Worried about 1200 cal diet?

deksgrl

The OP is 5'7, she doesn't need to do 1200 calories.

gemma1675

I don't claim to be an expert, as I am in a similar position to OP. But my plan is to stick to 1200 until Xmas hols, hopefully maximising weight loss before Xmas and while I am super motivated. After Xmas I will reduce my target to 1lb a week and go for the long haul slow and steady.

_HeartsOnFire_

The OP is 5'7, she doesn't need to do 1200 calories.

Kitty7814

I have been doing 1,200 net (I wear a body media fit arm band and always eat back my exercise calories). SW 224 and CW 200, it's been about 15 weeks. I measure my body fat % with the navy method, and per that my loss has been almost all fat. If I'm not hungry, tired, and per the measuring tape I'm losing fat and not muscle I'm not sure I understand why it is supposed to be so unhealthy. Also, I had a physical a couple of weeks ago and all of my bloodwork was fine with exception of vitamin D (but that was a problem last year before dieting as well).

I'm really interested in this thread because I always read "Eat more, I did and I lost weight!!!" but I don't understand why with the above mentioned scenario I should.

Edit to add I'm 5'7" and 28.

chandanista

Stay on the 1200 Calorie diet.

This!!

Im pretty much the same measurements.... (Started at 220ish, now 164ish, 5"6!) and iv always stuck to 1200 a day, and im still losing. I also DONT eat back my exercise cals. Each to their own though, you will soon find what works best for you!! :flowerforyou:

And, I'm 5'6", started at 210 now at 159-160ish, most lost at 1500-1600 cal/day, eating back some exercise.

1200 is not necessary for weight loss.

RGv2

I have been doing 1,200 net (I wear a body media fit arm band and always eat back my exercise calories). SW 224 and CW 200, it's been about 15 weeks. I measure my body fat % with the navy method, and per that my loss has been almost all fat. If I'm not hungry, tired, and per the measuring tape I'm losing fat and not muscle I'm not sure I understand why it is supposed to be so unhealthy. Also, I had a physical a couple of weeks ago and all of my bloodwork was fine with exception of vitamin D (but that was a problem last year before dieting as well).

I'm really interested in this thread because I always read "Eat more, I did and I lost weight!!!" but I don't understand why with the above mentioned scenario I should.

Edit to add I'm 5'7" and 28.

The measuring tape is an extremely.....extremely inaccurate way to measure BF%.

Kitty7814

My understanding is that everything you can do at home is an extremely inaccurate way to measure BF%. The scale is giving same results, though I don't look at that as often. What would you recommend?

vabheegaard

I started at 186 and followed MFP 1200 a day calorie intake + plus added the workout and have lost 30 lbs. It works!

MrsBrosco

Bump

jennycina93

You should definitely increase. It estimated 1200 calories for me and I am 5'1 and 161 pounds. We should not be eating the same amount (you should be eating more since your quite a bit taller). This is what it estimated for me to lose 1.5 pounds per week.

Tiger2wild

So, not to bring my own problems into it at all or anything, but I'm on a DAWL program and, according to what I'm reading here, it is bad for me. I couldn't imagine a doctor doing something on a regular basis that is bad for people's health; however, this post has made me call my PCP for a second opinion.

The DAWL has me limited to a 700 cal/day diet. I've been on it for just under two weeks and have lost ~16 lbs already. I don't do HEAVY exercise; however, I do light cardio and once per week I play non-competitive volleyball for about 2.5-3 hours. I don't ALWAYS COMPLETELY eat back my exercise cals but do eat at least a portion of them back.

My advise, if it is warranted in this situation, is to go with how you feel, and do as much research and doctor calling as you feel is enough to settle your mind. If you feel ok with a 1200 cal/day diet (physically) and can do that along with eating back a majority of your exercise cals, I would consider that acceptable; however, I am not a doctor and am just going off of my limited experience.

By the way, my stats:
SW 328lbs CW 312.2lbs 5'10"

Again, I'm not trying to bring my own issues into the mix, just going off of what I've experienced thus far.

Hope things go well for you in your endeavors though, OP.

nicole559

My daily goal has always been 1,200. I had better results when I ate 1,200 cal and exercised. This target will keep your weight loss more consistent. Eating 1,200 calories seems like nothing, but you can make them stretch if you eat the right things. Good luck

RGv2

My understanding is that everything you can do at home is an extremely inaccurate way to measure BF%. The scale is giving same results, though I don't look at that as often. What would you recommend?

Scales use the same math.

Hydrostatic is really the only way to "accurately" measure. You could caliper at home, but that isn't really all that accurate either.

At my best shape ever, the tape had me at almost 20%.

