There’s this idea floating around that women needs to restrict to themselves to just 1,200 calories a day to lose weight. Everyone from Good Housekeeping to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is pushing the 1,200-calorie diet as the best way to lose weight - but is that the best idea for you?
Why Only Consuming 1,200 Calories (or Even 1,500 Calories) is a Bad Idea
While drastically reducing your daily diet to 1,200 or even 1,500 calories can help you shed weight quickly, these low-calorie diets are way too restrictive and unsustainable for many adults. Actually, consuming just 1,200 calories is one of the WORST things you can do for your long-term weight loss goals!
Here’s why — most adults have a basal metabolic rate higher than 1,200 calories, so your body likely needs AT LEAST 1,2000 calories each day to just exist (and much more if you’re regularly working out). If you don’t eat enough to meet your basal metabolic needs, your body will protect itself by conserving calories. This means slowing your metabolism and converting any spare calories into fat. In short, the less you eat, the slower your metabolic rate will be, so losing weight and getting in shape will be all the more difficult. What’s more, following a low-calorie diet can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, fatigue and cravings (which can lead to yo-yo dieting and other unhealthy eating patterns).
How Many Calories Should You Consume?
So, if 1,200 or 1,500 calories isn’t enough for many adults and can lead to a slower metabolism, severe nutritional deficiencies, and unhealthy eating patterns, how many calories should you consume each day to achieve your weight loss goals? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans puts women’s daily calorie requirements between 1,600 and 2,400 calories.
While this is a good starting place, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The exact caloric intake women should aim for depends on several factors, including their age, body size, activity level, and level of lean mass. After all, taller women or women with more lean mass will burn more calories at rest, and those between the ages of 19 and 30 will burn more calories at rest than those younger than 19 or older than 30. Similarly, women with highly active lifestyles will burn more calories than their sedentary counterparts. In fact, women regularly working out will probably need AT LEAST 2,000 calories!
These are guidelines from the Institute of Medicine’s equation to get a sense of how many calories you should be consuming. They have broken their recommendations into a few categories:
Sedentary women between the ages of 19 and 30: 2,000 calories
Moderately women between the ages of 19 and 30: 2,000-2,200 calories
Active women between the ages of 19 and 30: 2,400 calories
Sedentary women between the ages of 31 and 50: 1,800 calories
Moderately active women between the ages of 31 and 50: 2,000 calories
Active women between the ages of 31 and 50: 2,200 calories
Sedentary women 51 or older: 1,600 calories
Moderately active women 51 or older: 1,800 calories
Active women 51 or older: 2,000 - 2,2000 calories
Of course, these are very broad guidelines that don’t consider women’s height, weight, or lean body mass.
Find The Right Caloric Intake And Achieve Your Fitness Goals
Everyone is different, so there’s no magic number of calories that will work for everyone. Consider getting a coach to help guide you through all this!
Once you’ve kicked the myth that women need to restrict themselves to 1,500 calories — or even 1,200 calories — per day to lose weight to the curb, don’t forget to work out. If you just focus on how many calories you consume, you won’t be able to look and feel your absolute best. If you need help or encouragement, contact me at happyhelen@gmail.com!