is 1200 calories enough for a woman?

[pinkbow]

I have gained 17 lbs in the last year and I have gotten to the point where enough is enough. I have started the Couch to 5 k programme but I haven't started proper eating healthy .

I am currently on week 3 and I am loving it. However, I want to reduce my calories to 1200 calories a day,do you think it's not a good idea?

My goal is to loose all of this weight in 4 months. Please advise!

[innerslim]

Hi,

I'm trying to stick to 1200cals as per MFP. Just started this week and have gone over every day. Not always by much but I've gone 289 over today. For me, I think it's prob a little bit too little. I have at times felt hungry at bedtime.

I've decided to aim for 1200 once I've deducted the calories I've burned during exercise. It's going ok so far, jjust hoping the weekend won't ruin things.

This probably doesn't answer your question, just how I'm finding things!

Good luck.

[geemel79]

Im doing 1200 a day which for me is actually difficult to achieve, having been someone whos in the past stuck to one meal a day on average because of my IBS when i started the programme I opted for 1200 from the start when everything down south is moving I can manage the 1200 of a few calories short however when Im feeling bloated and sore im sitting under 1000, myfitness app is great because it helped me plan my food and i can see more than just the calorie intake, my friend is sitting on 1600 a day an a good 600 of that is junk and crap but her cries im under my calorie goal and she manages every day to log about 600 cal of exercise walking etc in work !!! i walk every day in work my factory is huge but i only count calories where ive broken a sweat which is what my personal trainer down the gym told me is the only way you should count negative calories or if its walking its solid walking no breaks continuous pace faster than your average speed.

[healthyNOTskinny]

As long as you don't go under it you should be fine! Having LESS than 1200 calories a day sends your body into STARVATION MODE (a low metabolism which means anything you eat will be stored because your body is panicking).

Use this website to figure out how many calories you need a day (to maintain weight) walking.about.com/cs/calori...

then minus 500 and that is how much you need to lose weight.

Hope it's useful, good luck!