How long before I lose 50 lbs with a 1200 cal diet?

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Replies

  • sarainiowa
    sarainiowa Posts: 287 Member
    My personal experience is that I'm doing the 1200 calories a day. I've been doing it for 2 weeks and dropped 4 pounds. I've not been perfect. I've had a couple cheat days. That being said, you can drop weight not changing your foods and change your portions but it's going to take time. None of us gained the weight over night or a week, none of us will drop the weight in a night or week. This takes commitment and work. When you're willing to do that, then I'm sure you'll see the changes you want.
  • scottYBRIDGEWATER
    scottYBRIDGEWATER Posts: 206
    Greenrun99

    I do know that I need to change certain things but I already eat healthy (greens, fruits, nuts, meat, low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol products). What I meant by still being able to drink here and there and eat junk food here and there is that I want to be realistic. As a student who hangs out with other students, I'm bound to go out to a restaurant a few times in say, a month, at least. I haven't drank in over two months and I don't eat much junk food to start off with but I do like being able to have the freedom to eat the same way I do now. So say I want chicken fingers, I'll eat three instead of six, or I'll have one slice of pizza and instead of having fries with it...I'll have salad. I still want to eat what I desire. I just want to make sure I eat it in good quantities so that if I do want a chocolate bar once in awhile, I can do it (I just need to count it in my calorie intake).

    You do have a point though, the better regiments start with being willing to change things. You are absolutely right. But in my case, I'm not expecting to lose the 50 lbs in a short period of time.It might take over a year. That's fine. Besides, I actually only need to lose thirty lbs to be in a healthy weight category. The fifty lbs is the goal I'm aiming for in the long run. I don't want to change to a diet that I would quit after a few weeks. I want to change the amount I eat (as well as a few admittedly bad eating habits) so that over time it can become a lifestyle. And as I get used to eating smaller portions and counting calories, I can eventually add on the counting of the proteins & carbs and replace a few items with better and healthy items. But this isn't something I can do overnight. It's something that will be gradual and take time. Very few people can go from not counting calories or checking everything they eat to counting macromolecule that enters your body. But I hope that one day I will be able to.


    Then, I apologize for my earlier post. It seemed that you wanted to lose a lot of weight with out making any real changes to your lifestyle. Caloric deficits are all well and good. I went a little extreme and dropped about 40lbs in 2 months by taking it down to 600-1200 calories a day and fasting. That is why i am a cranking 50 year old. But it was worth it, providing I didn't completely eff up my metabolism, which i doubt. Anyway, I am up to 1300-1700 calories. Hit the weights and add cardio or it will be like running in quicksand and get very frustrating just dieting. You may want to consider making a meal plan that you will eat similar items each day week so you can track macros. Dieting is about calories, but your macros are about your metabolism.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    quietsmile,

    Please adopt MTCBVBC20CAM ( adopt-a-noob )

    You guys seem like a perfect fit. I mean that sincerely.

    :smile:
  • hotmess1980
    hotmess1980 Posts: 9
    Heyyy...So, I am 5'9" and it took me approximately 6 months to lose 50 pounds on 1200 calories. But that was not really allowing any unhealthy eating, booze, sweets ect. (I only splurged a handful of times in the time that it took me to lose 100 pounds) and almost daily exercise even though most days my exercise was walking. I also had about 100 pounds to lose total. Every body is different...and every body reacts differently to food/calorie restriction and exercise. So no one can really tell you how long it will take you to lose 50 pounds....just how long it took them to do so. Good luck getting there...You can do it!
    Ps. I gained 25 pounds back (I let myself go a liiiitle too much, lol) and am working on getting them off again...so, if you want a new friend that will support encourage and cheer you on to reach your goals...feel free to add me.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
    quietsmile,

    Please adopt MTCBVBC20CAM ( adopt-a-noob )

    You guys seem like a perfect fit. I mean that sincerely.

    :smile:
    :blushing:
    Yeah? I wanted a noob, but wasn't sure if I'd have enough to offer. Okay what the hell, if I don't know the answer my friends will.

