100lbs to lose (now 93) will this work if I did 1200 calorie

A 1 - 2 lb weight loss a week is pretty reasonable. I look at it as an average not an ablosute for every week. If you lose an average of 2 lbs a week for a year (52 weeks), that's 104 lbs. Its a math exercise. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound. So based on what your body burns normally, what you eat and your excerise burn, you need to net a negative 7000 calories for the week to lose 2 lbs. 1200 calories is reasonable. Less than that is hard to maintain. You want to lose weight but not make yourself miserable doing it. I've lost 170 lbs and am trying to get the last 15 off (with limited sucess...the first 170 were easy compared to these last 15! LOL). Focus on putting yourself on a plan you can stick too and if it takes as long as it takes. You have to change your lifestyle not just your weight.

When I started I topped in at 220 pounds!!! In the beginning I would eat about 1600 calories a day and only work out for 30 min. The weight came off pretty fast. But the reason I ate so many calories in the start is so I would have somewhere to fall back on when weight loss slowed down...the more closer I got to my goal the more I would cut my calories, without having to exercise like crazy. I would suggest eating way more than 1200 and then as it slows down then cut down some more.
When I got to the 140's it started getting harder no matter what. I then ate only 1200 a day and had to work out for an hour or more...but I did get to my goal of 125.
You can do it!!!!!

Hey San,

Here's a post that I did a few weeks ago with regards to your same question. 1,200 cals and 2 lbs per week is the max MFP will allow us probably based around safety concerns so people don't start or perpetuate and eating disorder and starve themselves. 1,200 cals per day appears to be the minimum cal allowance if you're trying to be healthy based on most anything I've read online or elsewhere, so you shouldn't consume under that. Does that mean you're going to lose 2 lbs per week though. No, probably not, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. Let me explain:

My doc told me weight loss is simple. Calories in, calories out. If you eat more than your body needs to survive, you're going to store fat. If you eat less than it needs, you're going to lose weight. 1 lb = 3500 cals so in order to lose 1 lb per week, you have to net 3500 per week less than your body requires just to run. The less you have to lose, the closer you get to your goal weight, the less you're going to be able to lose safely per week.

Your BMR will tell you how many calories your body would burn if you were lying in bed all day doing nothing (of course this number is not exact, but should be pretty close) so this figure indicates what your body needs just to survive. Let's say your BMR is 1,450 (just picking a number). That means you should be eating 10,150 cals per week to maintain your weight (no loss, no gain). That's 1,450 cals per day x 7 days = 10,150. If you want to lose 2 lbs per week that means you'd need to create a 7,000 calorie deficit based on your 1,450 BMR per day (or 1,000 cal deficit [green, cals remaining] per day) in order to lose 2 lbs per week). Well, if you can't net under 1200 and be losing in a healthy way, that means you'd only net 200 cals per day (plus the 250 MFP is already taking out) so 450 total per day.... starvation mode (your body's natural defense to keep you from starving to death quickly) would kick in and you won't lose anything and you'd probably get sick. This is why I say once you get closer to your goal, you'll have to be satisfied to lose less per week.... 1/2 or 1 lb max. When I had 114 lbs to lose and a BMR of about 1,650 daily, I could create a bigger deficit easier. MFP was giving me a 450 cal deficit per day when set for 2 lbs or 1200 cals per day and I would leave a few hundred extra remaining... now with 57 gone and 57 to go and a BMR of about 1,440, I can't create a large enough deficit to safely lose 2 lbs per week, so the weight is coming off more slowly and MFP is only giving me a 240 cal deficit per day factored in, so 240 x 7 = 1,680 per week deficit... about 1/2 lb weekly.

If you think of this in terms of money, it's easier to conceptualize (in my opinion). I know every day is going to be a bit different, but just for ease of figuring:

You get paid 1,200 cals per day as your base salary (GROSS)
You exercise and get 400 cal in vacation pay (GROSS)
You are then paid 1,600 cals per day (GROSS)

Keep in mind your BMR of example 1,450.
This means MFP will have figured you in a 250 cal deficit per day. 250 x 7 days in a week is 1750. That's just about half of the 3,500 cal deficit you have to create to lose 1 lb per week, so you're only going to lose 1/2 lb per week, even though you're set up for 2 lbs.This is why many people get confused on here. They think if they bring it right up to, or just under 0 cals remaining daily that they should lose the weight they set this site up for....not necessarily because they're not going to tell you less than 1,200 per day, even IF it will take you netting less than that to lose 2 lbs. It's just too risky and unhealthy to do that.

If you were to eat 1,800 cals per day then your NET would be 200 cals OVER what you need to have a loss (ANY loss).
1,800 - 1,600 = 200 NET and you'd pretty much just maintain your current weight (because MFP will have factored in 250 cal deficit based on my earlier model). Eat more than 1,800 with only 400 cals of exercise and you'll probably start gaining.

