The 1200 Calorie Diet

_snw_

it's all about what your BMR is at. From there - you can have a 500 to a max (i believe) 1000 deficit, but 1200 is the very loweest you should ever go.

I'm 5'8" 144lbs and at 1200 cals, it's less than a 500 calorie deficit (very very generally speaking, you'll lose 1 lb after a deficit of 3,500 calories). So even at the lowest possible amount, i can only lose less than 1 lb / wk. But on my workout days - like today - I'm eating 2,000 calories.

figure out your bmr first. like others said - there is no "1200 calorie" diet.

_snw_

it's all about what your BMR is at. From there - you can have a 500 to a max (i believe) 1000 deficit, but 1200 is the very loweest you should ever go.

I'm 5'8" 144lbs and at 1200 cals, it's less than a 500 calorie deficit (very very generally speaking, you'll lose 1 lb after a deficit of 3,500 calories). So even at the lowest possible amount, i can only lose less than 1 lb / wk. But on my workout days - like today - I'm eating 2,000 calories.

figure out your bmr first. like others said - there is no "1200 calorie" diet.

actually - what dan said. the 20% deficit is a much better figure than a straight caloric #

gleechick609

I am on the 1200 calorie diet in hopes of losing 30 pounds by my wedding, April 21, 2012! Has anyone been successful losing that much so quickly? I am about 5'8" and I started in at 230 before Christmas and am currently at 213.5! I really want to look confident in my wedding gown. I do exercise 2-3 times per week. Walking on the treadmill, recently started doing Zumba, and I occasionally lift 5 pound weights for upper body toning. I eat healthy calories only and with nutritional value. And water! Water!water!

So, I would love to hear success stories and any advice!

If you were a couch potato and didn't exercise at all, to maintain your weight of 213, you would need to eat roughly around 2100 calories a day.... I would raise your 1200 calorie diet to a 1600 calorie diet. I think you will be successful with more calories.

heybales

I am on the 1200 calorie diet in hopes of losing 30 pounds by my wedding, April 21, 2012! Has anyone been successful losing that much so quickly? I am about 5'8" and I started in at 230 before Christmas and am currently at 213.5! I really want to look confident in my wedding gown. I do exercise 2-3 times per week. Walking on the treadmill, recently started doing Zumba, and I occasionally lift 5 pound weights for upper body toning. I eat healthy calories only and with nutritional value.

If you only have so much time, don't waste it on 5lbs on upper body toning, I'm guessing you mean the arms. You want weight loss first, and the biggest muscles in your body burning fat 24 hrs day will be the most impact. Your bicep and tricep are not those biggest muscles. As you loose weight, you can add those in later.

Since you are mainly relying on diet then, and not massive amounts of exercise, you must nail some figures as best as possible. And increase your daily activity from parking farther, taking stairs, walking around office frequently, ect.

And you probably don't want your metabolism slowing down right now, making it harder to burn. Because even more muscle, operating slower, doesn't help. And I'll bet you are heading in that direction eating so little.

So here is a suggestion that may just apply to many on here.

Several places for inaccuracies that if they all go one direction, could have your calorie goals higher than they should be.
Or if they all go the other direction, having the goal way lower than it should be. Which is the other reason for not seeing advancement.

But it could be your BMR estimate by MFP is wrong.
Which means your calculated maintenance calories based on that is wrong, and if the wrong activity level, even more wrong.
And then your exercise calories could be way off if not using a decent HRM estimate.

So suggestion:
Confirm your BMR using another respected formula, which requires bodyfat % and is more accurate.
Get a better estimate of daily activity for the maintenance calories.
Do your math for weight loss to get your daily calories.
Update MFP.
Figure out if exercise calories is way off.

Here is site for getting your body-fat %. May not be super accurate, but the estimate is good enough for use in calculations.
The plus here is, you record these measurements in MFP as additional things to track and see positive progress.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

Take the results over to here after noting them.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Change height to BF in the calculator, and the Katch-McArdle formula is used for BMR.
Do NOT include exercise in the levels and time of activity, because you'll still enter that into MFP and it will credit you, but really thing about your normal average daily activity levels and time outside exercise.
Now you have a better BMR figure (keep that in mind because you should not eat below that ever) and more importantly, maintenance calories.

Now do the math from those maintenance calories just like MFP does on it's estimate.
500 cal/day is 1lb week. Add 250 to that figure depending on being realistic. Even 10% of maintenance is recommended sometimes.
So take that calorie figure from the maintenance calories - and there is your goal calories.
This should NOT be below your BMR figure. You should never eat below what your body requires for basic life, unless you just want to slow your metabolism down and make weight loss harder.
If it is lower, your goal calories can be your BMR, but you would be better served sticking to 10% in that case.