    MTCBVBC20CAM I'll send you a friend request. I'd be happy to help out and offer encouragement if you'd like. NO pressure, if you want to just do your own thing you don't have to accept; that's totally fine.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    50 lbs to loose, you need about 50 weeks as well and that is by systematically improving your fitness and nutrition. Granting you dont want to count macros, you can just put a measurement on the foods you eat say a fist size of meat or poultry, a palm size of fish, a handful of this and a cup of that but you have to record it, theres no way around it. If you dont you will get lost in the process when you dont see any weight changes... why, coz you wont have datas to comeback to for you to be able to adjust. Same with exercise, if you dont record it how would you know if your 20 minutes cardio is enough this week say to warrant fat loss. I do flexible dieting which means i allow myself to eat the foods i want but that doesnt mean i eat KFC OR MCDONALDS all the time, i eat it if i want it. DIET CONSISTENCY AND SYSTEMATICALLY INCREASING CARDIO is what will get you closer to your goal, weight resistance is not a bad idea either if you want to improve your overall body composition.
  • getitamb
    getitamb Posts: 2,019 Member
    In my opinion, I think some ppl think you started off with a lot of excuses of what you don't want to do or try. And what you will. Continue doing. I've lost weight with eating what I want and reAlly healthy eating. I've just lost it quicker and simpler eating healthy. But not about me, it's about what u asked. They set me at 1300 and I set myself to active and switched it to 1620. The way I was able to do that is bc I walk 10,000 steps a day no matter what. So I don't like the 1200 calorie thing it's not for me. I like to eat. But I say just try it out. See what works for you.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    Just curious for those who say 1200 is too low ... when I entered my info into this site, it recommended I eat 1200 calories a day. What guidelines do you use to determine your daily calories??

    please read, good guidelines

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html
  • MTCBVBC20CAM
    MTCBVBC20CAM Posts: 22 Member
    Greenrun99

    I do know that I need to change certain things but I already eat healthy (greens, fruits, nuts, meat, low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol products). What I meant by still being able to drink here and there and eat junk food here and there is that I want to be realistic. As a student who hangs out with other students, I'm bound to go out to a restaurant a few times in say, a month, at least. I haven't drank in over two months and I don't eat much junk food to start off with but I do like being able to have the freedom to eat the same way I do now. So say I want chicken fingers, I'll eat three instead of six, or I'll have one slice of pizza and instead of having fries with it...I'll have salad. I still want to eat what I desire. I just want to make sure I eat it in good quantities so that if I do want a chocolate bar once in awhile, I can do it (I just need to count it in my calorie intake).

    You do have a point though, the better regiments start with being willing to change things. You are absolutely right. But in my case, I'm not expecting to lose the 50 lbs in a short period of time.It might take over a year. That's fine. Besides, I actually only need to lose thirty lbs to be in a healthy weight category. The fifty lbs is the goal I'm aiming for in the long run. I don't want to change to a diet that I would quit after a few weeks. I want to change the amount I eat (as well as a few admittedly bad eating habits) so that over time it can become a lifestyle. And as I get used to eating smaller portions and counting calories, I can eventually add on the counting of the proteins & carbs and replace a few items with better and healthy items. But this isn't something I can do overnight. It's something that will be gradual and take time. Very few people can go from not counting calories or checking everything they eat to counting macromolecule that enters your body. But I hope that one day I will be able to.


    Then, I apologize for my earlier post. It seemed that you wanted to lose a lot of weight with out making any real changes to your lifestyle. Caloric deficits are all well and good. I went a little extreme and dropped about 40lbs in 2 months by taking it down to 600-1200 calories a day and fasting. That is why i am a cranking 50 year old. But it was worth it, providing I didn't completely eff up my metabolism, which i doubt. Anyway, I am up to 1300-1700 calories. Hit the weights and add cardio or it will be like running in quicksand and get very frustrating just dieting. You may want to consider making a meal plan that you will eat similar items each day week so you can track macros. Dieting is about calories, but your macros are about your metabolism.

