1200 calories a day
Gibby349
Posts: 119 Member
Is there anyone who is losing weight who are surviving off of 1200 calories a day and when I say surviving I mean feeling full and satisfied .Also are you dropping two pounds a week from doing this ?
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Replies
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I was climbing the walls at 1200. Good luck if you try to do it for a full week. Hide your cats.42
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TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »I was climbing the walls at 1200. Good luck if you try to do it for a full week. Hide your cats.
Explain a little more please4 -
1200 calories is the absolute minimum MFP will assign for women. In order to lose 2 pounds a week you need a deficit of 1000 calories a day. Because you've reached the floor, it's likely that you don't have enough to lose to sustain a 2 pound a week loss and should probably be aiming for a smaller deficit.13
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Depends on your sex, height and weight.
A 5'2" woman who only has a small amount of weight to lose could probably do fine on 1200 cals a day.
A 6'3" man would probably pass out and quickly lose all his muscle mass and feel like absolute crap.15 -
Is there anyone who is losing weight who are surviving off of 1200 calories a day and when I say surviving I mean feeling full and satisfied .Also are you dropping two pounds a week from doing this ?
Unless you have a lot of weight to lose, like more than 50 lbs, 2 lbs per week is way too aggressive. Also please keep in mind that MFP expects you to log your exercise and eat back at least some of those calories. So even if your starting goal is 1200, you should be eating 1200 plus exercise calories.
Choose a more realistic weekly goal, use a kitchen scale and log accurately and consistently, and don't force yourself to miserable, it's not necessary!11 -
I spent decades dieting at 1200 calories a day. You get used to being hungry and weak all the time after a while. And on that calorie level, with daily exercise, I usually averaged around 2 lbs lost each week (or more likely lose 1 lb one week and 3 lbs the next, repeat). But no, there was never any fullness or satiation to it.
These days, I prefer a higher calorie level and slower weight loss.26 -
Tried30UserNames wrote: »I spent decades dieting at 1200 calories a day. You get used to being hungry and weak all the time after a while. And on that calorie level, with daily exercise, I usually averaged around 2 lbs lost each week (or more likely lose 1 lb one week and 3 lbs the next, repeat). But no, there was never any fullness or satiation to it.
These days, I prefer a higher calorie level and slower weight loss.
Just for clarification, when you say you spent decades doing this, you mean you would do it, gain the weight back, and then do it again, is that correct? If that's the case, it doesn't sound as if you really ever did get used to it enough to keep the weight off long term.11 -
I've been hitting around 1,100 calories a day, been dieting for 2 weeks, and have lost 3 pounds.
Protein! I hit the gym in the morning and have a protein shake, and have protein for luch (eggs or chicken in my salad), and a veggie turkey/chicken, and rice for dinner. It keeps me full.
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TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »I was climbing the walls at 1200. Good luck if you try to do it for a full week. Hide your cats.
Explain a little more please
They're saying that they were so hungry on 1200 cals a day that they were considering eating their cats. There are plenty of people who maintain a 1200 cal a day diet. I would say the hardest thing about a 1200 cal a day diet is that you need to get used to not being full, the portion sizes are a lot smaller, but I still find them filling. it's not about being full to be satisfied. You learn to eat to not be hungry - that is enough.
I am not at 1200, I'm at 1300 - the 100 calories allows me a snack between lunch and dinner. I do not eat breakfast, and I drink 12oz of black coffee in the mornings as a filler until lunch. There are certain meals that cause me to fill up, but really it's about finding foods that do fill you up.
My day usually consists of morning coffee, lunch is close or around 200 cals (I buy prepackaged healthy choice steamers; beef merlot is tasty and 180 cals!). Midafternoon snack is usually a banana, or some dried dates (usually around 100-120 cals). If it is a good day I don't go over 400 cals until dinner, allowing me to be pretty extravagant with my remaining 900 calories.
Last night I had Pasta Aglio e Olio, which was pretty calorie dense for the portion size, but it was ridiculously good, so I'll take it.
Bad days are countered with good days of exercise. 30 mins at the gym nets me 400 cals extra, which is nice, but I usually don't eat them back.
If you're having a hard time with 1200 cals, eat more, and then work out the deficit you will need to have at the gym.16 -
1200 was making me feel ill. I prefer to exercise enough to stay in a deficit while eating at least 1500 - 1600 calories a day.7
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I did 1200 for a while and found that I could not:
1. drink any calories, I only ate my calories to help with fullness
2. veggies, veggies, and more veggies!