Now you can enter that figure in MFP Goals manually. Don't worry about the figures on the right now, but may be interesting to see how it compares to that formula.

Now go to Enter Weight, and Add additional measurements for what you took for the body fat %.

Now eat back those exercise calories, and use a cheap HRM to get some sort of decent estimate.

Do this all over again in a month. And progress beyond the scale can be seen now too.

Example here. (30 yr old female, 180 lbs, desk job - not me)
Body fat% calculated - 32%
8 hrs resting, 15 very light, 1 light
BMR - 1572
Maintenance - 2162
Goal weight loss weekly - 1lb, 3500 calories, 500/day
Goal calories - 2162-500= 1662 daily (just above BMR, so would have been unrealistic to attempt 2lb/weekly).

Any exercise gets logged, and manually corrected by HRM estimate of calorie burn.
Extra food eaten is snack before and after workouts that are balanced carb/protein, with extra protein afterwords.
Want to feed that muscle, since that is what will help it grow, and burn fat 24hrs a day.

rrbass87

This is my last post on this forum so i'll leave you with a nugget of wisdom!

Know your dietary numbers!

TDEE <---how many calories you burn daily
BMR <---how many calories your vital organs need if you were to sleep all day or be a couch potato.
Body Fat % <---the ratio of fat to lean mass you have.

If you know these numbers you can do just about anything weight wise with your body.

Most crash diets that take you to or below BMR will aid in losing weight for a short time but you WILL lose lean mass and you WILL slow metabolism after extended periods of VLD.
This is bad.
Knowing your TDEE you can adjust calories accordingly to lose, gain or maintain weight.

You will lose the same amount of weight at 20% less TDEE than you will dropping calories to or below BMR.
This is because the human body is only capable of losing so much fat per day then it starts dipping into lean mass.

For more info on finding out your personal numbers you can google Fat To Fit Radio Tools and do the foot work that will give you a sustainable diet. 1) military body fat calculator and 2) BMR tool.
Youll be surprised at how much you can eat and lose weight!
Ask Sunshine on here!
;D

I'm going to bed!
I lose fat when I sleep now because I eat right!
=D

Thanks for your input, Dan!

avk9802

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

mauigyrl

You would need to work out like a fiend. Like 6-7 days a week.

taso42

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

Ever see a strong, fit, healthy anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

slmclellan

I went from about 220 down to 200 in about 3 months last year. I had my settings for 1.5 lbs per week and was allowed about 1550 calories a day. I started working out, did kickboxing twice a week and deep water running another day. Kicked up the exercise to 5 days a week and added a weight class and have dropped another 30lbs in about 4 months. Totally doable even on more than 1200 calories, personally I couldn't survive on that few, and I do eat some of my exercise calories.

SergeantSunshine_reused

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

Ever see a strong, fit, healthy anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

Exactly. Think that an anorexic person could go back to eating 2,000 calories and not put on fat? No, because they have slowed their metabolism.

Continue to eat that little. Continue to lose muscle mass and slow your metabolism.
Some of us like to promote eating more to lose.
I am a great example. 5ft2 with a TDEE of 2250 calories on a REST DAY.

Gypsyvb

I have been double posting to this site with a friend as I continue my weight watchers program. I have used WW before and successfully. As others have stated, when I get busy and or lazy and don't pay attention to what I eat and stop exercising things change.
I do not believe in the "eat you calories back", philosophy. I use exercise to my advantage, working out more to burn more calories and loose weight faster. NO I am not a do or die fanatic.... but if it's nice outside I will choose a leisurely walk over a TV program... yes after I have done my cardio for the day.
Not sure 1200 is a good number for Everyone, depends on you height / weight / BMI ect.... like every thing about this site accept
the "Eat back you calories" thing. I am 5 ft 2 in and small framed, If I swim I can furn between 5 hundred and 700 calories a day, if I ate them back it would be like 1700 to 1800 calories a day.... I believe that is how I got here to begin with.

My rule of thumb... I'm not tired, I'm not sick, I eat three meals and one or two healthy snacks a day, stay on a balanced program and it works very well... loosing approximately 1 to 2 pounds a week safe and healthy rate of loss.
I will not be eating back every exercise calorie can't support that based on my own personal experience with weight loss.

