Looking to add people on 1200 calories a day

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Replies

  • Add me, I eat 1200 calories a day. In Manhattan, and looking for diet friends. Need to lose 30 lbs by April 1.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    (I usually make this comment early in threads like these, but I think I overlooked it this time.)

    Many people, understandably so, in a rush to reach their goal weight as quickly as possible (because this time they're serious), immediately go straight to the *fewest* calories possible without causing themselves immediate obvious damage.

    It is far more optimal (IMHO), for many reasons, instead to find the *most* calories possible while still making satisfactory progress towards their goals. Reasons include more energy (which means more productive workouts and an overall better life), better long-term adherence, higher likelihood to reach minimum micro and macro goals, better body composition at goal (by reducing muscle loss), better flexibility to overcome plateaus/"sticking points", etc.

    /PSA

    QFT
  • Op's Boyfriend here, while i can understand some of the concerns brought on by people saying 1200 calories can cause issues such as tiredness changes with hormones or other health issues, i've been with her since she started this diet, and before that going on a year now, and i have not seen any negative impacts whatsoever, if there was she would not be doing it, but as far as i've seen, no binge eating, and health is overall great, i think tbh, it's a choice that works for someone then that is there right to do it. if she still eats meals, goes out for meals, and spoils herself like any normal person, then what is the problem here,

    No problem here. Chances are she's eating more than 1200 anyway.

    Yeah because I'd totally sign up to a calorie counting site + lie about what I log. Logic

    LOL, no one said anything about lying. If you're inconsistent (which you have admitted) and you don't weigh and measure what you eat, chances are you're eating more than 1200. Also, you said you eat some of your exercise calories (which you are supposed to do, so good job) so you aren't really eating only 1200, you're eating more than that.

    I'm out. Good luck with your goals.

    I do consistently weigh and measure everything I eat :p I really meant netting 1200, I mention eating 1200 a lot because I don't tend to do a great amount of exercise anyway so this is the amount I often end up eating

    And there you have it! You don't exercise a great amount anyway. You are 18 years old (nothing wrong with that) and promoting a 1200 cal/ day life style to people on here who are looking to lose weight and make life changes. This includes exercise. There are many new people here who are going to fail, sadly, becuase MFP says that 1200/day is good for them. They are going to exercise much harder than you probably due (according to your own admission) and they are going to be hungry, binge, and fall off. That is not healthy. I tried to point out earlier that 1200/day when you exercise often isn't enough. Perhaps it's your wording. Saying that you are looking to add people at 1200/day who don't exercise much would have been the better option.

    that's why they eat back exercise calories lol. which I have said a million times already.

    You're missing my point. Even with eating back calories it's still not enough for some people. How much did you weigh coming into this. How much did you eat before? How active had you been before you started to log food? There are many factors to consider before jumping in and saying that 1200 is a good idea. You are young, gorgeous, and have a lot of life ahead of you. For some people this is a HUGE change. Going from a huge calorie intake to 1200/day can be damaging.

    I understand what you are saying really, but for me it has worked, for some people, yes, it won't be right for them. but this is not a thread to encourage and make people go on a 1200 calorie diet, it's for people who already chose to do that amount and are looking for people with similar intakes for support. I fully understand calorie limits and that I could eat more but I choose to do 1200 because I don't feel deprived and I still lose weight at a rate that I find reasonable.
  • I assume you all have a similar weight and activity level. If not, eating in a large deficit will cause much more problems than you'd expect. Such as loss of sex drive, metabolic damage and increased stress.

    My sex drive seems to be working fine, right boyfriend? xD huehue who doesn't experience stress?
  • Sooo many posters here, including OP saying that they "fell off the wagon" because they ate a 1200 calorie diet and aren't seeing the clear causation as being that 1200 isn't SUSTAINABLE!

