All these 1200 calorie diets ... what happens afterwards?
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At the end of my weight loss, my goal was 1,260 net. When I was done losing weight, MPF recommended 1,460 net to maintain my weight loss. I didn't go back to eating "normally," I continued logging and hitting my calorie goal. I'm sure if I had gone back to my pre-MFP eating habits, I would have regained the weight that brought me here in the first place.
I never *ate* just 1,260 though. I always ate back exercise calories. I think that makes a big difference. I don't think I could eat just 1,460 for the rest of my life.6 -
I think it depends on ur height too, I am not sure if that was mentioned, so sorry if this post is redundant...
I'm 5ft, so whether I put 1, 1.5, or 2lbs/week, I still get 1200 calories, if I put in .5 I think I get about 1400...I think when I checked my maintenance it was only about 16004 -
Kimdawn..I am convinced (being decades older than most here) that our culture's advancing need for immediate gratification is what drives people ( mostly women) to 'starve" themselves for short term desires ( a wedding, party dress, a vacation, etc)
Example- When HCG diet first came out (an injection made of pregnant women's urine) it was successful, but only because it helped keep to the rigid 500 calories diet…..NOW what is sold 30 years later are "magic drops" you put under your tongue..and I see loads of inner city/undereducated girls bragging on losing ..but ONLY injectible works, so they are getting a"placebo effect" and suffering on VLC to lose..NOT healthy, not solving the issue of long term maintenance. Sad. But you can't tell people who are desperate for a quick fix.
This quote from a new politics book pretty much sums up the Major Motivator of most US Americans
"American voters as “incredibly ignorant” and a “nation of naive, self-absorbed sheep who crave instant gratification and 4 bars on their free cell phone.”
So MOST people ARE willing to stick to 1200, 1000, or 500 or whatever, consume "whatever" for results NOW…but can't maintain after, have LOWERED their poor messed up metabolism which is now convinced to pack on "safety fat" to protect itself. The female body is designed to reproduce, and will starve all other organs to protect fertility…and finally messes up that. Lots of young women who starved to be size 2 or 0 are crying at age 30 when they can't have babies..all from too few calories for THEIR bodies' needs.
But every generation wants fast results, so the cycle continues.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
If 2000 is a bulk for you then how is 1600 a cut ? What is you maintenance ? Cause that is not much of a differential to see significant change. The different between my bulk and cut is about 1000 calls.
If 1800 was her maintenance, her bulk would be roughly a 200 calorie surplus and her cut would be roughly 200 calorie deficit....slow and steady either way.
Yes that makes sense. Just smaller numbers than mine. With such small numbers you have to be very very accurate in burn. If you walk an extra couple miles you potentially destroy the surplus, etc. Not for me but I understand how some can be that meticulous.0 -
If I change my goal to one pound per week I get a calorie goal of 1280. I'm 5'1'' so I don't have a ton of wiggle room when it comes to calorie goals. Right now I'm just staying under my 1500 goal when I can.3
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I am very short at 4'11" and sedentary at work, I "only" have 14lbs to lose to get to a healthy weight so my intake is 1200, apparently my maintenance calories will be approx 1600. Such little food does not work for me as I enjoy eating and the thought that 1600 is going to be maintenance is depressing lol! I do a fair bit of exercise and do eat most of the calories back, somedays too many calories back and somedays a miracle occurs and I eat less back. Exercise and the extra calories it gives me is vital!0
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kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
I'd assume if they stopped losing weight, they'd lower below 1200. People do.
Given that 90+% of the population regains, there's probably nothing special about the 1200 calorie crowd.
I have a colleague who ate 1200 calories of very nutrient dense foods. She lost. When she got to goal she added a couple of treats to her daily plan and she's maintained fine. She had a plan.9 -
reddevil614 wrote: »I think it depends on ur height too, I am not sure if that was mentioned, so sorry if this post is redundant...
I'm 5ft, so whether I put 1, 1.5, or 2lbs/week, I still get 1200 calories, if I put in .5 I think I get about 1400...I think when I checked my maintenance it was only about 1600
Height and age are both big factors, along with physical activity. I'm 5ft, 6in and 37 years old and my TDEE is around 1,600.
OP-my MFP default right now is 1,200 calories because of my age/height/already lower weight (that's for 1lb week/goes up to 1,370 for .5lb week). My maintenance calories are around 1,600. 1,200 isn't that hard to do and I haven't found it difficult to manage when I've used it to lose a few more vanity pounds.2 -
I'm older, i'm short and unable to burn calories like a younger person.
Hopefully you realize that each person who wants to lose weight MUST eat at a deficit or somehow burn more calories to create a deficit.
