Anyone on 1200kcals a day?

boomkittyco

Unfortunately, muscle weighs more than fat so going by how your clothes fit works better. You may be smaller than the scale says due to this extremely annoying fact.

boomkittyco

I am on this too, and the best thing is to fill up on veggies and keep eating normal snacks and meals so you don't go into starvation mode. I am 5'5 and 150. Goal being 130-135. Never been under 145 except after an illness. I am not going to fixate on that number as long as I visibly keep shrinking. Come on skinny Jeans!!

tmauck4472

WOW.....I have 600 to 800 calories a day....mostly protien. I walk 1.6 miles twice a day except on the days I Zumba, and I'm not tired, I have lots of energy. I drink lots of water. AND I'm not feeling like I'm starving myself. If I get hungry for a snack I grab an apple or a grapefruit. I don't crave fast food any more. I'm happy with what I'm doing. All this talk about starving yourself if you eat 1200 or less a day is kinda silly. What works for you may not work for me...if my body tells me I need something then I get it. When my body tells me I need to add more calories I will. Everybody is different. It's so funny, sometimes I feel like I'm starving and I eat my small amount of food and wait about 10 minutes and I feel full. I try not to cheat even on weekends cause I just get angry over having to lose the same lbs again. But if I want a candy bar one day I add it into my calorie count and I have that candy bar...I don't deprive myself of the things I crave, but I find I'm not craving them like I used to. I can drive right by Dairy Queen without stopping. I can take my kid to get an ice cream and I don't buy one for me, I don't crave it anymore.

waitresschick85

1200 calories a day is perfectly healthy. A doctor will sometimes even recommend an 800-1200 calorie a day diet for very obese patients. You are obviously not very obese but eating 1200 calories a day will not put you into starvation mode. I have been eating 800-1200 calories a day for a few weeks now and feel fine. I do eat more if I am going to the gym so that I have energy so keep that in mind. If you are feeling full enough on 1200 calories then you are doing fine. Eat lots of fruits and veggies and also protein such as canned tuna or grilled fish or chicken.

tmauck4472

after exercise yes I'm getting about 500 calories a day. I'm good with it right now and don't expect to stay there forever. I also don't believe it's that's bad for me. Sheeesh ..... I'm not starving myself....I feel fine...I exercise daily, most times twice a day.

tmauck4472

First of all I'm NOT advising anyone to do what I do...I do this for me. I do not now nor will I ever have an eating disorder. I raise my calories as my body tells me to and I lower them as my body tells me too. I'm sorry you have the ED but I don't . I know what I'm doing. And I can handle it. I'm NOT losing muscle I'm losing fat. I don't plan to eat this way for the rest of my life...not even for the next year. Calm down, it's not that bad.

yarwell

and your muscle...much faster.

Afraid not pal, you're wrong.

http://pinterest.com/pin/48413764714673585/

All forms of diet - LCD, 25% calorie reduction or 12.5% calorie reduction and 12.5% exercise had some non-fat weight loss.

After all, that's why it's 3500 calories/pound and not 9 * 454 = 4086 - there's fat free mass involved in reducing adipose tissue.

roseombre

I am currently on 1200 cal a day. Weight varies from day to day so I only weigh once a week or I get depressed seeing the weight increase in if slightly. I do know that as you build muscle it weighs more than fat but takes up less space. Hard to believe but I know it to be true. In my youth, I weighed in at about 125 usually and wore a size 12. In 1990 I started working out at a gym and walking 4 miles nearly every day. My weight was 145 and I was wearing a size 10 to 8. So I weighed more but took up less space.

zukkiz

So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal, AGAIN!

zukkiz

By the way, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. It is denser than fat and therefore takes up less space. A pound of fat is 16 ounces, so is a pound of muscle!

yarwell

So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,

why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?

lisakyle_11

bumping...some interesting observations/comments.

themommie

I eat1200-1250 cals a day, i dont eat back my exercise cals and i have lost 102 lbs alot of people say you should eat more, but i think you need to find what works for you. I usually do walking and bike riding sometimes exercise dvds . i think if you do intense workouts then you probably should eat back part of your exercise cals. But just experiment and find what works for you. You can do it, just stick with it and dont give up

hotjacki85

I'm on 1200 but I exercise every weekday for 40 mins - 1 hr. I don't think I'd be able to do it without my exercise as I need those exercise calories to not feel hungry.