    OP, you said that people gain weight back because they end up "falling of the wagon" and eating too much later and that this is their responsibility. What you don't understand, probably because you are very very young, is that falling off the wagon and upping calories is caused by being on a diet that is unsustainable and damaging to your health over time. You have no idea what is going on inside your body regarding muscle loss, organ tissue loss, bone loss, hormone damage, etc. No idea. You've been at this such a short time (a year is not a long time btw) and you really don't know what the outcome of all this will be.

    It is so like a teenager not to listen to more experienced people who are only chiming in because they don't want to see you, even being a stranger (a know-it-all stranger at that) damage yourself and drag all these new Year's Newbies down with you. Please do more research instead of blindly following MFP. So many people have gone down that route and learned the hard way. Check out Eat More 2 Lose Weight for starters.

    Just because I'm young it doesn't mean I'm a complete idiot, I have studied many aspects of weight loss. I didn't completely fall off the wagon, it was December AKA CHRISTMAS TIME + I only gained 1lb which I have already lost on 1200. I think you'll find plenty of people on here that ate more than they were meant to while dieting no matter what they're calorie goal was. It had nothing to do with being on 1200 as I feel satisfied and healthy on that.
    just because I'm young it doesn't mean I'm being rebellious and I have no knowledge. And this thread is for people who already CHOSE to do 1200 themselves, many being adults OLDER than me, We should all eat more than 1200 or we will become very sickly as I apparently must be , funny how I don't feel that way.
  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
    Everybody is saying that "it works for me." Well yes, you will lose weight because that is a big calorie deficit. I too did that years ago and guess where it got me ever time? Well....let's just say I'm not new to losing weight. This is why we have so many yo-yo dieters. It is just not sustainable overtime, not to mention you will slow down your metabolism, so when (really if) you get to the point where you want to start maintaining, then you will still have to eat at a lower amount than if you had kept your calories higher.

    Here is an example:

    I starved myself in high school for a good amount of time. I lost an unhealthy amount of weight, but finally snapped myself out of it. I started eating again (which meant around 1400 calories at the time) and quickly gained a lot of weight back on 1400!!!!. I was eating around 100-500 calories a day before that so yes this is an extreme example, but here is my point.

    Fast forward to now:

    I now lift weights and even did a bulk at around 2300-2400 calories a day. I gained a decent amount of muscle and I now lose weight on 1800-2000 calories. (I am only 5'2'' 130ish)

    So yes, you will lose weight on 1200 calories, but do you want to be able to eat more when you get to maintenance mode or still be stuck at a low amount of calories. There is a reason why the success stories here that remain success stories eat more than 1200 calories.
  • Kixshots
    Kixshots Posts: 74 Member
    I assume you all have a similar weight and activity level. If not, eating in a large deficit will cause much more problems than you'd expect. Such as loss of sex drive, metabolic damage and increased stress.

    My sex drive seems to be working fine, right boyfriend? xD huehue who doesn't experience stress?

    No Problems in that department, this i know hue. also people bringing the age thing bothers me, she is not so young as to not know the reality of her choices, and believe me when i say she has read up and maintained this lifestyle with no problems so far, and spends more time reading up on these things for more time than i can count, i don't discourage people's opinions on here, but she is not so naive and young to be considered blindly following and not aware of what she is doing.
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
    This is an awesome thread. I am going through all the people who are saying they are eating 1200 calories or less and clicking on "ignore user". It's making MFP even more awesome.
  • right there with ya... lets do this!!!
  • a057085
    a057085 Posts: 14
    You can add me, I'm lost here but I'm only on 1200 calories a day. I need help from people for motivation. I tend to start the diet and go on for a couple months then I give up. I need help on here.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Please don't take the comments personally.

    The thing is we know from evidence-based research and experience that a 1200 calorie diet is too low for the majority of people who seek out MFP. It's just too few calories to support the necessities of life and will lead to hunger, frustration and failure for most of the people who try it.

    This topic compelled a lot of experienced people to offer their advice, not because you are necessarily wrong for you, but because you are attracting a lot of people who are making a classic dieting mistake and who might not realize that there are other methods that might work for them.

