1200 Calorie People

rshea65

I would like to chat with some people who only have 1200 calories per day to work with.
I am Gluten and dairy free eat mostly vegetarian and need good meals to eat.

Healthy_Body_46

I'm back on 1500 but male so we usually need a few hundred more.

gewel321

I am on 1200 a day but my diet is the exact opposite of yours. I Love Gluten and Dairy and hate vegetables.

KerrieA87

I’m normally around 1200 a day but I exercise in order to earn more cals. I tend to stick to eating back half of my burnt cals

Oliveciabatta

I'm another 1200er but as I'm allergic to most plants I pretty much eat an exact opposite diet to anything you could want. I tend to be pretty simple food wise. I try not to eat back exercise cals unless I'm actually hungrier than my 1200 fills. Breakfast for me is usually a couple of eggs and a cup soup and piece of fruit or a small baked potato with tuna and side salad for lunch. I try to avoid snacks and my dinners are varied but mostly quick and simple as I'm cooking for one. I find it easier to stick to 1200 if I keep things pretty basic. I always make space for a sweet as I have a sweet tooth and cutting out sugar is a personal hell for me.

Beautyofdreams

I was on 1200 calories until October. Am now up to 1240. I have a dairy allergy but can eat gluten and am not vegetarian. Breakfast for me was either oatmeal with protein powder or two eggs with one slice light bread with 8g peanut butter or PB Fit. Lunch is one serving chicken or pork or fish with green vegetables and one fruit. Dinner is the same as lunch. I rarely have bread, pasta or potatoes because I don't have many calories to spare. Salad dressings are Walden Farm calorie free dressings. Sweets are occasional, if I have exercised enough to fit them in. Really don't have any recipes to share as I eat very simple, plain food with little seasoning.

rshea65

I have a balance disorder and makes it hard to exercise. This app says if I stay at my 1200 calories I will not loose weight, just stay the same, does this mean I have to cut more calories to loose weight? Im confused...
I feel deprived and hungry!! UGH..

Artemis_1979

I’m also on 1200 calories a day and I’m vegan. My recommendations for meeting calorie goals without starving are:
-large salad once a day with beans or tofu for protein. I find finely chopped kale most filling.
-lentil or brown rice cakes as a snack
-air popped popcorn
-miso soup or bouillon
-chopped cucumber and cherry tomatoes dressed with lemon juice
-Buddha bowls: a half cup or so of cooked whole grain, lots of steamed or roasted vegetables, and a protein—beans, tofu, seitan, a veggie sausage, etc, topped with a low calorie sauce, like salsa or a homemade tahini miso dressing.
I hope you can find an exercise that works for you, because 1200 cal. is not a lot of food (though it’s maybe easier for vegans, because so much of what we eat is low-density). Can you lift weights? Building muscle would increase your calorie expenditure all day.

Dogmom1978

rshea65 wrote: »

I have a balance disorder and makes it hard to exercise. This app says if I stay at my 1200 calories I will not loose weight, just stay the same, does this mean I have to cut more calories to loose weight? Im confused...
I feel deprived and hungry!! UGH..

You can probably do some seated exercises with a balance disorder.

What rate of loss did you choose? How much weight do you have to lose overall?

age_is_just_a_number

rshea65 wrote: »

I have a balance disorder and makes it hard to exercise. This app says if I stay at my 1200 calories I will not lose weight, just stay the same, does this mean I have to cut more calories to loose weight? Im confused...
I feel deprived and hungry!! UGH..

1200 is the lowest safe daily calorie intake you’d want to go.
What are your other stats (height, weight, age, etc).

If MFP says you would not lose weight at 1200 daily calories, that translates to me that you don’t need to lose any weight.

Re your original post, I’ve tried 1200 calories a day, I just find I can almost never eat that few calories in a day. But having someone else to be accountable to might give me that extra motivation to weigh/measure my food and reduce my sweet tooth intake. If you are interested, please send me a friend request.

A bit more about me
I am not gluten or dairy free, but I typically only consume dairy at breakfast (170 grams of Greek yoghurt). I do eat a lot of vegetables. Gluten is a different story. I had all but eliminated bread from my diet, then my youngest daughter started baking bread at least once a week. There is nothing quite like still warm from the oven fresh baked bread. Not surprisingly, she’s been baking since October and my weight has gone consistently up. I am not overweight and want to stay that way. I do exercise regularly.

