how to sucessfully maintain a 1200 cal. diet

BelleEns

I have gotten into the habit of being super healthy during the day- Lunch is rarely more than 300 cals- And having a proper dinner with my family. I think it is about habits- I don't have cheesy meals, no bread during the week (it bloats me but I love it!) and changing family meals from pasta and creamy curry to soup and stews.

Lesa_Sass

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.

Or she could be gaining muscle.

If I had to eat 1200 a day and could not eat back my exercise calories, I would not exercise.

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.

Or she could be gaining muscle.

If I had to eat 1200 a day and could not eat back my exercise calories, I would not exercise.

No, would not be muscle. Muscle needs a caloric surplus to build, unless someone is new to lifting or obese, you will not gian muscle in a deficit.

CoderGal

On the days I don't exercise it's not hard. I generally don't buy junk so there's nothing to snack on. I try to have breakfast under 200 calories, lunch ~400, and dinner ~600 (sometime's I don't eat dinner all at once...I'll eat a salad or something and then start cooking the meat later). That way you have energy to start of your day, you can squat lots of veggies in 400 calories to get your vitamins, and you have the more filling stuff for supper so there's less chance of snacks.

MinnesotaManimal

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.

I did the 1,200 calories for the majority of my weightloss. the weight fell off like mad. but I lost an incredible amount of strength and muscle. Now its a battle to overcome that. I am 6 ft tall and went from 235 to 165 and still had 20% body fat when done. towards the end, I discovered that once my body got used to more calories ( I gain 3-5 lbs for about 10 days everytime I bump up) I can still lose 1.5 lbs a week on 1800 - 2000 calories a day.

embersfallen

bump to read later

Wilmingtonbelle

I've been on 1,200 calorie diet since August. At first it was tough but once I got my head around eating the right things, it hasn't been difficult. I don't eat back my exercise calories because I have so much to lose.

Feel free to check out my diary and friend me. :flowerforyou:

Sláinte

StephanieStarke

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.

rgunn02

nope - I desperately need to work out daily to gain extra calories to eat otherwise it's a loosing battle!! :sad:

cocoavery20

After reading this article, I didn't know either you could eat the cal. back. This should help me out a lot. I was trying to burn all my cal. that I ate for the day and then extra cal. to burn 3500cal. a week. Maybe this will help my dieting issues.

billsica

Can this 1200 calorie diet work for me? I'm eating closer to 1980 calories right now.

I think this might just as one poster stay, "not everyone is the same."

fatty_to_fitty

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

Well are you not eating back exercise calories? At a guess spin would get you about 300-500 cals which can be a meal in itself.

deliak2010

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.

good info! bump

spectralmoon

I was able to do it for the time that I was on it without any issue; I'd eat back my exercise calories and get as close to 1200 (or whatever my new goal with exercise added in was) as possible without going over. I switched to 1340 calories a day so that I'd have something to deduct from if I hit a plateau instead of starting at rock bottom servings and having to fight that hill when it happened.

rissabella123

This will probably sound silly but I'm quite frustrated. I'm trying to lose 20 pounds. On average I exercise daily and burn on average 500-650 calories per day through walking, running, cycling, or swimming, etc per day. MFP has 1200 calories as my goal (and I assume they mean NET calories). I find it difficult to eat 1700+ calories a day without eating a lot of carbs, etc. - and mentally I just can't do it. Often times my net calories (after exercise) are 900-1000 calories per day yet this week I have gained 2 pounds! I feel like all this tracking has me afraid to eat. So I guess my question is, am I eating too low in calories that my body is in fat protection mode? Should I really eat back all those exercise points? Could under-eating be sabotaging my goal here? I'm not expecting huge loss per week but I'm not expecting a gain either.

fatty_to_fitty

I lowered mine because when eating my exercise calories I was eating too much. I didn't actually want more food.

Clean eating and fresh cooking is the way to go on a 1200 plan. If you are hungry then it's not right for you, we are all different.

I actually eat around 1500 average a day some days over 2000 but I exercise a lot on those days.

claire7090

Remember that 1200 calorie limit is NET calories. If you burn 300 calories you can eat 1500 calories that day and still have a net 1200 calorie day.