1200 calories doesn't mean the ppl who are eating that number are walking around hungry.12 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
If 2000 is a bulk for you then how is 1600 a cut ? What is you maintenance ? Cause that is not much of a differential to see significant change. The different between my bulk and cut is about 1000 calls.
If 1800 was her maintenance, her bulk would be roughly a 200 calorie surplus and her cut would be roughly 200 calorie deficit....slow and steady either way.
Yes that makes sense. Just smaller numbers than mine. With such small numbers you have to be very very accurate in burn. If you walk an extra couple miles you potentially destroy the surplus, etc. Not for me but I understand how some can be that meticulous.
Yes, you do have to be accurate. That's a pretty standard surplus for a woman on a bulk. And a common cutting level for a woman who is fairly lean.0 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
Honestly, I wouldn't worry about what someone else is doing unless you want to mimic their success. Do what works for you. You want to bulk so why are you even posting on the lose weight forum. People are trying to work though their own personal issues here and you sound like on of the "I don't understand how you can live on that" nay sayers. Like you're trying to tell them what they're doing is wrong?
Once they are no longer trying to lose weight, they'll be able to up their calories again. Also, diets don't just "stop working." If they stop losing weight when they want to it's due to a change in their energy equation. Adjust your equation and you "diet" works. If the individual doesn't feel full on 1200 then they need to move more, even if it's just a little bit and can eat a little bit more. Or eat more filling high volume low calorie foods (green leafy veggies).14 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »DearestWinter wrote: »After losing the weight you start eating at maintenance which is higher than 1,200. For me it's about 1,600 for maintenance.
Do you find yourself gaining weight or did you have to do more exercise to maintain?
I maintain at 1,600. If I exercise I eat those calories back too.1 -
This does make me wonder.. I am eating 1250-1300 a day, I'm 5'4 and my job and day is very sedentary, although I'm technically obese my body has gotten pretty used to it, I don't go to bed hungry... But once a week I take off from my diet, I eat things I was craving etc and some weeks it's a lot! So I may be near 1200 calories 6 days a week but i don't think I could do it everyday, I swear my body knows when my "special" day is! I've read having a day off can boost your metabolism and reset it, and even if it doesn't, I lose (on average) 1 pound a week... If I exercise I add more calories because I'm hungry but it's not often.. Yet!
Also I did a 1200 calorie diet years ago and got to goal and honestly, at that time as a teenager I thought, well I'm at goal, back to eating!!--- and I gained it all back plus more! I didn't know about having to increase calories for maintenance, I thought u just dieted every time ur weight went up, which I failed to do.. This time when I start exercising more I'll be adding more calories back, or if anything I'll take 2 days a week off and follow my diet during the week, hopefully that would keep me maintaining, I've read of some people who do that but I don't know if that would work... I wish I hadn't gotten down so low in my calories but with being so sedentary I think for me it's okay0 -
My TDEE is 1730, so a 1200 cal goal gives me around a 1lb weight loss per week target. Any exercise calories will give me extra food, and I just work out the proportion I want to eat back to either keep to the 1lb loss, or to increase it a little. At goal weight, I don't imagine I'll be much over 1700 per day, and that sounds like a very generous amount to me. I'm not going hungry on 1200, so I certainly won't be depriving myself on more than that!5
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A diet of 1200 calories per day might mean a 1 pound per week weight loss, which is quite reasonable. Why are people so negative about a 1200 calorie diet? If a 6'1" active individual ate only 1200 calories per day, I can see negative repercussions, but a 5'3" sedentary female?
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reddevil614 wrote: »I think it depends on ur height too, I am not sure if that was mentioned, so sorry if this post is redundant...
I'm 5ft, so whether I put 1, 1.5, or 2lbs/week, I still get 1200 calories, if I put in .5 I think I get about 1400...I think when I checked my maintenance it was only about 1600
Right -- height and age matter.
My sedentary maintenance (which is what MFP goals are based on much of the time, as you don't include exercise in the base goal here, but do NEAT) is 1550, I think (5'3, 125). So even at .5 lb I'd get 1200. Doesn't matter to me since I eat back exercise (and do TDEE method anyway), so I'm currently aiming for about 1600-1700 to lose, but 1200 + exercise is not inherently an aggressive goal or vastly different from one's maintenance calories.3 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
If 2000 is a bulk for you then how is 1600 a cut ? What is you maintenance ? Cause that is not much of a differential to see significant change. The different between my bulk and cut is about 1000 calls.