In terms of your exercise:
We had neighbours who were married for 80 years. They both lived to 100. At about 90 the wife’s spine started collapsing and she was confined to a wheelchair. She still exercised everyday. She had resistance bands and used them to do leg extensions and arm exercises. If she can do it, you can do it. It is important to build muscle. Muscle gives our bodies shape. Are you able to swim?
You might even find that more muscle helps with your balance disorder??

tripp0914

Hi everyone,

I'm a dietitian and reading through your posts makes me want to post myself! I hear your confusion about not losing weight on 1200 calories. Did you know, that 1200 calories is the recommended amount of calories for a sedentary 4 year old? It's enticing to want to eat minimally thinking that you'll lose weight quickly, right? Well, it's a little more complicated than that! For most sedentary woman, 1600-2000 kcal per day can work well! If it's difficult for you to lose weight at that calorie amount, it would be recommended to increase your energy expenditure (become more active) to increase your muscle mass. Resistance training includes weight lifting, band, or body weight exercises utilizing various muscle groups. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. :-)

This is not meant to be offensive or marketing anything, I truly enjoy educating people about their specific nutritional needs for THEIR body.

kimny72

rshea65 wrote: »

I have a balance disorder and makes it hard to exercise. This app says if I stay at my 1200 calories I will not loose weight, just stay the same, does this mean I have to cut more calories to loose weight? Im confused...
I feel deprived and hungry!! UGH..

What is your height and weight? Does your disorder allow you to take walks? Are you sure you're sedentary - just because you can't exercise doesn't necessarily mean you are sedentary, so it's important to check.

kimny72

tripp0914 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm a dietitian and reading through your posts makes me want to post myself! I hear your confusion about not losing weight on 1200 calories. Did you know, that 1200 calories is the recommended amount of calories for a sedentary 4 year old? It's enticing to want to eat minimally thinking that you'll lose weight quickly, right? Well, it's a little more complicated than that! For most sedentary woman, 1600-2000 kcal per day can work well! If it's difficult for you to lose weight at that calorie amount, it would be recommended to increase your energy expenditure (become more active) to increase your muscle mass. Resistance training includes weight lifting, band, or body weight exercises utilizing various muscle groups. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. :-)

This is not meant to be offensive or marketing anything, I truly enjoy educating people about their specific nutritional needs for THEIR body.

While I agree that 1200 cals is lower than necessary for the vast majority of women and often does more harm than good, I don't think it's true that most sedentary women would lose much weight in the 1600-2000 range. It would depend on their height and how much weight they have to lose. A woman who is 5'2 and has 20 lbs to lose is going to have to get active to get into that calorie range.

KerrieA87

Just to clarify I’ve said I exercise to eat more cals I’m actually a pretty much sedentary female, I have an autoimmune disease that can leave me bed/sofa bound for large amounts of time, I also have exercise induced anaphylaxis (true story) so moderate/intense exercise isn’t an option. So I work my 1200cals based on the fact I barely move some days. However on moveable days I eat more.

DiscusTank5

I've been at 1200 calories daily and find that I much prefer exercising 60 min. a day to up my calories to 1500-1600 (and still lose weight). Can you ride an exercise bike? The reclining ones seem safest for someone with balance issues. For plant-based eating on 1200 calories / day, cooking for yourself is the best way to go so that you get the most bang for your buck. That said, Amy's brand carries some tasty gluten- and dairy-free frozen meals, if you don't have time to cook. My current favs are the Green and Red Thai Curries. Kashi also has some delicious vegan meals, such as the Mayan Harvest Bake. Soups are great fillers, and the internet is full of tasty recipes for potato and corn chowders. I've also recently tried and liked two different vegan stuffed bell pepper recipes: https://minimalistbaker.com/spanish-quinoa-stuffed-peppers/ and https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-stuffed-peppers/. Try googling Vegan Stuffed Vegetables for more amazing options. Plant-based eating can be quite exciting. Vegetables just don't get enough credit, usually.

IsETHome

1100-1200 is my goal, anything over 1500 I gain. My desk work is sedentary, I have a spine issue from an accident. I do water walking about 5 times a week. At this rate it’s about .5-.75 lb loss per week. I do however eat a variety of foods including meat, trying to eat more seafood. I also do regular lab work, and other medical consult while losing weight. Peoples metabolisms can vary, mine has always been lower. I’m about 1/2 way to my goal. Will take me another year likely to lose another 40 lbs.

@rshea65 glad to share ideas. I eat cottage cheese am. Bean sprouts as a salad base vice lettuce. Mushrooms in broths. Bulk low cal.

@tripp0914 Some of us adults have this slow metabolism...I’m 48 not 4! But probably don’t jump up and down like a 4 year old, lol.