3. doing some light exercise to increase my calories a bit for the day was helpful, I can't sustain a heavy exercise routine on that intake level....at least not happily
4. eating lower carbs at that calorie target helped me stay fuller
In the end I decided I would rather lose 1lb a week and be happier along the way.
Will you lose 2 lbs doing it? That depends on your size. For me, at my starting weight, yes, but you may not be large enough for that.
One thing I dislike about MFP is it does not do a good job of actually explaining where the heck your calorie goal comes from up front. You have to take the initiative to find that information out for yourself. I advise you do because understanding it can be invaluable to your journey.
FYI, 1200 calories is generally accepted as necessary for proper nutrient intake, therefore MFP is set up so that if your input information would give you a calorie goal below that number then it will default to 1200 (for liability reasons). IMO very few people should be eating below 1200 calories/day, so I agree with this strategy. I just wish it was better explained since those who are not aware often end up misled in their expectations for weight loss, leading to alot of frustration.
This is a handy calculator that does a nice job of breaking down your energy requirements.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
BMR - basal metabolic rate - how much you burn just being alive for the day
TDEE - how much you burn in a day being alive and doing what you do on a normal day
One thing to be aware of when comparing the results for this calculator to MFP calorie goal is it sets your deficit off of a % of your calorie needs, whereas MFP sets your deficit based off of a selected amount of lbs lost/week. So the weight loss rates are not directly comparable. But, using your TDEE number from this calculator you can figure out what your loss rate should be if you eat a certain number of calories. (-1000 calories per day is 2lbs a week) You may find that you would actually have to eat less than 1200 calories/ day to lose 2 lbs a week (not advised!) and MFP just gave you that number because it bottomed out.
Hopefully that made sense, if not please feel free to ask questions.
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I found that as I decreased my calorie intake, I was able to "listen" to my body better. Your mind will deceive you and tell you that you want something your body doesn't need. Your brain mainly pushes for the chemical response that comes from eating sugary foods and "comfort foods". So, in essence, it is like detox. Remember we eat to live, not live to eat.22
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jhildebrandt73 wrote: »I found that as I decreased my calorie intake, I was able to "listen" to my body better. Your mind will deceive you and tell you that you want something your body doesn't need. Your brain mainly pushes for the chemical response that comes from eating sugary foods and "comfort foods". So, in essence, it is like detox. Remember we eat to live, not live to eat.
Sometimes your body is telling you to eat because it needs more fuel to do the hard work your body does for you every day. Your body needs more than nutrition, it needs calories. Without knowing OP's stats and goals, there is no way to tell whether her mind is deceiving her, or her body is asking for necessary fuel.22 -
I started off on 1200 calories a day and I was absolutely fine. I found that it definitely did depend on how I was reaching 1200, lots of nutritious, filling foods and fruit and veg meant I was never hungry and if you're canny there still is room for a small amount of chocolate
I initially would lose around 2/3lbs a week which curtailed as I lost weight and had less to lose, this then naturally segued into moving on to maintenance calories. But from my personal experience look at what you're eating.
I wish you the best of luck!15 -
Depends on your sex, height and weight.
A 5'2" woman who only has a small amount of weight to lose could probably do fine on 1200 cals a day.
A 6'3" man would probably pass out and quickly lose all his muscle mass and feel like absolute crap.
This!
