1000-1200 a day results?

fat2thingirl

Anyone eat/ate about 1000-1200 calories a day for a period of time and lost weight? If you dont mind sharing, how much and how fast did you lose weight? And do you mind sharing any before and after pics?

I'm motivated and ready to lose weight!! But I'd love to be even more motivated by others' success and advice! !!

I'm currently eating about 1000-1200 a day. I am moderately active- my job is fairly active and a few times a week I ride my bike or do exercise videos.

Also, if anyone wants to be MFP buddies just add me a as a friend! We could all use as much support as we can get.. We could support each other and root each other on and share tips and advice and recipes, etc.

LiveOnceBeHappy

I lost 46 lbs in 8 months on 1200 calories per day and very light walking exercise. I just reached goal at 124 lbs. My diary is open, I think, but Easter was a disaster and yesterday was also, so disregard those entries! I’m officially in maintenance now.

goal06082021

Take a look at this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10761904/under-1200-for-weight-loss

Please be careful.

88AViva

I am on 1200 a day. Day 5, so far so good.
Light workouts, active with housework. It's not that I ate a lot before, I have the same two meals but just slightly bigger portions and less healthy options. But the main problem- little snacks in between or late at night (ice cream, cheese and chocolate).
Add me if you want 🙂

AnnPT77

I did 1200 + all exercise calories for a while, and it was too aggressive: I got weak and fatigued (very suddenly, like hitting a wall, after previously feeling energetic and not hungry. It took multiple weeks to recover. I was lucky nothing worse happened, other than maybe a little hair thinning down the road (that's usually a time-delayed thing). No one needs that. Please be careful.

At the time, I was 5'5", somewhere in the 150s pounds, heading for mid-120s, had already lost 30ish pounds without calorie counting. I'll underscore that I'd been eating 1200+exercise, so more like 1400-2000 gross calorie intake most days. It was still too little.

Low calorie goals may be necessary for some women who are petite stature, not very active, older. But more people shoot that low than should do so, IMO - there's a honeymoon period of high motivation, an understandable rush to get that fat off fast . . . but it can lead to quicker burnout, occasionally compensatory overeating, or sometimes to giving up altogether, because it gets to be a grind, too hard to sustain. That's without even considering health risks.

Successful weight management is not a quick project with an end date, after which things go back to normal. For most people for whom body weight has been a challenge, successful loss of a meaningful amount of weight (in a healthful way) is going to take weeks and months, realistically. After that, staying at a healthy weight long term is a lifelong endeavor.

In my view, that puts a premium on finding sustainable methods that are relatively easy, and reasonably enjoyable (or at least tolerable), allow for good overall life balance along the way (i.e., enough time, energy and motivation left for other parts of life, to stay happy). The other alternative tends to be repeat diet-attempt bouts and yo-yos.

Yes, I'm a buzz-kill, I suppose. Personally, I ended up eating 1400-1600 calories (plus carefully estimated exercise calories) during most of weight loss, so 1600-2000+ gross intake most days. I lost around 60 pounds in just less than a year, and have stayed at a healthy weight for 6+ years since, after literally decades previous to that of overweight/obesity. There were some lessons along the way, but maybe they only apply to me.

Whatever course you choose, I wish you success in your goals, sincerely!

MaggieGirl135

I ate 1200 cal/day for a half year…excluding vacations, holidays, and social events. Eating only 1200 cal/day took a lot planning and learning of what would work for me. I’m 5’ 3.5” and would think 1200 cal/day would be very hard for someone even 1-2” taller. I exercise 5-6 days/wk, also. I lost 2 lb/mo due to my ‘social’ days, days that I just ate what I wished without concern for calories. I started just a bit into the overweight BMI scale and am now on the high side of the normal BMI scale. I am now eating 1410 cal/day and life is so much easier. I will lose weight at a slower pace and I am ok with that.

onyxgirl17

Yeah, it was not a good idea for me.

ErinKeegan2

I don't recommend eating 1000-1200 calories per day, it's not enough for the productive function of the organism. You can lose weight, but also you can lose useful elements of the body, from which the body is built. Just think about it or discuss your diet with a professional nutritionist

gpanda103

I’ve done that a few times and all I can say is… don’t. The dry skin, lack of sleep, lack of bowel movements, weak bladder, hair loss, brain fog, sexual dysfunction… I can go on and on. Not worth it

yirara

gpanda103 wrote: »

I’ve done that a few times and all I can say is… don’t. The dry skin, lack of sleep, lack of bowel movements, weak bladder, hair loss, brain fog, sexual dysfunction… I can go on and on. Not worth it

... loss of muscles which might people not look great but flabby and which might cause osteoporosis as we age, gallbladder problems, etc...