Unless you have a pretty high fat percentage and you are a young male, I would think you're doing it at least half wrong. A 1,000-calorie swing between bulk and cut means roughly a pound of added weight a week during your bulk, and roughly a pound of weight loss during your cut. If you're already down to a low fat %, a pound of loss a week is probably unnecessarily sacrificing muscle, and most people are not putting on a pound of muscle a week, even most young males who are doing serious lifting, so you're probably gaining fat unnecessarily during your bulk. Unless you're a young, overweight male lifting heavy, a 1,000 calorie swing between bulk and cut is probably not optimal.0 -
arditarose wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »critterbug15 wrote: »Well, some people hold back on cardio - and save it to break plateaus/stubborn fat at low bf % when the risks of cutting more cals outweigh the benefits.
ETA: And then, at the end of a 1200 cal restriction phase, you ideally return slowly to maintenance level cals. Not necessarily a weight gain situation.
If you're doing P90x (or is Beachbody a program itself?) - Anyway, if you're working out and burning 300 - 500 cals per workout, your deficit is about the same as someone not working out and eating 1200/day.
I'm doing Body Beast by Beachbody. It's basically a weight lifting program. Not really any cardio in it.
From what I have read/heard Body Beast is cardio-ish. Isn't it relatively light weight/high reps?
Ummm.... no.0 -
Citycat2015 wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »
I really hope I don't have to. My husband might divorce me or I'd end up eating my shoes.Citycat2015 wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
I am on 1200 calories. Why are you asking? Are you thinking of dropping down to 1200 too?
kimdawnhayden wrote: »
I really hope I don't have to. My husband might divorce me or I'd end up eating my shoes.Citycat2015 wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
I am on 1200 calories. Why are you asking? Are you thinking of dropping down to 1200 too?
I guess I don't understand the point of your post then.
sorry then.0 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
I really don't recommend it especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. In 2009, I went from weighing 215 pounds to 118 pounds in about six months while eating only 1,200 calories. I not only lost my weight, but I also lost my sanity. I was starving and ended up gaining some of the weight back and hovered around 155 pounds for a few years before losing some more weight last year. I don't recommend it, it is not safe and unless you lay in bed the whole day it is far too little especially if you intend to exercise. You can eat food, exercise and still lose weight. I am 5'4.5, 142.4 pounds and 27 years old and I now exercise 6-7 times ; average heart rate of 165, and my workout seasons each last anywhere between 45-60 minutes) a week and consume anywhere between 1,600-2,000 calories and still manage to lose a pound a week. Slow and steady is what I think works best!0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
If 2000 is a bulk for you then how is 1600 a cut ? What is you maintenance ? Cause that is not much of a differential to see significant change. The different between my bulk and cut is about 1000 calls.
Unless you have a pretty high fat percentage and you are a young male, I would think you're doing it at least half wrong. A 1,000-calorie swing between bulk and cut means roughly a pound of added weight a week during your bulk, and roughly a pound of weight loss during your cut. If you're already down to a low fat %, a pound of loss a week is probably unnecessarily sacrificing muscle, and most people are not putting on a pound of muscle a week, even most young males who are doing serious lifting, so you're probably gaining fat unnecessarily during your bulk. Unless you're a young, overweight male lifting heavy, a 1,000 calorie swing between bulk and cut is probably not optimal.
Thanks for checking. It worked out ok for me, coming down was a worry cause I was probably a bit more aggressive than ideal, but lifts stayed the same so I am happy with the results.
About to hit a bulk again so will be sure to keep in mind to not go all dreamer on it. If I gained more than 2lb a month my radar would go off so don't worry about me.
Eta on hindsight I do bulk during summer which is when I am more active generally. So activity probably burns a bit during bulk I reckon0 -
One more thing, I know I am probably an extreme case, but I had to go to therapy after literally destroying my relationship with food while consuming only 1,200 calories. On the outside I looked like a model, but inside I was dying. It really screwed with my mental and emotional state.0
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The whole "I would just DIE on 1200 calories a day" discussion is getting old. Do what works for you. I'm going to do what works for me.
Understand this: I am 4'11", 33 years old, postpartum, and sedentary. I have about 20 pounds to lose. My TDEE (after averaging several calculators) is 1350.
Should I be more active? Yes. Am I right now? No. So the reality is, I am losing weight on 1200/day at a VERY slow pace (10 pounds since January). I'm not starving. I'm not depressed. Don't get me wrong, I was bummed at first that I don't "get" to eat 1800 calories a day and I have to be super vigilant about every single bite I take, but that's real life for me if I want to lose the weight under the current circumstances.
It is crazy to assume that all people on 1200/day diets are starving themselves or trying to get instant results. A lot of us are taking the same approach as many others on MFP - CICO.18 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »arditarose wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »critterbug15 wrote: »Well, some people hold back on cardio - and save it to break plateaus/stubborn fat at low bf % when the risks of cutting more cals outweigh the benefits.