I'm 4'11 and do fine on 1200 per day. I can actually go a little less most days especially those days I don't exercise. Depends on the person. And no I do not lose 2 lbs each week consistently.6 -
I'm doing 1200 a day currently and feel great! Key for me is getting enough fibre. If I work out and I have been trying to hit my fibre goals, I sometimes cannot eat back all of my calories and end up under for the day. Focusing on 25 grams of fibre, hitting or coming close to my protein goal, drinking lots of water and exercising make 1200 calories more than enough. I eat back burned since I'm eating so low, but again, I can't always do that since I am full from fibre and fresh water. I don't lose 2 pounds a week, but my weight has been going steadily down taking into account cheat days and *kitten* eating habits for a few days at a time. For some perspective, I'm 5'7" and started at 153.8 on July 12th. As of today, I am 144.6. Its slow but steady and I am starting to feel healthy and fit. My overall health is much better and I am smaller, despite the number on the scale not changing an insane amount.2
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I have been doing 1200 cals a day for over a year now, if I do heavy exercise I will let myself eat some of those calories, there are other days that I am only at 1000 calories and I am done for the day, and then there are the days that I have 500cal over. But I agree that you will get used to feeling hungry, but also your stomach srinks and you find you cannot eat as much as you use to any more. Also get in your nutrients, if you are eating junk you are going to be hungry, if you eat lots of veggies, fruit and protein you should be fine. Most importantly listen to your body, your body will let you know if you need to be eating more. I would not have stayed with 1200cal if it was making me feel sick or weak.4
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MFP set me at 1200 calories three months ago. I did fine the first week, then got nauseous for a few days the second week. Lots of veggies works for some people, but I needed more. People here on the forums recommended upping my protein and fat intake, which worked great. I was able to fuel my workouts and felt fine. So, scrambled eggs, an ounce of cheese, some avocado, a small portion of cashews or almonds, lean turkey, some salmon or chicken... it all helped to make me feel full and I didn't feel deprived. I always eat back most of the exercise calories I earn, too. I was losing one to two pounds a week for the first month, then 1 pound a week. Now I've reset my calories so that I lose half a pound a week. 1200 worked as a good starting point, but I don't think it's sustainable for me. The cool thing was that I learned a lot about what foods keep me feeling good throughout the day.12
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I do great on 1200 a day, but I eat back my exercise calories so today for example I'll be eating around 1700-1800, but with 1200 net calories. You need to understand a good bit about nutrition to avoid feeling hungry, at 1200 calories you really can't eat whatever and expect to feel full and lose weight, because it's too easy to go over and too easy to end up ravenous.4
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I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. Here is how to do it with out feeling hungry. Vegs lots and lots of vegs. Limit bread, rice, potatoes and you will be fine. My doctor told me 1200-1500 calories are what women need. She also told me to limit and very small quantities of starches. Before eating the starches on my diet of 1200 calories I would be hungry all day. Now I eat most veges and protein and do not feel hungry all day.16
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I'm 5'2" and comfortably do a 1200 net day once or twice a week, but a lot of my social life centers on food and drink and I don't want to give that up, plus I think it would take more discipline than I'm interested in using to stick to 1200 every day. Plus it's unnecessary! My TDEE less 20% is about 1900 right now, so on days I don't go out I range between 1200 and 1900 and it's all good, and I try not to go out more than twice a week. I actually have been losing almost 2 pounds a week this month averaging around 1900/day, but I've got a pretty decent amount to lose still (I'm ranging between 183-185 right now). I've been gradually reducing my average calories as I lose weight, but I don't intend to ever go as low as 1200.4
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I'm doing ok at 1200 a day. I drink mostly water except for the occasional strawberry lemonade at del taco, only 35 calories! And the Carne asada street taco is only 180! One is good enough for me, I ate 2 previously and felt sick as it was too much. I think a lot depends on what you are using your calories on. I've been eating at least one boiled egg a day too alternating between yolk and no yolk.
But I just started so I'm still learning what foods keep me full longer.5 -
The only way to feel full and satisfied on 1200 a day is if your nutrition is on point all day -- there's basically no room for junk food (high calories but little satisfaction) or liquid calories, like alcohol. I'm just barely 5 feet tall and at a healthy weight. I can do 1200 for a few days but I always end up super hungry, even when I'm eating protein, healthy fats, veggies, etc. I bumped my calories up to 1300 and I find that much easier. That extra 100 calories makes a big difference to me!7
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hydechildcare wrote: »I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. Here is how to do it with out feeling hungry. Vegs lots and lots of vegs. Limit bread, rice, potatoes and you will be fine. My doctor told me 1200-1500 calories are what women need. She also told me to limit and very small quantities of starches. Before eating the starches on my diet of 1200 calories I would be hungry all day. Now I eat most veges and protein and do not feel hungry all day.
No offense, but your doctor was wrong. There are plenty of women on here (some in their 40s and 50s, btw) who have reached their healthy goal weight and maintain on over 2000 calories a day. I'm 44, 5'4" 130 lbs and I maintain on 1800 per day and lost weight on 1500.
Not directed at you but just in general, we need to stop perpetuating this myth that all women need to be borderline hungry while eating like little fragile birds to be a healthy weight. Your body needs fuel, fat, protein, and fiber to be strong and healthy and active. And the majority of women will need more than 1200 to achieve that, even while they are trying to lose weight.
I'll get off my soapbox now
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Is there anyone who is losing weight who are surviving off of 1200 calories a day and when I say surviving I mean feeling full and satisfied .Also are you dropping two pounds a week from doing this ?
