1200 Calorie Diet???? Seriously???
Replies
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I just realize that the OP started this discussion in 2013.... 5 years ago. I think he’s long gone!
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I say this a lot, but it seems to bear repeating a lot.
I lose weight on 1200 plus exercise calories if I weigh every single bite meticulously and log every single calorie. I do not lose weight if I eat very much more than that. I am also a woman under 5 feet tall with a sedentary job who is currently in the middle of the optimal BMI range for my height. (For those who are curious, no, I am not currently trying to lose more weight.)
If even one of those variables is different for you than it is for me--if you are taller, have a more active job, weigh more, or have a different biological sex--then you can likely lose while eating more than 1200 calories, and 1200 may be dangerously low for you. If you are male, you should not be eating less than 1500.
If you do not sound very much like me and you believe that you must eat 1200 calories to lose weight, then take a look at your logging. You may be either eating more than you think and/or not burning as many exercise calories as you think.10 -
JayFromThatOnePlace wrote: »jennifer_417 wrote: »Yet.
Eventually true but Id be good for it for at least 7 months.
what makes you think youd be good for at least 7 months? just remember many toddlers eat more than 1200 calories. you are sacrificing a lot of things eating too little. Im a female and eat way more that 1200 and did do to lose weight. even when I was sedentary. if I had to eat 1200 calories I would be sick and lethargic. even when sick I eat more than 1200 calories. a day here and there of 1200 may be fine but not everyday for months on end.6 -
LOL Thank you random person on the internet who miraculously knows how everyone should eat. Just because for you something is unhealthy does not automatically apply to all others. What about the petite gals who are like 5 feet born with a slow metabolism? 1200 may very well work for them, maybe less if their doctor is good with it. Some people do intermittent fasting, so yeah "starving" themselves. But there's a whole science behind that. Become someone respected and respectful in the community then come back with your vast and incredible knowledge of all things. /sarcasm9
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He wrote that post over five years ago, so I doubt he’ll reply, lol.tealfoxonfire wrote: »LOL Thank you random person on the internet who miraculously knows how everyone should eat. Just because for you something is unhealthy does not automatically apply to all others. What about the petite gals who are like 5 feet born with a slow metabolism? 1200 may very well work for them, maybe less if their doctor is good with it. Some people do intermittent fasting, so yeah "starving" themselves. But there's a whole science behind that. Become someone respected and respectful in the community then come back with your vast and incredible knowledge of all things. /sarcasm
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tealfoxonfire wrote: »LOL Thank you random person on the internet who miraculously knows how everyone should eat. Just because for you something is unhealthy does not automatically apply to all others. What about the petite gals who are like 5 feet born with a slow metabolism? 1200 may very well work for them, maybe less if their doctor is good with it. Some people do intermittent fasting, so yeah "starving" themselves. But there's a whole science behind that. Become someone respected and respectful in the community then come back with your vast and incredible knowledge of all things. /sarcasm
first of all we arent talking about petite girls,secondly intermittent fasting is NOT starving yourself. its eating your calories in a window of time. I have done IF the last 3 decades and Im eating 1900 calories before exercise and am maintaining my weight and building some muscle so are you going to tell me IM starving myself? because I can assure you Im not. 1200 is too low for any male.and since men have more muscle and lean mass than women thats why the minimum for them is 1500 calories and thats for a very short,sedentary,elderly man or a combo of those things. and metabolism are not either fast or slow. your basal metabolic rate may be less than someone else but it doesnt mean its slow.a person who is obese/overweight will have a faster metabolism than a smaller person.
an any dr that recommends a person especially a male to eat 1200 calories ,hopefully that person is under the drs strict care and close supervision and Im not talking about those who are or who have had weight loss surgery either. theres a reason why most people should not eat under a certain amount of calories,and the more active a person the more calories their body needs.5 -
Meh I’m 5’9 and I lose nicely on about 1350. Might have a lot to do with my thyroid (which is treated but still low). When I eat much more I maintain or start to slowly gain. I’ve never been overweight but when I start to gain I go back to weighing and measuring and counting calories and 1350 seems to fit me just fine despite not being short, petite, or old. Just seems to be my magic number.1
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amberellen12 wrote: »I just realize that the OP started this discussion in 2013.... 5 years ago. I think he’s long gone!
Yes we know.
