Weight Loss 1200 cal, little to no exercise

Christine_72

tallinyc wrote: »

This thread is really inspiring. I've also been given a 1200 calorie plan and although i am trying to stick to it my work schedule doesn't really allow me to get home until 8pm which i've heard is not the best time to eat dinner after 8? any recomendations? has anyone still lost weight even eating at later hours??

Meal timing is not important. Many people work long hours and have no choice but to eat late when they get home.
As long as you stick to your calories then rest assured, you'll be fine.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

CertifiedUnicorn007 wrote: »

Dar_Line86 wrote: »

I lost 13 lbs on a 1200 calorie diet and then after a few months i started working out and just plateaued. Dunno what happened there?
Hopefully it works out better for you.

Are you taking measurements or noticing changes in the mirror and/or how your clothes fit? If you started working out and plateaued you may have just gained muscle.

nope, with eating only 1200 calories its not going to be enough muscle gain to plateau(muscle gains if any will be minimal and will slack off after time,aka newbie gains. its hard to gain muscle in a deficit especially a larger one).
if you plateau it could be many things, one could be eating more than you think you are,either by not weighing your food,or overestimating calorie burns and eating more calories back than you burned. also using wrong MFP entries can be a culprit too. or it could be water retention for one reason or another masking weight loss. its usually one of the above things or a combo of things I mentioned. plateaus happen and weight loss is not linear. so some weeks you will lose,some you may gain,and some you may not see anything happen.

frannieshack

I was skeptical that I could lose any weight at an office job, with no exercise. I am over 50, 5'7", and was 155 lbs. I lost 20 lbs in about 6 months, with eating 1200 per day. It was not a problem. The key is spreading your calories out, eating more frequently, with smaller portions, and drink lots of water! Our portion sizes are way too big anyway! You will not be hangry that way. I always logged my calories before I ate, so I planned my daily intake and knew what it added up to before my day even started. I adjusted if I went off the plan. Good luck!

Dar_Line86

CertifiedUnicorn007 wrote: »

Dar_Line86 wrote: »

I lost 13 lbs on a 1200 calorie diet and then after a few months i started working out and just plateaued. Dunno what happened there?
Hopefully it works out better for you.

Are you taking measurements or noticing changes in the mirror and/or how your clothes fit? If you started working out and plateaued you may have just gained muscle.

I made myself feel better by saying it was muscle gain and I'm sure some of it was, but its been quite a few months of no change and it just seems like I'm eating 1200 calories only to maintain. And i feel better, stronger and more in shape but my clothes eventually stopped fitting lose so i assume i stopped losing inches as well (i don't take exact measurements).

CharlieBeansmomTracey

Dar_Line86 wrote: »

CertifiedUnicorn007 wrote: »

Dar_Line86 wrote: »

I lost 13 lbs on a 1200 calorie diet and then after a few months i started working out and just plateaued. Dunno what happened there?
Hopefully it works out better for you.

Are you taking measurements or noticing changes in the mirror and/or how your clothes fit? If you started working out and plateaued you may have just gained muscle.

I made myself feel better by saying it was muscle gain and I'm sure some of it was, but its been quite a few months of no change and it just seems like I'm eating 1200 calories only to maintain. And i feel better, stronger and more in shape but my clothes eventually stopped fitting lose so i assume i stopped losing inches as well (i don't take exact measurements).

you will get stronger and more in shape but if you havent lost any weight in 6-8 weeks(a true plateau) and your clothes stopped fitting loose then that means you are either in maintenance, or eating more than you think. do you weigh your foods on a scale? its not hard to overestimate how much you eat,trust me Ive been there.once you weigh your foods you will be shocked how much a serving of something really is. the calories can and do add up as well.its really hard for a female to gain muscle even in a surplus,but in a deficit its even harder, for some it may not even be possible aside from the newbie gains.

Im not saying you cant gain some muscle in a deficit but for some its a very small deficit and it shouldnt cause a stall in weight.you would have to gain the same amount of muscle as the amount of fat/weight you lost. plateaus happen from time to time.if you are seeing no change I would say get a food scale,start weighing food,pick correct entries(you may have to cross reference with the package/websites) and go from there. it helped me when I stopped losing and even starting gaining my weight back. I was shocked I was eating more than I thought. scales are cheap and it doesnt take a lot of time to do once you get used to it.

lynn_glenmont

katelaurel390 wrote: »

summyd01 wrote: »

So I've heard that a 500 calorie deficit per day will equal about 1 lb of weight loss per week. Is that right? My question is this.... if I focus on my diet only and do the minimum of 1200 calories recommended by MFP, can I still lose weight? My resting metabolic rate was estimated to be about 1400-1450. I'm about 170 lbs, 5' 4" and work in an office. I've been having back issues and costochronditis (inflammation of the cartilidge in the rib case) so I haven't been wanting to exercise much or cause more pain. I know I could do some low impact exercises in my apartment or walk..

Anyways, I'm wondering if I need to be at a deficit to lose weight or does MFP calculate this already? Am I technically at approx 200-250 calorie deficit by only consuming 1200 calories? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm looking to lose some weight through portion control and calorie counting and then plan to work out more once I have less weight to carry around. I do use a standing desk now, yay!

If you're resting metabolic rate is estimated to be 1400-1450, you should at least be eating that much each day, regardless of whether you're exercising or not. That number is the amount you need just to fuel your body to function properly. Yes, 1200 is the minimum calories recommended, but realistically I don't think that it's a very healthy number. I think you can still lose weight if you eat the BMR amount of 1400. What will help is making healthy choices and making those calories count with nutritious food vs. junk food..and you'll see a difference soon enough. You can do it!!

There's no magic switch in your body that allows it to tap stored energy (fat, glycogen) to fuel 30 minutes on a treadmill but stops it from tapping stored energy to fuel resting metabolic rate (which is what OP referenced and which, by the way, is technically different from RMR).