What would 1200 calories a day FOREVER do to you?

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Replies

  • MBrothers22
    MBrothers22 Posts: 323 Member
    You'd lose lean mass (bad), be hungry all the time (bad), get weak because of lean mass loss (bad), and lose until you're very underweight (bad)

    If that sounds like fun, go for it.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    For someone with your build and activity level, your metabolism can adapt to a certain extent but but in order for you to survive long term on such a deficit your body would need to scavenge muscle and fat tissue, and divert energy from non-vital processes (things that are important for long term health, but not short term survival) as your body approaches a TDEE of 1200.

    None of these things are good for your health.

    I seriously want anyone who isn't under 5' tall and sedentary to just forget that the number 1200 even exists.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    I am 5' 7" and I literally don't think I could eat so little unless I was vomiting so much that I went to the emergency room. So, it's been a good 18 months since I've eaten so little. I weigh 180 now, but when I weighed 137, I was still maintaining on 1800 calories a day at least.

    So, what would 1200 calories a day forever do to me?

    It would be "I will cut a mofacker" day, all day, erry day.
    roberto.jpg
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Personally...Id be hangry forever.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Make you cranky as hell?
  • RomulanWarbird
    RomulanWarbird Posts: 230
    You'd die.

    Probably not but you might.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    I would eat my couch.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I was going to ask how much (or how little) you were eating to lose 44 pounds in 3.5 months, but I see you already answered that. I say this as nicely as I possibly can - you need to be seeking help. You have an eating disorder.

    I guess this is what concerns me -- how can someone lose more than 10 lbs. a month in a way that's healthy? Most people who have that kind of weight loss are morbidly obese people put on extreme low calorie regimens under a doctor's supervision.

    Moreover, you are someone who has a profile that say "yuck!" and calls herself a sloth and disgusting. Most profiles talk about goals in a positive way -- to be healthier, to be more toned, to have more energy, to get ready for an event like a wedding, etc. I don't find that just being funny, I find it troubling.

    1200 calories might be for a maintenance weight -- for someone who is 5'2" and sedentary.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Make me slit my wrists.

    I kid, I kid, but seriously. I'd be effing miserable.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member

    1200 calories might be for a maintenance weight -- for someone who is 5'2" and sedentary.

    No. Wrong. 1200 calories was too low for ME, at 5'0", when I was sedentary. NO WAY IN HELL could that ever be a maintenance weight for someone taller. Completely impossible. Do some research on TDEE and BMR, and see for yourself.
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    I'm an older woman (55) my TDEE is about 1950 at my current weight.
    I was at about 1200 for awhile when I wasn't exercising (due to a knee injury).
    As soon as I started exercising I had to increase my calories because I stopped losing weight and felt miserable.
    I upped my calories and started losing again.
    Yes some people could eat at 1200, who were sedentary, older and quite thin but why be miserable. A little bit of movement and hey presto more food.

    This page is quite interesting:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea
  • rdsxfn
    rdsxfn Posts: 58 Member
    What type of long term eating habits have you developed in the last 3 1/2 months? I'm concerned with you losing roughly 14 lbs a month. Are you going to be able to keep that weight off long term?

    I look at changing your diet as changing your lifestyle. I eat as healthy as I can now. It wasn't always that way. A byproduct of my healthy eating and daily exercise has helped me shed 19 lbs. since December. Maintenance for me will be adding more calories to my diet. Some but not a lot. Maintenance for you will be adding LOTS of calories if you're losing 14 lbs. a month.

    Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle requires a commitment. Presumably your "maintenance plan" will be followed for years to come. I think you should follow other posters advice and work on your self esteem and your relationship with food.

    Best of luck.
  • recoveringleah
    recoveringleah Posts: 60
    I feel like I'm the only one who honestly feels full or at least satisfied eating 1200 calories a day, or oftentimes even less. I also exercise enough daily to leave my net at only 800-400. I know this is way too low but I have been struggling with anorexia for almost a year now and find it very difficult to eat more than 1200, especially since most of the food I eat is healthy and very low calorie although I eat proper portions. And yes, I actually enjoy the food that I eat and am not upset and moody all of the time because of it lol. I'm 5'3 and currently 105 pounds, which means my BMR is actually 1225. Anyway, 1200 calories a day forever would most likely become detrimental to your health over the span of a few years depending on your exercise, BMR, and other factors. Who knows, maybe I'll eat 1200 calories a day forever and report back to you when I'm a little old lady
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I feel like I'm the only one who honestly feels full or at least satisfied eating 1200 calories a day, or oftentimes even less. I also exercise enough daily to leave my net at only 800-400. I know this is way too low but I have been struggling with anorexia for almost a year now and find it very difficult to eat more than 1200, especially since most of the food I eat is healthy and very low calorie although I eat proper portions. And yes, I actually enjoy the food that I eat and am not upset and moody all of the time because of it lol. I'm 5'3 and currently 105 pounds, which means my BMR is actually 1225. Anyway, 1200 calories a day forever would most likely become detrimental to your health over the span of a few years depending on your exercise, BMR, and other factors. Who knows, maybe I'll eat 1200 calories a day forever and report back to you when I'm a little old lady

    The difference between this post and OP is that this person admits to be a recovering anorexic, so she is actually working up to 1200 from a severe deficit. She is also 5 inches shorter, and from her picture, pretty small framed; OP's BMR and TDEE would be much higher.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    It would mean I would accept staying fat because 1200 would be an unacceptably low number of calories for me.

    I have similar stats to you, OP. The strikes against me are being older and hypothyroid and I lose about 1lb/week on a net intake of 1900-2000 cal/day. If you don't like how your body looks at your current weight (by your profile you clearly don't) you need to look at starting a lifting routine and eating more (a lot more) to build some muscle. Your problem isn't one of too much body fat, it's one of not enough muscle.
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
    What if you ate at 25% of your TDEE, would this be as unhealthy as 1200? 25% of mine is 1499, but my BMR is 1452.
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
    I didn't mean to be insensitive to anyone at all. I clearly have had a past with EDs (I have already shared my teen under-eating as an example of the horrible lesson it taught me). Perhaps that is why I am overly sensitive when others jump to that conclusion easily. I felt like I had asked a very interesting question, and was instead, told to seek medical help. That is all. I feel nowadays weight loss has become centered around SOME form of disordered eating with all participants arguing over where to draw the line between "I log every calorie i consume onto an App on my phone but I make it to a magic number every day so i'm fine" and "you need to seek help because you just logged '1 grape' into you MFP". Its an interesting topic. One that I would like to be able to discuss and comment on without looking like im something that i'm not, or worrying other people, or promoting unhealthy dieting. I did not mean to offend.

    Unfortunately, you have people on this site who love to have a "holier-than-thou" attitude and feel that a simple question equals disaster for the individual who asked the question. I asked a similar question and someone accused me of promoting extreme dieting. People can be a$$es here, you just have to learn how to ignore them. Because others are either nicer, more empathetic, or not so prone to think that they have all the answers so that you may actually learn something from them.

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