Does anyone lose wt. eating 1200 calories or less?

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124

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  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Read you post carefully, please. I didn't change anything in it...just got rid on "quotes" on my new text. Good night.

    I caught my typo. ;-)
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    I am 35 and wt. 256lbs. I used to eat a lot mostly binge eating. Now That I found a formula that keeps me full 75% of time and cut my creaving down, I can only eat one meal a day and I would not be hungry for the rest of the day. after I joined MFP and starting logging in my meals, my MFP friends start commenting that I am eat to little (I lost 18lbs doing that). so I bumped up my calorie to reach MFP calorie goal. I have not lost a lbs since. I feel like to go back to what I was doing b/c it worked, but I am afraid. Any advice please?

    I have been eating 800-1200 calories for almost a year and a half and have lost 110 lbs. I have heard all the arguements, but the less I eat the more I lose. Like you, I tried upping my calories, I stayed exactly the same. It wasn't until I lowered my calorie intake and increased my exercise and change the exercise a bit, that I started losing again.
  • julieh1973
    julieh1973 Posts: 128 Member
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    I do just fine and I'm certainly not starving on 1,200 or less a day. :)

    Breakfast = Approximately 500 calories

    DSC_0621_sm.gif

    Lunch = Approximately 300 calories

    DSC_0634_sm.jpg

    Dinner = Approximately 200 calories

    DSC_0647_sm.jpg

    Morning, Afternoon and Evening Snacks = Approximately 50 calories

    8-10 cups of water per day and green tea for other beverage.
    I also take a probiotic with my meals because I can't stand yogurt.
    Looks Yummy. You and I have the same idea, I can eat large satisfying meals for under 1200 calories and I am loosing weight. I feel great and I feel certain my body will let me know when & if I need to eat more.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Looks Yummy. You and I have the same idea, I can eat large satisfying meals for under 1200 calories and I am loosing weight. I feel great and I feel certain my body will let me know when & if I need to eat more.

    Exactly! After 2.5 years of tracking, I know what to look for when I plateau. I also don't take weight loss and fitness so seriously... I like to have fun and experiment. The last thing I want to do is to make this so hard and frustrating that I get discouraged and give up. So far, I'm having fun. :) When the weight stops coming off, or I want to start lifting, then I know a calorie adjustment will be needed.
  • Cmcsykes
    Cmcsykes Posts: 3
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    me too, I actually gained 3 and not sure what to do......
  • Bookchick887
    Bookchick887 Posts: 126 Member
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    I closed my food diary bc I don't want well meaning advice from anybody. I've had enough people watching my food intake in my life. Do the research and find what is healthy, consult a nutritionist or Dr. This is a site for encouragement and inspiration it is up to you if you want others to see what you are eating and if it is enough or not, or if you need to 'eat your exercise calories' etc.
    Hang in there, get some confidence and you'll make it work for you. MFP is a tool, not the last word for your situation.
  • luvsherhubby
    luvsherhubby Posts: 135 Member
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    I doenst mater how many mels you eat or when you eat. Its the amout you eat. Your body is not used to getting more calories so for a while it will hold on to the food you are feeding it. Consider it a metabolism reset. Then once it gets used to all it new intake of food ( as long as your still in a defict from how much your tdee is) you will start loosing again. The guy who said something about a calorie cap is right. I used to eat 1200 to loose, but I relized as I got smaller that I would have to keep dropping that to loose bc I would burn 3000 for an entire day weighing 190 but now at 150 I am burning 2400 all day. So I upped my calories to 1500 and now 1800-2000 a day ans STILL loose. Do yourslef a favor join the group eat mor eto weigh less & read all the notes with a red push pin in them. or go to youtube and search eat more to weigh less. You will be able to loose be happy & most importantly keep it off.
  • runningindigo
    runningindigo Posts: 63 Member
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    For me, I lose when I eat 1800-1900 cals/day! I'm burning 400-600cals/day 6 days a week (according to my heart rate monitor). I add those extra calories and I eat them or not! My body would always plateau when I was eating 1400-1600 cals...but once I broke the plateau and eating more cals and being more physically active, I'm losing more weight more consistently!
    But to each his or her own...our bodies respond differently....your body may respond differently than mine!! I guess it's trial and error, ya kno? If you're losing weight eating fewer cals, then keep on doing what your doing ;-) BUT, if you hit a plateau, I'd be more active and eat a more cals...HTH!! :-)
  • jching29
    jching29 Posts: 163
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    As long as you're taking vitamins and doing what feels right, if you're getting results, keep it up! Screw what other people think. I eat about 900 calories a day, after exercise, and I've lost 30 pounds. I feel great! I spoke with my doctor about it, and she says that as long as I'm happy, and all my stats are healthy, to just keep it up.

    In the end, do what works, and what you feel comfortable with. A lot of people on MFP are crazy, tbh, and have all sorts of far-fetched theories about what is "right" when it comes to weight loss. As long as you aren't starving yourself for weeks at a time, there's no reason to not eat how and what you feel comfortable eating.
  • ijiiii
    ijiiii Posts: 61
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    I'm jealous of those who can't lose weight while eating only 1200 calories a day.

    I lose weight if I don't eat a minimum of 3000 calories a day. That's a lot of wasted time and money shoveling food in my mouth when I could be doing something more productive.

