Will a 1200 calorie diet initially do any damage?

saymyname2

I'm no expert but I do 1200cal a day and I've had no issues. I eat LOADS of food. Not just lentil soup. You can pretty much eat anything you want its just a matter of portion control and exercise. At least thats how ive been going about it. I'm never hungry my energy levels are great. For me its a good plan.
Personally I think your body will tell you what you need. If your always hungry and getting tired then its time to up your cal intake. Again im not an expert this is just my opinion.

lucerorojo

2 lbs. Per week is too much if you only have 60 lbs. To lose. My sw was 237 and goal weight is 137. So I had 100 to lose. I'm at 195 now. I started losing at 2 lbs. Per week in July 2017. It was ok, and I was eating about , 1400-1500 net to start. But mfp lowers your calories as you lose to maintain the deficit. By the time I got to about 212 I was down to 1200 calories. I did that for 4 days. It was not sustainable. I tried 1.5 lbs. For a while to increase my intake, but eventually switched to 1 lb. per week. I current eat between 1500-1600 net. I have a job working with the public so I cannot be crabby or fatigued. With anything but a 9-5 job, and if you are over 5 feet tall, probably 1200 calories a day will be a struggle. Lose 1 lb. A week. It is safer at your weight and you can eat more.

WinoGelato

I concur with the advice to set an appropriate activity level (sounds like active to me), change your rate of loss to 1 lb/week, and consider getting an activity tracker that you can enable negative adjustments as this will help you manage the lower activity days on your days off.

As a wise rabbit used to say, “the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses the weight”. Going for rapid weight loss at a low calorie target rarely has lasting success for those who try it.

Good luck.

try2again

PoppyFlower1 wrote: »

With a demanding job like yours, with others relying on my energy and mental clarity, I'd want to be cautious!

What features is it that you like about this particular diet plan? I'm wondering if there might be some lower-risk option that would give you some of the same advantages.

Speaking only for myself, this is pretty much the eating plan I used, lost 50+ pounds, and am still at a healthy weight over 2 years later:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm#latest

But then I overeat on non work days and very often I’m so exhausted that I don’t move for the full day either. So one day of moving a lot and eating nothing vs one day of not moving at all and bingeing on food means that there’s no weight loss at all :-([/quote]

How many days a week are you off? It wouldn't be unreasonable to use the next lower activity level to kind of average everything out, but pay close attention to your rate of loss and adjust if you are losing too fast. I agree you should consider a Fitbit or some other tracker. Then you would have a clear idea what you are burning each day and if your average calorie intake is keeping up with your needs.

PoppyFlower1

Then you would have a clear idea what you are burning each day and if your average calorie intake is keeping up with your needs.[/quote]

Thankyou, I work 3 x 13 hour shifts and I’m off for four days.
If I do half an hour of exercise on my non work days would that be enough to push me into active overall? X

PoppyFlower1

As a wise rabbit used to say, “the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses the weight”. Going for rapid weight loss at a low calorie target rarely has lasting success for those who try it.

Good luck.[/quote]

Thankyou xxx

PoppyFlower1

Lose 1 lb. A week. It is safer at your weight and you can eat more.[/quote]

Thanks, I’m gonna set it to 1lb/week or I might set activity to active and then see what calories it gives me (more than 1200 no doubt)

try2again

PoppyFlower1 wrote: »

Then you would have a clear idea what you are burning each day and if your average calorie intake is keeping up with your needs.

Thankyou, I work 3 x 13 hour shifts and I’m off for four days.
If I do half an hour of exercise on my non work days would that be enough to push me into active overall? X[/quote]

No idea I would probably start with active & adjust from there based on your actual rate of loss.

BTW, no idea what happened with that last quote/comment of mine- it's a mess!

Edit: It did it again! Guess the quote function is messed up

lucerorojo

That schedule sounds grueling. Is there anyway for you to just pack some fruit or snack bars on your work days so that you can eat a little something. To go so long without eating is not idea--and I know you know that since you are a nurse. What would you advise a patient of yours to do in a similar situation?

ITUSGirl51

I had 60 lb plus to lose and started with 1.5 lb a week loss and then changed it to 1 lb a week after losing 30 lbs. I’m down 64 lbs now with my new goal weight in 5 more pounds. You can eat enough so you aren’t suffering with hunger and being tired all the time and still lose weight. The weight will slowly drop off and a year later you will be at your goal weight and you will have learned a lot about how to eat properly along the way.