I find weekends really difficult as that's when my boyfriend comes over so I don't have time to exercise and end up going out for dinner and going over my calories. I've asked him if he'd like to go on dates to the gym at weekends but he's surprisingly never very enthusiastic...

I am also on the 1200 cal 40-60 minutes of working out 5x a week program... i just started....

Has it been working for you? When did u started seeing change? ... im on the 2nd week and havent seen much changes... thought for sure after eating 2,000 + calroies and not working out AT ALL i wouldve had major weight loss or changes but i havent

hawaii86442

I know this is kinda of trite. But--you didnt gain the weight in a short period of time-and you are not going to lose it that quicly. I am trying to lose about 8 more pounds and with my lack of activity I find it hard to eat 1200 a day. I have injured my knee recently and have stopped exercising. I hope to go back to some short walks next week.. I loved the gentleman that recommended the book--that is the best advice out there. Good luck and keep us all posted.

leopard_barbie

You are not alone, and, quite simply, science is still struggling to understand this.

Anyone who gives you any strong, immediate opinions on this - is probably just uninformed.

I strongly recommend you read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes, otherwise you're just shooting in the dark.

My opinions:

(1) it is all in the kitchen. don't even bother about exercise. you're now in "advanced" weight loss for your last few kilos, so it's all in the kitchen

Whatever you do, DO NOT " ' eat back your exercise calories ' " if you exercise. At your stage of weight loss it is inconceivable you could take that approach (unless you're a marathon runner), so forget that. Read the book, get actual science on your side.

(MFP laughably includes the concept of "eating back your exercise calories" - just ignore it. They'll remove this feature in future versions.)

(2) carbohydrates will be key. you must find an exact intake per day - what about 65 grams per day - of carbohydrates which will make you lose the last few pounds

(3) you should have NO PROBLEM eating only 1200 calories in a day, at your height. Anyone who tells you otherwise is uninformed. I typically eat 1400 cals (I'm also losing the "last few pounds", but I am 6' tall) and I feel stuffed all the time, I can barely eat that much. I experimented with 1200 a day for a couple weeks, and it was perhaps a hair low, I'd feel a little peckish. At your height it should be no problem at all, as long as your pancreas is in good condition.

you'll only feel HUNGRY, like you're not getting enough food, if you eat too much carbs. if you were eating say 125 grams a day of carbs, and only 1200 calories overall, your body would be starving itself, and psychologically you would be bitterly hungry all the time. in contrast if you are eating 70 g of carbs per day, and 1200 calories overall, your body will be stuffed with all the wonderful food it needs, and you will feel fantastic, energetic and full all the time.

(4) eating a good amount of FAT is key to FEELING FULL. FAT makes you feel full, CARBS make you feel hungry, and PROTEIN builds and repairs your body. FAT is also key to the health and beauty of your skin. A good source is something like pure, absolutely well-made Greek Yoghourt (made from full cream mlik). carefully included that type of fat with each meal for that really satisfied, stuffed feeling.

(5) EXPERIMENT and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If you feel good eating 1200 a day - great! Try it CAREFULLY for a week. If you feel too peckish at 1200, try a different amount of carbs and a different level.

Some thoughts.

This is really interesting, thanks.

zukkiz

So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,

why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?

I'll give an example.
My BMR is 1439 my TDEE is 2300. So if I ate at a 15% cut I would be eating 1955. Losing weight slowly. When I reach my goal I go back to maintenance, which isn't much more. I would still keep the same activity level.

however I ate 1200 calories a day and reached my goal, and then went to maintenance I would be increasing my calories by 1100 a day, That calls for a huge weight gain. So then I go back to the lower calories and the cycle begins again.

capnwo85

I'm on the 1200 calories diet...for a meal :laugh:

haha, Yahtzee!

stargazer008

I eat around 1200 cals or so a day and I feel fine. If you eat healthy, you can eat a lot for 1200 calories.

