Is a 1200 calorie day really realistic???? Is that what most of you are doing????

missiontofitness

Personally, when I was still naive to sustainable weight loss, I did 1200/day. I didn't have a lot to lose; around 20-25lbs. This was back in 2011. My goal was to lose weight fast. I didn't weigh my food, I used MFP for my exercise burns, and eventually got burnt out. Mostly because I was not eating enough for my activity level, or eating enough in general. I was far too hungry on it when it was a regular occurance.

Once I actually realized my goals were too aggressive; and that 1200 is too aggressive of a deficit for me; I was a lot more successful. On my current stint on MFP (440+ day streak, with several false starts over the years before this one!), I started off with .5lb/week loss from the get go, since I wanted to lose around 30lbs. Allowing myself a modest deficit really helped a lot. My loss is stalling now, mostly because I'm happy with how I look, so I'm allowing more maintenance days. 1200 definitely was not realistic for me for the amount I have to lose. I like my calorie deficits small.

oldsmobilelover

I find the 1200 really easy if I make good choices with food. I gain extra calories when I exercise which is good for on weekends when I am able to exercise properly and get out with friends.

lseed87

MFP gives everyone 1200. For some it might be. I would check your tdee and other things and see what is right for you. Could also ask your doctor and see what he/she would recommend. I started around 1450 cals and worked up to 1987 over time. I kept adjusting it 50-100 if I felt like I wasn't getting enough food or if I was exercising way more than I previously was. Everyone also has different goals that can reflect the number.

mamadon

I lost my weight eating between 1200 and 1300 calories. It took about a year and a half. I still eat that much during my work week, but eat between 2000 and 3000 on weekend days to even out my maintanance calories.

SunflowerSandra

It really depends on you! I started 4 weeks ago, filled out my stats and MFP gave me around 1500 cals (lightly active, lose 0.5 kg a week). I was incredibly hungry and grumpy for the first few days, upped my cals to around 1600-1700 and felt much happier. I got a fitbit a little over a week ago, turns out I am much more active than I estimated and burn 2350 cals a day on average... (instead of 1850 TDEE I calculated). Get as much (accurate) info as you can and base your calories on that, adjust if needed

nzubovic

I am on 2000 calories, because my basic metabolism need 1950 calories. So I eat 2000-2200 and burn 300-500 just to be in slight deficit by 10%. Also I do cyclic carbs like two days with 50g, two days with 100g and two days with 150 g. Then one day I am on zero carbs and after I do again 50,100... This way I am loosing weight slowly, maybe 3 kg per month, but I loose only fat.

HealthDetermined

I did 800 and 900 for some time, so yes 1200 is do-able but not practical and it's not easy and you will have no energy for most of the day and you will get dizzy getting up or even sitting down! It's not how you want to feel, trust me. You won't necesserily have to feel hungry on a 1200 cal diet, because you can get even less than that with a lot of veggies and fruit but really it's no way to live. This is my first week here, at the beginning my goal was set to 1200 but now it's at 1600 -I set it manually both times, mfp suggested 1800something-, and I know I could eat to 2000 cals and still loss the amount of weight I want to loss weekly but I am satisfied with what I do now because at least half of my calories come from fruits and vegtables, my budget even allows me to have one treat or so a day so I can't be happier and I don't see myself eating more.
Ps. if you looked at my diary you would find that my goal is 1600 but I eat only 1100-1200 that's only cause I don't weight food, it's all an estimation. In reality I probably hit 1500 or 1600 a day.

lau_rolypoly2holymoly

I started at 1200 and have been under every day as also exercise but generally choose low calorie foods and have lots of protein

Therealobi1

from the first week i knew it was too small for me, if i stuck at that target i would have given up long time. anything from 1500 + suits me.

foodequalshappy

It's only realistic if you work out and add some calories to your day. I try for 2 half hour walks to give myself 300 calories extra and get to 1500.

KellyLouiseGibson

I have been losing weight for 5 months now and have been on a calorie intake of 1340. I find it ok I am never hungry. I have lost 3 stone 3 pounds in that 5 months. Which is around 2 pounds a week. My goal has always been set to lose 2 pounds a week to. My stomach has shrunk so I can't actually eat big meals anymore I get to full. I also avoid carbs though bread and pasta etc.