Posts are now responding to other posts made in last few days.2 -
The woo in this thread has given me a head ache
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I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.11
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LatoyasTime wrote: »I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.
The issue with such a large deficit in your case is loss of muscle mass. Your body can only burn so much fat per day and then it goes after other tissue. Muscle loss is a big deal because:
Your heart is a muscle and therefore at risk.
You will burn fewer calories at rest and therefore overall.
You will not look as good at goal weight as you would by retaining muscle.
Regardless of how you’re feeling, there are repercussions. This is especially true if you’re not including resistance work to your program.
Of course this is your choice but I just wanted to point all of this out incase you or anyone reading aren’t aware of the details. I’ve seen many people regret muscle loss on this site and struggle to regain it.
Good luck to you!
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LatoyasTime wrote: »I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.
The issue with such a large deficit in your case is loss of muscle mass. Your body can only burn so much fat per day and then it goes after other tissue. Muscle loss is a big deal because:
Your heart is a muscle and therefore at risk.
You will burn fewer calories at rest and therefore overall.
You will not look as good at goal weight as you would by retaining muscle.
Regardless of how you’re feeling, there are repercussions. This is especially true if you’re not including resistance work to your program.
Of course this is your choice but I just wanted to point all of this out incase you or anyone reading aren’t aware of the details. I’ve seen many people regret muscle loss on this site and struggle to regain it.
Good luck to you!
I'm going to start working out, I just haven't started yet. For me eating healthy isn't very hard. The hard part for me has always been getting up the motivation to exercise and exercise regularly.7 -
In all honesty, I think it depends on why a person is losing weight as to how much their caloric intake should be. For example, if you have an immediate and dangerous health condition that requires you to lose weight relatively quickly, the person may have to go on as low as 900 calories a day.
I knew a woman who was in congestive heart failure and would need weight loss surgery asap. But she had to lose 50 pounds before it would be safe to operate. She was placed on 1200 calories. She did fine and is doing better now.
I average between 1200 and 1350 a day and because my sodium intake has to be low, I find I naturally eat less anyway.
I don't feel deprived or starved, either. Not everyone can go to 1500 a day and effectively lose or play loosey-goosey with calories and not count them.
Sometimes it also depends on your metabolism and level of physical activity. But overall, the food advice is pretty solid. Good lean meats, veggies, fruits (if you can have them) are always important to a well-rounded nutrition plan.
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In all honesty, I think it depends on why a person is losing weight as to how much their caloric intake should be. For example, if you have an immediate and dangerous health condition that requires you to lose weight relatively quickly, the person may have to go on as low as 900 calories a day.
I knew a woman who was in congestive heart failure and would need weight loss surgery asap. But she had to lose 50 pounds before it would be safe to operate. She was placed on 1200 calories. She did fine and is doing better now.
I average between 1200 and 1350 a day and because my sodium intake has to be low, I find I naturally eat less anyway.
I don't feel deprived or starved, either. Not everyone can go to 1500 a day and effectively lose or play loosey-goosey with calories and not count them.
Sometimes it also depends on your metabolism and level of physical activity. But overall, the food advice is pretty solid. Good lean meats, veggies, fruits (if you can have them) are always important to a well-rounded nutrition plan.
those people are often under a drs strict care and supervision when they have to lose weight fast due to a comorbidity issue.8 -
I don't think anyone is disputing VLCD's in extreme situations under close medical supervision.
I don't think anyone is disputing that 1200 calories can be suitable for some people - older smaller less active women.
Or, being MFP so covering all bases - for people in comas or double amputees or other outliers.
But not for any young men and not for very many women.
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I aim for around 1200 on sedentary days. If I eat even 1500, I will not lose weight. Maybe it’s a slow metabolism? Either way, I do what gives results and what feels the best for me. On days when I get exercise, I eat more, but still maintain a similar deficit.
I have a girlfriend who is on 1800 a day (directed by a nutritionist), and she hasn’t lost an ounce. I know when you’re tracking and counting everything, to not see results would be incredibly discouraging.
Everyone’s weight loss journey is a personal one. Can we dispense with the judgement please?18 -
What judgement??
