Who has only 1200 calories per day?

littlemissmo83

I agree with a lot of the previous comments in that I think it depends how you spend your calories allowance. I think if you are sticking to a clean diet i.e no processed foods, no wheat/cheese/low fat etc you need a lot of food to fill up the 1200. For me, I have mine set to 1100, however I struggle to eat all of that on some days, but it doesn't mean I'm hungry. I have three meals a day and a snack, manage my full 5 a day and don't cook 95% of everything fresh. I am a creature of habit though, i'll stick to the same few meals in a variety of combinations so I don't get bored.

Typical day
B: two boiled eggs and a whole grapefruit
Lunch: Green Salad with cup a soup
Snack: protein shake
Dinner: Steamed fish/chicken with salad or steamed greens.

p0kers0ph

I've just gone back to eating 1200 a day. I have lost 65lbs, but have been stalled for almost a year really! So enough is enough, it's time to get serious again. I lost that 65lbs by sticking to around 1200, so that is what I will do again. I have had a year of maintaining, so I know once I get to my goal I'm not going to pile the lbs back on.

Also having a 1200 target is good motivation to exercise. If I know I am going out and need more calories, or if I fancy a treat, then I have to work for it!

slimsdown

im on 1200 and im 5'8 , i checked a website, cant remember which but you type in bmi and weight and height and it tells you how many caloires you can eat a day to get to your target weight. the more weight you lose the more u drop ur intake. 1200 is plenty if you eat fuller foods or low cal.

i cant live without ..............

bachelors slim a soup tomato- 54 cals
hartleys sugar free jelly -3 cal
ready brek porridge - 114 cal
laughing cow cheese triangles- 50 cal

even eating all that is just 221 caloires!!!!! less than a choc bar

anewleaf2011

Also having a 1200 target is good motivation to exercise. If I know I am going out and need more calories, or if I fancy a treat, then I have to work for it!

That's exactly it for me. I need to eat a lot more than that so when I see the calories dwindling during the day it makes me stop and go for a walk or get some exercise in so that I can buy back more calories. I also count breastfeeding and any extra cleaning or other activity as exercise so in the end I actually eat an average of 2000 calories, anywhere from 1800 as the lowest up to about 2200.

Plus my staple foods like rice, lentils and fish are low calorie but very filling. I notice when I stick to that and fresh fruit and veggies, I can eat tons of food but as soon as I throw something processed in there, the calories disappear way too fast and I'm still hungry. Lucky for me I love those staples and can happily eat them several times a day.

britneyy32

The less you weigh the less calories you can consume to lose weight or maintain your weight. I'm at 1200 calories to lose 1 lb a week.

Fozzi43

im on 1200 and im 5'8 , i checked a website, cant remember which but you type in bmi and weight and height and it tells you how many caloires you can eat a day to get to your target weight. the more weight you lose the more u drop ur intake. 1200 is plenty if you eat fuller foods or low cal.

i cant live without ..............

bachelors slim a soup tomato- 54 cals
hartleys sugar free jelly -3 cal
ready brek porridge - 114 cal
laughing cow cheese triangles- 50 cal

even eating all that is just 221 caloires!!!!! less than a choc bar

I like the slim a soup too but was afraid of how much salt was in them? If they are ok I shall have them!

grassette

I was on 1200 all last year. Then, this summer, I got an overwhelming hunger and started eating at +2000. Gained 10 lbs. back. Part of it was due to a long road trip (6 weeks) where my daily exercise routine flew out the window, and back pain due to sitting too much that prevented me from getting active again.

Struggling. Trying to drop my cals to at least 1600 over the short term.

sanaa4560

Hay guys i want to drop 2 lbs a week nd mfp sets my cal to 1200 but i m eating between 900 to 1100 nd i always feel full..btw i m 5 ft 1" and weight 105 lbs want to drop 4 kg more
..

RealWomenLovePitbulls

mine are set at 1380 - and I am "Active" I work in a nursing home. Sometimes I am under because I don't eat a lot of meat (like we will have chicken, but i will only eat 1/2 of my chicken and more veggies, i have just never been a big meat eater) I eat a very small breakfast (usually yougurt, maybe a granola bar cuz i just am not hungry first thing in the morning) and I usually don't drink anything but water (soda and stuff really add in calories) sometimes i have a cup of coffee - not too often cuz i don't like it that much, or for a treat i will have a cream soda or something when i'm craving it - usually only water does the trick anymore.
other times i am over, depending on what i eat, but i do my execises so i'm still under the calories they give with eating back exercise calories. I dunno... i've always eaten this way, so it's not really hard for me. Just before i would eat a lot of candy during the day and I don't do that anymore. I was also drinking mt. dew a bit and I really don't even like it anymore.

Jennyprano

mine is 1200 , im new so add me if you fancy a chat and some meal planning, I need some help.

kit kat for breakfast kind of girl : (

Slim7Dee

I think the less you weigh, the less calories you are allocated. Makes sense, as you don't want to put on weight! With 1200 you should still be able to eat and be satisfied. Going back approx 30 years, all woman were allocated 1000 calories and men 1200. So, you're lucky it's not then.

