[bmo59]

Hello, is 1200 calories to low for me i'm, 5'4" 233 pounds and sedatary.

[Lori Bell]

As long as every single one of those calories come from healthy, non-processed food such as lean meat, tons of fruits and veggies, low-fat milk products, and whole grains...it's not to low. If you start replacing good food with junk...then you will not get proper nutrition, you will get hungry, and you will fail, because you will be starving. 200 calories with of Chocolate is a tiny dab with no nutritional value...200 calories worth of stir-fried veggies will fill a giant dinner plate with tons of vitamins and minerals.

[JayEll]

I tend to disagree with Lori Bell. I think you could start with 1800 calories and see whether you lose weight at that level. Even sedentary, you need energy just to move around your house.

Check out the calculators on the web such as freedieting.com.

Jay

[Lori Bell]

Jayell gives good advice, and I agree that 1800 is probably a good starting point for some people. I have found however, that for me and in my humble oppenion, (which I probably should have said in my first post) 1200 calories a day for me at 333 pound 5'7" (as active as I could be at that weight) 42 year old woman was a great place to start. I have lost weight consistently, (149 pounds in around a year) have never been on a Plateau, have tons of energy and eat better than I ever did at 3000+ calories per day. I visit my Doctor regularly and he gives 2 thumbs up. If all else fails, ask your doctor.

ETA: I should also mention that after a few months into my weight loss, I did up my weekend calories (Fri., Sat. & Sun.) to 1500. Just to mix things up a bit.

[jellydisney]

I think you will see great results with a number higher than 1200. 1200 is very very low. At your weight, and especially if you are just starting out, it would be better to go with a number less drastic. Try some online calorie calculators to see how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and then reduce that number.