Just checking in on anyone else who has a 1200 calorie limit? How did you arrive at that amount? What's your lifestyle?

When I calorie counted before, I had a limit of 1350, but I was nursing (not exclusively) my daughter at the time. I put my info into MFP this time around, and it suggested a 1200 calorie-intake, so I'm going for it.

My lifestyle is not completely sedentary, but my only committed form of exercise is in two hikes/walks a week. The rest of my week is taking care of my house, watching my kids, and normal life activities. I've weighed in once already, and lost 3.5 pounds since Sunday, but thinking that could include initial shock weight. Not sure that'll be normal, or if it should be.

Anyhow, I'd love thoughts on this. Thanks!

1300. My lowest-once I get to about about 145lbs-will be 1000. Both are according to my "Lose it!" app on my phone. I lose half a pound a day at 17 years old but once I get to about 145 I will probably start losing only half of a half lol. And usually I walk an hour every day but haven't this week do to my "lady cycle" making me feel weak.

I stay between 1200 and 1300 calories a day if i eat anymore i tend to maintain or worse actually gain weight thanks to years of yoyo dieting my metabolism is trashed. i didn't use an app to figure it out my doctor gave me one of those breathing tests to measure my actual TEE . I usually lose about pound a week. I go to the gym 3 times a week and on my off days i walk on my treadmill so i am at least doing some kind of exercise daily. congrats on your 3.5 pound loss that's awesome !

Congrats on the great start! My doctor budgeted me for about 1500 a day because I'm larger right now and basically need to eat more to be able to successfully lug the weight around. I find most days I've been eating between 1100-1200 quite naturally. I'm not a huge snacker so I basically just eat three meals a day. I eat fruit, granola, and either yogurt or cottage cheese in the morning, some kind of salad for lunch - spinach, chicken, etc, and I some kind of lean meat with rotating vegtables for dinner. I use the calories as a suggestion though, not as some hard and fast rules on how I have to eat. There have been days where I've eaten 1700 calories and I didn't feel guilty about it because it was a day where I was up and active from 6 am until midnight. I've only been doing this for 3 weeks or so - there is a good chance I have no idea what I'm talking about. You just have to figure out what works for you. Good luck!

1200 seems a bit low given your height and current weight..did you tell it you want to lose 2lbs a week and have a sedentary lifestyle?

It usually gives a figure of exactly 1200 if the data you give would give an actual figure of below 1200 calories, however MFP doesn't like you to go under 1200. I think at lower weights, it's harder to lose at bigger intervals (such as 2lbs a week or more) as you have to eat very few calories or do large amounts of exercise everyday. Personally I feel that eating very few calories on daily basis is not good for you which is why i told MFP I want to lose 1lb a week. That way I get to eat a little bit more and make sure I'm getting all the nutrients I need and still create a deficit.

Hope that helps!

MFP gives nearly everyone a 1200 calorie budget. I don't even think they use a formula. I did 1200 cal for two weeks. It jump started me, but I felt like crap. I was about 154 when I upped my calories. I did it slowly, 1400 one week, 1600 the next then found my happy spot at 1700-1800 on non workout days, 2000-2100 on workout days. I'm losing faster at higher calories, and I feel so much better. I used various online calculators to arrive at my own calorie goal. I'm 27, 5'4" and now 137lbs. Still losing steady, even at a lower weight. You can change your calorie goal in MFP manually in your profile.

Eta: I workout 3 times a week, about 30 minutes of lifting/strength and another 15 at the end of random cardio. Work full time delivering heavy things. So most of the day is spent driving, but some regular lifting at work, too. I get 3-4 hours sleep a night - that's the biggest down fall for me. Scale won't budge until a get a catch up day once a week or so of 6-7hrs. Then I have a whoosh.

I forgot to mention the "Lose it!" app uses the help of the Harris-Benedict Equation and then it subtracts to figure out my calorie intake.

I've always found 1,500 cals to be my sweet spot for weight loss: enough of a deficit to see slow and steady losses, but not such a large deficit as to cause excessive hunger and resultant crabbiness.

F.

I am 10 years older than you, weigh less and am 3 inches shorter. All factors that point to me needing even less calories than you to lose. But, it isn't the case - read my post above to see what I'm losing at. As someone who has struggled with weight forever and done extremely low calorie yo yo dieting since I was your age, I would really, really like to encourage you to read more about the effects of extremely low calorie diets and likelihood of regaining more than you lose. I totally get the desire to lose as fast as possible, but I'm sure you can agree that it taking another two or three weeks to get to goal, but then being able to maintain for life is even more appealing. I wish someone had encouraged me to do my research when I was doing 1000-1200 calorie starvation diets to lose, then gaining it all back and then some within months of hitting goal and eating normally. Sorry if it sounds like preaching, just hoping to plant a seed. I would love to go back and lose it in a healthy way I could maintain when I was 17, and not have spent all of my 20s yo yo dieting and feeling awful about the way I look.

I've talked to my therapist and she says it's perfectly healthy. I know the dangers of low low calories. I used to be anorexic. This is nothing like that. Recently this week I admit I did give in to starving myself again-but I have sworn to my family and to myself to never do it again. You know how much I ate for three days? 400-600 calories. THAT IS STARVATION. 1000 is a mere 200 under what is considered healthy-it's not starvation.

I'm sorry your right. I'm just making excuses so I can lose weight faster... Back as my anorexia was worsening I ate 1000 calories and that's when my hair started falling out. My hair is already bleached. I will stay at no lower than 1200. It's the lowest a woman can go healthily. And back when I ate that my blood test were good my hair was good I felt good so... Again I am sorry.

what you're doing is dangerous. 1200kcal- you're slowly killing yourself!

look it up 1200 for a woman is healthy 1500 for a man is healthy. Trust me I used to be anorexic and I didn't have ANY symptoms of malnutrition till 1000. That's why the rule is you don't go below it.

At 5'6, 140 pounds - I eat about 1500 to lose weight. On days I exercise (I generally burn about 300-400 calories during exercise) - I always eat back my exercise calories. I would want to bash my head into a wall on anything less than 1300. ESPECIALLY if I was exercising!

I've had my limit set to 1200 since I started MFP which was about 2 months ago. I stay within it most days and don't get hungry. If I exercise it looks a little crazy because I'm way under since I'm used to eating 1200 and never feel a need to go over. Like today I ate 1400 calories and burned 981. Left me with 780 remaining. And I pigged out today (omlet for breakfast and tacos for lunch lol).