eating 1200

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  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I lost weight eating under 1200. I lost faster and better (more from fat, less from muscle, plus I felt a lot better) on significantly more.

    Link with more details and photos: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
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    Honestly I think everyone is different. I know I had stalled weight loss at 1200 calories and would feel run down. I upped to 1400 and feel much better. I have like uber energy now and feel like moving around all the time. I think you need to do what feels right to your body.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    I tried 1200 for a couple of weeks... Man was I miserable?!?! Now I eat 1800-2000 and the pounds are coming off steadily...No more grouchy mama either. I do not like to try to preach at people about how to feed their personal, private bodies, so I won't. All I know is I have NEVER felt so strong, amazing, and in control of my life! I am never, EVER hungry, and I've got energy to spare (That's important with a 3 and 4 year old)! You will lose lean muscle with low-calorie diets, but that being said, it's your body, your decision.:wink:
  • jlenz74
    jlenz74 Posts: 30
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    I usally don't eat my excerise calories back simple because I work out at night and I dont think it is good for your digestion to eat more food before going to bed. I have been doing the 1200 a day for 30 days and I have lost 8 pounds. I think it also depends on if you are hungry or not. If you not hungry I dont think you should eat because you have extra calories availble to you.
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
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    Just eating when you are hungry is not the best thing to go by. Ever heard of leptin and ghrelin, your hunger regulation hormones?
    Eating too little is going to do more harm than good in the long run.

    I also see no one being rude o.O
    [/quote]

    Yes I have heard of leptin and ghrelin..the same hormones that stop telling your body you are hungry when you continue to eat and overeat calories...I just think listening to your body is good old common sense. Why am I going to force myself to eat more calories when I'm not hungry? That doesn't make sense. So like I said, if you are hungry, eat. If not eat back some or none. Its not a necessary requirement to do either because everyone is different. And as far as being rude, I am not talking about this feed in particular, im talking about how heated people get about this topic. Its not necessary because everyone loses weight at different rates, has different body types, and different needs, so its impossible to make generalized statements about a whole population and be accurate, i'm sorry but I just know what has worked for me.
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I eat between 1800-2000 calories, but I burn about 600-800 depending on my workout. My goal is to NET 1200, not limit myself to 1200.
  • zuchy
    zuchy Posts: 40 Member
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    1200 is the only way for me to loose anything! 1600 I maintain, anything over that and I gain. Where I come from most dieticians and nutritionists advise for a 1200 diet (for women, 1400 for men) after a bioimpendance analysis. But if you see you can eat more and still loose, then I'd do that of course.
  • dwtimeoutt
    dwtimeoutt Posts: 107 Member
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    Good for you. That is exactly what the dietician said to me. I am geared up for losing 1 lb a week. Because of my exercise I may lose a little more but I set things up to take one year to lose it all. I am allowed 1470 because of that. My doctor suggeted I go to 1200 and my dietician said, "sure, if you want to fail and gain it back". I believe she is right on target because I feel completely satisfied and I am watching the scale budge a little at a time. Even though it says I have 0 weight loss, that is because I haven't weighed since I signed on to MFP. In the previous 6 weeks I have lost 11.5 lbs. I'm ready to get on the scale Monday.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Just eating when you are hungry is not the best thing to go by. Ever heard of leptin and ghrelin, your hunger regulation hormones?
    Eating too little is going to do more harm than good in the long run.

    I also see no one being rude o.O

    Yes I have heard of leptin and ghrelin..the same hormones that stop telling your body you are hungry when you continue to eat and overeat calories...I just think listening to your body is good old common sense. Why am I going to force myself to eat more calories when I'm not hungry? That doesn't make sense. So like I said, if you are hungry, eat. If not eat back some or none. Its not a necessary requirement to do either because everyone is different. And as far as being rude, I am not talking about this feed in particular, im talking about how heated people get about this topic. Its not necessary because everyone loses weight at different rates, has different body types, and different needs, so its impossible to make generalized statements about a whole population and be accurate, i'm sorry but I just know what has worked for me.

    Listening to my body caused me to pack on 15 pounds in a year. Sure didn't work to well for me or I wouldn't be here.
    Ah I thought you were talking about rude in this thread xD Sorry go confused

    I'm glad that worked for you.

    After studying dietetics/nutrition at my university for 3 years I can tell you under eating can cause more harm than good. If you want to maintain muscle mass then eating as much as a 10 year old boy is not the best route.
  • chell53
    chell53 Posts: 356 Member
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    I started with 1200 calories.....then had to move to 1400 because I was not doing anything at 1200. I am losing slowly which is fine for me and at times eat some of my exercise back......this way I don't deprive myself of anything......if I know I am going to have DQ one night after supper then I exercise a little more that day......this gives me a cushion.....everyone is different 1200 may work for you then stay with it...........
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
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    Just eating when you are hungry is not the best thing to go by. Ever heard of leptin and ghrelin, your hunger regulation hormones?
    Eating too little is going to do more harm than good in the long run.

    I also see no one being rude o.O

    Yes I have heard of leptin and ghrelin..the same hormones that stop telling your body you are hungry when you continue to eat and overeat calories...I just think listening to your body is good old common sense. Why am I going to force myself to eat more calories when I'm not hungry? That doesn't make sense. So like I said, if you are hungry, eat. If not eat back some or none. Its not a necessary requirement to do either because everyone is different. And as far as being rude, I am not talking about this feed in particular, im talking about how heated people get about this topic. Its not necessary because everyone loses weight at different rates, has different body types, and different needs, so its impossible to make generalized statements about a whole population and be accurate, i'm sorry but I just know what has worked for me.