EnergeticErma46

Hi, MFP started me on a 1200 a day!! I excercise 7 days a week for at least 30 minutes but I've been putting in more than that!! I started November 28, 2011 and as of today I have lost 17 pounds. I've been losing between 1.60-2 pounds a week as projected by MFP. I eat my 1200 calories and sometimes go over. I lost 17 pounds in about 2 months so if I keep going the way I am I will lose another 17 pounds possibly more in the next two months, which would put me at 34 + pounds. So I'm sure if you keep going the way you are going, you will lose the weight with no doubt. You are eating healthy and drinking that water and that is a PLUS!! You can do this with no problem and look AWESOME on your wedding day!!! I'm cheering for you. Be blessed!

heybales

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?

Very easily.

You have how many hours of the day NOT working out? That is when your body is now going in UNDERdrive to compensate for lack of energy to supply what it needs, and what you are doing to it.

And the workout is hard core compared to what exactly?
Because the HR is high? That's going to happen as you have less muscle trying to perform the same level of work you used to do.
Because you sweat as much? Heart is probably under tremendous load, and lot of heat generated breaking down muscle to get to the amino acids to make glycogen to feed rest of the muscle, and more importantly your brain.

tataliciousd89

Me? Rude? Nah!
If anyone reads any of the forums before posting they can see a lot of posters talking about how to diet and how not to diet.
Going into a life change shouldnt be done blindly!
You should research and get all the proper info before cutting calories way too low.
You spend any time on these forums and youll see 100 forum posts about "1200 calorie diet yaddah..." a week!

If you want a sustainable diet you need to eat the proper nutrients and work out.
Period!

My Picard pic got your attention though didnt it?

Agreed. A 1200 calorie diet is not a sustainable life change. It gives quick, but short lived results. Been there and done that way to many times and I always wind up back where i started in the end.

xosmsox

[quote

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.
[/quote]

Anorexia is bad, just so you know...

Helloitsdan

Hi, MFP started me on a 1200 a day!! I excercise 7 days a week for at least 30 minutes but I've been putting in more than that!! I started November 28, 2011 and as of today I have lost 17 pounds. I've been losing between 1.60-2 pounds a week as projected by MFP. I eat my 1200 calories and sometimes go over. I lost 17 pounds in about 2 months so if I keep going the way I am I will lose another 17 pounds possibly more in the next two months, which would put me at 34 + pounds. So I'm sure if you keep going the way you are going, you will lose the weight with no doubt. You are eating healthy and drinking that water and that is a PLUS!! You can do this with no problem and look AWESOME on your wedding day!!! I'm cheering for you. Be blessed!

the human body can only lose so much fat so it metabolizes damaged proteins for fuel.

Damaged proteins=lean mass btw.
Damaged proteins is abundant in people who overtrain.
So lets say you are hardcore because its January and youve decided to lose ALOT of weight and you want to workout every day.
So you stress the muscles and you feel the burn day after day after day and you lose weight.
All you are doing id tearing down muscle fibers day after day.
Damaged proteins.
If you arent getting at least 2 rest days then your body is most likely catabolizing your damaged muscle for fuel because you dont eat enough.
So if you were to ever "Fall off the Wagon" You would gain the weight back AND have a lower lean mass.
A word of caution...slow and steady wins this race sister!

Unless you are already in an athletic state and training for the marathon the best thing you can do for yourself is eat right, sleep right and work out 3-5 times a week with 2 rest days.

Tara4boys

bump - want to read the rec'd websites later

mallory3411

We have the EXACT same wedding day and weight loss goal! I am also getting married on April 21, 2012 and want to lose about 30lbs before than. Although I'll be happy with 20, or enough to fit into the wedding dress I have hanging on my door at home that is just a bit too small and the zipper won't do up!

I have a higher than 1200 calorie day though... I find I will not lose at that low and it causes me to be a bit different of a person.. I need more food than that. Don't go too low or exercise too much as it's not all that healthy.

gleechick609

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

What you are doing IS classified as an eating disorder. You are eating less than what is required and constantly burning the calories you DO eat to result in a negative calorie deficit. This is a great way to ruin your internal organs as well as your reproductive system. Take it from someone who has "been there, done that" for four years straight. Thanks to eating less than 1200 calories and never eating back excessive exercise calories, I now suffer with a thyroid disease and premature ovarian failure. I am 24 and going through what a middle aged woman should be going through; menopause. You are only damaging your body in the long run. One day, you will understand what we are preaching. No one can force you to change but we are encouraging you to change for your own benefits. You will not be able to continue eating this way for the rest of your life. Why not learn to balance everything with a higher caloric diet?

Long2bme

1200 calories per day does not even support your body systems. You will not achieve the result you want doing it this way.

TriciaMaina

I started a little over a week ago on 1200 calories and I'm already down 8lbs. It may just be water weight, but it's pretty motivating!

