1200 Calorie Diet???? Seriously???

FrankiesSaysRelax

Anything that eliminates mayo sounds dumb.

Ang108

I'm fairly new to this forum and am really surprised at how many people on here are starving themselves to lose weight. Weight loss is not a sprint its a marathon. Its something that should happen over time, not within a few weeks. Weight loss is more than just limiting your caloric intake. Its a combination of eating clean and healthy ( I hate the word diet) and exercising on a daily basis. Starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight and by limiting your caloric intake to 1200 or so calories is doing just that. Not only is it unhealthy, but its a process that you will never stick to because its not natural and uncomfortable to do. So lets be serious and talk about how to lose weight realistically.

I would first ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?' Is it for appearance? Is it to be more healthy? Is it to be able to make it up that flight of steps without getting tired? Once you understand your own reasoning you can then move forward and begin your weight loss journey, because after all that's what it should be, a journey not a short trip. Once you've realized your goal and the reason for it you need to make the biggest decision of all, and that's to commit to yourself and commit to achieving your goal of losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle.

So now you've made the decision to put your health first; now what? Lets start with your eating habits. What do you eat? When do you eat it? and how often are you eating? Your body is a very complex machine but by following some simple rules about eating, you can have it running very efficiently. Follow these few simple rules and you'll see and feel the difference in your energy level.
-Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water
-Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day
-Drink water, all day long
-Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts...
-Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible
-Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.
-Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body
-Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy. Greek yogurt is a good choice.
-Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar

This si just a guide to go by. Your food intake should be directly related to your physical activity. Exercise is key but that's a whole other topic....

I eat mostly natural, do not always steam my veggies ( of which I eat large amounts ) but bake, boil, satée them or eat them raw, I eat pork, lamb, goat and ham, accompanied with full fat mayo and full fat dairy ( for me healthy eating means exactly that, because low fat stuff imo is over processed ) and in general eat a wide variety of foods. I also start my day with two cups of coffee instead of water and especially not with lemon water...lol. I eat 1200 calories ( at just 5 feet and almost 66 years it is the perfect amount for me ). Now I feel that I should give back the almost 40 pounds I lost in the last six month, because I am obviously doing it all wrong.....:o).
While I agree with some of your statements ( which btw have been stated thousands of times before) I really dislike it when people generalize as much as you do. Weight loss is a very individual thing and people have to figure out what works for them. I am sure you will figure that out as you progress with your own program.
Good Luck !

And before I forget; for weight loss exercise ( excellent for getting in shape and staying healthy ) is actually not " key ". For weight loss calorie deficit is " key ".....:o).

smc864

1,200 calories is hardly "starving onesself." Some of us aren't all that hungry and it works fine. Some people eat moe.

If you're seriously struggling on 1,200 calories, eat more. If not, don't.

Unlike the OP, I only offer advice when asked and am not so presumptious to assume my experience is everyone else's experience.

Amen!

SabrinaLC

Different things work for different people.
I am 4'11", I weigh just under 105lbs and 1000 - 1200 works just fine for me.

BL_Coleman

I think that anyone who does a 1200 calorie diet needs to take into account thier activity level and size.

I tried 1200 and did not lose weight as I could not sustain it, with work outs. However just jumping to 1400 per day and eating back about 1/2 my w/o calories per week as kept the weight loss progressing. If I was not working out however, my calories needed to lose weight would be 1200 or under. I am 5'1 so my BMI without excercise would be between 11-1200.

Serah87

I think saying a 1200 calorie diet is starving is a bit of a broad statement. I am only 5'1. I can not eat as much as someone who is 5'10 and lose weight. I do fine eating 1200 calories and my exercise calories.

I'm 5'2 and eat between 1700-2000 calories!!!....and I am losing weight, see ticker below!!! :bigsmile:

HefferSprint

Another really good way to lose weight is to come here and preach. Folks will take bites out of your backside.

Deipneus

Is it that time again already? Time for the you're-wrong-to-eat-1200-calories-a-day lecture? Sometimes MFP feels like Groundhog's Day and I'm Bill Murray.

PrettyPearl88

For some people, 1200 calories/day IS a healthy way to lose weight. Usually, those people are shorter and only slightly overweight women who either can't exercise much due to age or a medical condition or if they do exercise, they eat back their exercise calories so that they're really netting 1200 calories/day.

As for your tips, like many others have said, limiting certain foods is good only to the extent of reaching a healthy calorie deficit and healthy macros. Limiting more than that is completely unnecessary and often unhealthy.

Also...I love carbs and I hate it when people try to convince others that carbs are "bad" and need to "limited." Carbs are GOOD and should make up a good portion of your diet.

LiminalAscendance

Water all day long eh...I drink when I am thirsty...too much water isn't good either.

Well, let's get this silly thing out of the way.

I know it's all the rage on these forums to say how there's no such thing as too much sugar, fat, and how all the "cool kids" have a pint of B&J's each night, but now water can be bad?

Just like everyone here says we don't need cleanses, since our body can handle it, we certainly don't need to worry about drinking too much water. That's why we urinate.

Show me an example where some non-ridiculous (e.g. a gallon in few minutes) amount of water was actually harmful to an individual. Note: Bear in mind that replacing water with the diet sodas everyone here seems to love would be just as "bad" for you as the pure stuff.

Drinking water is a good thing, and not some hippie conspiracy.

Greenrun99

You meant well buddy.. you meant well.

Alpina483

Different things work for different people.
I am 4'11", I weigh just under 105lbs and 1000 - 1200 works just fine for me.

True, yet I think you would agree that majority of people on this site are taller than 5' (statistics) and overweight.

mrsamanda86

I'm only 4'11 I can't eat 2000 calories worth of food, and when I did, I got so fat I was off the BMI charts. I'm slowly working my way back towards being on there and then into the healthy range... by eating between 1100-1400 calories depending on how active/hungry I am that day. Calorie intake is different for everyone, I don't need anywhere close to what the average height woman needs, much less a man over 6 ft.

Myhaloslipped

1200 calorie diets work well for some people, and to each his/her own. But this is how I feel about them:

Myhaloslipped

That being said, I am fairly tall and active, and I work out a great deal at high intensity levels with lots of lifting. So that's probably why I have to eat more.

rml_16

1200 calorie diets work well for some people, and to each his/her own. But this is how I feel about them:

I eat quite a bit for 1,200 calories.

happylife2014

I am currently sticking to a 1200 Calorie diet and it works for me... thanks for your insight, but perhaps your advice would be better received if you didn't seem like such a know it all

Exactly! Each of us does what works for us.. I would think that if we're smart enough to live life day to day in this world that if one is hungry on 1200-1300 calories a day, they would bump them up a little.. 1200-1300 is far from starving yourself.. Also, it seems to me that most everyone on here (that I've noticed) has an exercise/workout routine as well..

JagerLewis

500 calories a day for weeks or months is starving yourself. 1200 calories a day for weeks or months is just fine and healthy. I get all the nutrients I need on those calories. I'm full with each meal, full of energy, and happy.

Myhaloslipped

I used to be able to eat eat that amount, but the lifting 4 days per week has made my hunger a bit out of control. I have been told this will level out soon, and I have just been upping my protein intake to deal with it. it is driving me a bit nuts at times.