1200 Calories

So I was netting 1200 calories a day for a while, (about 5 weeks), and didn't lose any weight, despite me doing about 100 miles total in those 5 weeks. A few days ago I cut down to 700-800 a day, and all of a sudden, the weight just started falling off. Am I eating too little? Nothing else has worked thus far, and now I'm amazed at how quickly the weight's coming off.

Replies

  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    That weight you are losing is not all fat but mostly water and MUSCLE.

    Eating so little doesn't even give your organs enough fuel for them to properly function.

    WHat happens when you stop losing weight eating so little? Lower it some more?

    Research BMR and TDEE and eat between that. Give changes some time to work.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    Yes, you are eating too little and you will make your self poorly.

    In your profile photo you look really slim already IMO. How much do you weigh at this time and how much do you want to lose?

    It is a backward logic to lose a lot of weight really fast as soon as you have to introduce more healthy eating you will find your weight increases.

    I really understand that you want to make fast progress but health wise, slow and steady is the way to do things.
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,260 Member
    God, you have opened a can of worms, you will get many responses telling you that you will go into "starvation mode" then shrivel up & die

    If it works for you, do it
  • MerdiJune
    MerdiJune Posts: 68
    I'm currently 138, and want to be around 110. (I'm 5'1", so this isn't an absurd weight). I've been trying to eat healthier foods, more veggies and fruits, healthy snacks, etc.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
    You'll always see quick losses on a VLC diet. The moment you bump it up, the weight'll come right back (sometimes more). What you're doing is potentially dangerous in the long run.

    Please feed your body right!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    You said you were netting 1200 a day. and not losing - are you calculating your food or your exercise correctly? If you over estimate you burn and eat those back this could be an issue ad the same with under estimating food intake.

    Are you now only eating 700 - 800 or netting that?

    I agree check your BMR -
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    You'll always see quick losses on a VLC diet. The moment you bump it up, the weight'll come right back (sometimes more). What you're doing is potentially dangerous in the long run.

    Please feed your body right!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013


    THIS THIS THIS
  • MerdiJune
    MerdiJune Posts: 68
    You said you were netting 1200 a day. and not losing - are you calculating your food or your exercise correctly? If you over estimate you burn and eat those back this could be an issue ad the same with under estimating food intake.

    Are you now only eating 700 - 800 or netting that?

    I agree check your BMR -

    Netting 700-800 a day. I got excited because I'm going to the beach in a week and a half, and it'd be awesome to lose some more pounds before then. I'll check the BMR thingie.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    I'm currently 138, and want to be around 110. (I'm 5'1", so this isn't an absurd weight). I've been trying to eat healthier foods, more veggies and fruits, healthy snacks, etc.
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you. I couldn't lose weight unless I drastically either a) dropped another 500 calories from my diet or b) ADDED a few hundred calories to the diet!

    Yes, you heard me right. I actually started losing those last 10 pounds of mine after I started eating 1400 calories a day. It was fabulously, my body stopped hating me and I got to my goal weight.
  • Im 5'1" too(98lbs), problem is you need to focus on one or the order; develop muscle or lose fat. I suggest you stay in a sort of starvation mode at 1k calories for about a month (or whatever time you want to give yourself) if you didnt lose the weight by then just start working out and eat 1500, youll gain weight from the muscle but hopefully still lose fat at the same time.

    I had targeted fat i tried to lose with exercise and it didnt work, so i did the starvation diet, didnt work as well as i wanted it to, so i just accepted thats where my fat will settle and im comfortable.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I am 5'2" and I can't eat 1800+ calories like the 6'2" women here and lose weight. I have to eat 1400 or less in order to lose and that includes working out. I have done alot of trial and error myself.
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    You said you were netting 1200 a day. and not losing - are you calculating your food or your exercise correctly? If you over estimate you burn and eat those back this could be an issue ad the same with under estimating food intake.

    Are you now only eating 700 - 800 or netting that?

    I agree check your BMR -

    Netting 700-800 a day. I got excited because I'm going to the beach in a week and a half, and it'd be awesome to lose some more pounds before then. I'll check the BMR thingie.