I was definetley surviving on 1200 calories. I enjoyed the food I ate. Greek yogurts(chobani flips) honey roasted almonds,pecans. Banana smoothies with peanut butter. Fruit. When i excercised to a 20 minute strength training dvd by jillian Michaels I ate back half. I started walking my son to school and went up to lightly active. Started incorporating loooong walks,i dont include those in my diary. I use those calories to lose weight and leave room for error. I also am at a - 500 or more calories, for weight loss, ( i forget what thats called sorry) but its very much possible to survive and be satisfied on 1200 calories. I drink lots and lots of water and I eat ,alot if protein. I believe thatvis what has helped me lose ,10 lbs in 30 days. I feel great. Not stsrving or anything.4 -
I've been hitting around 1,100 calories a day, been dieting for 2 weeks, and have lost 3 pounds.
Protein! I hit the gym in the morning and have a protein shake, and have protein for luch (eggs or chicken in my salad), and a veggie turkey/chicken, and rice for dinner. It keeps me full.
Protein is definetley the winning factor i truly believe and live this. As a vegetarian on a unhealthy diet of too many sweets,I rarely ate protein. Nowww I eat protein shake in the mirning ,wheni walk i eat KIND bar, Clif bars, and the ThinkThin bars, 20 grams protein in one bar. They help sustain my 3 or 4 mile walks. And my weight has been coming off easily.4 -
Eat more protein ,and walk, and drink water!! You can add me if you would like. I also leave my diary open.1
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I'm 5'2 130lb and eat 1200 a day, have been doing so since the beginning of the year. I'm down almost 25lbs. I've never had an issue staying at this calorie count, I'm never starving or feel like I'm being deprived. I eat 3 meals a day, high protein filling meals and do just fine with that. I drink a lot of water also throughout the day. I plan to continue this until I reach my goal then I will adjust to maintenance.
I haven't been losing 2lbs a week.. sometimes its .6lb a week and sometimes it's 3lb.. it's kind of all over the place. But in 34 weeks I've lost 25lbs, so it works out to 1-2lb loss per week on average.12 -
hydechildcare wrote: »I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. Here is how to do it with out feeling hungry. Vegs lots and lots of vegs. Limit bread, rice, potatoes and you will be fine. My doctor told me 1200-1500 calories are what women need. She also told me to limit and very small quantities of starches. Before eating the starches on my diet of 1200 calories I would be hungry all day. Now I eat most veges and protein and do not feel hungry all day.
No offense, but your doctor was wrong. There are plenty of women on here (some in their 40s and 50s, btw) who have reached their healthy goal weight and maintain on over 2000 calories a day. I'm 44, 5'4" 130 lbs and I maintain on 1800 per day and lost weight on 1500.
Not directed at you but just in general, we need to stop perpetuating this myth that all women need to be borderline hungry while eating like little fragile birds to be a healthy weight. Your body needs fuel, fat, protein, and fiber to be strong and healthy and active. And the majority of women will need more than 1200 to achieve that, even while they are trying to lose weight.
I'll get off my soapbox now
I think it depends on your body. I can not eat that many calories and lose weight. Eating meat, vegs, nuts, and high fiber bread. I fill up and feel full faster and longer than when I eat pasta and other carbs. I know that if I eat 1500 calories per day. I will feel sick from eating to much or will end up eating junk food to meat those calorie goals of 1500. It depends on your needs, like everyone else has said listen to your body. I listen to mine and this is what it is telling me from years of trying and failing. I have finally found something that works for me that I can manage with out the hungry feeling that normal is there.17 -
Is there anyone who is losing weight who are surviving off of 1200 calories a day and when I say surviving I mean feeling full and satisfied .Also are you dropping two pounds a week from doing this ?
2 pounds a week = a daily 1,000 calorie deficit. So if your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure/maintenance) is 2200 calories....then 1200 could be 2 pounds a week. If your maintenance is less than 2,200 calories then 2 pounds a week isn't going to happen.
My point is......not everyone can/should expect 2 pounds a week.
1200 isn't a magic number. It's just as low as the system goes for women......meeting nutritional guidelines. Some women are petite and inactive and do fine with 1200. Some women are elderly and inactive and do fine with 1200. If neither of these is you.....then you can expect to struggle a bit.
Large deficits make it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass. So you really aren't lowering your body fat % by as much as you could have. Google skinny-fat.9
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