If, instead, you were to eat 1,400 cals per day your NET would be 200 cals UNDER (green cals remaining) and you'd create a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1,400 per week and lose about 1/2 a lb plus the 250 MFP is already factoring in, so now you're netting 450 per day less than what your body needs to run (BMR). 450 x 7 = 3,150...much closer to the 2 lbs per week you want. I know they say you shouldn't net less than 1,200 to be healthy, but as long as you're eating 1,200 and exercising, I wouldn't worry if your doc is OK with that. For me, and I'm not a doc, I just try not to net less than 1,000 per day but I always eat quite a bit (probably 1,500 to 2,000 cals per day) and exercise hard (between 500 and 900 cals per day), so I net about 1,000 per day and I'm finding this combination works for me. (1,500 cals in, 500 cals burned off = 1,000 net (this will look like 240 cals remaining at the end of the day (green)... approximately 440 per day less than my body needs just to survive, so I create a 440 cal deficit and lose about 1/2 lb weekly). I never go to bed until I'm at least at 0, but usually 150 - 250 in the green daily. I will exercise until that number is where I want it. That's just how I do it. There are other ways... but I hope this makes sense.

I hope all this helps!
Veronica

Hey San,

Here's a post that I did a few weeks ago with regards to your same question. 1,200 cals and 2 lbs per week is the max MFP will allow us probably based around safety concerns so people don't start or perpetuate and eating disorder and starve themselves. 1,200 cals per day appears to be the minimum cal allowance if you're trying to be healthy based on most anything I've read online or elsewhere, so you shouldn't consume under that. Does that mean you're going to lose 2 lbs per week though. No, probably not, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. Let me explain:

My doc told me weight loss is simple. Calories in, calories out. If you eat more than your body needs to survive, you're going to store fat. If you eat less than it needs, you're going to lose weight. 1 lb = 3500 cals so in order to lose 1 lb per week, you have to net 3500 per week less than your body requires just to run. The less you have to lose, the closer you get to your goal weight, the less you're going to be able to lose safely per week.

Your BMR will tell you how many calories your body would burn if you were lying in bed all day doing nothing (of course this number is not exact, but should be pretty close) so this figure indicates what your body needs just to survive. Let's say your BMR is 1,450 (just picking a number). That means you should be eating 10,150 cals per week to maintain your weight (no loss, no gain). That's 1,450 cals per day x 7 days = 10,150. If you want to lose 2 lbs per week that means you'd need to create a 7,000 calorie deficit based on your 1,450 BMR per day (or 1,000 cal deficit [green, cals remaining] per day) in order to lose 2 lbs per week). Well, if you can't net under 1200 and be losing in a healthy way, that means you'd only net 200 cals per day (plus the 250 MFP is already taking out) so 450 total per day.... starvation mode (your body's natural defense to keep you from starving to death quickly) would kick in and you won't lose anything and you'd probably get sick. This is why I say once you get closer to your goal, you'll have to be satisfied to lose less per week.... 1/2 or 1 lb max. When I had 114 lbs to lose and a BMR of about 1,650 daily, I could create a bigger deficit easier. MFP was giving me a 450 cal deficit per day when set for 2 lbs or 1200 cals per day and I would leave a few hundred extra remaining... now with 57 gone and 57 to go and a BMR of about 1,440, I can't create a large enough deficit to safely lose 2 lbs per week, so the weight is coming off more slowly and MFP is only giving me a 240 cal deficit per day factored in, so 240 x 7 = 1,680 per week deficit... about 1/2 lb weekly.

If you think of this in terms of money, it's easier to conceptualize (in my opinion). I know every day is going to be a bit different, but just for ease of figuring:

You get paid 1,200 cals per day as your base salary (GROSS)
You exercise and get 400 cal in vacation pay (GROSS)
You are then paid 1,600 cals per day (GROSS)

Keep in mind your BMR of example 1,450.
This means MFP will have figured you in a 250 cal deficit per day. 250 x 7 days in a week is 1750. That's just about half of the 3,500 cal deficit you have to create to lose 1 lb per week, so you're only going to lose 1/2 lb per week, even though you're set up for 2 lbs.This is why many people get confused on here. They think if they bring it right up to, or just under 0 cals remaining daily that they should lose the weight they set this site up for....not necessarily because they're not going to tell you less than 1,200 per day, even IF it will take you netting less than that to lose 2 lbs. It's just too risky and unhealthy to do that.

If you were to eat 1,800 cals per day then your NET would be 200 cals OVER what you need to have a loss (ANY loss).
1,800 - 1,600 = 200 NET and you'd pretty much just maintain your current weight (because MFP will have factored in 250 cal deficit based on my earlier model). Eat more than 1,800 with only 400 cals of exercise and you'll probably start gaining.