AnitaSkipper

according to the nutritionist, NO. I mine was at 1200. I was exercising very little but still burning off enough that at the end of the day I was eating over 1200, burning it off and only had 600-900 to count. And I was gaining. She said I was starving. She said we need to set our goal at 1500. And get most of your calories from protein and complex carbs.

runrascal

I am tiny - 4'11" and currently 122lbs, aiming for 112. MFP won't go lower than 1200 which is a lot for my size, but it does allow me to go down to 1000 on my log. I aim for between 1000 - 1200 actual calories per day and try not to eat my exercise calories, so some days my net is coming in under 800. I have lost 8lbs in less than 4 weeks.
My hubby started MFP a couple of weeks ago, he's pretty small too at 5'6" but at over 180lbs has a good bit to lose. MFP gave him 1500 per day which he manages fine and is losing weight. But when I started him on MFP I put him in as a sedentary worker (which he actually isn't!) and it came out at 1200, which was a bit shocking as it was the same as me. I soon realised I had made a mistake in the orginal information I entered.

But I agree with all the other posters that you have to weigh and log every mouthful - cos even that healthy rice cake sneaks in 30 calories a time, and fruit don't come free either.

meeperoon

You are welcome to look at my diary, I am working on 1200 a day and I know that they are correct as I am eating diet chef meals and products which have been specifically weighed and portion controlled. everything else I weigh and measure. e.g rice and pasta or bread.

spookypurple

I start the day on 1290, which apparently is the daily requirements for someone weighing just under 9 1/2 stone(I'm 15st 9lb). Bizarrely, my weight has been going UP!

crispaholicshaz

It doesn't keep u at 1200 per day, cause when u put in ur exercise it gives u more allowance... I walk a lot during the day and enter it in my diary.. and it puts me to about 1500.....

LKArgh

Whether it is realistic depends on who you are. A short, sedentary and older woman? A teenager tall boy who spends 6 hours per day playing basketball?

professionalHobbyist

I am supposed to eat 1670, I had 696 calories of exercise and are 1725 or so calories with a little over 400 left for the day yesterday

Your age, height, activity level, muscle mass factor in.

If you go by the basic guidelines of the program it gets you in the ball park.

Stella014

Mine is set at 1200. Can't remember if I did it or mfp. It's do-able just have to think about what to eat but never really felt hungry more just "wanting" something. Some days there's room for a treat (Beglain chocolate :-)) somethimes there isn't. I have extra calaories from fitness and walking but I don't tend to each (much of) them.

allyphoe

I'm 40-something, 5'4", ~160 pounds, and mostly sedentary. Maintenance for me, as determined by calories in and long-term (10+ months) change in weight, is around 2,200 calories. I eat an average of 1,950 and lose just fine, albeit slowly.

malibu927

lseed87 wrote: »

MFP gives everyone 1200. For some it might be. I would check your tdee and other things and see what is right for you. Could also ask your doctor and see what he/she would recommend. I started around 1450 cals and worked up to 1987 over time. I kept adjusting it 50-100 if I felt like I wasn't getting enough food or if I was exercising way more than I previously was. Everyone also has different goals that can reflect the number.

I've been on here for 17 months and have not once seen 1200 calories. In fact I didn't even know 1200 calories existed as a goal at first. My goal when I started was 1900-ish for 1.5 pounds a week. Now it's 1480 for a pound a week, but I regularly eat 1800-2000 after my Fitbit adjustments are added in.

Scarlett_ptista

1200 a week is typical for a sedentary woman who is trying to lose 2 lbs a week. Unfortunately, the 2lb a week goal is simply not realistic for someone losing less than 50 lbs...

What I wish is that when you entered your goals, MFP advised/encouraged you to aim for 1-1.5 lb a week if you're losing less than 50 lbs.