    Ok netting that makes me feel better for you LOL - I have had days where I had a net that low due to non anticipated workouts. (I pre plan most of my meals)

    yes def. check out the BMR - this site has a calculation under the apps tab :)
  • DaniKenmir
    DaniKenmir Posts: 387 Member
    I am on 1200 and stopped losing weight, i stuck to 1200 but changed what my calories are, I've been sticking to fresh foods, less bread and milk (which sucks, they're both delicious!) and I've started losing again
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you.

    :huh: So 138 lbs. is NOT healthy for her??
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
    I was netting 700 or less a day at one point - although at the time I didn't realize what it was called. Anyway, lost 50 pounds pretty quickly, then as soon as I couldn't keep up the 12+ hours of exercise a week my body started to gain the weight back, even eating at a deficit. It ruined my metabolism, I lost muscle instead of fat and it has been very difficult since to lose any of this weight.

    Listen to others and take the slow road. If you are netting 1200 a day and working out, you are proably eating too little. My BMR at 4'11 is 1600 cals a day.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I'm currently 138, and want to be around 110. (I'm 5'1", so this isn't an absurd weight). I've been trying to eat healthier foods, more veggies and fruits, healthy snacks, etc.


    I don't actually have an answer for you, but your stats are VERY similar to mine. I'm about 5' (just under, but we'll round up) and 138. My ultimate goal is 110, but right now I'm trying to get to 125. I also find that I don't lose when I net 1200. As someone else has pointed out, the danger of netting only 800 calories is that you could be losing muscle. I find if I eat between 1,000-1,200 calories per day and do not eat back my exercise calories, then I continue to lose weight. Anything under 1000 and I'm starving and liable to binge.
  • You'll always see quick losses on a VLC diet. The moment you bump it up, the weight'll come right back (sometimes more). What you're doing is potentially dangerous in the long run.

    Please feed your body right!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013


    THIS THIS THIS

    See, this is why I log onto this site everyday. Thanks for this repost. As soon as I go home I am going to figure this all out and start trying this.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    I'm currently 138, and want to be around 110. (I'm 5'1", so this isn't an absurd weight). I've been trying to eat healthier foods, more veggies and fruits, healthy snacks, etc.

    I hope you do not mind, but I checked back over your diary for a few days and you are eating some nice n healthy foods.

    So, my advice is to keep on with the diet you are eating, but try to increase to your bmr or maybe go to a website like scooby to calculate your tdee to account for the exercise you are putting in.

    It really is a fine line trying to juggle those cals to fit in exercise/be healthy/lose weight.

    The main thing is to remain healthy and take it slow.

    If you are worried about the whole bikini body thing then don`t. I am sure you will look great.

    There is always next time and you can put in more strength/weight training exercise to give you the more toned look.

    It is not always about looking the slimmest/trimmest person on holiday, but about just being comfortable and enjoying your break.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you.

    :huh: So 138 lbs. is NOT healthy for her??

    Weight for small, medium and large frame healthy for 5'1" women. 138lbs is acceptable for a larger frame, but barely and she does not look large frame to me.

    106-118 115-129 125-140
  • jmarsh9
    jmarsh9 Posts: 12 Member
    I'm currently 138, and want to be around 110. (I'm 5'1", so this isn't an absurd weight). I've been trying to eat healthier foods, more veggies and fruits, healthy snacks, etc.
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you. I couldn't lose weight unless I drastically either a) dropped another 500 calories from my diet or b) ADDED a few hundred calories to the diet!

    Yes, you heard me right. I actually started losing those last 10 pounds of mine after I started eating 1400 calories a day. It was fabulously, my body stopped hating me and I got to my goal weight.

    question: did you exercise more to compensate for the extra calories (ie have a 1200 calorie goal, but exercise and eat back the calories)? I'm 5'3" and 125 pounds, but I want to lose another 7-10 pounds.
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you.

    :huh: So 138 lbs. is NOT healthy for her??

    Weight for small, medium and large frame healthy for 5'1" women. 138lbs is acceptable for a larger frame, but barely and she does not look large frame to me.

