Has anyone met there goal weight eating 1200 calories??

Axioml

@ 1200 calories a day. How many pounds a week can be lost?

mommy3457

I have a question. I'm eating about 1200 calories, plus my 100 calories of exercise back. I already lost a few pounds. Do any of you go over some days to splurge, and if yu have, did you still lose weight?

trogalicious

@ 1200 calories a day. How many pounds a week can be lost?

it depends. Set the program up to fit YOU. If you're active, put it. If you only have a few lbs to lose, set your goal at 1lb per week, not the instant "2lb" goal. Losing faster = / = sustainable. There's no blanket answer to this question.

stevesilk

It's such an individual thing, depending on a number of factors. I personally lost a significant amount early in my MFP journey at 1390 calories (I'm 5'11' and weighed 223 at the time). However, after about 30-45 days of that, I moved it to 1810 calories per day, thinking to reduce the weight loss to about 1 lb per week. Have lost an additional 7 pounds since then (down about 36 total), and am getting ready to increase the calories again (to 2010 this time). IMO, you need to listen to your body, weigh/measure your food (so you know), and track your activity to have a meaningful record while you are determining the appropriate approach for you. As much good advice as you will get here, your body is the best judge of whether your food intake is too low or high.

As to my exercise, I'm usually about 5x per week (running, tennis and biking). Now that I am below my goal, am going to be maintaining while working out heavy with weights.

Sizethree4Ever

I have met my goal in the past eating 1200 calories, twice in fact. First time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs. I put weight back on because I ate too much.
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Same here. I`ve lost over 40 pounds twice on 1200 calories, then I upped my calories to 1700 and packed the weight back on. Since then I read so many posts about maintenance, so I will up my calories by 50-100 calories slowly.

__Di__

I have met my goal in the past eating 1200 calories, twice in fact. First time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs. I put weight back on because I ate too much.

Same here. I`ve lost over 40 pounds twice on 1200 calories, then I upped my calories to 1700 and packed the weight back on. Since then I read so many posts about maintenance, so I will up my calories by 50-100 calories slowly.

Yes, I know what you mean, maintenance seems more difficult than getting the weight off in the first place! :laugh:

I always liken it to a sportperson aiming to be the best in their chosen sport and when they eventually get to be the champion, they then have the task of remaining there.

trogalicious

I have met my goal in the past eating 1200 calories, twice in fact. First time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs. I put weight back on because I ate too much.

Same here. I`ve lost over 40 pounds twice on 1200 calories, then I upped my calories to 1700 and packed the weight back on. Since then I read so many posts about maintenance, so I will up my calories by 50-100 calories slowly.

Exactly the point in finding something sustainable. Can you eat 1200 and lose? Sure.. but unless you plan on doing that forever, why start now?

Sizethree4Ever

I've met my goal eating a whoooooooooole lot more. Why only eat 1200 if you can lose at more?

Yeah, I don't get that. I'm one pound away from my goal and eat close to 2000 calories a day.

Because some of us are very short. I`m only 5`0 45 years old 142 LB. My BMR according to Scooby is 1319, and 1230 according to MFP.
My TDEE is 1583 . I love food, I would love to eat more, but when I do, I just pack on a whole bunch of weight again.

__Di__

I have met my goal in the past eating 1200 calories, twice in fact. First time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs. I put weight back on because I ate too much.

Same here. I`ve lost over 40 pounds twice on 1200 calories, then I upped my calories to 1700 and packed the weight back on. Since then I read so many posts about maintenance, so I will up my calories by 50-100 calories slowly.

Exactly the point in finding something sustainable. Can you eat 1200 and lose? Sure.. but unless you plan on doing that forever, why start now?

You don't have to remain on 1200 forever though, this is the bit I never understand when people say that. If somebody remains on 1200 forever, they will continually lose weight. Once their goal has been met, they will need to go onto maintenance, so need to up their calories?

trogalicious

I've met my goal eating a whoooooooooole lot more. Why only eat 1200 if you can lose at more?

Yeah, I don't get that. I'm one pound away from my goal and eat close to 2000 calories a day.

