Hi,
I'm led to believe that if you go below consuming 1200 KCals per day that your body goes into Starvation mode and essentially shuts down the metabolism. Does this number apply to men or is there a higher number for men since they need more calories. I'm working out 6 times a week, and started eating 6 small meals aday. I'm consuming 1500--1600 KCals per day consistently.
My question is whats the significance of the 1200 KCal number does this number refer to women? I'm I consuming enough calories?
Hi, you should take your desired body weight x 10 and eat that many calories. So if I am 300 pounds, and want to weigh 200 I need to eat 2000 calories daily. If you go too low your body will go into starvation mode just like on low carb diets minus ketosis.
I'm not sure where the significance of 1200 calories comes from. In my opinion (not scientific fact), I think most active women should not drop below 1500 calories.
A good rule of thumb is this, your body needs 10 times your CURRENT body weight for automatic functions like hair growth and beating your heart. You do not want to go below this number. Eating fewer calories than your body needs for these automatic functions makes your body shut down some of these automatic functions that aren't necessary. Things like hair & nail growth, hunger signals, stuff like that. And it slows your metaoblism so you need fewer calories to get by. For weight loss, you want to eat between 10 and 12 times your current body weight. 10 on days when you're a lazy bum and 12 on days when you're really really active. =)
I agree with Chelle. But if you're working out six days a week (which sounds like waaaaay too much to me) you might still go into starvation mode. With that much activity you might need to up it 12 or 13 times your bodyweight.
I don't know, that would mean I'm supposed to consume 2100 cals/day, and that's more than I'll ever be able to eat if I want to lose weight. I'm fairly certain that to lose weight (for women, I guess)you have to eat b/w 1200 and 1400 cals/day with no more than 20% of those calories coming from fat. And that's with an active lifestyle.
And yes, call it an eating plan. No diets allowed!
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"Never give up, never surrender!"
Angelene, that is not true. I lost 70lbs eating between 1600-1800 calories a day.
1200 calories is almost never enough, if you're active AT ALL.
Are you saying that you weigh 210 lbs and are trying to subsist on 1200 calories? That is not going to be enough. I would recommend trying 2100 calories. If that doesn't work, drop it by 200. I don't like to recommend going below 10 times your current body weight, but 2100 might be a little high.