TexanThom

1200K cals? What is the K for? Is that some metric thing? If not, that is like 1,200,000 calories. Not nit picking, just curious.

lowry12

i personally set my goal at 1200calories daily but on days i work out which is any where from 5-7 days a week depending on my mood lol i also burn alot of calories just for instances today its almost 6pm and im sitting on a net calorie of -1400 calories now grant it i havent eaten dinner yet but still wat ever i do eat it isnt going to be anywhere near that and im in the negatives for net calories probably 4-5 days a week im also 5'11 and drink 12 glasses of water a day plus take a green tea supplement but i just started the green tea and ive lost 9lbs since being on here but a total of 19lbs in 3 wks so its working for me im not hungry all the time and im not tired and sluggish either so this is working for me right now not saying it would work for every1 u need to listen to your body thats wat i was told by a nutritionist as long as im not feeling tired and drained all the time i can keep it up but if i notice a change then thats when i need to be eating sum of those burnt calories back other then that i would never dream of eating up those burnt calories

Warley_x

Its a British thing, thats what's quoted on all of our food labels and it's just how we say it, nothing to do with metric etc.

1200K cals? What is the K for? Is that some metric thing? If not, that is like 1,200,000 calories. Not nit picking, just curious.

kat5556

Thanks Kat. I have other motivation pics, that's just my fav! How much have you been able to lose being on 1200kcals and walking?

I've always walked but just began the 1200 calories 4 days ago. I haven't weighed myself again since I began. I'll weigh in again sometime next week and post.

BTW, this is me and my motivational picture from when I was at my ideal weight. I'm 11 pounds heavier now. I have another pic loaded at my current weight. Even though it's just a face shot you can see the extra chin! LOL

jdploki70

So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,

why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?

I'll give an example.
My BMR is 1439 my TDEE is 2300. So if I ate at a 15% cut I would be eating 1955. Losing weight slowly. When I reach my goal I go back to maintenance, which isn't much more. I would still keep the same activity level.

however I ate 1200 calories a day and reached my goal, and then went to maintenance I would be increasing my calories by 1100 a day, That calls for a huge weight gain. So then I go back to the lower calories and the cycle begins again.

Sorry, but that is flawed logic. You don't set your BMR, for the most part, nature does. It's based on height, weight, and age, not on the amount you eat or the amount you should be eating. The only thing you control is your activity cycle.

zukkiz

So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,

why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?

I'll give an example.
My BMR is 1439 my TDEE is 2300. So if I ate at a 15% cut I would be eating 1955. Losing weight slowly. When I reach my goal I go back to maintenance, which isn't much more. I would still keep the same activity level.

however I ate 1200 calories a day and reached my goal, and then went to maintenance I would be increasing my calories by 1100 a day, That calls for a huge weight gain. So then I go back to the lower calories and the cycle begins again.

Sorry, but that is flawed logic. You don't set your BMR, for the most part, nature does. It's based on height, weight, and age, not on the amount you eat or the amount you should be eating. The only thing you control is your activity cycle.

So true, I was wrong on my example. Forgot about numbers going down. Don't know what I was thinking

This thread:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/609772-anyone-lose-50-or-better-doing-em2wl?page=1#posts-8765572

Has a better explanation.
Once again I'm sorry for my flawed logic.

BlowYourMind

I used to weight EXACTLY like you, at the same height. I had an eating disorder...ate about 700 calories and working out for about an hour or two everyday and lost about 15 pounds in one and half months. Since last year I still go through the mental struggle but luckily I had began to learn where real weight loss and muscle building came from and it was eating the 1,200 calories and exercise calories. Afterwards I even raised the calories to 1,400 and incorporated protein into my diet. I'm still trying to lose the last layer of fat but it feels MUCH more possible when my head isn't foggy. You should do 1,200 for the initial weight loss but for the last few pounds raise the calories. You're weight loss goal is very reasonable so try it out. Make sure you're trying your best to maximize those 1,200 calories, in other words, eat foods that fill you up those most with less calories. I could have a banana that fills me up, or a stupid 100 calorie snack pack (which is better for desert.. ).

wftiger

I am on 1200 per day and exercise at least 30-60 mins (walking, elliptical, strength train) per day. I eat no exercise calories back.

I also low carb/high protein to prevent as little muscle loss as I can.

imchicbad

see my blog on TEDEE. I HAD THE SAME 1200 CALORIE STARVATION DIET.

jossmatthews

Great info! Thanks!

Snookie2u

I see people saying "bump" on here, what does that mean?