What’s the minimum amount of calories you can eat in a day and remain healthy ?

[LovelyYellowLabrador]

I’m 5 ft 4

Started dieting this Jan, but I’m scared I might end up with an eatting disorder

If you’re scared you’re going to end up with an eating disorder this makes me think you shouldn’t be counting calories at all. It’s easy to get fixated on them. Just try and eat 3 balanced meals each day and get some exercise. Focus on being healthy rather than losing weight.

Most places will recommend 1200. That's about right for your height, similar to me.

If you are developing an unhealthy relationship with food you need to stop counting calories and just start eating differently altogether. Nothing from a packet and no alcohol is a good start.

Well this already sounds horrifically unhealthy.

There isn’t a set amount of calories.

It all depends on your build, your lifestyle, the amount of exercise, what you are eating, the protein/fibre/salt/sugar.

Doctors now recommend a diet of 800 per day for 12 weeks or more for overweight patients with diabetes and that is classed as medically beneficial. It depends on you and your current situation. If you are over weight then it is different to cutting calories when underweight. However you should be aiming for a healthy balanced diet rich in vegetables and protein with an appropriate amount of complex carbs (brown rice/wild rice/ ancient grains/oats - no refined carbs and sugars) and healthy fats

There is more to it than just calories. You need enough of the right nutrients too.

How heavy are you now? How much are you exercising? 1200 is actually quite low and too low to maintain it long term. Look into your base metabolic rate and go from there. I suspect around 1,500-1,700 for fat loss while having 30-40 mins of moderate exercise, including weight training a day is enough for you. After you are at your desired weight you need to go towards maintenance calories at around 2,000 ( maybe more or less depending on fullness) and you need to continue with your exercise. These numbers still depend on how much exercise you will be putting in and how heavy you are now. I do not recommend trying to lose weight fast ever, it's unsustainable and can put your body into starvation mode which will mean it'll come back very quickly if not done properly.

www.active.com/fitness/calculators/calories
www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/cut-down-on-your-calories/

To be honest, doing stuff like not snacking and controlling your portion might be better for you in the long run if you have a tendency to become obsessive with calories. Do not do the 800 calorie diet without a doctor looking at you first. You could get very sick if you don't do it properly.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/managing-your-weight/very-low-calorie-diets/

You’re not meant to go below 1200

Atm I’m 11 stone
Bmi 26.3 or around that
I walk loads, 50k steps a week swim min once a week
That just my normal life
Since Jan I’ve been going gym 3 times a week
Water aerobics twice a week and walking more than usual

Trying to get back to a healthy weight
Been introduced to slimming world via friends
But not sure it’s making me think healthy

Also in sept I did the 800 calories a day thing
As I’d watched something in channel 4 with michel Mosley
and it made me moody
And falling asleep at 9pm
But thankfully I only did that for like 5 days
Couldn’t function properly on it

I am fit tho as I can walk fast/swim for hours and just keep going

Dhs says maybe I should do hitt instead as I’m spending a lot of time swimming walking or gym
I don’t like jogging

@LovelyYellowLabrador

Atm I’m 11 stone Bmi 26.3 or around that I walk loads, 50k steps a week swim min once a week That just my normal life Since Jan I’ve been going gym 3 times a week Water aerobics twice a week and walking more than usual

Trying to get back to a healthy weight
Been introduced to slimming world via friends
But not sure it’s making me think healthy

You sound active which is great! Are you losing weight from doing all of that? Slimming World isn't for everyone and that's okay. Weight loss can take a long time when it's done correctly, so if you are steadily losing at the moment then you're doing great, carry on as you are unless you feel overly hungry or lethargic in the day.

Just sticking to basic principles of eating a little less than you used to, don't starve yourself, and eating less sugar and ultra-processed food but more fruit/veg will do you so much good.

Counting calories over a couple of days ( or adding up a normal day) then seeing if you're in the right range based on the calculators might help you? Then you can get an idea if you're eating too little or too much. BTW undereating can cause some people to retain weight as the body doesn't want to let go of the fat. Obv you need to find a healthy middle ground without it impacting your mental health x

I think rather than starting out with a set number it's best to ease yourself into dieting by gradually and slowly lowering your calories until you slowly start losing weight. Try 1500, then lower it week by week until you start loosing weight. This approach also means you get used to eating less gently rather than abruptly cutting out everything.

It's silly to think there is one magic correct number that suits everyone.

I'm not sure calorie counting is automatically a bad thing for people with unhealthy relationships. One of my kids naturally eats very little and uses calorie counting as a means to remind them they need to eat more.

My trainer said that to lose weight it's 90% kitchen and 10% gym

If you want to be healthy and keep the weight off, then aim for about 1600 calories per day, that won't give you amazing results, but you will lose weight slow and steady. Make sure you get enough protein, dairy and fibre and eat a good healthy diet

OP, we're going to move this over to General Health now and hope you continue to get sensible advice from posters there.

For anyone concerned about an eating disorder, please do have a read of our Mental Health webguide where you'll find useful information and details for relevant organisations.

LivMumsnet
No thanks I’d purposely posted it in chat so it disappears
I don’t want this keep on here forever

@LovelyYellowLabrador I don't think Chat deletes after 90 days anymore.

It definitely varies. I'd be chewing my own front feet off on 1200 calories a day. I think some of the very restrictive and obsessive diets referenced on here (not necessarily just this thread) are more harmful than SlimmingWorld. But different approaches work for different people within limits (like still being able to enjoy your food and only doing things like 800 calories a day under medical advice).

You need to work out your TDEE, that’s the amount of calories you need to maintain. Then remove no more than 500 calories from that number to come up with a healthy, sustainable number of calories to aim for.

tdeecalculator.net/

Based on the information you’ve provided here, your TDEE appears to be around 2100. That would mean that you can expect a steady amount of weight loss (2lbs a week) if you had 1600 calories a day.

It’s a bit of a myth that you need to drastically cut calories to lose weight. I’ve lost 4 stone in a year by sticking to 1800 calories, so dieting really doesn’t need to be extreme to be successful.

Please please do not go any less than 1200 without medical supervision - but regardless I do NOT think you are overweight enough to warrant that kind of restriction.

If you're exercising 5 or more times a week then around 1500-1600 might be a good starting point, but I agree with the PP that said to look at your TDEE and go from there. Your desired intake will change with your weight, exercise levels and weight loss goals.

Having said all of that - whilst I think calorie counting is the most reliable, flexible and effective method of weight loss, it may not be healthy for you if you are concerned about disordered eating.

I could be wrong, but the fact that you're concentrating on perfectly sensible and healthy exercise, and the fact that you gave up the 800 calorie thing after a few days because it wasn't making you feel good, doesn't really sound as if you're in eating disorder territory.

Anyway, you don't have to count calories - it's not the only way of losing weight, plus it's bloody tedious (and can create an unhealthy and obsessive level of control if you're that way inclined). I'd recommend reading "Why We Eat (Too Much)" by Andrew Jenkinson.

I wouldn’t go below 1600.

Thank you all for your time
That book Why We Eat (Too Much)
Is Avalible on audiable
So I will listen to that
I suppose I’m
Trying to really think about long term and health and nutrition
One video I watched on YouTube this afternoon, siad about if you don’t eat enough you damage your Brain, the ventricles get larger and you lose grey matter, I’m bloody daft enough as it is !!