curious...whos doing 1200 cal a day??

HawaiianGoddess

So anyone doing 1200 cal daily an exercise an losing weight? If so how much on a weekly basis... what type of foods n snacks are you eating?:)

kk_140

I am. I have had a lot of success with it. I eat a LOT of veggies during the day for snacks. Mostly because I can have such a satisfying amount of them. I eat a lot of sweet cereals, like lucky charms, mostly when I feel like I am in need of some ice cream or something else that is sweet.( A much lower calorie option) And I eat plenty of protein, mostly in the form of chicken breasts or turkey jerky.

I'm losing about a pound a week on average, sometimes a little more sometimes a little less. But about a pound a week on average. Which is pretty good considering I am so close to my goal!

buchanan700

Same here! Currently snacking on rubbish *ahem*, but will be getting more fruit soon :P

hmg90

I do. Actually I put it to 1100 to have some margin for errors. Today I went for a long powerwalk and ate back the calories - otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it...

For me, the only way is no alcohol, no potatoes, bread or pasta, no sweets or fast food. I eat vegetables with every meal (brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli), with a little bit of cheese and some lean meat or fish.

It's definitely a bit challenging, but cutting carbs was easier than I thought. Only problem is that I'm slightly hungry before bed.

howeyd2211

Me too. I replaced my potato or pasta in my meals with veggies. I buy frozen veggies so I can get them in bulk so they don't go bad. Also, as mentioned, I cut my alcoholic intake to 1/4 of what I use to drink. Not sure how I feel about that yet. My fast food and restaurant intake has dropped 75%. And since I almost always go over my 1200 suggested limit, I do cardio everyday like walking the dog for 30min-1hr and 15-30min treadmill after strength training.
I lose about 1-2 lbs per week also.

SezxyStef

I tried that once...was hungry all the time and weak.

I prefer my 1600 a day...and I still lose weight...anywhere between 1/2lb to 1.5lb a week...some weeks nothing but it's all good cause Im not hangry.

howeyd2211

OOOo, and another thing I found...sometimes I'm just NOT in the mood to make my meals so when I go grocery shopping I always purchase a meat lasagna from Blue Menu or Recipe to Riches Butter Chicken lasagna. A quarter of the tray is about 420 calories and the tray is a good size tray. This is the only pre-made meals I will buy

HawaiianGoddess

Well I just started with 1200 and ill see how that goes:) Im doing 30ds with 3x a week on my elliptical..... going to add killer buns n thighs next week.... I cut out all fast foods.... no sugar only from fruits... no breads pastas either..... an alchohol 1 a week on my day off on sundays.... Im hoping to drop 15. By the end of march...

arios952013

I am doing 1200 calories a day. I have a sedentary job and I try to work out 3 to 4 times a week. When I do workout it is one day weights, the next day cardio with some core thrown in during my weight days.

I have been trying to stay away from processed carbs like noodles, white rice... and when I do have whole grain carbs it is usually once a day and usually no more than 1/4 of a cup. I am also trying to stay away from red meat, poultry and do more veggies and seafood.

My mornings I have a Kale, almond milk and fruit smoothie or oatmeal. Lunches are beans, salad, salsa or my mango black bean salad or soup. This weekend I made a bunch of vegan split pea soup. .

Dinners - stir fry's with shrimp, left overs, eggplant lasagna (no cheese). Cauliflower Soup with cashews. I like Dr. Furhman and Fork over Knives type of eating.

I can't wait till retirement when I can work out more often and not sit all day!

spetermann190

I burn at least 1200/day ... Couple times that on a good day ... Trying to eat better (egg whites, Greek yogurt, fish, veggies ... Beer is my Big Enemy )

Weight pretty constant but body fat dropping

MadBabysMama

I tried that once...was hungry all the time and weak.

I prefer my 1600 a day...and I still lose weight...anywhere between 1/2lb to 1.5lb a week...some weeks nothing but it's all good cause Im not hangry.

This is what I do too. I could do 1200 but found I was hungry or having to really sacrifice at lunch and dinner. At 1600 I am able to eat reasonably satisfying meals and don't feel deprived or hungry most of the time. When I exercise I eat my calories or at least most of them but never have more than a few hundred anyway. Weight loss is steady but likely a little slower. It feels a lot better than 1200 did though for me. To each his/her own, though. Best of luck!

