how to sucessfully maintain a 1200 cal. diet

trea16

Anyone out there been able to maintain a 1200 cal. diet?

Kelly_Wilson1990

I do. Feel free to add me and look at my diaries.

erickirb

You don't have to. For most people that are on 1200 cals, it is not the best intake for them, most chose a weekly weight loss goal that is too aggressive. Here is a guide for setting weekly deficits, and on top of this when you workout you should eat those calories back. So if you are on 1200 cals and burn 300, you should eat 1500 for the day.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Givemewings

I did until very recently when I started to find it harder. The way I did it was to eat my exercise cals back. So if I wanted to eat more then I exercised more to earn the calories.

Yvesdiva

I do it by making sure I workout daily. Yesterday, I ate 2 mini muffins, but I worked out for 65 minutes, and then did floor exercises for another 10. So, I'm not actually maintaining the 1200, but with the caloric deficit from the workout, I always come in under my calorie goal.

Richdogg38

I try to stay at 1,200 - 1,350 as I get my best results. I did spend a month eating 1,800 per day though. I wish I had a clear cut way to stay there (1,200) but I just truly watch what I eat and I have learned to grab things that are going to make me full.

sexyminxinthemaking

i struggle to get to 1200 cals some days over days i go just a tad over but i find it quite easy to stick to 1200 as a rule

dkljj

I struggle with that too, especially on a day I spin. I do better when I add nuts to my snacks. Any healthy oil would do the same ,but I like chewing my fat, almonds

ashleyclark12

I do and I just really use portion control. I try to keep my breakfast between 100-300 and I eat lunch as my highest caloric meal so that I can work it out when I exercise.


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Elizabeth_C34

Yes.

The trick is to take your time in dropping your calories down. I started by loggin what I was eating and not worrying about the total calories, then the next week, drop 200 calories off each day, then 100 the following week, etc. This allows you to slowly get used to it.

Now I have a hard time eating large meals.

morganadk2_deleted

You don't have to. For most people that are on 1200 cals, it is not the best intake for them, most chose a weekly weight loss goal that is too aggressive. Here is a guide for setting weekly deficits, and on top of this when you workout you should eat those calories back. So if you are on 1200 cals and burn 300, you should eat 1500 for the day.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

this^

vjrose

If you must do the 1200 (do your BMR first) then add in 30 minutes of exercise and eat your exercise calories back as recommended.

Jenn638

i try. i usually am over by 20-90. and i eat my exercise calories back. its really nice to be able to enjoy the extra calories knowing that i worked hard for them. I think it takes a couple of days for you to get used to eating less than what you were, so it should feel hard eating that little. but you get used to it. some days 1200 feels like a lot of food, and others after a long run it feels like not nearly enough.

jlynn1001

You don't have to. For most people that are on 1200 cals, it is not the best intake for them, most chose a weekly weight loss goal that is too aggressive. Here is a guide for setting weekly deficits, and on top of this when you workout you should eat those calories back. So if you are on 1200 cals and burn 300, you should eat 1500 for the day.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

^^^ exactly, but most people wont understand that. In the way of dieting many think less is more and with exercise more is better, both are untrue.

erickirb

I try to stay at 1,200 - 1,350 as I get my best results. I did spend a month eating 1,800 per day though. I wish I had a clear cut way to stay there (1,200) but I just truly watch what I eat and I have learned to grab things that are going to make me full.

Wow, I would be careful, you are going to lose a lot of lean muscle eating so little. A man should not get getting less than 1500 Net (1500 plus eat back what you burn), otherwise you will not be getting the required amount of micro and macro nutrients to fuel your body.

btdublin

I try to stay at 1,200 - 1,350 as I get my best results. I did spend a month eating 1,800 per day though. I wish I had a clear cut way to stay there (1,200) but I just truly watch what I eat and I have learned to grab things that are going to make me full.

Richgreen, as a guy do you find a 1200 cal diet works? No issues with plateaus or slower metabolism?
Just interested as most men are not recommended below 1500 (girls get 1200). I am on about a similar level and struggling to eat more than 1200 now...

Erickirb makes a good point but I am eating v healthy and a few nutrient supplements getting all the nutrients I need.

hofosho1020

I have been since November, doing OK with it. Now I'm seeing a plateau type thing, and I'm thinking I might need to up my cals a bit.

elfo

If you eat more pure proteins- like eggs, chicken, fish , meat-- and less carbs-- your calories will drop a lot.

jacalou

Lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat proteins, and lots of water. The fruits and veggies keep you feeling satisfied... Good luck.

Lorleee

I have not. My brief stint with Jenny Craig had me on 1200 a day and I was one miserable, weak woman. I found that at 1400, though, I was happy and able to exercise and lose as high as 2.5 pounds weekly. That said, everyone is different and there are many people who can make it work with 1200.