Eating 1200 cal a day is impossible for me. I am sedentary, but trying to be more active, and I feel most days like I am starving being awake from 6:00 a.m. - Midnight and trying to stick to a 1200 cal goal. It's what motivated me to start working out 4x a week, because aside from wanting to be healthier and toned, I wanted to be able to afford the calories to eat a little more!

Emma4195

Iv only had breakfast & now a protein shake & I'm nearly at my limit

jkal1979

lseed87 wrote: »

MFP gives everyone 1200. For some it might be. I would check your tdee and other things and see what is right for you. Could also ask your doctor and see what he/she would recommend. I started around 1450 cals and worked up to 1987 over time. I kept adjusting it 50-100 if I felt like I wasn't getting enough food or if I was exercising way more than I previously was. Everyone also has different goals that can reflect the number.

It gave me 1460. A lot of it has to do with people picking the 2 pound a week option. 2 pounds a week puts me at 1200 calories but MFP tells me at that amount I can only expect to lose 1.3 pounds a week. I would rather eat a little bit more and keep it sustainable for me than to eat the minimum and be miserable in the hopes to speed things up.

fat_destroyer1

well i done 1200 cal for about 120 days then i broke and gained 41 pounds back

3dogsrunning

jkal1979 wrote: »

lseed87 wrote: »

MFP gives everyone 1200. For some it might be. I would check your tdee and other things and see what is right for you. Could also ask your doctor and see what he/she would recommend. I started around 1450 cals and worked up to 1987 over time. I kept adjusting it 50-100 if I felt like I wasn't getting enough food or if I was exercising way more than I previously was. Everyone also has different goals that can reflect the number.

It gave me 1460. A lot of it has to do with people picking the 2 pound a week option. 2 pounds a week puts me at 1200 calories but MFP tells me at that amount I can only expect to lose 1.3 pounds a week. I would rather eat a little bit more and keep it sustainable for me than to eat the minimum and be miserable in the hopes to speed things up.

To add to this. Part of the problem is people picking 2lbs a week regardless of what they have to lose, which can be too aggressive for some. The other part is people also choose the sedentary option which is also too low for many people.

And people forget that MFP is a NEAT calculator, not TDEE, so when you exercise, you get additional calories. So for those who do end up with 1200, if they are active, they should be eating more than 1200 anyway.

It's also a good point that this tool is meant as a starting point, it is not absolute.

wizzybeth

35pds2newme wrote: »

Are most people generally going with a 1200 calorie goal for the day. Just out of curiosity it seems that is what I am seeing posted. How realistic is this really? I am only at day 2--Any thoughts?

I tried 1200 a day and was sad. I now do 1350 - 1450 or so, a little more if I exercise.

mbaker566

I eat 1200, my dr suggested it. there are times I'm hungry but I'm learning to eat foods that keep me full longer and also retraining myself to learn that brain hungry is not stomach hungry. Now that I exercise more, I try to eat half the calories back
If I eat more than that, I gain weight.

but that is just me. and it certainly can be different for everyone

chaosathena

In my opinion, a 1200 calorie diet would be too dramatic a change for someone just starting out losing weight. Set a much more attainable goal at first, say, losing 1 pound a week. The hardest part of a weight loss journey is at the beginning, trying to get into the routine of logging your food. Later, when you're more set in your routines, you can adjust your goals as they become easier for you.

Everyone is different, though. Maybe you can succeed at a 1200 cal goal right off the bat, or maybe you need to start out just maintaining your weight. Find what's right for you. After all, as my yoga teacher says, "Some bodies can do things that some other bodies can't, right now, and that's okay." It's not you failing as a person if you can't maintain a 1200 cal diet. It's you taking care of your individual body the way it needs to be taken care of at this moment.

grandmothercharlie

I have done 1200 a day since I started in January 2014. But I'm short at 5'1" and 64 years old, so my metabolism is slower.

I started losing 2 lbs. a week consistently. Then 1 pound. Now, I plateau for long periods and then lose a pound or so as I get closer to my ideal weight (whatever that will be).

I have to work out, too, as my BMR is less than 1200 calories. I try to do at least 60 minutes of cardio a day and a little free weights a couple times a week. Even at that, MFP only says I'll lose .5 pounds a week. I don't quite make that.