AnnPT77

PoppyFlower1 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

With a demanding job like yours, with others relying on my energy and mental clarity, I'd want to be cautious!

What features is it that you like about this particular diet plan? I'm wondering if there might be some lower-risk option that would give you some of the same advantages.

Speaking only for myself, this is pretty much the eating plan I used, lost 50+ pounds, and am still at a healthy weight over 2 years later:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm#latest

Thankyou. I think the problem is on days off, if I worked every day I’d have no problem! Some days I’m so busy I don’t eat anything at all hardly drink and don’t get to go to the bathroom. I remember one time I was in charge and had a patient that needed transferring to another hospital.....I escorted the patient in the ambulance to handed over and finished my shift that I’d started at 07.30 at midnight! And I had work again at 07.30 the next day! I’d eaten nothing and a kind paramedic from the ambulance gave me a chocolate bar so that I didn’t pass out as at this point I felt unwell. Sometimes it’s hard to take a break when you have so much to do. I’ll end up eating chocolate and sweets that are lying around that relatives have bought in. A lot of people have said to just prioritise breaks as they’re important but I also have to look after my registration. Can you imagine in a coroners court? “why did this patient receive their antibiotic infusion late” “ because I had to go for my lunch break I was hungry”.......

But then I overeat on non work days and very often I’m so exhausted that I don’t move for the full day either. So one day of moving a lot and eating nothing vs one day of not moving at all and bingeing on food means that there’s no weight loss at all :-(

You could consider a different calorie goal on work days vs. non-work days, either less on work days (since you're too busy) and more on off days, or vice versa. As long as you end up with a calorie deficit on average (less than maintenance calories overall), you'll lose weight fine.

Details about when you eat your calories are pretty much irrelevant for weight loss, but can matter when it comes to satiation, energy level or convenience. Many people around here shoot for a weekly goal, and let individual days vary. I do. (I think MFP Premium, the non-free version, will let you set different calorie goals for different days, but a lot of folks just keep a mental balance, and look at their weekly totals occasionally in the app.)

If you want to stay at a heathy weight long-term, not just lose/regain, you'll want to use the weight loss process to find a new routine/habits that will sustain you long term. Without meaning to be unkind, it sounds like your current eating habits are a bit out of control, not based on a routine of good nutrition and workable habits.

It's not something I usually suggest, but on your work days, you might be a good candidate for meal replacement bars or shakes, chosen carefully for well rounded macro & micro nutrients. (Meal replacement bars/shakes are a slightly different category than protein bars/shakes. You can get them at grocery stores or health food stores; you don't need an expensive specialty product from gyms or online marketers.) The bars you could maybe stash in a pocket or desk drawer to grab quickly, but shakes could work if there's a refrigerator you can use, or a place in your work area for a tiny insulated lunch bag or thermos.

It might also help you to prep some quick, go-to, nutritious, sustaining pre-work breakfasts and post-work dinners. That would be a thing you could do on one of your off days.

I hear what you're saying about not leaving your floor for lunch when patients need you. But it also wouldn't play well in coroner's court to be saying "the patient didn't get their antibiotic because of my brain fog from undereating": That brain fog becomes a bigger risk when in a calorie deficit.

Try to look at the overall eating plan as a puzzle, and work on findng a solution that gives you good nutrition, the right calorie average, and a practical, workable routine.

Best wishes!

Kalex1975

AnnPT77 wrote: »

(I think MFP Premium, the non-free version, will let you set different calorie goals for different days, but a lot of folks just keep a mental balance, and look at their weekly totals occasionally in the app.)

Indeed, MFP does have this for premium users.

WilmaValley

Are you hungry? If so (and I would imagine so) then eventually you will probably crash and binge.

joaniebalonie088

I think we have some unique challenges working in the medical field. We are busy, and we can’t count on getting consistent breaks because the patient flow will be different every day.
I
I pack my lunch in a cooler and stash it in my cubby, so that I can grab half a sandwich or a pre-sliced container of fruit on the go. When it’s prepped it will take like 3 minutes to eat, lol!

I have it easier than you because I work 5 days a week for 8.5 hours, so even if I don’t eat more than a snack until afterwards it is at least not 13 hours without food!