Introduction and living on 1200 cpd

Hello,

I am a female, aged 40, and 5 feet 4” tall.

I currently weigh 180.6 and none of my clothes fit, so I’ve decided to try to slim down.

MFP has calculated that to lose weight (2 lbs per week), I need to reduce caloric intake to 1200. Does anyone else struggle to do this?! I find I am very hungry fro 3/4pm onwards. 1200 seems very low to me but if that’s what it takes I will try.

I am planning to do some cardio and resistance work most days alongside dieting.

I’ve taken some measurements today - very upsetting.

Tips greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • gigius72
    gigius72 Posts: 183 Member
    Try snacking on celery. Very low calories and full of fibers. It will fill you up immediately so you can reach supper.
    Or you can slow down a little bit the loss per week and it'll give you a few more calories allowance.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    your stats are not that far off from mine. I lose between 1-2 pounds per week eating 1500 calories.

    1200 is really low, and very hard to stick to. having a higher calorie goal that is still in a deficit, but allows you to eat more (and more of the things you want- like sweets or fitting in meals out), is better long term. it is easier to stick to. Better to lose slow and keep it off, than quickly and gain it all back or not at all.
  • clarab2021
    clarab2021 Posts: 15 Member
    edited January 2021
    Complicated!
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
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  • MercuryForce
    MercuryForce Posts: 103 Member
    goatelope wrote: »
    Thank you. I am happy to adjust and try for 1 pound a week rather than 2, just as long as I do see some loss - by loss I mean less the scale and more my clothing fitting / reduction in size.

    That's definitely a good indicator. For some reason I've been stuck at the same weight for a couple months with very, very slow loss. It's been driving me mad! Then, the other day I was going through some clothes to figure out what to get rid of and on a whim decided to try on my "goal pants". I could barely button them a couple months ago, but now I can comfortably button them.

    I'm not sure what is going on with the scale, but there are clearly other changes happening, so I guess I'll just go with it for a while and see what happens.
  • gigius72
    gigius72 Posts: 183 Member
    goatelope wrote: »
    Thank you. I am happy to adjust and try for 1 pound a week rather than 2, just as long as I do see some loss - by loss I mean less the scale and more my clothing fitting / reduction in size.

    That's definitely a good indicator. For some reason I've been stuck at the same weight for a couple months with very, very slow loss. It's been driving me mad! Then, the other day I was going through some clothes to figure out what to get rid of and on a whim decided to try on my "goal pants". I could barely button them a couple months ago, but now I can comfortably button them.

    I'm not sure what is going on with the scale, but there are clearly other changes happening, so I guess I'll just go with it for a while and see what happens.

    Muscles weigh more than fat. That is why it's a good idea to pair up scale and measuring of chest/belly/hip circumference.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    goatelope wrote: »
    Thank you. I am happy to adjust and try for 1 pound a week rather than 2, just as long as I do see some loss - by loss I mean less the scale and more my clothing fitting / reduction in size.

    That's definitely a good indicator. For some reason I've been stuck at the same weight for a couple months with very, very slow loss. It's been driving me mad! Then, the other day I was going through some clothes to figure out what to get rid of and on a whim decided to try on my "goal pants". I could barely button them a couple months ago, but now I can comfortably button them.

    I'm not sure what is going on with the scale, but there are clearly other changes happening, so I guess I'll just go with it for a while and see what happens.

    Stress-related water weight is in the running, as an explanation. Too big a calorie deficit is a stressor, stressing about the scale is . . . well, you get it. There are *so many* things that increase water weight, most of them fairly temporary, but stress-related water retention can be a long, slow creep of increase, as I understand it.

    If you hadn't, I'd strongly suggest reading this:

    https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

    I think pretty much anyone trying to lose weight should read and understand that.

    These are also pretty good, though IMO less universally vital:

    https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
    https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
  • gigius72
    gigius72 Posts: 183 Member
    @AnnPT77 very good points there