I manage the 1200 calorie goal easily Monday- Saturday - Sunday is always my difficualt day as we have a longer family time at breakfast and have pancakes to eat. My children when they knew I was going to go on a diet pleaded we kept pancake morning on Sunday and that we all had pancakes. So I still have pancakes on a Sunday morning and accept that my calorie intake on Sundays is about 1350 net calories. I still lose weight - have lost 25 pounds and been on MFP for 156 days.

Keep going you will adjust - it is a change if lifestyle and that is why it works. x

Sweet_Potato

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.

Yeah, I had originally had a goal of 1 lb/week, which gave me 1200 calories a day, but I wasn't losing weight. I just swtiched to 0.5 lb/week which gave me an extra 50 calories a day.

Sweet_Potato

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

Yes! It's not very hard at all-- I eat constantly and never feel hungry. Check out my diary if you need ideas. I eat a lot of homemade soups, yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts, oatmeal, and vegetable-based roasts and sautees.

slinkykat

I just stared a week ago and have been targeting a 1200 calorie a day diet. It really hasn't been that hard. I eat a lot of fruit, veggies, oatmeal and lean meat. I am not real strict about it so some days I go over a bit but I am always close. I am one of those people who cant eat all of my exercise calorie back, if I do I either maintain or gain. Right now I can't exercise much because of knee injuries so I am on the bench for a few months. I have to try to keep close to 1200 or I won't lose. It has been a week and I have lost 4.5 pounds.

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.

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.

Actually I naturally have a very slow metabolism and am currently on b12 shots once a week and a b12 2500 mg pill a day. MFP suggests I eat 1400 calories a day, and that doesn't work for me either. My doctor told me 1200 calories a day, so I go by what he says.

slimbyjune18

I think it depends what you eat, I've been doing this only for a week, but I've stuck to, or come under 1200 a day and not been hungry. If you're eating meat, fish, fruit, veg, cereals etc then it's doable. There's also a bit of portion control involved. I have been weighing my food while I get used to it. I probably need to eat a bit more especially on exercise days - but overall I've not been hungry and actually surprised with how much food I can eat for 1200 cals.

FitLink

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.

Or she could be gaining muscle.

If I had to eat 1200 a day and could not eat back my exercise calories, I would not exercise.

I hear ya!

Di3012

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.

Unless of course, your BMR is 1400 per day.

tishpickle

Yeah I am on 1200 - and usually hit it or go over a tiny bit. I eat back exercise cals over 200.

I am losing slowly but evenly, started at nearly 250lbs and aiming for 1/2 my orignal size, so still have 77 pounds to lose.

My diary is open and you are welocme to look as well

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.

Unless of course, your BMR is 1400 per day.

What does a BMR of 1400 have to do with it? If your BMR is 1400, you would have maintenance calories of 1680 calories, so to lose 0.5lbs/week you would set your goal to 1430 Net.

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.

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.

Put it this way, when I was over that I stayed at 212 for a solid month. I dialed it back to the 1200 - 1350 mark and lost 2lbs in a week. Lets see what happens this week. If I lose 2 more this week then I am going to ride it out for another 20lbs. My goal is to do this (1200-1350) for one month and see what happens.

Smithvalerie

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.

Smithvalerie

Maybe that is what is happening to me...I have been losing for two weeks straight at 2 lbs per week weight loss. I am doing the 1200 daily and I work out about one hour a day and I eat them back...maybe I shouldn't eat them back. Confused about this stuff and some what disappointed that I worked extremely hard last week and I ate the calories I burned and I gained 1 1/2 lbs back. Please help anybody.

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.

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.

Put it this way, when I was over that I stayed at 212 for a solid month. I dialed it back to the 1200 - 1350 mark and lost 2lbs in a week. Lets see what happens this week. If I lose 2 more this week then I am going to ride it out for another 20lbs. My goal is to do this (1200-1350) for one month and see what happens.

If it works for you. Just keep in mind that a good portion of those 2lbs is likely from lean muscle, not just your fat stores. You might want to ask yourself, do you want to lose weight, or lose fat. If your answer is weight then by all means eat less, if you answer was fat, then you may want to eat a lot more. Eating less you will get to your goal weight faster but you will have a higher BF% at that weight then if you did it slower.