Because some of us are very short. I`m only 5`0 45 years old 142 LB. My BMR according to Scooby is 1319, and 1230 according to MFP.
My TDEE is 1583 . I love food, I would love to eat more, but when I do, I just pack on a whole bunch of weight again.

the problem is that someone that's 6'0 and 200 lbs may come in, read that "1200 calories worked for me" without all of the information, and start eating 1200 calories... then they come back a few months later all "why am I not losing????"

Yeah, YOU know how it works because you've done the research for you and that amount is what works for you... but it isn't a blanket prescription for everyone. Kudos for doing the research, though... far too many people don't.

I have met my goal in the past eating 1200 calories, twice in fact. First time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs. I put weight back on because I ate too much.

Same here. I`ve lost over 40 pounds twice on 1200 calories, then I upped my calories to 1700 and packed the weight back on. Since then I read so many posts about maintenance, so I will up my calories by 50-100 calories slowly.

Exactly the point in finding something sustainable. Can you eat 1200 and lose? Sure.. but unless you plan on doing that forever, why start now?

You don't have to remain on 1200 forever though, this is the bit I never understand when people say that. If somebody remains on 1200 forever, they will continually lose weight. Once their goal has been met, they will need to go onto maintenance, so need to up their calories?

You don't have to start at 1200 either. That's the biggest problem with MFP. 85% of people do this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.

KarenJanine

I reached my goal eating 1200 (or less) several times in the past.

Those lbs always crept back on if I ever tried to increase my cals though. I lost precious muscle too :sad:

I'm now trying it a different way - eating much more and losing BF% very slowly. It'll take an age but that fat will be gone for good, and I don't have to starve myself along the way.

tyuce72

Yes, you can... However you have to exercise a little bit because if you eat less than 1200 calories it is NOT healthy. We should be losing weight not health I have lost 25 kg/55 lb in 6 months and my fitness pal helped me a lot to keep track of my meals. My goal was to lose 1 kg/week and my friend, I made it. Good luck

dellaquilaa

I lost quite a bit last year on that plan- but then gained it back far too easily in "maintenance" mode!

I don't think that was maintenance mode, then...

KarenJanine

You don't have to remain on 1200 forever though, this is the bit I never understand when people say that. If somebody remains on 1200 forever, they will continually lose weight. Once their goal has been met, they will need to go onto maintenance, so need to up their calories?

This is a common misconception - believeing that after eating 1200 calories for months on end you can simply 'go up to maintenance' and stay the same weight.

It's not that easy. After eating a certain amount for an extended amount of time, your metabolism adapts to that intake. You may well also lose muscle, which also contributes to slowing metabolism.

Therefore, your body thinks that 1200 IS maintenance. As such, when calories increased to what the person expects their maintenance to be, weight goes back on. And as muscle mass has decreased, when the weight goes back on BF% is higher than it was before weight was lost.

__Di__

You don't have to start at 1200 either. That's the biggest problem with MFP. 85% of people do this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.

I just explained why some people have to have the lower calories amounts.

I have reached my goal twice before on 1200 per day and I was not dizzy, tired and I did lose the weight. The first time was 33lbs and took four months to lose, the second was 41lbs and took five and a half months to lose.

I am not bragging about it, anymore than those on 2000 calories per day are bragging that they eat much more and are losing.

It was when I reached my goal and started eating rubbish and stuffing my face I put the weight back on.

For some people it does work, seriously it really does work. Other people cannot tolerate it and up their calories, that is okay too.

People must do whatever suits their own style.

deksgrl

I reached my goal eating 1200 (or less) several times in the past.

Those lbs always crept back on if I ever tried to increase my cals though. I lost precious muscle too :sad:

I'm now trying it a different way - eating much more and losing BF% very slowly. It'll take an age but that fat will be gone for good, and I don't have to starve myself along the way.

^^^^ Best post in this thread.

imlik

I lost weight at 1200-1400 cal/day, but as soon as I started maintenance eating, all of it flew back on.

