it gave:
    Custom BMR Calculation
    Thanks for checking your BMR here on Fat 2 Fit Radio. If you're not already subscribed to Fat 2 Fit Radio, consider doing so today. Please visit the Subscribe page to get the podcast delivered automatically to your iTunes, Juice, e-mail inbox or the podcatcher of your choice for FREE.

    Entered information: 18 year old female, 65 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds.

    From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 125 lbs.

    Harris-Benedict Formula
    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1507 calories.

    How Many Calories Should I Eat?
    Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

    Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.

    Activity Level Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1704
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1953
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2201
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2450
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2698
    NOTE: Please remember that this calculation is just a guideline. Your metabolism may be higher or lower based on the amount of lean muscle you have. Use these numbers a a starting point and tweak them up or down based on your weight loss or gain. It may take a couple weeks to get your exact calorie level.

    If you are sedentary 1200 calories a day would give you a deficit of more than 700 calories a day. Sounds good until you realize that your body may not handle that well based on the fact you only have 20 more pound to lose. Here is a helpful guide to calorie deficits http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    I would tend to suggest no more than 1 pound per week as your weight loss goal, .5 pound per week would probably be even better. Making that change would likely get your calories up to something more reasonable.
  • eliakrathore
    eliakrathore Posts: 36
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    Oh I see. I'm not the type to rush into anything, so I'm not really looking for a quick fix or anything. I'm just extremely new to calorie counting. So I never know how much I should be eating. :p
    but I wouldn't want a calorie deficit of 700 right? so upping it to like 1400 calories a day would be fine?
    IM SO CONFUZZLED
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Oh I see. I'm not the type to rush into anything, so I'm not really looking for a quick fix or anything. I'm just extremely new to calorie counting. So I never know how much I should be eating. :p
    but I wouldn't want a calorie deficit of 700 right? so upping it to like 1400 calories a day would be fine?
    IM SO CONFUZZLED

    What have you set your weight loss goal at here on MFP?
  • natalieg0307
    natalieg0307 Posts: 237 Member
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    When you exercise, mfp gives you more calories per day. I just did the wii fit and logged that in and got this message.....

    *You've earned 44 extra calories from exercise today

    Woo hoo!
  • scottlikescake
    scottlikescake Posts: 36
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    I ate 1000-1200 calories a day for 8 months and lost 97 pounds. Initially I found it difficult but the hunger pangs soon go away as your body gets used to eating less.
  • MrsJohnston
    MrsJohnston Posts: 43 Member
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    My calorie goal is also 1200 a day, and like someone was saying whether or not you're satisfied really does depend on the foods you're eating. I try to make sure that I keep my choice healthy and nutritionally balanced to keep me satisfied. Make every calorie worth it! Drinking enough water is also a huge aspect as we tend to need water when we think we're hungry.
    It may take some adjusting mentally to get used to the idea of smaller portions and different food choices, but you'll get used to it :)
  • AnarchoGen
    AnarchoGen Posts: 400 Member
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    I'm not sure if anyone is having the same problem I am, but I find that 1200 calories is A LOT of food! I've gained weight from not having enough calories among other factors (eating junk was NOT one of the reasons)

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