    I started swimming once a week for about 60 minutes. I know it's not much but it's a start. I also started going skating once every two weeks and have been trying out salsa and bachata once a week (when labs and midterms allow it). During the summer, I'll be doing lots of cardio though. My schedule right now doesn't allow for much. Last year I tried setting an unrealistic goal of going swimming three times a week (I'm not fond of running) but I gave up after a month. So this semester I decide to set a min of 1 instead of 3 swim workouts. The others (should there be more workouts during the week) are bonuses. This way I don't feel discouraged. This summer I'll have plenty of time though. I will also take into account macros later on when I get used to just counting calories. As it is, I'm just getting used to it. Thanks :)
  • scottYBRIDGEWATER
    scottYBRIDGEWATER Posts: 206
    Greenrun99

    I do know that I need to change certain things but I already eat healthy (greens, fruits, nuts, meat, low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol products). What I meant by still being able to drink here and there and eat junk food here and there is that I want to be realistic. As a student who hangs out with other students, I'm bound to go out to a restaurant a few times in say, a month, at least. I haven't drank in over two months and I don't eat much junk food to start off with but I do like being able to have the freedom to eat the same way I do now. So say I want chicken fingers, I'll eat three instead of six, or I'll have one slice of pizza and instead of having fries with it...I'll have salad. I still want to eat what I desire. I just want to make sure I eat it in good quantities so that if I do want a chocolate bar once in awhile, I can do it (I just need to count it in my calorie intake).

    You do have a point though, the better regiments start with being willing to change things. You are absolutely right. But in my case, I'm not expecting to lose the 50 lbs in a short period of time.It might take over a year. That's fine. Besides, I actually only need to lose thirty lbs to be in a healthy weight category. The fifty lbs is the goal I'm aiming for in the long run. I don't want to change to a diet that I would quit after a few weeks. I want to change the amount I eat (as well as a few admittedly bad eating habits) so that over time it can become a lifestyle. And as I get used to eating smaller portions and counting calories, I can eventually add on the counting of the proteins & carbs and replace a few items with better and healthy items. But this isn't something I can do overnight. It's something that will be gradual and take time. Very few people can go from not counting calories or checking everything they eat to counting macromolecule that enters your body. But I hope that one day I will be able to.


    Then, I apologize for my earlier post. It seemed that you wanted to lose a lot of weight with out making any real changes to your lifestyle. Caloric deficits are all well and good. I went a little extreme and dropped about 40lbs in 2 months by taking it down to 600-1200 calories a day and fasting. That is why i am a cranking 50 year old. But it was worth it, providing I didn't completely eff up my metabolism, which i doubt. Anyway, I am up to 1300-1700 calories. Hit the weights and add cardio or it will be like running in quicksand and get very frustrating just dieting. You may want to consider making a meal plan that you will eat similar items each day week so you can track macros. Dieting is about calories, but your macros are about your metabolism.

    I started swimming once a week for about 60 minutes. I know it's not much but it's a start. I also started going skating once every two weeks and have been trying out salsa and bachata once a week (when labs and midterms allow it). During the summer, I'll be doing lots of cardio though. My schedule right now doesn't allow for much. Last year I tried setting an unrealistic goal of going swimming three times a week (I'm not fond of running) but I gave up after a month. So this semester I decide to set a min of 1 instead of 3 swim workouts. The others (should there be more workouts during the week) are bonuses. This way I don't feel discouraged. This summer I'll have plenty of time though. I will also take into account macros later on when I get used to just counting calories. As it is, I'm just getting used to it. Thanks :)

    Why not weight training? Are you near a gym? Its probably the quickest and most effective way toward weight loss.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    What I meant by still being able to drink here and there and eat junk food here and there is that I want to be realistic. As a student who hangs out with other students, I'm bound to go out to a restaurant a few times in say, a month, at least. I haven't drank in over two months and I don't eat much junk food to start off with but I do like being able to have the freedom to eat the same way I do now. So say I want chicken fingers, I'll eat three instead of six, or I'll have one slice of pizza and instead of having fries with it...I'll have salad. I still want to eat what I desire. I just want to make sure I eat it in good quantities so that if I do want a chocolate bar once in awhile, I can do it (I just need to count it in my calorie intake).

