Can you eat less calories1200 safely?

I am 4"11 and 123lbs..I have a 1200 calorie intake a day.My question is if I need 3500 less calories to loose a pound.Can I take in less calories than 1200 safely ? I know I have heard that a woman should not go under 1200 calories ,but I am petite in height would it still apply to me.I am trying to get to 111 lbs.

Thanks,

Have a great day...

Personally, I have my own theory about this whole "1200 a day"

I use a medical reccomendation (which is where you should be between)

For you it says between 94-124

It is considered to maintain you should eat 12 calories per pound. At 94lbs that is 1128. So it is my theory that you could eat as little as 1100 calories. But I'm not a medical expert, though I think height really does play a huge role. Someone who is the same as you but 5"11 should be no less than 136lbs, therefore I would have said they should eat no less than 1600 calories.

Then again, that's only my theory, not medical fact.

Its always better to burn off calories than just eat less. Take a nice hour-long walk to burn extra calories rather than cutting more food. Your body will thank you for it. :)

well if you really think bout it "health wise" it is actually wose for a person to eat to many calories then to few, and as long as you arn't underweight, or eating less is causing you to binge, i'd say its probably just fine to eat less then 1200 cals.

eating less sucks.

eat more and burn more. You'll get better results. And you won't have to give up so much food, why would anyone want to do that?

I suggest you talk to a nutritionist about this. I'm pretty sure it's healthy for certain people to eat under 1200 calories, but I don't suggest it be done without doctor supervision.

Thanks to all of you for your wisdom and suggestions.I  love to here others point of views..I guess I did not want to eat 1200 calories if it would not allow weight loss for me.

I am really trying this calorie counting and so want it to work..Have never done it before.

Thanks again for your post.

starvation mode is defined as cutting HALF the calories you need to maintain.

but then again.... petite people...?

curalium, your theory doesn't take into account exercise and lean mass. The more you move, the more calories you burn. And the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. A 4'11" 123 lb person who is sedentary working at a desk job and at, say, 28% body fat is going to burn a lot less than a person of same height and weight but who runs daily, lift weights, has a job requiring her to be on her feet all day, and has a body fat % of 20%.

Joyfulday, click on my profile and read it. I'm 5'0" tall and I started around the same weight. Maybe my experience can save you a lot of frustration: I did not lose weight when I stuck to only 1200 calories or less. Nope! I got stuck and the weight did not budge, or barely budged. I learned that the closer you are to goal, the smaller the deficit you can have - and the more important exercise is.

I started in January and now I'm 105. According to my fancy-dancy scale, I can now eat up to 1850 calories and maintain this weight, and that is bearing out as far as I can tell... it's tough because I'm actually having trouble eating that much - I've become accustomed to less. But I'm getting there!

You can do this! Just don't expect 1 lb per week. Slow and steady will get you there. I averaged out to a loss of 0.3-0.4 lbs per week.  Time flew by and here I am, 105. You needn't run like I did, if running isn't your thing - try walking.

And be patient early on - it does seem to take time for your body to get with the program. I figured my body had some lean mass to build before it started losing, and that takes calories. I had to grow capillaries to bring blood to my muscles during exercise, and grow denser bones. Not just muscle.

Original Post by curalium_lacrimo:

Personally, I have my own theory about this whole "1200 a day"

I use a medical reccomendation (which is where you should be between)

For you it says between 94-124

It is considered to maintain you should eat 12 calories per pound. At 94lbs that is 1128. So it is my theory that you could eat as little as 1100 calories. But I'm not a medical expert, though I think height really does play a huge role. Someone who is the same as you but 5"11 should be no less than 136lbs, therefore I would have said they should eat no less than 1600 calories.

Then again, that's only my theory, not medical fact.

I agree! 1200 is the minimum to work your organs, but if you have smaller organs, you'll likely need a smaller amount, am I right? And for someone as petite as 4'11", that probably applies to them.

I've never heard about that 12 calories per pound thing. I'd need about 1600, too. Eeeek. :P

I have this whole deliema as well.

This year has been very stressful for me.  I am 5 feet tall, 45 years old and I have hit the 160 lb mark.  My whole life I was very petite weighing between 100 and 120 lbs.  The last couple of years has been dreadful and I am now at 160 lbs.  I can't stand it.  I have tried lots of diets and nothing seems to work.

Two weeks ago, I started using this program (calorie counting) and I do 20 minutes, 6 days a week on the BowFlex as well as 20 mins. 6 days a week on the treadmill, mostly walking at about 3mph and occassionally jogging at 4 mph. (I know this does't seem fast, but I have short legs, lol .  It seems fast to me).