If, instead, you were to eat 1,400 cals per day your NET would be 200 cals UNDER (green cals remaining) and you'd create a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1,400 per week and lose about 1/2 a lb plus the 250 MFP is already factoring in, so now you're netting 450 per day less than what your body needs to run (BMR). 450 x 7 = 3,150...much closer to the 2 lbs per week you want. I know they say you shouldn't net less than 1,200 to be healthy, but as long as you're eating 1,200 and exercising, I wouldn't worry if your doc is OK with that. For me, and I'm not a doc, I just try not to net less than 1,000 per day but I always eat quite a bit (probably 1,500 to 2,000 cals per day) and exercise hard (between 500 and 900 cals per day), so I net about 1,000 per day and I'm finding this combination works for me. (1,500 cals in, 500 cals burned off = 1,000 net (this will look like 240 cals remaining at the end of the day (green)... approximately 440 per day less than my body needs just to survive, so I create a 440 cal deficit and lose about 1/2 lb weekly). I never go to bed until I'm at least at 0, but usually 150 - 250 in the green daily. I will exercise until that number is where I want it. That's just how I do it. There are other ways... but I hope this makes sense.

I hope all this helps!
Veronica

Veronica, this isn't entirely true as there is one more additional factor that you have to include, which is Total Daily Energy Expended (TDEE). Your weight loss is actually based on the amount of energy you expend throughout the entire day (TDEE) since you burn calories above and beyond your BMR. BMR is the amount of calories you burn in a coma; your bodies' functioning calories essentially. Even if you work behind a desk, you still burn calories (walking to your desk, bathroom, going to lunch, etc.. ) that would multiply on top of your BMR (see below for criteria).

* Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
* Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
* Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
* Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
* Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)



With this in mind, you need to take your BMR, add in your TDEE factor and then create a deficit.


TDEE = 1450 * 1.2 = 1740

In this case, if you work out and burn 500 calories on average it would be

= 1750+500 = 2250


From this number, you create a deficit. The more weight you have to lose, the higher the deficit (see below).


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


The reason you need a smaller deficit, is you body fights to preserve fat when it see it depleting as it's the first place for energy. And when you eliminate the energy, your body does whatever it can to hold on to this energy source. So what do you do? You feed your body enough that it doesn't feel like it needs to store. This is also why it's important to eat back exercise calories if you follow MFP's suggestion and dont include it in your TDEE.


Now, when it comes to your BMR, it is really not recommended to eat below it and instead exercise more so you can eat more. Since the metabolism is a intelligent tool, it can and will adapt based on food intake. If you eat below your BMR, it will slow down to work more efficiently. This is also why its important to do weight lifting and eat enough protein; this will allow you to sustain lean muscle mass which is the biggest driver for your metabolism. This is also a reason to aim for a slower lost to prevent the metabolism from slowing and increasing long term success.

Hey San,

Here's a post that I did a few weeks ago with regards to your same question. 1,200 cals and 2 lbs per week is the max MFP will allow us probably based around safety concerns so people don't start or perpetuate and eating disorder and starve themselves. 1,200 cals per day appears to be the minimum cal allowance if you're trying to be healthy based on most anything I've read online or elsewhere, so you shouldn't consume under that. Does that mean you're going to lose 2 lbs per week though. No, probably not, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. Let me explain:

My doc told me weight loss is simple. Calories in, calories out. If you eat more than your body needs to survive, you're going to store fat. If you eat less than it needs, you're going to lose weight. 1 lb = 3500 cals so in order to lose 1 lb per week, you have to net 3500 per week less than your body requires just to run. The less you have to lose, the closer you get to your goal weight, the less you're going to be able to lose safely per week.

Your BMR will tell you how many calories your body would burn if you were lying in bed all day doing nothing (of course this number is not exact, but should be pretty close) so this figure indicates what your body needs just to survive. Let's say your BMR is 1,450 (just picking a number). That means you should be eating 10,150 cals per week to maintain your weight (no loss, no gain). That's 1,450 cals per day x 7 days = 10,150. If you want to lose 2 lbs per week that means you'd need to create a 7,000 calorie deficit based on your 1,450 BMR per day (or 1,000 cal deficit [green, cals remaining] per day) in order to lose 2 lbs per week). Well, if you can't net under 1200 and be losing in a healthy way, that means you'd only net 200 cals per day (plus the 250 MFP is already taking out) so 450 total per day.... starvation mode (your body's natural defense to keep you from starving to death quickly) would kick in and you won't lose anything and you'd probably get sick. This is why I say once you get closer to your goal, you'll have to be satisfied to lose less per week.... 1/2 or 1 lb max. When I had 114 lbs to lose and a BMR of about 1,650 daily, I could create a bigger deficit easier. MFP was giving me a 450 cal deficit per day when set for 2 lbs or 1200 cals per day and I would leave a few hundred extra remaining... now with 57 gone and 57 to go and a BMR of about 1,440, I can't create a large enough deficit to safely lose 2 lbs per week, so the weight is coming off more slowly and MFP is only giving me a 240 cal deficit per day factored in, so 240 x 7 = 1,680 per week deficit... about 1/2 lb weekly.