    You don't have to be hungry to lose weight. You don't have to deprive yourself to lose weight. If any of the people reading this thread get frustrated after a week or a month and feel like giving up, I hope they will remember that they can still be successful and reach out to some of the people who have done it differently.
  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
    You can add me, I'm lost here but I'm only on 1200 calories a day. I need help from people for motivation. I tend to start the diet and go on for a couple months then I give up. I need help on here.

    This right here is why 1200 is too low. I hear it all the time from people who try eating this little. Please listen to the regulars here urging you to eat more. You will thank us later.

    :flowerforyou:
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Sooo many posters here, including OP saying that they "fell off the wagon" because they ate a 1200 calorie diet and aren't seeing the clear causation as being that 1200 isn't SUSTAINABLE!

    OP, you said that people gain weight back because they end up "falling of the wagon" and eating too much later and that this is their responsibility. What you don't understand, probably because you are very very young, is that falling off the wagon and upping calories is caused by being on a diet that is unsustainable and damaging to your health over time. You have no idea what is going on inside your body regarding muscle loss, organ tissue loss, bone loss, hormone damage, etc. No idea. You've been at this such a short time (a year is not a long time btw) and you really don't know what the outcome of all this will be.

    It is so like a teenager not to listen to more experienced people who are only chiming in because they don't want to see you, even being a stranger (a know-it-all stranger at that) damage yourself and drag all these new Year's Newbies down with you. Please do more research instead of blindly following MFP. So many people have gone down that route and learned the hard way. Check out Eat More 2 Lose Weight for starters.

    Just because I'm young it doesn't mean I'm a complete idiot, I have studied many aspects of weight loss. I didn't completely fall off the wagon, it was December AKA CHRISTMAS TIME + I only gained 1lb which I have already lost on 1200. I think you'll find plenty of people on here that ate more than they were meant to while dieting no matter what they're calorie goal was. It had nothing to do with being on 1200 as I feel satisfied and healthy on that.
    just because I'm young it doesn't mean I'm being rebellious and I have no knowledge. And this thread is for people who already CHOSE to do 1200 themselves, many being adults OLDER than me, hmmm I guess they must be complete retards too. We should all eat more than 1200 or we will become very sickly as I apparently must be , funny how I don't feel that way.

    I entered your stats into an online calculator. Your basal metabolic rate is 1400 calories. Those are the calories you would be fed by your doctors if you were in a coma. It is what is necessary for your organs to function. It is not recommended that people eat less than their BMR.

    All of these people signing up to be your friends, (ALL OF THEM) are new to MFP. They don't know any better. Some will stick around and learn a more healthy way to lose weight, and maybe you will too. At least those of us who have been around for awhile, and been highly successful, will know that we tried to help you.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I assume you all have a similar weight and activity level. If not, eating in a large deficit will cause much more problems than you'd expect. Such as loss of sex drive, metabolic damage and increased stress.

    My sex drive seems to be working fine, right boyfriend? xD huehue who doesn't experience stress?

    No Problems in that department, this i know hue. also people bringing the age thing bothers me, she is not so young as to not know the reality of her choices, and believe me when i say she has read up and maintained this lifestyle with no problems so far, and spends more time reading up on these things for more time than i can count, i don't discourage people's opinions on here, but she is not so naive and young to be considered blindly following and not aware of what she is doing.

    Does it bother you that she is harming herself? 1200 is too low for someone with her stats. As I just posted, 1400 would the liquid diet her doctors would put her on to maintain life were she to go into a coma. It is called her basal metabolic rate, and it puts great stress on the body to try and function on less than that.

    At least look into it and make your own informed choices.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
  • snowmaniac
    snowmaniac Posts: 600 Member
    I assume you all have a similar weight and activity level. If not, eating in a large deficit will cause much more problems than you'd expect. Such as loss of sex drive, metabolic damage and increased stress.

