I don’t even know how I know of this number. Only that I know it, and my friends know it, and my mom knows it. Somehow, somewhere along the road, I was taught that if I want to have a flat stomach and tight tushy, I need to limit my calories to 1,200…

   This article has us incensed.  Though there are some good comments and ideas about women not being afraid of muscle, and what proper fitness means for your body goals; about good nutrition versus calorie counting, and about the false messages that are spread everywhere, there is this absolute protest about the number 1200, and then a request to eat “at least 2000” calories, (at the END of the article) which then just places another number on women considering this information.  Just like everyone’s body is different in their shapes, and the ways they carry mass, everyone is different in the amount of energy they need on a daily basis, also based on their size, metabolism, and activity. For example, I am a petite person with a good amount of muscle mass, which means that my healthy weight is about 20 pounds more than whatever those “recommended” weight/ height charts say to begin with.  Additionally, I cannot do heavy lifting muscle building BECAUSE I build bulk mass too quickly, and I don’t care for that aesthetic.  You cannot protest blanket information like calorie numbers and work out suggestions and replace them with different blanket suggestions about the same thing.  In my opinion, and it is just that, I agree with the focus on good nutrition over all else, and healthy exercise, however you would like your body to look with a program individualized for you, an individual woman.

1200 Calories