Right now I'm eating 2000 cal/day and exercising, and I'm losing weight and feeling better than before. I'm 35, 5'1" and 212 lb with a bad back and hip, and i swim about 5-10 hours a week and do some lifting with pretty heavy hand weights, to put that in context. I got my figures from scooby's workshop (here's the link to the calorie calculator page: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator ) and it's worked before, and it's working now. Once swimming season is over, I know I'll probably need to eat less, because it's hard to find good calorie-burning low-impact exercise that I can afford.

Everyone's body and metabolism is different, though. I'm not going to tell you to eat or not eat 1200/day, I'm just saying that you can probably eat a bit (or a lot) more than that, if you do it in a reasonable way.

__Di__

You don't have to remain on 1200 forever though, this is the bit I never understand when people say that. If somebody remains on 1200 forever, they will continually lose weight. Once their goal has been met, they will need to go onto maintenance, so need to up their calories?

This is a common misconception - believeing that after eating 1200 calories for months on end you can simply 'go up to maintenance' and stay the same weight.

It's not that easy. After eating a certain amount for an extended amount of time, your metabolism adapts to that intake. You may well also lose muscle, which also contributes to slowing metabolism.

Therefore, your body thinks that 1200 IS maintenance. As such, when calories increased to what the person expects their maintenance to be, weight goes back on. And as muscle mass has decreased, when the weight goes back on BF% is higher than it was before weight was lost.

Not sure where you got that info from, but it is not true regarding the body thinks that 1200 is maintenance if that has been the person's "diet" to lose weight.

Use it or lose it is a quote regarding muscles. Use it or lose it, I use mine and do not lose it.

trogalicious

You don't have to start at 1200 either. That's the biggest problem with MFP. 85% of people do this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.

I just explained why some people have to have the lower calories amounts.

And I simply explained why so many people think that 1200 is what they need to eat. I'm not sure where the disconnect is...

deksgrl

I lost weight at 1200-1400 cal/day, but as soon as I started maintenance eating, all of it flew back on.

Then you were not truly eating at maintenance, the definition of "maintenance" is the point where you would not gain or lose.

How did you determine how many calories "maintenance" was?

It is possible to slow your metabolism from eating too little, so that maintenance becomes a lower and lower number, and creates the yo-yo effect of gaining weight as soon as you come off a diet.

Why does anyone want to do that?

__Di__

You don't have to start at 1200 either. That's the biggest problem with MFP. 85% of people do this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.

:frown:

I just explained why some people have to have the lower calories amounts.

And I simply explained why so many people think that 1200 is what they need to eat. I'm not sure where the disconnect is...

PMSL aplogies, I missed out something in your post, I missed out this bit:

You don't have to start at 1200 either. That's the biggest problem with MFP. 85% of people do this:

You know I swear I am dyslexic sometimes, I see stuff that is there but differently or I miss bits out, EVEN if I have re-read a certain post to reply to it, I still see the same! :frown: Sorry.

KarenJanine

You don't have to remain on 1200 forever though, this is the bit I never understand when people say that. If somebody remains on 1200 forever, they will continually lose weight. Once their goal has been met, they will need to go onto maintenance, so need to up their calories?

This is a common misconception - believeing that after eating 1200 calories for months on end you can simply 'go up to maintenance' and stay the same weight.

It's not that easy. After eating a certain amount for an extended amount of time, your metabolism adapts to that intake. You may well also lose muscle, which also contributes to slowing metabolism.

Therefore, your body thinks that 1200 IS maintenance. As such, when calories increased to what the person expects their maintenance to be, weight goes back on. And as muscle mass has decreased, when the weight goes back on BF% is higher than it was before weight was lost.

Not sure where you got that info from, but it is not true regarding the body thinks that 1200 is maintenance if that has been the person's "diet" to lose weight.

Use it or lose it is a quote regarding muscles. Use it or lose it, I use mine and do not lose it.

The body can adapt over time to the available food intake, this is why it is recommended to take a 'diet break' every once in a while, eating at maintenance to give the body a chance to adjust to it's new weight.

Yes re. use it or lose it - that is why strength training is so important.

imlik

I lost weight at 1200-1400 cal/day, but as soon as I started maintenance eating, all of it flew back on.

Then you were not truly eating at maintenance, the definition of "maintenance" is the point where you would not gain or lose.