Stating that 1200 calories is not an appropriate level for many people, including some posters who clearly are not in the smaller older less active women category, is judgmental???
and that is basically all anyone has said.8 -
I'm quite happy on 1200 cals thank you. Works for me, I'm not hungry, I feel brighter and fresher, oh yeah, and I'm losing weight steadily. Lemon water - no thank you. I start my day with coffee, everyday. Sometimes I might have more - who cares? I do, so it's up to ME. I mix my meals up to suit me and suit what's in my fridge/cupboards and to fit in with my eating plan. I try and make the healthy choices, but you know what? Sometimes I can't afford to buy fresh salad every couple of days so instead it's cuppa soups and bananas. My eating has to be sustainable for me, my body, my lifestyle, my tastes and my budget. These are the things that relate to my food intake, not just physical activity.6
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LatoyasTime wrote: »LatoyasTime wrote: »I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.
The issue with such a large deficit in your case is loss of muscle mass. Your body can only burn so much fat per day and then it goes after other tissue. Muscle loss is a big deal because:
Your heart is a muscle and therefore at risk.
You will burn fewer calories at rest and therefore overall.
You will not look as good at goal weight as you would by retaining muscle.
Regardless of how you’re feeling, there are repercussions. This is especially true if you’re not including resistance work to your program.
Of course this is your choice but I just wanted to point all of this out incase you or anyone reading aren’t aware of the details. I’ve seen many people regret muscle loss on this site and struggle to regain it.
Good luck to you!
I'm going to start working out, I just haven't started yet. For me eating healthy isn't very hard. The hard part for me has always been getting up the motivation to exercise and exercise regularly.
Regular exercise has , for most of my life, always been my challenge.
I have “self-inspected” , trying to figure out what is the issue inside my head that stops me from continuing any exercise plan I have started.
I have seemed to be “destination dependent”, meaning I will happily climb the equivalent of 30 + flights of steps if headed to the top of a mountain with a great view , or walk 10 miles on a sightseeing tour of an island. But, stare at the monitor on the treadmill ? YAWN.
I got a little motivation from the “eyeball candy” of fit gym members , but nothing sustainable for the long run.
Currently, I have some success with the help of my Fitbit which prompts me to get up once an hour and get 250 steps in. I am grateful for a job that allows that to take place with no quarrel. (It’s just a couple minutes doing a circuit around the warehouse).
I get to the gym 4 days out of seven , sometimes 5 days, and mostly just use the treadmill, and the stair master.
At home I do planks and bridges and squats while watching tv, a few nights a weeks.
I hold on to the memories of how satisfying it feels to complete a workout, and how, unlike half a lemon meringue pie, the after-effects are mostly all positive. A few aches and pains I am attributing to lazy muscles being asked to do something after years of inactivity. I am confident in gaining strength , slowly, but surely.
I am tired of being weak. At 62, I have age (and gravity, hahaha) working against me and my strength and fitness s not going to improve by sitting around thinking about it.
At ages 30, 40, and 50, I was still very much in denial about the fact of my mortality.
But, as my good friend DD says “ de nial ain’t just a river in Egypt”
Good luck to you and good fitness to us all!
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I have worked offline with many women who insisted they had to eat 1200 calories to lose weight, and every single one, when they started weighing out all their portions and double checking the database entries they were using, found they were eating more like 1400-1700 calories. Which is exactly my experience as well.
If someone thinks they are eating 1200 calories and aren't hungry and are losing weight at a realistic pace, that's awesome, whether or not they are measuring their calories correctly. IMHO it becomes an issue when newbies think they have to starve themselves on an inappropriate number of calories to be successful. Or they feel like failures because they are trying to eat 1200 calories but they are hungry and can't stick to it.
Unless you are in the fringe minority, you don't have to eat so little to lose weight. Put your stats into MFP, choose a realistic goal (in other words probably not 2 lbs per week), and use the calorie goal MFP gives you. Use a food scale, spend some time finding/creating accurate entries in the database. Many (most) of us lost weight eating between 1400 and 2000 calories. There is no shame in not being able to stick to 1200 calories, it is not a lot of food. And you don't get bonus points for being comfortable on less calories than other people.
I will add, most of the newer posts warning against eating too little in this thread were directed to a man (not a petite older woman or someone with a thyroid problem) who said he was eating 1200 calories. Which if it's true, is unhealthy and unsustainable, full stop.19 -
ElementalMoe wrote: »I aim for around 1200 on sedentary days. If I eat even 1500, I will not lose weight. Maybe it’s a slow metabolism? Either way, I do what gives results and what feels the best for me. On days when I get exercise, I eat more, but still maintain a similar deficit.
