What is considered too few calories

[kirinm]

I’ve finally managed to stick to reducing my food consumption for more than a day and am seeing some good results. It’s early days and so I’m sure some of it is water weight but it is motivating me to keep going which is what I need.

I’m not exactly calorie counting - I’ve got a rough idea but don’t particularly want to weigh things and do the maths - but also don’t want to be eating too little.

I am 5ft6 and weigh 15 stone so fall into the obese category. Is 1200 calories too little or can I get away with that level for a while?

I eat less than that however not very mobile due to being injured, I was eating around 1200-1500 when running 2 or 3 times a week.

I’m the same height and 12 stone and trying to get to 11.

The NHS BMI calculator has guidance on it.

Have you used a TDEE calculator?

Hi op. I'm 5ft6 and ten ish stone and I lose weight at a rate of 2lb per week on 1200.

I'm currently dieting and losing around 1.5lb a week on about 1400/1500 cals. Plus I do a lot of exercise which I don't 'eat back'.

I was a big fan of weight watchers in the early 2000s and their app used to get my losing 2lb a week reliably and I think they came in at about 1200/1300 a day in WW points.

I should add, this is specific to me. I am simply losing my winter weight before the summer. Your experience might be very different.

Well, people do the Fast 800 diet where you might spend between 2 and 12 weeks on 800 calories a day. People also do VLCDs of around 800 cals for 12 weeks.

1200 calories is clearly not as low as that, but it is lower than your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is around 1600 cals based on your weight and height. It's probably not a good idea to eat consistently significantly below that for any extended length of time, as you might lose more muscle than you want, change your metabolism and cause unnecessary hunger.

If you calculate your TDEE, you need 2000 to 2500 cals a day to maintain your current weight depending on your activity levels. So, you could lose a pound to 2 pounds a week sticking to around 1500 cals which would probably be more sustainable too.

I do 800 calories i don't lose weight at 1200 but thats done with meal replacement shakes. 800 wouldn't be safe with food as you wouldn't be getting all your vitamins and minerals.

I can't lose on anything more than that, i try to keep to between 1000-1200 but I'm 52 and peri

Under your BMR is too low, which 1200 almost certainly is. You need to fuel your body and maintain your health. How much weight are you losing per week on average?

I’m 5 feet tall 9 stone and lose weight on 1,400 so that intake for your height is batshit to me.

Your body will begin to eat your muscle and destroy your metabolism. Eat more.

It has only been two weeks hence it being early days and I’ve lost about 7lb. So I’m not talking huge reductions.

I’m also in peri menopause so weight loss has been really hard and it feels like I only really make some progress if it’s quite an aggressive approach.

It may be more than 1200 - or very possibly is. I think I’d be feeling hungrier if it was very low.

Most people really do underestimate their calories or have days and weekends where they go over massively which averages out for the week.

Also people don’t tend to count drinks which add up fast. I’m still in denial about my morning cappuccino, I refuse to tell MyFitnessPal about it.

It's not ideal, no. But I do understand that quick weight loss seems easier, and if that's the only way you feel you can manage it, I'd say overall it would be better for your health to do this temporarily and get down out of the obese range.

I would:

• not do this for more than a few weeks
• intersperse it with short periods eating at higher calorie intake for a few days, to try to stop your body dialling down your metabolism.
• be certain that the 1200cals you are eating are a varied and highly nutritious balanced diet
• take a multivitamin

😂 I’m writing down what I eat (just not working out the calories) but coincidentally never add the oat milk that goes into my coffee.

I'm also 5'6" and to lose weight - I'm about 12 stone now - I have to be on 1200, any more and I don't lose anything.

I use my fitness pal and record everything, so I'm not underestimating what I'm eating. My tdee is apparently 1700, which is mad, I'd be piling on weight at that. I gain at 1500 which is what the calculator is suggesting for weightloss.

Eta: I'm losing 1-2 lb a week. So not going for rapid loss.

I think if you really are sticking super strictly to 1200 cals, counting and weighing/measuring every single thing you eat or drink, and sticking to that 7 days per week every week, over time I do think you'll find it too restrictive and too low - for a start that's no way to live, leaves so little room for foods you enjoy, eating out or at other people's houses etc, and also I think you will start to feel super hungry, low in energy, perhaps lose muscle, mood drops etc. However I do think it depends a bit on attitude and how you live your life - for me I may aim for 1200 in the full knowledge that life happens, there's some variation and inaccuracy in calorie tracking particularly if you're eyeballing portion size rather than weighing and occasionally eating out or otherwise eating foods where you need to guesstimate calories. Given that, it's highly likely that I'm actually consuming quite a bit more than 1200 whatever my app/food diary says. I reckon I probably eat 1400 -1600 average when trying to lose weight or around my TDEE (1700-1900) if maintaining. But to achieve that I set the target a little lower but am relaxed about occasionally going over so long as I'm staying broadly consistent with it.

For me I've found this approach works better than being incredibly strict and sticking to a very low goal, which is achievable and sees results but only for a short period of time and I will then tend to really overeat and put weight back on quickly when I inevitably hit my limit with it.

Something a lot of influencers say is you need to eat more not less to lose weight, which seems like nonsense and in a way it is, but what they mean is you need to find a way of eating that isn't yo-yo ing from extreme to extreme, but sits at a level slightly below your TDEE so that you do burn more than you consume, but allows you to eat enough food you feel satisfied and fuelled on a day to day basis, prioritising whole foods, protein, fibre and fruits and veg, which allows for a lot of food by volume while still keeping calories low-ish.

If you want to count calories and you’re not solely having packaged meals then you do need to weigh your food.

I'd just judge it on how you're feeling, if you have enough energy then you're probably eating enough. I just adjust my portion sizes slightly if i need to lose weight and it's not happening. Or increase them if i'm losong weight but lacking energy.

1200 is too low for your weight and height.

If it’s 1200 plus any accounted for by exercise then it seems OK as a starting point.

A quick TDEE calculation says the OP’s basal metabolic rate is 1650. Her body needs this every day for normal body function like hormone production. If she drops her calories too low she’ll see problems like hair loss and it will trigger bingeing because it’s unsustainable.

I know it’s tempting to cut hard and lose fast, but it doesn’t often work because after a few days you end up losing control and eating everything in sight. Slow and steady wins the race.

What?

You need to be below that number for consistent weight loss, so no, of course that amount is not needed for normal function.

The whole point is that you need to consume fewer calories than you use so that your body consumes fat to make up the difference.

@SpudGunToo are you mixing up TDEE and BMR? Basal Metabolic Rate is the minimum energy your body needs, if you did nothing at all, all day. Literally laying in bed not moving. Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the amount you need including your BMR and any energy you use moving around. If you are sedentary then it's not going to be much above your BMR, if you move more then you need more energy.

You need to be below your TDEE to lose weight, you don't need to be below your BMR as well.

The claim was that you need to be above TDEE to maintain normal body function such as hormone production. That’s not correct. The poster I was referring to did conflate both measures, but you don’t need to be above either to support normal hormone production.

You can cause harm by being too far below but that wasn’t the claim being made.

@SpudGunToo I can't find where the PP is claiming that you need to eat above your TDEE?

@Greengerkin said that "A quick TDEE calculation says the OP’s basal metabolic rate is 1650. Her body needs this every day for normal body function like hormone production."

The OPs BMR is around 1600, her TDEE is around 2000 to 2500 or so depending on activity levels. So 1200 cals a day is a large deficit of 800 to 1300 cals. She could be on 1600 cals a day and lose a pound a week, which would be more sustainable.