    106-118 115-129 125-140

    You can tell a person's frame by a head shot? Ooookaaaay. :huh:
  • the mistake is the 1200 Cals approach

    cutting calories to the absolute minimun may sound reasonable in the first place but what happens that you put your body under stress. Stress releases cortisol which is the enemy of weightloss (google it if you don't believe me)
    Weight loss on starvation and overly exercising won't do anything as your body adapts to this new (unhealthy) diet/lack of energy and becomes more efficent in fuelling itself and wathnot.
    When you start eating like a normal person again you will experience the jojo effect, your weight will go up in weeks to the old status, as the body soakes the stuff in like a sponge.

    be healthy and try to go 300/350 Cals uder maintenace (in your case probably to 1600 or 1700) and you will see that you will lose weight, not starve and improve your stamina/strenght whatever you're doing
    combine that with a high protein, low carb diet and you will also experience less frequent huger attacks and such

    it may take a week or 2 more but that will make sure you keep the weight down permanently, reduces the risk of malnutrition and you won't starve to death aka better wuality of life
  • WhitneySheree88
    WhitneySheree88 Posts: 222 Member
    When I first started trying to lose weight I read online that for people who are very obese it is ok to cut your calories to 800. I am 5'3 and I weighed 180-190 pounds, I cut down to 800 and lost twenty pounds, then I got pregnant and gained that twenty plus eighteen more back. After my second baby was born I tried to cut back down to 800 and when I stopped getting results (and you will reach that point) I realized I couldnt go lower than 800, long story short(ish) It has taken me months to get back on track all because I went too far. I now eat 1450 calories a day, I work out for an hour a day six days a week and after 2 or 3 months of being stuck at 150 pounds I am losing again, reaching a new low for me 147 lbs.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    So what happens if you cut down to 800 and then stall again? Do you cut to 600 or 400? Does it not seem more logical to start higher and, if needed, cut gradually from there, as opposed to starting in the basement and trying to dig further down?

    I'm 5'3" (so not a whole lot taller than you) And I lost all the weight on my ticker in under 2 months eating 1625-1725 calories. I bumped up to 1825 this week, and hopefully that'll work out. If, within a month, it proves to be too much/I'm stalled I have so much room to adjust my calories and tweak things. You're not leaving yourself any room for tweaks.

    Sidenote: Being short doesn't mean you have to eat little. I'm short and I eat ALL the food. Nom.
  • Sizethree4Ever
    Sizethree4Ever Posts: 120 Member
    I was netting 700 or less a day at one point - although at the time I didn't realize what it was called. Anyway, lost 50 pounds pretty quickly, then as soon as I couldn't keep up the 12+ hours of exercise a week my body started to gain the weight back, even eating at a deficit. It ruined my metabolism, I lost muscle instead of fat and it has been very difficult since to lose any of this weight.

    Listen to others and take the slow road. If you are netting 1200 a day and working out, you are proably eating too little. My BMR at 4'11 is 1600 cals a day.

    This !!!!!
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    So what happens if you cut down to 800 and then stall again? Do you cut to 600 or 400? Does it not seem more logical to start higher and, if needed, cut gradually from there, as opposed to starting in the basement and trying to dig further down?

    I'm 5'3" (so not a whole lot taller than you) And I lost all the weight on my ticker in under 2 months eating 1625-1725 calories. I bumped up to 1825 this week, and hopefully that'll work out. If, within a month, it proves to be too much/I'm stalled I have so much room to adjust my calories and tweak things. You're not leaving yourself any room for tweaks.

    Sidenote: Being short doesn't mean you have to eat little. I'm short and I eat ALL the food. Nom.

    I like your thinking.
  • i really do believe that's too little, how are you not hungry!? if it's working for you, then good on you but don't be surprised if you do gain weight when you eat more.
  • mozhy_rj
    mozhy_rj Posts: 2 Member
    If you can go with daily goal of 1000 calories and try to cut some carbohydrates it works (it worked for me) :)
  • MerdiJune
    MerdiJune Posts: 68
    I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds, so you're right, 110 is a healthy weight for you.

    :huh: So 138 lbs. is NOT healthy for her??

    Weight for small, medium and large frame healthy for 5'1" women. 138lbs is acceptable for a larger frame, but barely and she does not look large frame to me.

    106-118 115-129 125-140

    You can tell a person's frame by a head shot? Ooookaaaay. :huh:

    I actually do have a pretty small frame. I used to weigh about 110, but I was put on Zoloft, and that caused my weight to sky-rocket. Been trying to get it to come off for a while.