Only 1200 calories?

CoderGal

I don't know why everyone's feeling all attacked :P On both sides you cannot assume the other person works like you. You eat different things, and have different activity levels and genes. You're probably not a doctor, don't act like you are.

If you're going to do what you're going to do go do it. A lot of people don't know eachother here. Some people could be getting up 2 in the afternoon and going to bed 10 at night. I've eaten 900 calories, and 1600 calories (and God forbid that day I ate about 3000). I'm still on average, losing. I also know there's people out there who have a lower metabolism then me.

I've been tetering around 1200 since I got here. Don't bash the people who are telling you to do more until you slowly try to go there. I'm not concerned about going over and I'm sure I'll still loose weight. I'll then up it again and again, until the point I stop loosing weight. I put this weight on in a year, I don't care if it takes more then that to get rid of.

EllieMo

i'm the same height but heaver than you and I am keeping my net calories at or around the 1200. I increase the amount i can eat by exercising

Di3012

The reason I know I can stay on 1200 calories per day, exercise on it and not have a slowed metabolism is because I did it for six months a few years back. Shock, horror, because 22 years ago, I went on a 1000 calories per day diet for three months and had the same effect.l

Please do not tell me I can eat 2000 calories per day, that makes me gain weight and I have absolutely no need to eat that much in one day, what would happen, for instance, if I were eating such large amounts such as 2000 or 2500 calories per day and suddenly fell ill and was unable to train. I tell you exactly what would happen the weight would pile on, because I would be unable to burn it off.

I do not need to eat more and my diet worked before and it is working just fine now.

ps to be even more shocking to many people, I also run up to 10k on 1200 calories and do not eat back my exercise calories and guess what.....my metabolism has not slowed down and will not, because I am exercising. Exercise keeps the metabolism going. It is not all about food.

Can I ask a legitimate question without thinking it's an attack? How do you know you haven't decreased your metabolic rate over time? Did you have it tested before and after? Or do you know your body fat now as compared to when you started? I ask because it's actually kind of difficult to maintain a metabolism through weight loss. Heck,it's normal to lose 10% of your weight from LBM.

In the end, I know there are multiple views on weight loss. Some only care for weight and some care about body fat. Some care about hitting a specific pant/dress size and so forth. My biggest thing is make sure people understand, to my best knowledge, what and how they are losing it. Yes, it is very possible to lose on 1200 calories per day but yes it's possible to lose on 1800 calories or in my case 3000. And yes, losing weight is a slightly different approach than doing body recomposition (eliminating bod fat and maintain lean muscle mass). And with either way, I just want to make sure people know how this site is set up and what it means to do each approach.

I am very glad you found what works for you :drinker:

It's quite simple really. Am I losing weight? yes. Am I exercising? yes. Am I eating nutritious food? yes. Do I feel lethargic? no.

My metabolism, if it slowed down would result in stagnated weight, lethargy and no energy.

I do not feel attacked actually, I was discussing, but that is neither here nor there. The thing that bugs me is that many people decide that 1200 calories is suddenly a restrictive, starvation diet and it is not. It works, I feel great, I run and exercise on it, I am losing weight, my muscles will not disappear because I am using them.



Edited because I forgot to add, I am a 51 year old female who has gone through the menopause. Ask any menopausal woman how difficult it can be to obtain weight loss and many will tell you it can be hell. This is the main reason why I know 1200 calories works.

eacatterton

I am 5'5, 208 and want to lose about 1.5lbs a week so MFP set mine at 1380, plus I eat about 70% of my exercise calories back. With these setting I have been losing about 2 lbs a week. I am happy with that result.