PatheticNoetic

I was doing 1200 a day but I was losing weight too fast so I bumped up to 1450 a day about a week ago and I'm back to losing weight.

IIIIISerenityNowIIIII

My goal is 1200 - 1300

My food diary is open to public

I exercise but I don't log it

heydanno

1260 used the mfp, it's working pretty well!

sushidulces

I tried going that low in calories, but I plateaued pretty quickly. I am 5'7 and currently 170. After speaking to a fitness specialist, I discovered I was not eating enough for my active lifestyle and my body was holding onto weight due to that.

I started using the Macro measurements, looking at my cal, carb, protein, and fat intake. 1 week in and I've lost about 3 lbs. I eat high protein, little to no processed foods, raw nuts, fruits and veggies. Just make sure your intake coincides with your cal output. In other words, make sure if you are exercising vigorously, you eat more cals than MFP suggests.

charlicee

I kicked junk food, sweets, salty snacks, dairy (lactose issues), refined carbs, sauces, added sugars, prepackaged foods, and most grains with exception of whole wheat pasta and occasional whole wheat pizza or focaccia. I eat several pieces of fruit with yogurt (the only dairy I can tolerate) or mix egg whites with veggies for breakfast, stir fry or egg scrambles or salads for lunch, and then lean meats with steamed/raw veggies, stir fry, whole wheat pasta with oil over veggies for dinner. Veggies and low cal fruits, going on a plant based diet with meat and carbs as garnishes or sides, is very key. Going vegetarian may help. Veggies especially fill you up without a lot of calories.

jeneferphillips89

I also do 1200 cal/day. Honestly, I did not cut anything out of my diet. I eat what I want I just have to decide if what I'm about to eat is worth the calories. Sometimes it isnt and sometimes that candy bar is soooooo worth it. I find that this had helped me stick to it. I'm not feeling deprived of anything and I usually end up making better choices because I dont want to spend the rest of the day hungry for a stupid sugar fix. I try to make sure my protein is where its supposed to be and that I eat plenty of veggies. Some good snack ideas are celery and peanut butter, greek yogurt with something yummy mixed in, and I like 100 cal popcorn sometimes. Different strokes for different folks so find what works for you and good luck :-)

shmulyeng

I'm averaging 1200 calories a day and I exercise every day. My diary is open so have a look at what I eat. It obviously works for me since I'm down 61 since October 20th.

toad493lbs

My diary is set on 1500 but I honestly am trying to do 1200. Thats what my nutritionist has requested. Lots of veggies and moderate everything else. I was doing very well but this last week has been rough. Feel free to check out my diary. I also try to exercise at least 1 hour a day.

harphy

I kicked junk food, sweets, salty snacks, dairy (lactose issues), refined carbs, sauces, added sugars, prepackaged foods, and most grains with exception of whole wheat pasta and occasional whole wheat pizza or focaccia. I eat several pieces of fruit with yogurt (the only dairy I can tolerate) or mix egg whites with veggies for breakfast, stir fry or egg scrambles or salads for lunch, and then lean meats with steamed/raw veggies, stir fry, whole wheat pasta with oil over veggies for dinner. Veggies and low cal fruits, going on a plant based diet with meat and carbs as garnishes or sides, is very key. Going vegetarian may help. Veggies especially fill you up without a lot of calories.

^^ This. It's not so hard but you have to be very VERY disciplined. Small quantities of everything. 1 cup of fruit, 1.5 cup of vegetables. 4 oz of proteins, 3-4 oz of grains and some healthy fats. 1200 cals is enough to be full but with 0 processed food.

SezxyStef

1260 used the mfp, it's working pretty well!

As a man you should be eating a min of 1800

Hossam52

Well im at 1000 Cal per day and i've been on that for the past 2 month and im doing okey , a 1000 Cal is really good or even 1200 if you pick up what you eat carefully , if anyone need any more info you can simply massage me

shnookie70

I'm on 1200 cal goal...loosely. Snacks I frequent: Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Fiber One 90 Calorie Bars, Outshine Fruit Bars, Light popcorn, pretzels, hot cocoa, skinny cow chocolates, yogurt...yeah, that about covers it.

