1200 calorie diet?

Aaron_K123
Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Been on the forum for about 3 weeks now and have noticed that it seems like a very large percentage (too large imo) of people on here are doing 1200 calorie diets. Is it just me or is a 1200 calorie diet basically what MFP just spits back at you if you fill out the information in such a way that you are overshooting a reasonable goal so MFP just says "1200" because that is as low as it is willing to tell anyone.

Kind of wish people would see that 1200 number and think "well maybe I should exercise more so I can eat more" or "huh, I guess 2 pounds a week is not something I can handle right now, maybe I should try for 1 pound a week"

I know this is probably a controversial thing to say and I'll get a lot of responses from people saying 1200 calories worked great for them but damn, that seems really really low.

And the people who eat 1200 even if they are exercising and don't eat there calories back I don't even know what to say to that.
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Replies

  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    1200 is way to low for anyone to diet on such a miserable way to carryout your meals .. if you do lose weight you will eventually gain it all back because you would have been mal nutrition yourself.....
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    1200 is way to low for anyone to diet on such a miserable way to carryout your meals .. if you do lose weight you will eventually gain it all back because you would have been mal nutrition yourself.....

    ... No?
    You can pretty easily meet all your macros on a 1,200 calorie diet, and it's a safe number for quite a few people, especially those who are severely overweight.
    The problem is people who have 10-20 pounds to lose, and want to lose 2 pounds a week, which is NOT reasonable for them to do.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    he does'nt look overweight .. looks pretty healthy to me.. and i would defenately not recommend a 1200 calorie diet for him also he's a guy they require more than us females
  • s4naz
    s4naz Posts: 86 Member
    I'm on a 1200 calorie plan and I don't feel deprived or hungry on most days. I workout about 6 times a week and eat back most or all of my exercise cals. I set it to lose a pound a week.

    I think it works for my height/weight/age etc...
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    he does'nt look overweight .. looks pretty healthy to me.. and i would defenately not recommend a 1200 calorie diet for him also he's a guy they require more than us females

    He's not proposing one for himself...
    He's wondering where so many people get that "magic number" from, and he's right.
    It's from people putting in unrealistic goals, and MFP spitting out 1,200 calories because it's the lowest they can recommend.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    1200 is what MFP gave when I first started because I naively put in for two pounds per week even though I only needed to lose about 50 lbs. I actually started to eat that way and would run out of calories by lunch time. Obviously that was not going to work for me so I changed to a half lb per week.

    It seems like some users are unwilling to make that adjustment.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    1200 is way to low for anyone to diet on such a miserable way to carryout your meals .. if you do lose weight you will eventually gain it all back because you would have been mal nutrition yourself.....


    Um no.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    I'm on a 1200 calorie plan and I don't feel deprived or hungry on most days. I workout about 6 times a week and eat back most or all of my exercise cals. I set it to lose a pound a week.

    But if you eat back your exercise calories then you're not really on a 1200 calorie a day diet. Sounds like you have just 1200 calories one day per week
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    1200 calorie diets are everywhere. I think they are really pushed by diet companies as a fast way to lose weight and people tend to just go with it.

    For some people, I can see a 1200 calorie diet being reasonable (metabolic disorders, age, activity level, all being factors), but it certainly isn't a one size fits all thing. Most people who jump straight to 1200 calorie diet aren't aware that they can eat more and still lose weight.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Agree OP.

    Even I when first started out did the 1200 calories and sometimes less than that.

    Now I have gone to the dark side. :bigsmile:

    5'2, 44 years old, CW: 119, eating between 1800-2000 calories
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    It's just the weird, off-putting number MFP gives you when you want to lose 2lbs a week. If you are truly honest about you goals and what you want to accomplish. Eating 1200 and getting all the nutrients is easy, but eating more balanced at a higher calorie quotient is better.

    You have more room to work around with, with a higher calorie daily goal. Why? Those bad days don't totally wreck your calories because a binge isn't so bad.
  • seeingthelight
    seeingthelight Posts: 98 Member
    Thank goodness MFP doesn't go any lower than 1200 calories. LiveStrong used to recommend 1100! I am on a 1200 plan but I exercise and eat back some of my calories. I generally end up at 1400 a day with one or two days more than that. I am concentrating more on getting stronger and having more stamina, so I try to eat the recommended protein and I try to get enough vitamins. I am 65 and very short so to lose weight I have to eat less than most of you.
  • s4naz
    s4naz Posts: 86 Member
    I'm on a 1200 calorie plan and I don't feel deprived or hungry on most days. I workout about 6 times a week and eat back most or all of my exercise cals. I set it to lose a pound a week.