    EDIT: I should mention that I am on my feet 8 hours a day while at work, which is why its so freaking hard for me to gain weight.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    As long as you're taking vitamins and doing what feels right, if you're getting results, keep it up! Screw what other people think. I eat about 900 calories a day, after exercise, and I've lost 30 pounds. I feel great! I spoke with my doctor about it, and she says that as long as I'm happy, and all my stats are healthy, to just keep it up.

    did ur doctor measure body fat % as one of your statistics?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    There is no way I could only eat 1200 cal or less everyday. I would not have energy and be tired.
    So would I if I was getting 800 of them from carbs.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I really think you should speak to your doctor and a dietitian about what is a healthy amount to be eating per day with what your lifestyle is (how active, your job, number of hours sitting vs. standing, etc.) and what your goals are.

    If you eat less than what you need for your resting metabolic state, you will lose weight, but it is an unhealthy weight loss. And one that will unsustainable in the long run. Once you go below the minimum number of calories your body needs to perform essential tasks, your body starts breaking down ALL materials in your body, not just fat and excess weight. It will also start to break down muscle tissue and use it for sustenance. And this is very dangerous. You never want your body to enter into starvation mode.

    And remember, weight loss takes time. 1-2 lbs per week is healthy, anything more than that tends to be unsustainable in the long run. The most important thing is changing your lifestyle to something that you can sustain for life. It's the only way to keep the weight off permanently. A quick fix is no different than a fad diet. You'll end up putting all the weight back on and more when you return to eating "normally". And everyone plateaus, it's frustrating, but it happens.

    Bottom line: check with a registered health care professional as to what you should be eating, how much, how frequently, and what a realistic weight loss should be for you in a specific time period. Their opinion is the most important because it's their job to keep you healthy and safe. People on this site can provide advice, but it may not be accurate and/or healthy. And longterm all weight loss is about achieving a healthy lifestyle overall.

    Also, check out http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/ It's a documentary on weight gain in the States (you can stream it for free from their site) and has various interesting exercise and fitness options that certain States have set up. There may be a similar program near you that can help. Additionally, they talk about how just increasing your exercise and even losing small increments of weight slowly makes a huge impact on your overall health.

    For me: I eat 1200-1400 calories per day and work out at least 45 minutes, 6 days a week. And I try to eat 5 times a day - breakfast, mid-morning snack (yogurt cup/banana), lunch, late afternoon snack (cos we eat dinner late), and dinner. I've been losing weight steadily. I'm not a gym person, so you'll rarely find me in one, unless they have a fun class!

    I agree that it's always preferable to talk to professionals who can tailor a program to one's particular situation. I also agree that a very low-calorie regime might be hard for some people to sustain long term. But it is not true that people go into "starvation mode" easily. In addition, some people are highly motivated to lose weight in a shorter rather than a longer period.

    The advice you've given sounds like the "sensible" advice dieters have been given for decades. It clearly doesn't work for everyone. If the OP is able to put together a healthy diet and she is losing weight, I don't see why she shouldn't continue.
  • xxshannonxgerardxx
    xxshannonxgerardxx Posts: 6
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    lol the only way i would EVER be able to lose weight is eating less than 1200 cals/day..preferably under 1000. that mostly has to do with BMR and stuff i guess, but it's hard for me to imagine losing weight by eating more than that O.o
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    lol the only way i would EVER be able to lose weight is eating less than 1200 cals/day..preferably under 1000. that mostly has to do with BMR and stuff i guess, but it's hard for me to imagine losing weight by eating more than that O.o

    Me, too. BMR and being forced to be sedentary right now. The OP is 35, it would be a good idea for her to get the weight off in the next five years. It only gets harder when you get older.
  • Neahpata
    Neahpata Posts: 322 Member
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    I do just fine and I'm certainly not starving on 1,200 or less a day. :)

    Breakfast = Approximately 500 calories

    DSC_0621_sm.gif

    Lunch = Approximately 300 calories

    DSC_0634_sm.jpg

    Dinner = Approximately 200 calories

    DSC_0647_sm.jpg

    Morning, Afternoon and Evening Snacks = Approximately 50 calories

    8-10 cups of water per day and green tea for other beverage.
    I also take a probiotic with my meals because I can't stand yogurt.

    Damn, that food looks good. Stealing meal ideas.
  • dreamsofsomeday
    dreamsofsomeday Posts: 62 Member
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    The only way I lose weight is by consuming <1200 calories a day. And I am sorry if anyone is offended by my personal choices.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    it is different for different people, but think about this long term. Can your body sustain itself on that few calories forever? Not likely and you are likely missing out on valuable vitamins and minerals that you need. If you feel comfortable in doing this, than okay, but I don't see why someone would choose to do it.
  • Lovely135
    Lovely135 Posts: 161
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    bump
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    it is different for different people, but think about this long term. Can your body sustain itself on that few calories forever? Not likely and you are likely missing out on valuable vitamins and minerals that you need. If you feel comfortable in doing this, than okay, but I don't see why someone would choose to do it.

    This is a weight loss phase for most, not the rest of their lives. It's as easy to get vitamins and minerals in 1200 calories as more.

    Dieters always fear this horrible starvation myth. No one seems to fear the 'death by overeating' nearly as much. Our bodies have excess stored fat which can be used as energy, just like food calories can. That's biologically what it's for. We're made to use it up as needed. To burn it off, you create a deficit. More deficit = faster weight loss. Starvation mode is a myth. People do better without psychological starvation fears and feelings of deprivation that come from very low caloric intake. But their bodies and their metabolisms are fine. It's far better for your health to do what you have to do to get the excess weight off once and for all than to worry about meeting some mythical caloric minimum, in my opinion.

    Think about the term 'essential fatty acids'. They're called essential because your body can't synthesize them from other compounds, such as stored calories in the form of body fat. They're a tiny portion of our nutritional needs. The rest, the body can synthesize from the compounds in the foods we eat and our stored fat. Eating a balanced diet is good for various reasons but for basic calorie metabolism, you can burn anything that makes a calorie, including your body fat.

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