What I am beginning to see here is my problem is I am too fussy a food person.  I do not crave sweets or eat candy and bars, etc.  I am a meat and potato person.  I love chicken quesilldia's.  Because I have been watching what I eat, I find it very hard to get over 1000 calories per day with lots of days being 800 - 900 calories per day.  However, then, once a week we go to a restaurant and I have a quesidilla and Boston Pizza nut. guide says it's 1100 calories.  I don't know what else to eat at restaurant menus that would be better than the quesidilla other than salad.  I just find I can't eat a salad as I meal as I feel like I haven't eaten anything.

I can have some green peppers and cheese strings for lunch and be quite content. However, I have not lost a pound in the last two weeks since watching what I eat and exercising every day!!!

I am soooooo frustrated.  I have searching the internet this morning looking at Jenny Craig, LA Weightloss, Weightwatchers, etc. because I don't know what else to do.  I can't stand the weight I have on but even though I think I am trying really hard to get it off . . . nothing.

When I go through foods in the fridge or cupboard or recipies on line to find things I like to eat, it's too much food?  I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Can anyone help me???

I'm also 4'11" and find it so hard because all of the "nutritional guidelines" are for people who are a LOT taller than us!  If we go with the 12 calories per pound to maintain theory, than to lose weight, would I need to only eat approx. 9 calories per pound?  If so, I would need to consume approx. 1341 to lose weight at my current weight. (right now I weigh 149 because I just had a baby 5 months ago)  Which, hey, that sounds easy enough... but it isn't.  BUT, when I get down to 119lbs, I would need to only eat 1071 to lose weight... (This is based on 9 cal/lb to lose weight...)  I know, for me, that anything close to 1,000 calories per day leaves me hungry and cranky so I guess I'm not looking forward to that part... :)  Anywhoo - good luck and thanks for posting this because it is something that I wondered too!

 

Im in the same boat as bathlat,may be just a little better becacause i have lost a little weight.Im 5'1 and 50 years old .I have been on cc  for 5 weeks now.I have a 1350 calorie intake per day.In the first and second week I lost just 1 Ib per week.In the 3rd week i lost just under 1 Ib and in week 4 I did not lose anything.I have not weighed myself this week(wk5) but i have a feeling I will be disappointed again.i power walk for at least 1and a half hours a day and jog walk on saturdays for an hour.i also do pilates on Saturdays or Sundays.I religiously observe my calorie count and rarely go over or under and if I go over it's by a very small amount.I was very optimistic about cc but im beginning to lose heart.Istarted at 142 Ib and Im now about 139.5.today I walked 8 miles at 4.2 miles an hour.Should I icrease my calorie intake or should i do more exercises?Im a teacher and am on my feet at least 6hours a day,so there should be some calorie loss there.

Please help.I too am getting frustrated.This is my first time to put some post.I love reading the post on this sight

Well ladies I can see there are others besides myself that are in the same boat as myself.I have read alot of awesome testimonies on this program working.So I still have some hope..

Angelskies,Bethlat,Maraka,,all of us are at the same height..would yall like to be a support to one another? Maybe exchange ideas on what is working and what is not..We can be an encouragement to each other,I know I need  to be more physical so I can burn more calories.

I would really like to know from a nutritionest what is the calorie intake minimum for a 5"or less woman.

Have a blessed day ..

im really upset with that calculation that you gotta times your own body weight in pounds by 12 to maintain and times 9 with your body weight to lose,i am 105lbs looking to get down to 95lbs again(im 5ft by the way) but when i times 9 by 105(the weight i am right now) it says i need 945 calories to lose and thats everyday! and i really find it hard to eat that little without most likely bingeing so anybody can you help me please? im starting to think 1200 is alot but i know its not

Even if you are shorter or more petite than the average woman, you will find that it is not a substantial difference.  4'11" compared to 5'2" is 95.16% the height.  Your body still need organs that are sufficiently big and powerful enough to do the job for your entire body.

Please know that Calorie Count cannot and will not support you eating less than 1200 calories a day. We consider this unhealthy and CC is all about HEALTHY weight loss or weight maintenance

From Mary Hartley, Calorie Count's Director of Nutrition: "By eating only 800 calories, you will not get enough energy, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other components of food. In time, you could become malnourished, which can cause severe health risks such as respiratory infections, kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and even death."

Here is a brief reason why never less than 1200 from the Advice section of Calorie Count Plus, under the Q&A tab:

Why must I eat at least 1,200 calories a day when I want to eat less?

In order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced diet, it takes about 1200 calories a day. With careful planning, you could have a balanced diet on 1000 calories, but the restrictiveness of a very low calorie level can lead to binging and weight cycling, which will take you further from your weight loss goal. What's more, very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight

Your body needs at least 1200 calories per day to survive.

Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietician for a 5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing:

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

bethlat,

I sent you a PM, but here's the link for th rest of the posters here as well.  It's about a woman who eats around 700-800 calories a day with an occasional splurge.  It explains how a diet like this is doomed to failure.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8. htm