    Listening to my body caused me to pack on 15 pounds in a year. Sure didn't work to well for me or I wouldn't be here.
    Ah I thought you were talking about rude in this thread xD Sorry go confused

    I'm glad that worked for you.

    After studying dietetics/nutrition at my university for 3 years I can tell you under eating can cause more harm than good. If you want to maintain muscle mass then eating as much as a 10 year old boy is not the best route.

    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    People do not eat exercise calories back because they feel like they need an excuse to eat more. This is simply the more sustainable and healthier approach to weight loss. You will have more energy in the long run and it will help you maintain the lean muscle you already have. If you want to hear success stories, that is fine, but these folks who are only half way to their weight loss goals are not good examples. Wait until they come back asking why their body fat percentage is still high, or they have reached a stall in their weight loss. You have to remember that when you are losing weight, you are losing muscle as well. Eating enough and strength training is way to prevent losing too much of it.

    Exactly. I eat over 2000 calories a day to lose fat. I don't want to lose just weight, but fat. Eating 1200 a day and no exercise calories might work, but you lose a lot of muscle that way. So when people come back wondering why they are at a low weight put still look pudgy and not lean.. welll... there ya go.

    I do a lot of exercise so I keep my muscles working, I also eat way over my protein so that feeds my muscles.

    Where does this losing a lot of muscle come from, just out of interest.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I "listened to my body" and ate when I was hungry after my first boyfriend and I split and ended up down to a scary 103 pounds without trying to lose weight.

    I "listened to my body" and ate when I was hungry after losing my parents and ended up a relatively chunky 160 pounds, too.

    My body is stupid and can't be relied on to tell me when I should eat. I'm better off planning my meals and logging my food based on what my brain knows is the right amount of food for me. My brain is really smart. :smile:
  • Taryn1627
    Taryn1627 Posts: 120
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    For me, I have my calorie intake set for me to lose a pound a week...and it has me at 1720 calories...generally i only eat around 1500 calories though. i usually workout over 1000 calories and as a general rule i don't eat them back. every couple of weeks though i'll have one day when i'm just super hungry and then i usually eat at least some of them....usually try to stay around 2000 on that day...

    hope that helps!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Okay!:) Agree to disagree. I have my bachelor's in nutrition as well, I love learning about the body, it fascinates me. I am only 5 foot tall so my needs aren't everyone elses, but I thought i'd share my thoughts. No worries

    Yup looks like it, will agree to disagree xD
    Im actually only about 5 ft 3-4 or so and I maintain around 2500. 1200 would be too much torture for me anymore xD heh :]
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    You may lose, but you're not going to be fueling your body properly, so you won't really be getting healthier or more fit, which should be the goal anyway.

    Oh I don't know, I have a PB of 45:41 for 10k. I can swim a couple of miles at whim. Cycle for as long as I want.

    I think I am quite fit and healthy ;)

    It is probably due to having muscles :)
  • AmberFaith90
    AmberFaith90 Posts: 904 Member
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    I'm sure you can lose weight this way. But why would you, when you don't have to?
    ^^ This.
  • branditabonita
    branditabonita Posts: 30 Member
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    By the way, when I said "listen to your body" I wasn't referring to environmental queues "telling you" you're hungry, like driving by a mcdonalds, smelling it, and deciding you're hungry, or going through a difficult situation. I meant that you are physically trying to be healthy, trying to lose weight, and eating in moderation until you are no longer hungry. I portion my food and if I am still hungry I see how many calories I have left, and may eat more. If not, I stop. That is what I call "listening to your body" I am not talking about being overweight and eating everything until you pop; I just mean trying your best to lose weight, have a healthy diet, and stop eating when appropriate. Just for clarification. :tongue:
  • corinaouellette
    corinaouellette Posts: 2
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    I've been sticking to the 1200 calories or less per day, and burning off between 200-300 doing various cardio exercises. It seems to be working well for me right now, but I'm new to this calorie counting. I've done the WW point system before, but now I'm concentrating on # of calories and low sodium, and it's working. I started on March 12th and as of today I've lost 16 pounds. I will likely kick up my cardio routine soon, and will also add a few more calories to accommodate the extra strength needed. I have also heard that it's hard to sustain that kind of weight loss long term, eating very few calories. If I find that to be the case, I will change it up as needed. Until then, it's working for me!
  • foster59803
    foster59803 Posts: 439 Member
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    I am glad you asked this question... in all honesty I don't know. I am starting to think that each person really has to figure out what works best for them. I recently had RMR tested at my gym because I had been exercising and eating well for 6 months. A little history: Average calorie intake aprox 1500 calories (3 month average) – Average calorie “burn” every day 389 (3 month average) – this is cardio and weight training- mostly free weights/ I am 32 year old female, 135 lbs with 26%(caliper) body fat. Over the last 6 months, no change in bf, weight or any real measurable inches. Definitely increased strength and endurance.

    MFP had me set at 1200 calories a day, I would exercise and eat back nearly all my exercise calories (on average 300 of the aprox 389 burnt). Since I had not seen any change I thought maybe I need to increase my calories so I decided to have my Resting Metabolic Rate tested at my gym. My test showed my RMR to be 1090… the gym trainers immediately said… well there you have it. Sorry kid, not really going to change your genetics unless you decide to be a female body builder. They recommended that I eat 1200 calories a day and not to eat back my exercise calories. It seems so crazy to me now because I have been following the MFP method for almost a year. I did lose a few lbs in the beginning but it has been a while since I have seen any other changes.

    Who knows what the answer is. I am going to try the 1200 and not eating back the calories... keep my protein way up hopefully to avoid muscle loss. Good luck to you!

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