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

shayesrichards

I am eating between 1300 - 1400 calories a day, but I can tell you what helps me. I drink lots of water and tea throughout the day. Try infusing your water with interesting things like fresh lemon and a dash of clove, strawberry and basil, cucumber and mint, a squeeze of orange juice to add variety so you don't feel downtrodden about having to just drink "water" all the time. I also drink lots of green tea (proven to boost metabolism) and at night I will drink a lemon ginger tea or a chamomile tea or something herbal. A lot of times we mistake thirst for hunger so I try to make sure when I get hungry I drink something first.

I have pretty much cut out almost all processed carbs (breads, cereals, rice, etc.) so I use my calories on only the most low calorie, nutrient-packed foods. For snacks, I eat exactly 10 almonds or cashews at a time. And then I pair that with an apple or pear or banana, etc. I also eat tons of veggies with dip (babaganoush, hummus, tzaziki sauce). If I am having a craving for something really flavorful, I might have a buckwheat cracker with fat free cream cheese and sundried tomato. When I am craving something crunchy, I eat watermelon. When I am craving something sweet, I will eat No-Sugar-Added Strawberry yogurt or I pair my 10 almonds with 1 Tablespoon of dark chocolate chips. I hope this helps!

Hope this helps!

NoLimitFemme

I'm at 1200 calories a day and it seems to work well for me. I also do Zumba or HIIT aerobics 3 times a week and strength training/weight lifting 3 times a week. I do eat some of those exercise calories back. I eat high protein and try to meet my macros everyday ... especially the sodium one so I can avoid any water weight gain. The only day that I stress sticking to the 1200 is my rest day and that's mainly because I lay around and chat with my husband on cam all day (he's deployed).

My diary is open ... feel free to check it out.

PHDork16

"Christian Wife" - I'm glad you can eat more and lose weight. I can't! Thanks for rubbing it in!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Not me. 1600 here.

ZeldaMarooner7

I have 1200 a day. I sometimes have a cheese stick for breakfast, chicken for lunch, and a hot dog at dinner. (Or oatmeal) This one brand of hot dogs has them at 45 calories a dog!

KateK8LoseW8

Netting 1250 4x a week, netting 1725 thrice a week. So half the week, almost. But I also run a lot, so even on 1250 days I'm typically consuming 1500-1700 cal.

1princesswarrior

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.

Same things happened to me, plus my nails became brittle. I started eating for my activity last July, my hair just started growing back and my nails are still breaking all the time. At least I have energy and I'm not grumpy all the time.

Courage1895

Im on a 1,200 cal a day "lifestyle" too. I eat a ton of veggies cause I am a vegetarian so it's pretty easy to stay below or at that number. For me, spinach has been a lifesaver and I have it nearly every day for lunch. Feel free to add me if you want.

XTSH

Used to eat 1200 cal a day plus exercising for 3days/week. Needless to say, it wasn't substainable so I gradually up to 1300, 1400 and now 1600 cal.

Hungry_Annie

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.

Ditto this

SephiraRose

Yes. Doing 1200 cals, it's surprising how quickly those little buggers add up. When I have a sweet tooth I eat a fiber one protein bar coconut almond is my favorite. They taste almost like a candy bar.

ebayaddict0127

I am. I lost 15 lbs during my first 5 weeks, so I guess an average of 3 lbs. per week. It's going fine for me. I don't feel hungry. I just choose the right foods.

sistrsprkl

I also tried and it was just not sustainable. I'm pretty active and run after 2 toddlers all day, 1200 was not enough for me. I'm around 1600 now.

outofworkpediatrician

i am eating under 1200 calories a day (have been from the second week of January) and doing treadmill walk.

i found that if i try to skip breakfast, i get hungry and develop "self pity" and over eat at lunch. so now i drink a latte with nonfat milk and eat a banana or a clementine or an apple for breakfast. i stick to lean cuisine or healthy choice meals under 300 cals for lunch and dinner. i do not feel full after these meals, so i microwave some frozen veggies (zucchini, broccoli florets, green beans or mixed stir fry vegetables) with a tiny bit of salt. when i am on treadmill or when i feel hungry or tired afterwards, i drink diet Snapple tea (it is surprisingly satisfying!) i do have my cheat days, but on average i have a stayed below 1200 cals and is not feeling hungry much.

for exercise, i walk on treadmill 4mph at 10% incline, i do a total of 8 miles a day (in 2 sessions) i do this almost obsessively because if i become a bit lazy one day, i know i will feel lazier the next day and so on (happened before - i lost a bout 5 pounds and then became lazy and gained about 15 pounds!)
i am losing around 3 pounds per week now.

Achrya

Me! ....you know. Plus 500-700 calories a day. Which still had me drop 5 pounds in January.

girlpaint

I probably average about that in NET calories. Feel free to take a look at my food diary. I eat a lot, including snacks and dining out a couple of times a week. I also work out 5-6 days a week to help keep the metabolism higher.

I have found that over the past 3-4 months my weight hasn't budged very much. A little frustrating but I feel really good and healthy, so I'm not going to stress over it unless I start to gain of course.

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WhyLime113

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WhyLime113

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

As a man you should be eating a min of 1800

I would say that's not necessarily true (I know some very small men, and if they ate that much they'd gain weight quickly)
That said, most people should be eating way more than 1200 unless they've actually talked to a nutritionist or doctor.

KatherinesRiver

I've done 1,200 and would get really hungry a couple times a week. I'm on 1,440 now. I'm doing raw veggies for snacks and sliced apple with just a touch of peanut butter. Maybe a teaspoon spread on thinly.

Roaringgael

I've been eating around 1200 (1300 and now 1250) for 5 months, I have a lot to lose - that's an important piece of information.
Its not been hard for me - I wasn't able to exercise because of a knee injury.
I've started exercising and I can see that it makes you hungrier than I was.
I put those cals back in in case I want to eat them.
So far I haven't but I definately will if I need to.

I have averaged the .75kg (1.65 lbs) that MFP said I would.

This is a marathon not a sprint. I intend to succeed.

I read all the input on these forums religiously and research the internet and I pay attention to the people who are doing it - they know!

Thanks everyone for all the great information.