Siansonea

As others have said, you have to use both diet AND exercise. If you only eat 1200 calories and do no exercise, there is no way you will be able to meet your nutritional requirements (and reaceive the warning from MyFitnessPal). Now, if you eat 1500 calories and exercise the equivalent of at least 300 calories, you'll be back at 1200 (and won't be reprimanded by MyFitnessPal for not eating enough calories) and lose weight. Even if the only exercise you do is walking slowly, it's still exercise and it's still burning calories. You may also want to reconsider your goals and drop it back to a pound per week. It's realistic and you have less chance of hitting heartbreaking plateaus.

Pffft. Wrong.

I don't exercise. I've lost 15 pounds. I'm perfectly healthy.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to calorie deficit. It has to be tailored to the individual. You can't just declare that a person can't get enough nutrition from 1200 calories.

emilyisbonkers

I would recommend eating more than 1200 calories a day, just because it is easier to stick to and you feel less deprived. Also, don't worry about the protein suggestions on mfp, as they are a bit low, if you aim to eat more protein you will feel more full and there is less chance of muscle wastage

margelizard

I have been doing 1200 since I joind MFP in May(ish). I didn't have any trouble staying at this amount and rarely ate back my exercise calories. For a while, I lost 1-2 lbs a week pretty consistently and then I hit a wall.

A two month long wall.

So, I decided it was time to re-assess. I changed my goal to a much more realistic 1 lb loss per week. That gave me a few extra calories to play with. I became much more reasonable about my exercise regime i.e. I stopped working out as much and switched it up a lot more. I started eating back about half of my exercise calories too. And then I started to lose again.

Since I became more reasonable and less unrealistic, I have posted consistent losses. So I wouldn't say eating 1200 doesn't work, but it might not necessarily be sustainable or it might lead to a verrrry frustrating wall that is very difficult to move past. There is nothing worse than working hard, eating right and posting no weight loss whatsoever.

So find what works for you. Experiment and pay attention to your body and how it is responding. But most of all, be reasonable about losing weight.

MapleFlavouredMaiden

1200 is starvation. You will lose weight sure, but you are losing muscle, organ tissue, and bone mass as well as fat. This is also not sustainable so when you eventually crash your metabolism, you will gain all the weight back plus more and you will have a weakened metabolism and less muscle and a much unhealthier body. The scoobyworkshop calculator online is the best I've seen for calculating your target. MFP numbers only work if you are putting in all of your exercise (including walking and housework, etc.) and then eating back those calories. A deficit of 20-30% of TDEE is a good goal for someone quite overweight. Not only will a 1200 calorie diet be hard to follow, you will experience greater amounts of bad side effects such as lack of sexual desire, extreme hunger, metabolic slow down, mood swings, extreme fatigue, etc. It's just not worth it.

MapleFlavouredMaiden

As others have said, you have to use both diet AND exercise. If you only eat 1200 calories and do no exercise, there is no way you will be able to meet your nutritional requirements (and reaceive the warning from MyFitnessPal). Now, if you eat 1500 calories and exercise the equivalent of at least 300 calories, you'll be back at 1200 (and won't be reprimanded by MyFitnessPal for not eating enough calories) and lose weight. Even if the only exercise you do is walking slowly, it's still exercise and it's still burning calories. You may also want to reconsider your goals and drop it back to a pound per week. It's realistic and you have less chance of hitting heartbreaking plateaus.

Pffft. Wrong.

I don't exercise. I've lost 15 pounds. I'm perfectly healthy.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to calorie deficit. It has to be tailored to the individual. You can't just declare that a person can't get enough nutrition from 1200 calories.

Sorry, you are incorrect. You are going by personal antecdote and not using science or even common sense. If you are eating less than your body needs to function and repair, you aren't eating healthily or getting enough nutrition. Losing 15lbs doesn't make you healthy or an expert. In fact, 15lbs isn't really anything. If you are eating so low, it's most likely loss of water, glycogen, and food stores. When you stop "dieting", you will gain all of it back.

christinepeterson505

I'm 5-10 and SW was 209, and I'm 45. My original goal was to lose 1.5 lbs/week and I believe that MFP had me at about 1500 cal/day. I don't exercise all that much--just walk the dog kind of stuff, but I am a teacher and so I'm on my feet all day. I entered my lifestyle as "lightly active." Now my CW is 178 and my goal is to lose 1 lb. per week and MFP has me at 1320 cal/day.

I do weigh myself everyday, and I find that this all averages out as MFP suggests. I might not lose any weight for more than a week, but then lose more than two pounds the next week, which, of course, averages to one lb/week.

In any case, it would have been extremely difficult for me to start out on 1200 calories a day. I know I would have been hungry all of the time and probably would have given up. Making the small calorie changes was much more manageable.

mitsyb

I am in the same boat as you are, with only 1200 cal/day, I am always hungry. I have resorted to doing 2 protien shakes a day and only real meal and have not lost a pound. Getting extremely frustrated.