88AViva

Beyond day 6 I changed it to 1400 calories just to be safe. I'm 5'3 (163cm). This is better for me and it's not slowing down my progress. Energy wise im feeling great and all is as it should be.
I usually eat about this much anyway, I haven't changed my portions (back to how it was before). I just choose better foods. Sometimes it's a struggle for me to even eat beyond 1200/ cals day if I'm not snacking or eating junk food. All I did was stop the sodas, ice creams, biscuits with tea and potato chips. No longer self soothing with treats.

fat2thingirl

88AViva wrote: »

Beyond day 6 I changed it to 1400 calories just to be safe. I'm 5'3 (163cm). This is better for me and it's not slowing down my progress. Energy wise im feeling great and all is as it should be.
I usually eat about this much anyway, I haven't changed my portions (back to how it was before). I just choose better foods. Sometimes it's a struggle for me to even eat beyond 1200/ cals day if I'm not snacking or eating junk food. All I did was stop the sodas, ice creams, biscuits with tea and potato chips. No longer self soothing with treats.

That's great! Yes, cutting out the self-soothing with food is such a biggie for me too. When I do that, I eat so much less and lose weight and feel so much better long term. It's very hard in the moment for me when I have a binge urge or intense craving for high calorie snacks when I'm upset but it's SO SO SO worth it for me when I just say no to that temptation.. thank you for your inspiration!

GammonRae

I am on a 1200/day plan with a goal of losing 1 pound a week. Been at it for over 2 weeks now and I have increased my exercise significantly (lots of walking, combined with some running, strength training, and yoga a few days a week). I try to move every day even if it isn't anything intense, which is much more than I used to do. That coupled with my strict calorie counting, and I have GAINED 1.5 lbs. I've been to my doctor and had my thyroid tested (I have an anti-body that can cause Thyroid function problems) but he says all my hormones are in the normal range (technically they are, but they are at the very bottom end of the range). I have been dealing with rapid weight gain, excessively dry skin, joint pain, and a few others that indicate a thyroid problem....and yet my doctor thinks I am just eating too much. I am beyond frustrated. I have always been a pretty healthy eater, and even more so over the past few months, but my body just keeps wanting to add weight and I can't fathom how it's possible, mathematically. I am a finance analyst, numbers are kinda my thing - and the math just doesn't add up (unless my body is just not burning ANY calories, which would mean I am dead.) If you are on a 1200 calorie diet, I hope it works for you. Might give me some hope if it does.

AnnPT77

GammonRae wrote: »

I am on a 1200/day plan with a goal of losing 1 pound a week. Been at it for over 2 weeks now and I have increased my exercise significantly (lots of walking, combined with some running, strength training, and yoga a few days a week). I try to move every day even if it isn't anything intense, which is much more than I used to do. That coupled with my strict calorie counting, and I have GAINED 1.5 lbs. I've been to my doctor and had my thyroid tested (I have an anti-body that can cause Thyroid function problems) but he says all my hormones are in the normal range (technically they are, but they are at the very bottom end of the range). I have been dealing with rapid weight gain, excessively dry skin, joint pain, and a few others that indicate a thyroid problem....and yet my doctor thinks I am just eating too much. I am beyond frustrated. I have always been a pretty healthy eater, and even more so over the past few months, but my body just keeps wanting to add weight and I can't fathom how it's possible, mathematically. I am a finance analyst, numbers are kinda my thing - and the math just doesn't add up (unless my body is just not burning ANY calories, which would mean I am dead.) If you are on a 1200 calorie diet, I hope it works for you. Might give me some hope if it does.

In only two weeks, you can still be seeing water retention masking fat loss on the scale. Our bodies will retain water for muscle repair when we ramp up exercise. You look as if you may still be pre-menopausal; some women only see a new low weight once a month because of hormonal water retention cycles (that's unusual, but not unheard of).

How petite are you, and how much weight do you have to lose, in total? Cutting calories aggressively far can result in increased water retention, too - from stress related cortisol levels. I

f MFP estimated your calorie needs, the lowest calorie goal it will give a woman is 1200 calories and we're intended to add exercise calories to that (assuming setup of our profile correctly included only daily life activity in the activity level setting, and/or we have a fitness tracker synched). If you're extremely petite, and without much to lose, a 1200 calorie result may not be a 1 pound loss rate. On the other hand, if you're not very petite or have quite a few pounds to lose, 1200 could be aggressively low given the exercise you're now doing.

None of that's for sure, but those are some possibilities.

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

I'd suggest giving it a whole menstrual cycle, so you can compare your bodyweight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles. I admit, I'm doing some speculating here, because you didn't give much detail.

I hope you see some results soon!

JaysFan82

I'm on 2200 right now and have lost 50 pounds since Feb.24. I'm also 6'6 338(currently)

LiveOnceBeHappy

I'm 5' 2.5". I started August of 21 at 170 lbs. I am now 120 lbs. Got there a few weeks ago. I did 1200 calories 99% of the time. There were a couple overages with events. I am at goal now and am adding in calories trying to find the balance. I didn't track exercise in my calories as all I did was walk a bit more. Things that helped significantly was planning ahead, eating chicken for dinner frequently, eating the same breakfast every day (1/2 cup oats cooked with water and 80 grams of fruit). I drink black coffee now! Persistence paid off for me. I am fully committed.