    My sex drive seems to be working fine, right boyfriend? xD huehue who doesn't experience stress?

    No Problems in that department, this i know hue. also people bringing the age thing bothers me, she is not so young as to not know the reality of her choices, and believe me when i say she has read up and maintained this lifestyle with no problems so far, and spends more time reading up on these things for more time than i can count, i don't discourage people's opinions on here, but she is not so naive and young to be considered blindly following and not aware of what she is doing.

    Does it bother you that she is harming herself? 1200 is too low for someone with her stats. As I just posted, 1400 would the liquid diet her doctors would put her on to maintain life were she to go into a coma. It is called her basal metabolic rate, and it puts great stress on the body to try and function on less than that.

    At least look into it and make your own informed choices.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    There is none so blind as those who will not see.
  • jro_86
    jro_86 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm on 1200 calories a day too and need to loose over 100 pounds!!!:heart: add me
  • Add me im on 1200 cal as well! :)
  • thesuperfe
    thesuperfe Posts: 7 Member
    Hi, my goal is 1290. I need more friends as well.
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    (I usually make this comment early in threads like these, but I think I overlooked it this time.)

    Many people, understandably so, in a rush to reach their goal weight as quickly as possible (because this time they're serious), immediately go straight to the *fewest* calories possible without causing themselves immediate obvious damage.

    It is far more optimal (IMHO), for many reasons, instead to find the *most* calories possible while still making satisfactory progress towards their goals. Reasons include more energy (which means more productive workouts and an overall better life), better long-term adherence, higher likelihood to reach minimum micro and macro goals, better body composition at goal (by reducing muscle loss), better flexibility to overcome plateaus/"sticking points", etc.

    /PSA

    ^^this.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    There is none so blind as those who will not see.

    This. OP has made up her mind, and will not be swayed by reason. Hopefully some of the others that have posted will read some of these links, and make a better choice for themselves.

    Good luck to them all.

    Is every new year this exhausting?
  • darthlacey
    darthlacey Posts: 40 Member
    You all can feel free to add me! I am on a 1200 calorie a day plan as well :) I slip here and there lol but I'm not looking to be as strict about it :tongue:
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
    I'm injured so i need to stay on a 1200 calorie diet!
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    There is none so blind as those who will not see.

    This. OP has made up her mind, and will not be swayed by reason. Hopefully some of the others that have posted will read some of these links, and make a better choice for themselves.

    Good luck to them all.

    Is every new year this exhausting?

    yes. at least 2013 was.
  • Im new to this site, im doing the 1200 a day. i would ideas on food and whatnot.
  • lastchancedance89
    lastchancedance89 Posts: 26 Member
    That's my recommended intake. Although, I'm feeling like its hard to eat even that. I don't make that much money and its hard to eat healthy on a budget :( Feel free to add me..always looking for new FP friends to keep me motivated!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Blind leading the blind. Sad. :frown:
  • thesuperfe
    thesuperfe Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for the tips.

    let me guess BTVS?
  • tinakowalik
    tinakowalik Posts: 73 Member
    Feel free to add! 1230 cals here. In need of friendly support!
  • thesuperfe
    thesuperfe Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for your post! It's nice to read upbeat encouragement. I saw some posts that were a bit negative towards the folks in this thread who are doing 1200 a day. I have done it before (I am very sedentary) and had no problems dropping 20 pounds as long as I ate healthy (lots of veggies). I felt great and had a lot of energy. It forces you to adopt better habits (ie drinking more water, more veggies, less crap) which is good all the way around. Eventually, people may begin to move into more activity which will require them to eat more calories. Again, thanks for sharing!
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    This is an awesome thread. I am going through all the people who are saying they are eating 1200 calories or less and clicking on "ignore user". It's making MFP even more awesome.

    I've been friend requesting all the people who have chimed in that they eat way MORE than 1200 calories a day on this thread!! :laugh: :laugh: I like your idea too, I may just do that.