    But if you eat back your exercise calories then you're not really on a 1200 calorie a day diet. Sounds like you have just 1200 calories one day per week

    I assumed we were talking about a net of 1200 calories
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    I think the 1200 thing is because MFP gives you a ***** prompt about starvation mode if you go under it ... right recommendation for the wrong reason, IMO.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Thank goodness MFP doesn't go any lower than 1200 calories. LiveStrong used to recommend 1100! I am on a 1200 plan but I exercise and eat back some of my calories. I generally end up at 1400 a day with one or two days more than that. I am concentrating more on getting stronger and having more stamina, so I try to eat the recommended protein and I try to get enough vitamins. I am 65 and very short so to lose weight I have to eat less than most of you.

    My sisters are both 4'11" ... they go to about 1000 cal/day on the occasions that they "diet"...
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    I'm on a 1200 calorie plan and I don't feel deprived or hungry on most days. I workout about 6 times a week and eat back most or all of my exercise cals. I set it to lose a pound a week.

    But if you eat back your exercise calories then you're not really on a 1200 calorie a day diet. Sounds like you have just 1200 calories one day per week

    I assumed we were talking about a net of 1200 calories

    Don't get me wrong, sounds like you are doing everything just right
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    i eat 1850 cals perday sometimes 2090 i never gained a pound > i just keep getting results :p height 5'5 weight 122 p enjoying life eating 3 full meals perday with a snack or 2 on the side in that day :p i was 135 pounds now iam 122 pounds & building muscles at this rate .
  • jennifries227
    jennifries227 Posts: 113 Member
    When I set up MFP for my mom it recommended she do 1200 calories a day. I set her to lose 1 pound a week because that's what she asked me. She needs to lose between 50-60 pounds in all... She's also super tiny (4'11"), so that had something to do with it I'm sure...
    So no, it's not just the number it spits out when you put in unreasonable measurements/goals...

    That being said, I do agree that too many people follow it
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    i eat 1850 cals perday sometimes 2090 i never gained a pound > i just keep getting results :p height 5'5 weight 122 p enjoying life eating 3 full meals perday with a snack or 2 on the side in that day :p i was 135 pounds now iam 122 pounds & building muscles at this rate .

    L1LRnMO.gif
  • Alassonde
    Alassonde Posts: 228 Member
    I don't know about it only being for people with unreasonable goals......I got 1240 for my number, but I am middle-aged and have a desk job. I set it to lose 1/2 pound a week because I only want to lose a total of 5 pounds. Generally as long as I don't eat out I don't have a problem staying within that. I do exercise and eat back the calories. I have managed to lose 2 pounds in the month I've been on it, so I guess it's right on track. I haven't been hungry either. I'm small so I probably don't have high calorie requirements.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    i eat 1850 cals perday sometimes 2090 i never gained a pound > i just keep getting results :p height 5'5 weight 122 p enjoying life eating 3 full meals perday with a snack or 2 on the side in that day :p i was 135 pounds now iam 122 pounds & building muscles at this rate .

    L1LRnMO.gif
    hahahahahaha
  • jec285
    jec285 Posts: 145 Member
    Why is everyone upset by other people choosing to eat less than they do?

    Are you genuinely upset that they are "starving" themselves (even if that's not even the case half the time), do you think they're stupid because they could be eating another 500 calories or more per day and still losing (maybe they want to lose weight faster, or maybe it's what works best for them), or are you guys just jealous that they have that kind of willpower or something?

    I don't know, I'm just saying, if you can eat 1200 calories and hit your macros you shouldn't have to deal with everyone bashing you for a low calorie diet on a calorie counting website.
  • s4naz
    s4naz Posts: 86 Member
    I'm on a 1200 calorie plan and I don't feel deprived or hungry on most days. I workout about 6 times a week and eat back most or all of my exercise cals. I set it to lose a pound a week.

