1200 Calories too low? Please help!

Make sure you exercising every day for at least 30 minutes...this will naturally allow you to eat more...keep in mind this is NET calories. Also, with 12 pounds to go, I think 1 pound a week is a better strategy.

Its because you've selected to lose 2lbs a week. If you select .5, 1 or 1.5 you will see the calorie intake will change. You should at least eat your net BMR. Which be the 1445 plus exercise calories. Or you could eat your TDEE cut. I sent you links to two groups with more info.

I think 1200 it too low for anyone. It's not much food and I don't personally think very sustainable. It's the kind of calorie intake that we've all done a million times when we "diet". Our metabolism slows, we lose muscle, we realize it's not much food and start eating a bit more..and then we gain it all back. Unless you're 4ft 11 I'd eat more than that. I use the fat2fitradio.com site for my numbers. It incorporates activity so you don't eat back calories...just the calorie level of your general activity. HTH!

This, but with one amendment - Even if you ARE 4ft 11, (like me!) eat more than that.

Another thumbs up for Fat2Fitradio.com.

Sometimes i manage just under 1240 and other times i really do struggle.
Thanks for the tip about that other site, i will try looking it up on there

I tried eating 1200 calories but wasn't losing any weight. I went up to 1310 and now I am losing at least an average of 1lbs per week. Slow and steady wins the race!

i have a question. do you eat before or after you work out. or both. what do you eat?

My dear .... HELP is on the way !! 1200 is too low - especially long-term. Folks that are heavier can cut down calories and lose weight in the beginning, then the body adjusts and WHOA !

I'm off to the gym, so I don't have time to type TONS .. but I'm gonna send you a link to read up on the subject .. and sending you to a mind-blowing thread I read last night that I think is a MUST READ for everyone.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/584499-has-anyone-lost-a-large-amount-of-weight-eating-more

Have a Great DAy !



Jen

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/harlanJEN

Active member of the forum group EAT MORE TO WEIGH LESS. Check it out ! Educate yourselves!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

I kept my caloric intake at around 1200 calories a week and I exercised about 3 hours a day and was losing 4-5 pounds a week. In total I lost 90 pounds in less than 4 months. You can do 2 pounds a week if you mix in exercising as well.

This may have worked for you, but for someone with relatively little to lose it isn't the best plan.

EXACTLY! Isn't the best plan for nearly anyone .. TRULY : )

Thank you for posting this. I have 10 pounds of baby weight that I'm trying to lose. Prior to coming on this site, I was eating really healthy, keeping it lower carb, higher protein, and exercising. I was having a hard time keeping my workouts consistent (was trying to go at night after baby went to bed). The scale wasn't budging. I switched to working out in the morning, now I go 5 days a week, and they are intense workouts (my gym has the Les Mills program) so I am doing combination of cardio/weights five days per week. My calories setting is also 1200.

I have been coming in typically at or just under 1200, exercising like crazy... its been two weeks since I switched up my routine. While I have noticed significant changes in my body, definitely toning up, things are looking better, I've only lost ONE pound. I know that when your close to your goal weight, its so much harder to lose, but its SO discouraging. I know its working because my body physically looks different/better, but its so hard to see that number on the scale not budging! I guess I'm just impatient.

But I do wonder if perhaps I need to eat more, and change my settings to lose 1 pound per week instead of 2.

Darn baby weight... I have to keep reminding myself how far I have come in 9 months, but its HARD, I'm impatient!

2lbs per week is going to be very hard with just 10lbs to go

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

Be patient you'll get there. Better to get there at half a lb a week, than to be losing nothing at all.:flowerforyou:

read later*

I tried eating 1200 calories but wasn't losing any weight. I went up to 1310 and now I am losing at least an average of 1lbs per week. Slow and steady wins the race!

I'm really really glad I found this topic! The system also has me pegged as staying at 1200 a day to lose 35 lbs. So yesterday, until I hit 1200 and was still under? The system kept showing me a message saying, "You're currently eating too few calories. If you don't eat more, you won't reach your goal as your metabolism will slow down with too few calories" or something of that nature. Which I've heard is true, but yesterday I went over my goal by 35 calories (oh, noes! LOL!), and still got that same message from the system. At about 5'3", 48 yrs. old and wanting to lose 35 lbs., plus I'm horrible at working out (which I know I need to change in order for this to work), where should my calorie goal realistically be? I started this week, lost one lb., and then nothing else this morning.

This was a question I was planning to ask any way. I've read accounts from fitness experts in "Shape" and "Men's Health" magazines, that in order to boost your metabolism, you have to eat a little more. And that ideally, once a week, you should have one meal only of something "bad" to give your metabolism an additional fuel.

However, my sister for example, is fairly old-school about it. She's very thin, naturally so, and is of the age-old train of thought that "you take in less calories and work out more - simple as that". Her view is that eating more calories to burn more is silly.

Which one is correct? It's been driving me nuts for a while!

1200 calories is not necessarily too low. What if my BMR is 1200 calories? How much deficit should I have If I wanted to lose weight?

MFP calculator figures out your estimated needed calories just to keep you alive and do ordinary daily activities like work, school, taking care of kids, etc. It does not include exercise in its calculation so that is why when you do exercise, it gives you more calories to eat. This is so you would lose weight on this system if you did no exercise, just by diet alone.

However, then, when you choose "I want to lose 2 pounds per week" (doesn't everyone want to lose 2 pounds a week, even if that is physically impossible for our body?) it just subtracts a set amount of calories from your calculated need. It will subtract 1,000 calories if you choose 2 pounds per week. But it will not set you below 1,200 bottom line because that is the minimum that is needed to get your proper nutrition.

If you do not have a lot of weight to lose, choosing 2 pounds per week is not appropriate or reasonable or healthy. Then when you also do not eat back exercise calories, you are creating an even bigger unreasonable and unhealthy deficit.

So, here is an example.....

MFP figures out that for me age, height, weight, I need 1800 calories a day (remember, this is without any exercise). I choose "lose 2 pounds a week". It tries subtracting 1800-1000 = 800. 800 is too low, it gives me a default of 1200. I eat 1200 and I burn 300 in exercise 1200-300= 900 net calories. Unhealthy, I need to eat 1200 + 300 = 1500.

Most people's BMR is higher than 1200 (this is the amount of calories they would feed you in a coma just to keep you alive).

Unless you are a very small person, or have a lot of weight to lose, 1200 is probably not right for you.

This information is super helpful and it may explain why I've not been able to lose successfully in the past. For those of us who only want to loose 15-20lbs, it *seems* we can work really hard for 2.5 months and drop off the pounds. What you're saying is that it will take nearly a YEAR (40 weeks to lose 20lbs). That's essential information that can help those with not much to lose avoid becoming discouraged.

In essence, those without much to loose aren't overeating by much and only need to make a small adjustment. Our caloric take in is close enough to ideal that it will take quite a while to lose weight without putting out bodies into starvation mode.

The above table of information should be included in the mfp app, imo. Programmers have written error codes that display when calories are too low, and similar suggestions ought to display when users have only a few pounds to loose.