Anyone else on 1200 a day?

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  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Seems really low to me since anything less is starvation. This is what was recommended for 2lbs a week and for 1.5 lbs I only get 1300. I don't know seems low to me, anyone else out there working with this number too?

    I am on 1200 calories per day. I've been here one week now and so far have found I can stick to the calorie amount providing I eat a breakfast consisting of eggs and space out my meals.

    It must be working because I feel excellent and have lost 6lbs. Just another 24lbs to go lol.
  • MgMarsoli
    MgMarsoli Posts: 4
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    I just started as well and thought the same thing, 1200 was way to low, but after this week of tracking my food intake, I find I'm full with even less than 1200 calories a day. I lost 4 pounds so far (I'm sure its water weight) but I'm hoping this works,,,Good Luck:wink:
  • t4theo
    t4theo Posts: 9
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    I'm on 1200 per day. So far I'm hanging in there. At first it was very hard and I was very hungry. Now I think my body has adjusted but it's not easy.
  • ljcatch22
    ljcatch22 Posts: 42 Member
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    I'm really not understanding why everyone seems to think that 1200 calories a day is torture.

    3 cups of salad have less than 90 calories. I can eat a salad topped with ground turkey and a low calorie marinara sauce and have a very filling lunch for less than 300 calories. Throw in some carrots and a fruit cup, and I'm feeling great. Strawberries have like 3 calories a piece. Egg whites are also very low calorie. It's all about what you eat.

    If you eat high calorie stuff, you won't be able to eat as much. Honestly, now that I've become more aware of what I'm actually eating, I stay full longer than I did when I was eating 3000 calories a day. And I feel better since I'm eating veggies and low fat protein.

    If I workout, I eat back my calories. I'm definitely not hurting however.

    Also, I'm 5'8 and about 180 pounds so I'm not exactly a small person.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    I'm really not understanding why everyone seems to think that 1200 calories a day is torture.

    3 cups of salad have less than 90 calories. I can eat a salad topped with ground turkey and a low calorie marinara sauce and have a very filling lunch for less than 300 calories. Throw in some carrots and a fruit cup, and I'm feeling great. Strawberries have like 3 calories a piece. Egg whites are also very low calorie. It's all about what you eat.

    If you eat high calorie stuff, you won't be able to eat as much. Honestly, now that I've become more aware of what I'm actually eating, I stay full longer than I did when I was eating 3000 calories a day. And I feel better since I'm eating veggies and low fat protein.

    If I workout, I eat back my calories. I'm definitely not hurting however.

    Also, I'm 5'8 and about 180 pounds so I'm not exactly a small person.

    I agree - if you eat the right foods, and a balanced, healthy diet, 1200 cals can be very filling. I'm 5'0" and 45, with a sedentary job, so I aim for 1100-1200 cals a day - at 1200/day, with no additional exercise, I would only lose 0.3 pounds per week, and at my height, exercising doesn't really burn up the cals very quickly (I'm very jealous of people who can burn 500-1000 cals in an hour - I'd have to work out 2-4 hours to get there, which isn't reasonable). I eat a lot of fruit, veggies, lean proteins cooked without added fats, and some whole grains and potatoes. I have my Skinny Cow treat every day, and usually some other low cal treats. I feel great, and when I eat this way, I sometimes have trouble making it to 1200. The days I get into trouble are when I start eating processed foods that are higher in calories, but not necessarily more filling, making it even easier to overeat. As the above poster said, you can have a huge salad with protein for less than 300 calories and feel stuffed, but in a good way. It's all in what you choose to eat. But, if you are taller or more active, by all means, take advantage of the extra calories you can eat :-) But still stick with healthy foods :wink:
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I'm doing 1300 now and I started at 1200, but in the middle I went up as high as 1500 without gaining an ounce, so if 1200 seems low for you then try a slightly higher goal until you get used to eating less. If you've been eating a lot more (say 2500/day) and you suddenly drop to 1200 you're at less than half what you were before and your body is going to be stressed.

    If you choose to continue with a low goal you have to plan carefully. LOTS of protein, lots of good fat, legumes, etc. Lower the carbs, not because they're "bad" but because you get hungry again sooner after eating them. If I eat 100 calories worth of popcorn it's high volume but I'll be hungry again in an hour. If I eat 100 calories of unsalted almonds I'll be satisfied for much longer. Also a problem can arise if you're eating processed or take out foods since you get so little for your calories and end up having to skip a meal to make your calorie goal for the day.

    I would personally recommend starting with a slightly more maintainable goal, like 1500. Once you're used to tracking and you know which foods keep you full the longest, then you can lower your goal if you need to.

    Also I don't know if it's already been said, but if you've only got 10-15 lbs to lose you shouldn't have your settings on losing 2 lbs per week. Set it to .5-1 lb per week and you'll get much more sustainable results.
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
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    1200 calories isn't low? I barely manage to hit that target everyday & I eat loads.
  • belinda_b
    belinda_b Posts: 70 Member
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    I cannot do this for too many days in a row or I am starving. I am jealous of those who can. I want to know what they eat. I eat alot of fruits and vegetables and still am over 1200 and hungry.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I cannot do this for too many days in a row or I am starving. I am jealous of those who can. I want to know what they eat. I eat alot of fruits and vegetables and still am over 1200 and hungry.