ETA: And then, at the end of a 1200 cal restriction phase, you ideally return slowly to maintenance level cals. Not necessarily a weight gain situation.
If you're doing P90x (or is Beachbody a program itself?) - Anyway, if you're working out and burning 300 - 500 cals per workout, your deficit is about the same as someone not working out and eating 1200/day.
I'm doing Body Beast by Beachbody. It's basically a weight lifting program. Not really any cardio in it.
From what I have read/heard Body Beast is cardio-ish. Isn't it relatively light weight/high reps?
Ummm.... no.
So what percentage of your max/how many reps and sets does this program consist of? Power? Hypertrophy? Just curious. I tried to research but don't find much.0 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »I see that a lot of people here eat 1200 calories. What happens after you reach your goal weight? Do you go back to eating normally? Do you then gain the weight back bit by bit? How hard is it to maintain? I'm just curious. I'm doing a Bulk with a weight lifting program and it has me eating 2000 calories. Then when I cut, I'm supposed to drop it to 1600 calories. How do people survive on 1200 calories? It seems you really have no where to go once you get to that calorie range. If your diet stops working you can't go lower.
After you reach your goal weight, then you can up your calories to maintenance and not gain weight. It doesn't really matter what your deficit was (imo), once you are in maintenance, it is the same for everyone (eat no more than your TDEE). Some people, though, do say that it is mentally easier to maintain if your deficit while losing is smaller. But, if there are 2 people of same height and weight, age, gender, etc and one was eating at 1200 and took 6 months to get to goal, vs one eating at 1700 and took 1 year to get to goal, either way their maintenance will be the same -1900. (numbers made up, but you get the point). Some people feel okay on 1200 and they like the faster drop. For many people, that is probably too low and they will experience greater than optimal muscle loss. Usually if someone completely stops losing weight while eating on 1200, then they are not measuring their intake accurately. Most very short, light people should still lose on 1200 (albeit, quite slow for some).3 -
I don't understand.... granted I'm very small... 4"11.... I eat around 1200 to 1300 calories daily and it's a lot of food and I feel perfectly healthy and energised!!9
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It's just good old school body building. There's a leg day, back day, arm day, shoulder day, chest day. Usually 8 - 15 reps. A few 5x5's lifting heavy as you can. The guy is Sagi Kalev. He's been on the front of a lot of men's bodybuilding magazines. He's really funny. It's pretty cheap for a Beach Body program right now if you're interested.arditarose wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »arditarose wrote: »kimdawnhayden wrote: »critterbug15 wrote: »Well, some people hold back on cardio - and save it to break plateaus/stubborn fat at low bf % when the risks of cutting more cals outweigh the benefits.
ETA: And then, at the end of a 1200 cal restriction phase, you ideally return slowly to maintenance level cals. Not necessarily a weight gain situation.
If you're doing P90x (or is Beachbody a program itself?) - Anyway, if you're working out and burning 300 - 500 cals per workout, your deficit is about the same as someone not working out and eating 1200/day.
I'm doing Body Beast by Beachbody. It's basically a weight lifting program. Not really any cardio in it.
From what I have read/heard Body Beast is cardio-ish. Isn't it relatively light weight/high reps?
Ummm.... no.
So what percentage of your max/how many reps and sets does this program consist of? Power? Hypertrophy? Just curious. I tried to research but don't find much.
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I think some of the 1200 calorie goal can sometimes stem from new(ish) people wanting to get the weight off as fast as possible. Many of us are here because we hit that moment where we'd had enough of being overweight and out of shape. People have that moment, they come here and enter the maximum weight loss per week possible and end up with 1200 calories. Mentally, people calculate ... "I need to lose 20 pounds, if I lose two pounds per week, I can be done with this in just ten weeks!" I'm pretty sure I thought like that at one point.
They haven't yet realized weight loss isn't linear, being close to your goal weight typically means a less aggressive weight loss goal, etc. Losing weight is a journey not a destination, but it's so easy to only be focused on the end result when you're starting out.0 -
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LAMhKp-Y6VQ/T-8eKpVnuiI/AAAAAAAAHqg/KE9xzraLMcg/s1600/sagi.jpg
Here's a picture of the trainer Sagi from Body Beast you may recognize him.0 -
kimdawnhayden wrote: »It's just good old school body building. There's a leg day, back day, arm day, shoulder day, chest day. Usually 8 - 15 reps. A few 5x5's lifting heavy as you can. The guy is Sagi Kalev. He's been on the front of a lot of men's bodybuilding magazines. He's really funny. It's pretty cheap for a Beach Body program right now if you're interested.
Nah I have a power lifting/body building program. Thanks though because I was just curious. It is not a talked bout program in my circles.1
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