Helloitsdan

Once you lose the water weight you can start losing some fat, some muscle.....yea.

deksgrl

it's all about what your BMR is at. From there - you can have a 500 to a max (i believe) 1000 deficit, but 1200 is the very loweest you should ever go.

I'm 5'8" 144lbs and at 1200 cals, it's less than a 500 calorie deficit (very very generally speaking, you'll lose 1 lb after a deficit of 3,500 calories). So even at the lowest possible amount, i can only lose less than 1 lb / wk. But on my workout days - like today - I'm eating 2,000 calories.

figure out your bmr first. like others said - there is no "1200 calorie" diet.

No, BMR is your basal metabolic rate. This is the number of calories they would feed you if you were in coma, just to keep your bodily functions operating. Breathing, heart, organs, brain.

You should never eat less than that, because your breathing, heart, organs, brain, need that much energy to survive, never mind fueling your day to day activities and working out.

You need to figure out your TDEE, total daily energy expenditure to factor in the movement you do to figure out the number of calories you need to maintain weight. Then you want to create a deficit of that number by 15-20% for healthy weight loss.

Will you lose weight if you eat less than BMR? Yes, but not healthily, your body cannot do that long term without damaging it.

The OP is 5'8" and 230-ish. Her BMR is certainly going to be more than 1200 calories per day and that will be unhealthy for her to go that low.

p.s. - listen to Dan. And he was not trying to be rude, he spent a lot of time replying in this thread because he cares about people enough to want to try to educate so they don't do damage to themselves.

daryls

I've done the 1200 calorie thing and I can't maintain it. I workout 5-6 days a week (cardio & circuit training) and need to eat more (1400 is probably best for me.)

I agree with the others, it's not about the wedding day and what you look like. It's about how you feel and the marriage you have in front of you. But, I do think adopting a healthy lifestyle is important!!!

JoFlosgrl

I have done this before and my weight melted off of me. I had lost 40 lbs in 2 months! My key was less sodium. I watched my sodium and sugar intake because those two things seem to be what makes me gain my weight. Add lemon juice to your water since this helps with the water weight. I am currently back to doing this diet again and on my 2nd week approaching my 3rd... so far I have lost 4 inches in my waist and 3 inches in my hips!!! Keep it up... you are going to look amazing on your wedding day!!!

MummyOfSeven

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

Hang on, just getting a pen and paper.
So....anorexia is GOOD now?
*takes notes*

auntdeedee87

humm hello I have been on here for a year...i just thought you were rude with your picture of the Trekkie have some compassion...btw my doctor advise me to stay on a 1200 to 1300 calorie diet it works for some and not others...she was just asking a question no need to be a smart *kitten*.....done!

Relax! I help more people than hurt.
And I dont understand why someone would want to eat 1200 calories a day and possibly slow down metabolism when you could eat up to 2k a day and still lose weight the healthy way.
Thats all.
=D

If you're eating 1200 calories a day but you're working out hard core.. how could your metabolism possibly slow down?
I eat LESS than 1200 calories a day and NEVER eat back my work out calories and I've lost A LOT of weight.

Ever seen a fat anorexic person?
Didn't think so.

No, I've never seen a fat anorexic person.
I've never seen a NOURISHED anorexic person, or for that matter a mentally sound anorexic person.

It's called a disorder for a reason. Although your comparison to a 1,200 calorie diet with no knowledge of what you may be doing to your body, and anorexia, is accurate-- People with anorexia don't CHOOSE to be the way the are.

You're choosing it.

From what it sounds like, you're advocating anorexia and if that is the case, I can quickly & without guilt dismiss your opinion.

Enjoy your bliss, sweetheart.

xcrushx28

There is no FAST way to properly lose or gain weight. Extremes will not only keep you far from being optimal, but will also make it a lot tougher to stick to the "diet".

Make it a lifestyle change, make small adjustments, stay true to yourself and most of all stay consistent.

WhitneyAnnabelle

I lost 60 pounds in about five and a half months a few years ago. It required about 2 hours a day at the gym--one devoted to intense cardio, the other weight training--and it's actually shocking how easily it came off. It depends on the "kind" of weight you have, I guess...mine was all from medication. I didn't eat a very well-balanced diet like I do now, though, so you're probably in the better boat. It's definitely doable. I'm on the 1200 calorie diet, too, and I've lost 5 pounds in two weeks. Not without a lot of exercise, though. By the way, I was 183 when I lost the 60 pounds; I am 107 now. So it is possible to keep it off.

Helloitsdan

107lbs? How tall are you? How low do you want to go?