If you think of this in terms of money, it's easier to conceptualize (in my opinion). I know every day is going to be a bit different, but just for ease of figuring:

You get paid 1,200 cals per day as your base salary (GROSS)
You exercise and get 400 cal in vacation pay (GROSS)
You are then paid 1,600 cals per day (GROSS)

Keep in mind your BMR of example 1,450.
This means MFP will have figured you in a 250 cal deficit per day. 250 x 7 days in a week is 1750. That's just about half of the 3,500 cal deficit you have to create to lose 1 lb per week, so you're only going to lose 1/2 lb per week, even though you're set up for 2 lbs.This is why many people get confused on here. They think if they bring it right up to, or just under 0 cals remaining daily that they should lose the weight they set this site up for....not necessarily because they're not going to tell you less than 1,200 per day, even IF it will take you netting less than that to lose 2 lbs. It's just too risky and unhealthy to do that.

If you were to eat 1,800 cals per day then your NET would be 200 cals OVER what you need to have a loss (ANY loss).
1,800 - 1,600 = 200 NET and you'd pretty much just maintain your current weight (because MFP will have factored in 250 cal deficit based on my earlier model). Eat more than 1,800 with only 400 cals of exercise and you'll probably start gaining.

If, instead, you were to eat 1,400 cals per day your NET would be 200 cals UNDER (green cals remaining) and you'd create a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1,400 per week and lose about 1/2 a lb plus the 250 MFP is already factoring in, so now you're netting 450 per day less than what your body needs to run (BMR). 450 x 7 = 3,150...much closer to the 2 lbs per week you want. I know they say you shouldn't net less than 1,200 to be healthy, but as long as you're eating 1,200 and exercising, I wouldn't worry if your doc is OK with that. For me, and I'm not a doc, I just try not to net less than 1,000 per day but I always eat quite a bit (probably 1,500 to 2,000 cals per day) and exercise hard (between 500 and 900 cals per day), so I net about 1,000 per day and I'm finding this combination works for me. (1,500 cals in, 500 cals burned off = 1,000 net (this will look like 240 cals remaining at the end of the day (green)... approximately 440 per day less than my body needs just to survive, so I create a 440 cal deficit and lose about 1/2 lb weekly). I never go to bed until I'm at least at 0, but usually 150 - 250 in the green daily. I will exercise until that number is where I want it. That's just how I do it. There are other ways... but I hope this makes sense.

I hope all this helps!
Veronica

Veronica, this isn't entirely true as there is one more additional factor that you have to include, which is Total Daily Energy Expended (TDEE). Your weight loss is actually based on the amount of energy you expend throughout the entire day (TDEE) since you burn calories above and beyond your BMR. BMR is the amount of calories you burn in a coma; your bodies' functioning calories essentially. Even if you work behind a desk, you still burn calories (walking to your desk, bathroom, going to lunch, etc.. ) that would multiply on top of your BMR (see below for criteria).

* Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
* Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
* Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
* Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
* Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)



With this in mind, you need to take your BMR, add in your TDEE factor and then create a deficit.


TDEE = 1450 * 1.2 = 1740

In this case, if you work out and burn 500 calories on average it would be

= 1750+500 = 2250


From this number, you create a deficit. The more weight you have to lose, the higher the deficit (see below).


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


The reason you need a smaller deficit, is you body fights to preserve fat when it see it depleting as it's the first place for energy. And when you eliminate the energy, your body does whatever it can to hold on to this energy source. So what do you do? You feed your body enough that it doesn't feel like it needs to store. This is also why it's important to eat back exercise calories if you follow MFP's suggestion and dont include it in your TDEE.


Now, when it comes to your BMR, it is really not recommended to eat below it and instead exercise more so you can eat more. Since the metabolism is a intelligent tool, it can and will adapt based on food intake. If you eat below your BMR, it will slow down to work more efficiently. This is also why its important to do weight lifting and eat enough protein; this will allow you to sustain lean muscle mass which is the biggest driver for your metabolism. This is also a reason to aim for a slower lost to prevent the metabolism from slowing and increasing long term success.

Totally off topic but , do you have this saved somewhere or do you type this out each time? lol :-) Oh, btw, this guy knows what he is talking about. I would listen to him. He loves to help people, not just a know it all.

Psulemon, thank you for these explanations. I'm going to figure this out based on my numbers, can I email/ MSG you to double check me??? Thank you. I think my body has been in starvation mode.