Just make sure you plan your day's meals/snacks ahead and have the fruit and water handy for when the pangs strike.

Best of luck.

sharonf1983

Mfp set me at 1200 calories, and to be quite honest i actually struggle to get to 1200 per day if im eating good food. Most days im just under 1100, and never feel hungry.

MuddyEquestrian

I am on 1,200 calories a day, wanting to go from 150 (currently 146 woohoo!) to 125 at 5'4. I have cut out wheat on top of the 1,200 calories which has made me drop 4lbs in a little over a week. I find that when I dont eat foods with wheat I am much more full and can last longer on smaller meals. When I started I was super hungry but now I find that if I eat more than 300 calories at one sitting I am absolutely stuffed. It gets easier with time. I exercise twice a week during a PT session and have a lightly active job in a hospital lab so im constantly running around on my feet.

rextcat

mine are 1360 and i realy dont worry about when i go over, and i do go over often:drinker:

shortnerdy

I do. But I'm also 5'1 and 184 pounds when I started. I also lead a sedentary lifestyle office job from home. I set it to lose -2 pounds a week as I've always had issues dropping weight. (Mum says because when I had salmonella as very small child that my body never recovered not sure how much truth there is in that0

I have a week where it's hard to eat 1200 calories because I'm eating HUGE low cal meals. But somdays I want to eat EVERYTHING.

For me It's up and down and trying to manage my cravings.

cataug111257

Just started on weight loss plan i'm on 1200 cal. per Dr's order praying to loss 40 pounds. good luck ladies:)

jesz124

One has to pick a calorie level that one can sustain for years, for life even... if this is supposed to be sustainable. 1200, in my estimation, is hard to maintain lifelong.

But you wouldn't stay at that level for ever. 1200 would only be for loosing weight. Once you have achieved your target weight you would increase the amount to a maintenance level which should in theory keep your weight on an even keel.

chocl8girl

I, PERSONALLY, could not live on only 1200 calories. I currently weigh 185, and am only 5'1. My BMR is something like 1600 I think, but I usually aim for about 1300-1400 calories right now. When I ate 1200 and below, I lost weight faster, but I was hungry a lot, and I noticed that the fluctuations of weight up and down were much greater and more frequent. Now, I lose weight much more slowly, but it rarely ever fluctuates at all, just stays very steady, then very slowly keeps going down. I am happy with this, I am not hungry, I could eat like this for the rest of my life, and I know the weight will not come back.

But everyone has to do what works for them. There is no one size fits all solution.

FlaxMilk

The reason people do it is a typical form of self-sabotage.
People hear and see all the poop in the media and elsewhere about losing weight fast.

And then there is that absurd TV show "Biggest Loser" - the modern encyclopedia of what NOT to do.
People need to heed the advice of those who have the fruit behind their philosophy.

In other words if you want success, do what successful people do.
You've lost over 100lbs - great job!

People need to hear you!

OP is 5 inches taller than me and 50 lbs heavier. She is on her feet at her job more than me. Not being allowed to exercise at all right now, she certainly has way more muscle composition than me and better fitness than me. Why would we have the same calorie needs?

freckledrats

I do. But I'm 4'11" and 122 pounds.

Sometimes I eat EVEN LESS. "What?!" you say? Yeah, well, I'm short. I'm within normal BMI. My sedentary TDEE is 1600. That means a pound a week means a net of 1100.

Math always wins, my friend.

Plus, my doc said it was cool. Because, you know. Short. Less overall body mass means fewer overall calories needed to maintain, which means much slower weight loss at 1200 calories to begin with.

Am I hungry a lot? Newp. Probably because I'm short and don't need 2000+ calories to maintain.

I don't recommend it for average height ladies or the especially overweight with a lot to lose. It would just be too overwhelming a change for that system. I ESPECIALLY don't recommend it for men.

ladypenel

MFP set mine at 1600 but I struggle to eat hat so changed mine to 1220 and even struggle with that! Last year my doc told me to eat just 900 and never lost a lb!! Exercises regularly now and for me that's the key!

opuntia

MFP set it for me like that for the holidays - it was 1400 before, because my lifestyle was active, but my lifestyle is sedentary during the holidays, so MFP gives me a lower calorie target. I think it's based on the amount of weight I want to lose and the timespan in which I want to lose it. I wanted to lose 10lb in one month, but apparently that would mean eating less than 1200 calories a day (not sure I believe that, but that is how MPF seems to be programmed) and 1200 is the minimum MFP can allow.

But I don't stick to the calorie limit - sometime I eat less, sometimes more. Depends what my body feels like. Some days I'm hungrier, other days I'm not so hungry.

ang3h

I had mine set to 1200 but I was so horribly depressed and obsessing like crazy over food so I bumped it up to 1600. Feel much better mentally and physically. Haven't lost any weight yet though..lol