    It's probably because you haven't artificially lowered your metabolism below what it can be by eating too little for too long.
    Good for you.

    Now, if you are really hungry after eating a meal of just fruit and vegetables, which would be about nothing but carbs, you may have an issue with insulin spiking clearing your blood sugar too low too fast, which can easily make you hungry.

    If you also feel tired shortly after eating this type of meal, you might want to experiment and cut back on the fruits, only eat the veges and a good sized piece of protein with about 14 almonds.

    If you don't get the same effect, and the calories are about the same, your body would be overreacting to the carbs. Which is not at all unusual for folks trying to lose weight.
    Compared to that skinny friend that can eat pasta and bread and not have a problem!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    1200 calories isn't low? I barely manage to hit that target everyday & I eat loads.

    A messed up metabolism would indeed cause that.
  • AureliaCotta
    AureliaCotta Posts: 99 Member
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    I'm on 1200 a day (well, 1240). So far it's been alright...it has its moments of frustration and moments of "this is no problem!" Mostly though, it's "another 100 calories or so would be nice, just to have if I wanted it." I just restarted MFP so I'll see how 1240 works for me; if I'm not getting much progress I'll increase the calories to 1400 or so.

    As far as people going under 1200...I won't pass judgement, but I will say that I hope those who are doing that are doing so under medical supervision because there are health risks attached.
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
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    1200 calories isn't low? I barely manage to hit that target everyday & I eat loads.

    A messed up metabolism would indeed cause that.

    I said I eat loads of food & barely manage to reach 1200 calories, that has nothing to do with my metabolism, it has to do with the kind of food I eat, I eat low calorie filling food.
  • DrIanKellar
    DrIanKellar Posts: 38 Member
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    If you want to find it less torturous, there is a good literature on satiety promoting, low calorie density food. Dr Barbara Rolls has written a diet based on it called the Volumetric Diet. Or save your money, and eat lots of oats and rink lots of water.
  • aqua_zumba_fan
    aqua_zumba_fan Posts: 418
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    Yes, but once you add exercise then your calorie goal goes up. So, I typically walk 4miles a day at a very brisk pace (4.5-5mph) and that gives me an additional 341 calories.

    Yes, this! I eat back all exercise calories and work with weekly rather than daily goals to mix it up a bit. I have a low goal as not masses to lose and I'm short!
  • jenng38
    jenng38 Posts: 105
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    yes I eat 1200 per day. But I eat mostly whole foods, I eliminated white carbs and I eat a lot of protein. Try this and you will find it easier to stick to.
  • lovemydrmartens
    lovemydrmartens Posts: 144 Member
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    I'm on this and not finding it too tough at the moment but I do usually have excercise cals to add on... I have eaten chips and dumplings in the last week!... just not very many... ;) mostly I eat lots of veg and stuff and keep off the booze and cheese.. they are my downfall! :(
  • graceserrano
    graceserrano Posts: 4 Member
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    I am on the 1200 a day. Been on it for 8 days now but ended up eating more (1300-1400 cal) most of the time. It is hard but I have become wiser by choosing carefully what I eat. I eat what I really like, cheese, chocolate and some dessert and cut down on the carbs. Also I went into exercise to get more calories.
  • burgess2012
    burgess2012 Posts: 1 Member
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    hi all
    yes im 1200 a day and so far im finding it very easy
    ive found that every time im feeling hungry im having a glass of water then if im still hungey after i will then eat something.
    another way to boost weight loss is have your carbs in morning and lunch then a carb free dinner in eve i did that before xmas and lost 22lbs in 4 months.
  • jexebelle
    jexebelle Posts: 7
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    I was doing 1200 a day but dropped weight too quickly (I dropped 10 lbs in the space of time I was looking to drop 5, eek) so have pulled it up to 1400-1500. I really liked having to pick the most nutrient rich foods, when I was doing a lower calorie intake so I' having a bit of trouble finding high quality foods to add into my diet to pull the calorie count up a bit. With exercise (walking around 20 miles a week, jogging maybe 5-10) I would have to eat like 2000 a day. There's no way I can do that without eating constantly or just giving up and eating trash.
  • MissSpuggz
    MissSpuggz Posts: 155 Member
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    Yep but I reach that total most days but I also tend to fall under by around 100 calories too. There's only so much good food in the house and I can't afford to buy loads just to reach their recommended total. I feel good eating the 1000-1200 + exercise calories that I do and I'm steadily losing weight with no bad side effects. I've never been a massive eater, I just didn't eat the correct things when I did est so I suppose that's why I'm not finding it too difficult.

    Drink lots of water and keep yourself occupied so you don't feel like you have to eat loads.

    Also, pay attention to the other stuff you're eating. Carbs/protein/sugars. It's not just about reaching the calorie goal. Most people who think they're hungry are actually thirsty so have a glass of water first.

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