JoanneLynn

I'm 5.2 and if I want to loose weight I have to stick to close to 1200 calories a day to loose 0.9 pounds per week. If I exercise, I eat back some of my calories if I am hungry. I loose about 3 pounds a month.

erickirb

I'm 5.2 and if I want to loose weight I have to stick to close to 1200 calories a day to loose 0.9 pounds per week. If I exercise, I eat back some of my calories if I am hungry. I loose about 3 pounds a month.

with only 5 lbs to go a 0.9 lb/week weight loss is too aggressive. Try switching your goal to 0.5lbs/week, this should give you about 200 more cals/day, and is a healthier goal given your ultimate goal.

dorbell

A cup of oatmeal (mix of rolled and steel cut) most mornings for me slathered with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt and natural zero cal Truvia sweetening.This high soluble fiber meal really fills me up, is YUMMY, (and is great for lowering cholesterol. I cook a big pot each week and then microwave a bowl each morning. Or a mix of high fiber cereals with Stonyfield 1% milk (creamier tastings than other 1% milks for some reason).

2-3 fruits a day, including an apple (another filling soluble fiber food) and veggies, including filling mini carrots with lunch, usually a Boca veggie burger and high fiber english muffin, or a huge plate of scrambled eggs (1 egg, 1 liquid egg white, and a mess of mushrooms/peppers/onions). GOOD fats - a tsp or two of olive or canola oil, and I package 1/2 ounce servings of lightly salted almonds in tiny mesh tie bags and keep them in my cookie jar - have 1 or 2 a day as needed. Good for portion control, easy to throw in my pocket, great monosaturated fat for cholesterol, too.

When I want a wine or special treat (or when I go to parties), I eat some exercise calories so I can keep all 1200 cals for nutritional and filling foods only. I'm rarely hungry. Joined a gym for strength training and cardio in addition to walking most days.

Matt_Wild

Using the Intelligent Fasting method, my misses keeps her weight under 9 stone (usually 122lb, slightly over on cheat meal day) simply by fasting for 16 hours in a day and in an 8 hour window before bed eats. She eats around 1200 cals per day.

These are pictures from towards to the end of last year - she's about 8lb lighter now but you get the idea:



Weight loss is easy, its simply eating the right foods and not eating junk. Crap in = crap out.

trea16

I didnt know that I could eat those cals. back after exercise. This might help out quite a bit.

TheFitHooker

Me I am on 1200 calories till I hit a plateau then I'll up it... Feel free to add me

Lesa_Sass

It is my motivation to exercise. The more I get, the more I can eat.

TheFitHooker

I didnt know that I could eat those cals. back after exercise. This might help out quite a bit.

Eating exercise calories back doesn't work for everyone. I get a lot of people suggest it and so does MFP, but for me it never has worked, I always gain when I try to eat them back. Each person is different, so my advice is to play with it and find out what works best for you. Every time I've tried to eat more then 1200 I've gained as well, again I had to play with it.

inuit

I do within reason, been doing it for about 3 months now. I found it really hard to start with as i did not reduce it down slowly, so not only did i cut out all the stuff i loved to eat, but halved my intake. Stupid really, but fortunatly i was so focused i stuck with it, but the slow steady approach is far better.

After a couple of weeks i got into the swing of it. It is finding a level of what you like, mixed in with really healthy stuff. I eat a lot of chicken and veg and throw in upto 200 calories of bad stuff, such as chocolate etc if i want it.

I aim for the 1200 net a day if i do not exercise and upto 1400 net if i exercise. 1200 on days i work out just is not enough, i can really feel it in my legs (i only work out lightly at the minute) but the big thing for me is not feeling guilty if am under or over on a day, i use 1200 to aim for, it is not a golden rule that you must stick to.

Once i have lost another 14lbs i am upping mine as i hope to be a lot fitter and will do more exercise and will want to build muscle, so i do not see it as a long term for life figure.

1200 just does not work for everyone, but it is a place to start, take a few weeks to figure it out, once you get it right you will be dropping pounds. If need to be at 1600 what does it matter if you are losing weight.

Allow yourself a while to figure out what you want and like to eat, what you can and cannot leave out . Try new stuff, found a love of a couple of veggies and a few other things i would not have normally eaten. Now a fan of celeraic.

Take your time and enjoy the process, if you do not enjoy it you wont stick to it.

deborahmorris

This is very interesting....love to see the comments!!

Thanks!

erickirb

I didnt know that I could eat those cals. back after exercise. This might help out quite a bit.

Eating exercise calories back doesn't work for everyone. I get a lot of people suggest it and so does MFP, but for me it never has worked, I always gain when I try to eat them back. Each person is different, so my advice is to play with it and find out what works best for you. Every time I've tried to eat more then 1200 I've gained as well, again I had to play with it.

Actually it works for everyone who does not have a slow metabolism or thyroid issue. Most likely the issue with it not working is you are either over estimating your calories burned (not using a HRM), or under estimating what you actually ate (not measuring liquids and weighing solid foods) Other than that, you must eat them back to meet your goal deficit.