Feel free to check out my food diary. I try to walk on my treadmill 30 mins 6 days a week. I did 30DS for 7 days, but was pretty difficult to do that and still get my 30 min walk in, and I was getting satisfactory results with just the walking so I went back to just that.

Diyah13

It took me over a year to get to a 1200 calorie day. I've noticed that I'm able to achieve it by drinking more water daily and no snacking between my 500 calories or less meals. I "reward" myself with a snack when I put in a 1/2 hour of exercise or more. The snack is usually a bowl of diced fruit (by Dole) and/or a protein bar.

AlongCame_Molly

Serah87

Im hoping to drop 15. By the end of march...

Do you want to lose fat or muscle? Going that route, 1200 calories, muscle is what you will lose!! Slow and steady is the way to go!!! You need to look up your TDEE and BMR.

knittinlady

I did that about a year ago(when I first joined MFP and didn't know better). I dropped a few pounds, and quickly. And my hair began falling out. And I had zero energy for anything besides my daily workout. And my skin looked horrible. The dark circles under my eyes (genetic) got a lot worse, and I was breaking out like a teenager. And my weight loss stalled. I was stuck at the same weight for six months.

I increased my calories, and began lifting. I'm losing fat, and gaining muscle. I have a lot more energy, and the other problems are gone. Oh, and I'm not hangry all the time. There are days when I burn almost 1200 calories.

Eating enough food to fuel your body is awesome.

Serah87

Well im at 1000 Cal per day and i've been on that for the past 2 month and im doing okey , a 1000 Cal is really good or even 1200 if you pick up what you eat carefully , if anyone need any more info you can simply massage me

:huh:

Good luck with that!!....and keeping your muscles!! :ohwell:

tgsoe

My aim is for 1200kcal/day, however, as I do a lot of exercise, I amend this as I need too. My partner and I sit down at the start of each week and plan out our meals and snacks, and stick to it as much as possible.

Since starting MFP, I have gone over my caloric intake on only 3 occasions, and all were due to consumption of alcohol (you can't go to Day on the Green and not have wine, cheese and salami - surely!).

Some days, especially on those when I know that we are having a meal that will be higher in calories, I will pre-enter my meals to see how many calories, if any, that I will have net. I will modify my physical training sessions to ensure that my input is counteracted by my output to bring me under.

Due to the amount of exercise I do (ranging between 800 - 1200 cals / day), I need to be sensible to ensure my body is getting all the nutrients and sustenance it requires; enough calories that I don't go into starvation mode and store this stuff I want so badly to lose.

I'm stoked with my progress - I've now lost 4.3kgs in 4 weeks, which I think is healthy. And I feel great.

When my partner David and I started this, we both wanted to lose around 9kgs each by the start of April. We're both halfway there, and have another 8 weeks to go.

So - in a very long winded way, I guess I am saying just to continuously monitor your input vs output, and regardless of what calorie intake you choose, you will make progress.

toadg53

I'm doing 1200 a day and most days I don't even get that in. I'm doing a diet that I got from my doctor. It's pretty much like atkins. low carb basically. lots of protein, fat isn't an issue, any veggie, except those grown underground are a no-no (so no potatoes, carrots, beets etc), no sugar, no artificial sugars except truvia; I can have grapenuts or shredded wheat for cereal. no refined flour or wheats. no processed foods. for bread I can have Ezekiel bread. I've been doing this since July 2013 and I'm down 81# since then. I haven't felt deprived at all. oh ya, I can have 1 fruit a day if I want. I walk an hour a day, sometimes an hour & a half. I don't eat back my exercise calories like some people do ... I just haven't ever started doing that. I've lost on average 11 # a month. Haven't hit a plateau thusfar. it's worked for me. oh, and I can have a couple beers a day if I want, as long as it's lite beer and of course I fit it into my calorie count. I like my doctor

SusanUW83

I did it most for over 8 months until I got to my goal. I'm only 5'0" though and 53 so my BMR and TDEE aren't that high. I usually didn't eat back my exercise deliberately. Best weight loss and least hunger was when I ate more complex carbs and almost no "white" starch (pasta, rice, white potato) or sweets -- so it was a lower carb diet. I didn't really plateau except when I ate more white carbs.