I have a girlfriend who is on 1800 a day (directed by a nutritionist), and she hasn’t lost an ounce. I know when you’re tracking and counting everything, to not see results would be incredibly discouraging.
Everyone’s weight loss journey is a personal one. Can we dispense with the judgement please?
Are you ACCURATELY tracking? Because accurately tracked 1200 calories is very little food. I know. I was, when I started, in an appropriate category to be eating that amount and was accurately tracking. Were I sedentary now, I'd still be in that category. I am older and very short.
Honestly, very few younger people need to be eating 1200 calories to lose weight at a reasonable rate of loss.
Some people try to lose weight too quickly, but that's another matter.
IMO, a great many people thinking they are eating 1200 calories are likely eating more, so at least there's that.
Edit: Kimny beat me to it!
In the interest of helping people verify data base entries, here's the USDA data base. Verify produce and meats against standard reference entries (filter on database pulldown option)
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
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When I put my goals in told me to stay at 1450 calories per day I log it all in I never reach the 1450 calories I always have 300-600 cal left my stomach went down some I’m afraid to weigh myself. I try to exercise 1 hr 3-4 times per week....
I was told by 2 ppl recently I looked like I was losing weight.... which is motivating
I wish my pant sizes etc were coming down but nothing....I feel embarrassed cuz I don’t feel I’m losing....I just started in October
I’m 60+ 5’2 my goal 135 At least I’m closer to 195 now....patiently waiting doongvthis mostly for my health....Thanks for all encouragement n sharing thoughts....
2 -
When I put my goals in told me to stay at 1450 calories per day I log it all in I never reach the 1450 calories I always have 300-600 cal left my stomach went down some I’m afraid to weigh myself. I try to exercise 1 hr 3-4 times per week....
I was told by 2 ppl recently I looked like I was losing weight.... which is motivating
I wish my pant sizes etc were coming down but nothing....I feel embarrassed cuz I don’t feel I’m losing....I just started in October
I’m 60+ 5’2 my goal 135 At least I’m closer to 195 now....patiently waiting doongvthis mostly for my health....Thanks for all encouragement n sharing thoughts....
Don't be embarrassed! Most of us have all sorts of fears and head games we play internally around our weight and appearance. For me personally, I found boiling the process down to data helped me remove the emotion from it. My weight, my calories, my macros - all data to play with. But other people find looking at the numbers too much causes them too much stress. So you have to find a balance where you have enough data to determine whether you are making progress, but not so much data that it stresses you out.
If you get a moment, read these Most Helpful posts, maybe some of the info in there will make a difference:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
You can find lots of other posts like those in the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each forum.
Hang in there and good luck
4 -
LatoyasTime wrote: »I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.
The issue with such a large deficit in your case is loss of muscle mass. Your body can only burn so much fat per day and then it goes after other tissue. Muscle loss is a big deal because:
Your heart is a muscle and therefore at risk.
You will burn fewer calories at rest and therefore overall.
You will not look as good at goal weight as you would by retaining muscle.
Regardless of how you’re feeling, there are repercussions. This is especially true if you’re not including resistance work to your program.
Of course this is your choice but I just wanted to point all of this out incase you or anyone reading aren’t aware of the details. I’ve seen many people regret muscle loss on this site and struggle to regain it.
Good luck to you!
Yes, but the amount of fat any given body can "burn" in a day -- i.e., the amount of energy recoverable from fat stores -- is dependent on how much fat that body has, and at more than 300 lbs, kami3006 likely has adequate fat stores to fuel her deficit.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »LatoyasTime wrote: »I started at 360 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm actually pretty happy with it. I don't feel hungry, tired, deprived, nothing. Don't really see why I should force myself to eat more when I feel fine. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I haven't started working out however and I know that will make me feel hungrier in which case I'll just eat more lol. No biggie.
The issue with such a large deficit in your case is loss of muscle mass. Your body can only burn so much fat per day and then it goes after other tissue. Muscle loss is a big deal because:
Your heart is a muscle and therefore at risk.
You will burn fewer calories at rest and therefore overall.
You will not look as good at goal weight as you would by retaining muscle.
Regardless of how you’re feeling, there are repercussions. This is especially true if you’re not including resistance work to your program.
Of course this is your choice but I just wanted to point all of this out incase you or anyone reading aren’t aware of the details. I’ve seen many people regret muscle loss on this site and struggle to regain it.
Good luck to you!