    This sounds like a very reasonable, sustainable plan. If you carry through with this, I think you'll do just fine :smile:
  • MTCBVBC20CAM
    MTCBVBC20CAM Posts: 22 Member
    Greenrun99

    I do know that I need to change certain things but I already eat healthy (greens, fruits, nuts, meat, low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol products). What I meant by still being able to drink here and there and eat junk food here and there is that I want to be realistic. As a student who hangs out with other students, I'm bound to go out to a restaurant a few times in say, a month, at least. I haven't drank in over two months and I don't eat much junk food to start off with but I do like being able to have the freedom to eat the same way I do now. So say I want chicken fingers, I'll eat three instead of six, or I'll have one slice of pizza and instead of having fries with it...I'll have salad. I still want to eat what I desire. I just want to make sure I eat it in good quantities so that if I do want a chocolate bar once in awhile, I can do it (I just need to count it in my calorie intake).

    You do have a point though, the better regiments start with being willing to change things. You are absolutely right. But in my case, I'm not expecting to lose the 50 lbs in a short period of time.It might take over a year. That's fine. Besides, I actually only need to lose thirty lbs to be in a healthy weight category. The fifty lbs is the goal I'm aiming for in the long run. I don't want to change to a diet that I would quit after a few weeks. I want to change the amount I eat (as well as a few admittedly bad eating habits) so that over time it can become a lifestyle. And as I get used to eating smaller portions and counting calories, I can eventually add on the counting of the proteins & carbs and replace a few items with better and healthy items. But this isn't something I can do overnight. It's something that will be gradual and take time. Very few people can go from not counting calories or checking everything they eat to counting macromolecule that enters your body. But I hope that one day I will be able to.


    Then, I apologize for my earlier post. It seemed that you wanted to lose a lot of weight with out making any real changes to your lifestyle. Caloric deficits are all well and good. I went a little extreme and dropped about 40lbs in 2 months by taking it down to 600-1200 calories a day and fasting. That is why i am a cranking 50 year old. But it was worth it, providing I didn't completely eff up my metabolism, which i doubt. Anyway, I am up to 1300-1700 calories. Hit the weights and add cardio or it will be like running in quicksand and get very frustrating just dieting. You may want to consider making a meal plan that you will eat similar items each day week so you can track macros. Dieting is about calories, but your macros are about your metabolism.

    I started swimming once a week for about 60 minutes. I know it's not much but it's a start. I also started going skating once every two weeks and have been trying out salsa and bachata once a week (when labs and midterms allow it). During the summer, I'll be doing lots of cardio though. My schedule right now doesn't allow for much. Last year I tried setting an unrealistic goal of going swimming three times a week (I'm not fond of running) but I gave up after a month. So this semester I decide to set a min of 1 instead of 3 swim workouts. The others (should there be more workouts during the week) are bonuses. This way I don't feel discouraged. This summer I'll have plenty of time though. I will also take into account macros later on when I get used to just counting calories. As it is, I'm just getting used to it. Thanks :)

    Why not weight training? Are you near a gym? Its probably the quickest and most effective way toward weight loss.

    It's been a very long time since I've done weight training. I feel like all I would do is hurt myself now given the fact that I've forgotten the proper techniques. I don't live near a gym but my university does have one. I guess I could always see if I can find someone to give me tips during the summer on weight training.
  • nerds415
    nerds415 Posts: 1 Member
    i have a friend who is about your age and she started logging all her calories except fresh fruits and veggies. she lost over 40 lbs in about 5 months. she based her calorie intake on whatever MFP recommended and she walked, jogged, ran on a tred mil when she could, did crunches, squats, lunges, wall sits.. ect.. she didnt have a gym membership just a tred mil - her fav food is chocolate and hasnt went a day without dessert before bed. she doesnt starve herself by any means. idk what her calorie intake was while she was losing but now shes maintaining and still logging and her intake is 1900. she loves it and lives by it.. she almost looks too skinny now - defo a success story.. i watched her go thru it. i started logging in the mid of jan 2014 and have lost 20 lbs so far. i wrk out about 5 days per wk for 30/45 mins and i manage a restaurant at night so im pretty active. my intake is 1200 and i have been eating back my calories. i just recently went thru a whole month plateau which was extremely discouraging but has forced me to make changes! u can do it if you want it bad enough and once you really start - u'll find its not that hard! get into the gym if u can tho, so you dnt lose muscle - just fat! ive lost 6 inches total :)

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