    But if you eat back your exercise calories then you're not really on a 1200 calorie a day diet. Sounds like you have just 1200 calories one day per week

    I assumed we were talking about a net of 1200 calories

    Don't get me wrong, sounds like you are doing everything just right

    I'm trying! lol
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    1200 is a number I've been hearing since I was little. My Mum used to get fitness magazines and they'd all tote '1200 meal plans'. She stopped getting them, thankfully.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Why is everyone upset by other people choosing to eat less than they do?

    Are you genuinely upset that they are "starving" themselves (even if that's not even the case half the time), do you think they're stupid because they could be eating another 500 calories or more per day and still losing (maybe they want to lose weight faster, or maybe it's what works best for them), or are you guys just jealous that they have that kind of willpower or something?

    I don't know, I'm just saying, if you can eat 1200 calories and hit your macros ... you shouldn't have to deal with everyone bashing you for a low calorie diet on a calorie counting website.

    ... and most of your micros ...
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I started at 1360, but eventually lost enough that MFP put me at 1230 - PLUS EXERCISE. So I guess I don't see your point. I was hoping to lose a pound a week - which I did.

    I've been maintaining since last June.

    You get older, you need fewer calories. You adjust. Get over it.

    What I have learned here is how to eat wonderful luscious food within my allowance (now 1440 plus exercise) and skip all the dumb extra calories that made me overweight.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Why is everyone upset by other people choosing to eat less than they do?

    Are you genuinely upset that they are "starving" themselves (even if that's not even the case half the time), do you think they're stupid because they could be eating another 500 calories or more per day and still losing (maybe they want to lose weight faster, or maybe it's what works best for them), or are you guys just jealous that they have that kind of willpower or something?

    I don't know, I'm just saying, if you can eat 1200 calories and hit your macros you shouldn't have to deal with everyone bashing you for a low calorie diet on a calorie counting website.

    Yeah I am worried that this site by recommending a 1200 cal diet to someone who shoots for an unreasonable weightloss goal is giving them justification for a behavior that is likely to cause them more harm than good especially youths.

    It isnt jelousy its this other emotion known as empathy, you should try it sometime.
  • sseqwnp
    sseqwnp Posts: 327 Member
    Why is everyone upset by other people choosing to eat less than they do?

    Are you genuinely upset that they are "starving" themselves (even if that's not even the case half the time), do you think they're stupid because they could be eating another 500 calories or more per day and still losing (maybe they want to lose weight faster, or maybe it's what works best for them), or are you guys just jealous that they have that kind of willpower or something?

    I don't know, I'm just saying, if you can eat 1200 calories and hit your macros you shouldn't have to deal with everyone bashing you for a low calorie diet on a calorie counting website.

    Yeah I am worried that this site by recommending a 1200 cal diet to someone who shoots for an unreasonable weightloss goal is giving them justification for a behavior that is likely to cause them more harm than good especially youths.

    It isnt jelousy its this other emotion known as empathy, you should try it sometime.

    There are no youths on this site. Your argument is invalid.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    Why is everyone upset by other people choosing to eat less than they do?

    Are you genuinely upset that they are "starving" themselves (even if that's not even the case half the time), do you think they're stupid because they could be eating another 500 calories or more per day and still losing (maybe they want to lose weight faster, or maybe it's what works best for them), or are you guys just jealous that they have that kind of willpower or something?

    I don't know, I'm just saying, if you can eat 1200 calories and hit your macros you shouldn't have to deal with everyone bashing you for a low calorie diet on a calorie counting website.

    Yeah I am worried that this site by recommending a 1200 cal diet to someone who shoots for an unreasonable weightloss goal is giving them justification for a behavior that is likely to cause them more harm than good especially youths.

    It isnt jelousy its this other emotion known as empathy, you should try it sometime.

    There are no youths on this site. Your argument is invalid.

    Whut?
  • chelstakencharge
    chelstakencharge Posts: 1,021 Member
    I'm on 1200 a day. It works for me @ only 5 feet tall. I am not deprived because I eat healthy. I don't eat my exercise calories. I, i. No way am starving. I eat when I'm hungry. I do not eat for the sake of eating or because a clock says it's time. If I'm truly hungry my body will tell me.

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