Yes, but the amount of fat any given body can "burn" in a day -- i.e., the amount of energy recoverable from fat stores -- is dependent on how much fat that body has, and at more than 300 lbs, kami3006 likely has adequate fat stores to fuel her deficit.
Indeed, for now.4 -
I understand that 1200 is the minimum amount for a woman but I feel as though too many people are hating against it as if it were unhealthy when it isn't. I lose 1 lb a week on 1200 calories and if I were to increase it the process would be too slow for me. I have been doing this for many months now and I feel just fine. I do also acknowledge that not all women can feel satiated on this amount of calories and that's alright because you can lose on more calories.
Don't see the need to make it seem like it is such an unhealthy way to approach weight loss. On reddit there is a subreddit 1200isplenty and many women on there are progressing just fine with this strategy.10 -
etherealanwar wrote: »I understand that 1200 is the minimum amount for a woman but I feel as though too many people are hating against it as if it were unhealthy when it isn't. I lose 1 lb a week on 1200 calories and if I were to increase it the process would be too slow for me. I have been doing this for many months now and I feel just fine. I do also acknowledge that not all women can feel satiated on this amount of calories and that's alright because you can lose on more calories.
Don't see the need to make it seem like it is such an unhealthy way to approach weight loss. On reddit there is a subreddit 1200isplenty and many women on there are progressing just fine with this strategy.
There are subreddits for all types of lifestyle choices, including ones that are clearly unhealthy or unwise. I'm not saying that 1,200 calories is unhealthy or unwise for everyone, but the fact that there is a subreddit dedicated to it and people on there seem to be doing fine is completely irrelevant.
When you don't have a lot of weight to lose, it can be a slow process. Many people who are choosing low calorie goals are doing so because it is an issue of patience. It's a potential sign that their goal weight of loss isn't realistic for their current situation.12 -
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....
Exercise is not key. It helps you be more physically fit but it is not the key to weight loss. I would also say that the minority limit themselves to 1200 calories. As far as all of your well intentioned, high brow tips on losing weight, I say bull pucky. Lemon water is great if you have kidney stones (which I do) but does nothing to assist in weight loss. Staying hydrated will keep you healthier, but not aid in weight loss. When I did lose weight, I had condiments regularly, had a bagel and full fat cream cheese for breakfast everyday, ate four servings of fruit a day, had deli meat for lunch Monday through Friday, and couldn't afford lean meats so I had hamburger usually with rice or pasta because it's cheap. I eat mostly full fat dairy because I prefer it. I make my own yogurt with 2% but it has *dread* added sugar because I use sweetened condensed milk to sweeten it. I was a single mother of four working full time and couldn't find time to exercise. Guess what? I lost weight. I lost a lot of weight. I lost 65 pounds before coming to MFP. My goal is not as much weigh loss now as it is being more physically fit. I can now afford to eat the lean meats and have a gym membership but I still eat processed meats occassionally. I still eat full fat dairy. I use condiments. I eat fruit several times a day. I do drink lemon water but again...kidney stones. Losing weight really is CICO. I can personally attest to that fact.6 -
etherealanwar wrote: »I understand that 1200 is the minimum amount for a woman but I feel as though too many people are hating against it as if it were unhealthy when it isn't. I lose 1 lb a week on 1200 calories and if I were to increase it the process would be too slow for me. I have been doing this for many months now and I feel just fine. I do also acknowledge that not all women can feel satiated on this amount of calories and that's alright because you can lose on more calories.
Don't see the need to make it seem like it is such an unhealthy way to approach weight loss. On reddit there is a subreddit 1200isplenty and many women on there are progressing just fine with this strategy.
Did you see that the primary person now being responded to is a guy? Do you think you and a larger guy should be eating the same amount of calories? Can you point out where in the 2018 portion of this thread people are saying that 1200 calories is unhealthy for everyone (as opposed to the man I see all the "unhealthy" comments being directed to)?
Do you know for sure that all the women on that reddit are using a food scale for all solids and logging everything accurately and completely? Or are they using the common estimations many people use and end up under-stating their calories?10 -
LiminalAscendance wrote: »Show me an example where some non-ridiculous (e.g. a gallon in few minutes) amount of water was actually harmful to an individual.
It can kill you. so, there's that.
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/water-intoxication#1
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-teen-dies-from-drinking-too-much-water-gatorade/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1770067/6
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