How did you determine how many calories "maintenance" was?

It is possible to slow your metabolism from eating too little, so that maintenance becomes a lower and lower number, and creates the yo-yo effect of gaining weight as soon as you come off a diet.

Why does anyone want to do that?

I went by what the website told me (I was on sparkpeople at the time) and increased my calories gradually until I was eating at my "maintenance" level. I lowered my intake once the pounds started creeping back, but I didn't want to go back to eating that little every day. I agree though, from everything I've read over the years (I have nothing to cite) it is possible for the metabolism to slow when the body gets used to the small amount of calories you eat when losing weight. The yo-yo effect is terrible, and can be so discouraging that for emotional eaters (like me) once you put a lot of the weight back on, you keep putting it on

I'm sure some people have the metabolism and body and genes and willpower to lose weight and keep it off eating 1200 a day, but I don't think most people do. I definitely don't!

chelseascounter

I have. I've lost 21 lbs since the end of March on 1,200 cals.

tyuce72

Hello everyone,

I read some comments and see that everybody has different opinions about the relation between calories and losing weight. I am not an expert, but I learned a lot during the last 6 months. So I would like to share the information; The burned calorie amount is different from person to person. It all depends on your body. For example a 6" and 230 lb person will burn about 2300 calories a day in normal daily activity (mostly sitting ) whereas a 5"5 and 190 lb person will burn maybe 2100 calories. Let's say you burn about 2200 calories a day, if you eat 1200 calories everyday, you will lose 1 kg/week. you should not eat less than 1200 calories no matter what, otherwise you will be starvation mode and it will make things even worse because your body will use the fat to get the energy and then by the time, your body will start reserving the fat because it will thing that you will starve yourself and the body will need the fat for energy. The best way to lose weight is to exercise and diet together. That's exactly what I did and it worked just fine. I never had any type of health problem due to my diet. No need to do sports like crazy, just 30 min. walk every other day is fine. Going to fitness center is the best (for beginners) because they will tell you what your heart rate is supposed to be for cardio exercise. It's important because if your heart rate should be up to 125, and you push it to 140, then you start losing muscle and also high risk of heart attack.
I hope this information is helpful to everyone. Enjoy your diet and exercise

conniemaxwell5

yes I lost 47lbs and 3 dress sizes in 6 months eating 1200 cals and not logging my exercise. it depends on your body and how much you lift as well - not just doing cardio.

I never thought of this. This is such a good idea,i think,not logging the exercises.And congratulations on losing 47 lbs,that's awesome!

Just because you don't log the exercise doesn't mean you didn't burn the calories! If you're only eating 1200 a day and you're exercising on top of that you are screwing with your metabolism and setting yourself up for gaining the weight back after you stop eating that way. I work out 5 days a week and try to do something active on the weekends and eat 1700+ calories a day and lose about a pound a week. Your body probably burns more than 1200 calories just sitting still all day. It needs fuel to operate. Please do some research on TDEE and set yourself up for long term success.

HacheraTsarine

Is it me or is it that a lot of MFPpers have trouble reaching 1200 cal. a day? It seems like I could have 5000 cal./day without any problem (besides weight gaining and metabolic issues and other stuff). What do you guys all eat to be this full?

trogalicious

Is it me or is it that a lot of MFPpers have trouble reaching 1200 cal. a day? It seems like I could have 5000 cal./day without any problem (besides weight gaining and metabolic issues and other stuff). What do you guys all eat to be this full?

real food.

People think they have to eat diet food. That's the problem.

You know, chicken.. steaks.. pork.. cheese... almonds... avocado... peanut butter.. bread... etc. Just real food.

Sjenny5891

Yes. I was eating 1,200 calories a day After eating back my exercise calories and lost 75 pounds.

We have a farm so it is a lot more physical during the summer. I've bunped it up to maaintnance and eat back most of my exercise calories.

It is a lot harder to hit 2,000 total when you are eating mostly fruits and vegetables.

SenoraMacias

No, I didn't really lose anything eating 1200. I calculated my TDEE and cut 20% of that, which puts me around 1630. I eat 1630 a day (sometimes a little less) and don't log exercise. It seems to be working so far.