Under 1200--- how do ye do it? o.O

Options
135

Replies

  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    Options
    i try never to go above 1000, i eat well im not hungry it works for me. look at my diary.
  • PinkKitty724
    PinkKitty724 Posts: 179 Member
    Options
    It is not healthy to eat less than 1200 calories, and for most 1200 calories is not enough.
    Try eating at least 1300.. and go up a little from there if it doesn't help you feel better.
    Also look into what you are eating within those 1200 calories. Are you eating empty calories, or good fats/proteins and other nutrients? Eating within a calorie limit does not necessarily mean you can eat whatever you want as long as you don't exceed that limit. It takes dedication, and changing your diet.
    Also, perhaps start taking a vitamin supplement- you may not be getting enough nutrients and that's why your body is fighting you.
  • HeatherLeahxx
    HeatherLeahxx Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    READ MY POST PROPERLY
    Right. I read your post carefully word for word. Did you read my reply?

    Not exactly feeling the attitude...

    Im sorry but people are assuming i have an eating disorder. I've began taking in about 1700cals a day. Might do a half hour of cardio and some pilates if im not feeling too tired after work....people think i want to take in like only 500.....i even said i didnt like :(
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    Options
    would be good to open your diary to see what your eating. i find that helps.
    by the way i havent got an eating disorder either.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    Options
    What I mean is by my post is......How are these people surviving on just a few hundred calories a day alone??? when I am here so weak and exhausted after only eating 1200....

    I'M JUST ASKING A GENERAL QUESTION! Nothing about myself ha..... As in like noone should be able to get through every day just taking in like 500cals


    like someone above said already, they have an eating disorder and as someone else said, they have got used to surviving on those calories. if you want to know exactly how they manage it, i can't help you but i'm sure they have their own sites where they can all be ill together.

    you should also eat more than 1200 and eat back your exercise cals - your body is trying to tell you something.
  • omanitshann
    omanitshann Posts: 179
    Options
    I already have like 1200 calls by lunch time, i think MOST people need more than that. I know i couldn't do it
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Options
    I can't do 1200 calories per day. That's the minimum, not the standard. Figure out your BMR and TDEE and eat between them. Weight will still come off, but it will be slower. You'll have a LOT more energy.
  • wingednotes
    wingednotes Posts: 279
    Options
    So what type of answers to this are you looking for?
    Are you just having a conversation about how other people are eating too little? Where as appropriate responses would be "yea, those people are crazy"
    or are you looking for actual answers?
    "I eat 1200 and feel fine eating x,y,z"
    Also, on a side note, did I read that right that you are lying in your diary to please your friends and boyfriend? That defeats the purpose of logging imo.
    BTW, I net 1200 and feel great. Losing 1-2 pounds a week now and running 3 x a week. So I think its individual and based on your current weight / metabolic needs.
  • livyluv5
    livyluv5 Posts: 3
    Options
    You don't. It's dangerous. I've been there- its not good. I wouldnt - and no doctor would either for that matter- ever tell you to eat less than 1,200 calories. Besides when you drop "weight" the weight you generally loose is your lean muscle mass becasue your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to the fat. If you're dizzy- you need to talk to your doctor or nutrionist about finding a calorie range that's right for you.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Options
    What I mean is by my post is......How are these people surviving on just a few hundred calories a day alone??? when I am here so weak and exhausted after only eating 1200....

    I'M JUST ASKING A GENERAL QUESTION! Nothing about myself ha..... As in like noone should be able to get through every day just taking in like 500cals

    They're not thriving. They're starving themselves to be skinny. It's not healthy and no one should aim for under 1200 without being under a doctor's direct supervision. Usually they would only do this if the patient is very obese and it is more harmful to their health to stay that way rather than to be on a very low calorie diet for a short time.

    Choose to be strong and eat healthily. I started at 1200 calories and agonized for almost a year. Couldn't lose and keep off 5lbs, it kept springing back. Then I started reading and learning from educated posters here who offered facts and websites and sources. I learned, and I listened to the people here whom have had the most success. Now I eat at 1700 calories and I am able to lose weight while still having energy and being able to eat food I enjoy as well without stressing.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    you ask how they have the energy to live - they get it from the fat reserves they are burning up.

    Energy can come from food you ate last year or whenever, it doesn't have to come in through your mouth alone.

    They also adapt to eating less, so don't see it as an issue unlike how say a persistent overeater would view it. With filling foods rather than rapidly processed carbs the food they do eat is more satisfying for longer.
  • Jessicapages1
    Jessicapages1 Posts: 114 Member
    Options
    People who eat only 500-1200 calories a day are doing it ALL wrong!!! These people think that cutting calories means losing weight....well that is just not true! You need to EAT and when I say eat I mean CLEAN FOODS.(whole grains,veggies,lean protein,fruit) I have lost more weight by eating MORE food (clean foods) when I cut my caories I gained weight because my body went into starvation mode!!
  • livyluv5
    livyluv5 Posts: 3
    Options
    And i'm not saying you have a problem :) I'm just telling you that it's good to work on what is right for you. Some other people are crazy. I dont worry about those people- I just do whats right for me :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    I lasted about a month at 1200 (net) before bumping it up to 1350, then 1500.
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
    Options
    I find it quite peculiar that you are inquiring on how people can develop an eating disorder… and sustain life.
    on that note I have lost more eating 1600 then when I had a problem. you need to find out you BMR TDEE and get a HRM. if you dont know what these are, look them up in the forums or have someone who knows what they are telling you help you calculate what your body needs to run. you have already admited that you felt horrible on 1200, this is your body telling you its NOT working so do something to change that.
  • Travelfixer
    Travelfixer Posts: 139 Member
    Options
    By being older / shorter / lighter to start with.
    Or not exercising much.

    I eat 1200-ish and I find it very do-able, but I eat very heathy foods and I cook / make nearly everything from scratch. So I might have Greek yogurt and fruit, or Bircher Muesli, or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Homemade soup, or Greek / tuna / chicken salad for lunch with lots of raw veg, and a casserole, stir-fry or burger for dinner. There's even some cals left for the odd glass of wine or piece of chocolate or ice cream.

    That might sound like a nightmare if you're teenaged / early twenties / a beefy bloke, but for an older woman, it's absolutely fine.

    Im an "older" woman at 53 and eat 1800 a day
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    Options
    I don't know how people do it either! I was eating 1700 calories a day and starving/feeling weak. I was eating healthy just not enough. My bmr is 1900 something so I was doing my body an injustice.
  • HeatherLeahxx
    HeatherLeahxx Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    *FACEPALM*
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
    Options
    Five hundred I could never do. Besides, I need to eat for my diabetes. But I dont force myself to eat if I am not hungry.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Options
    Im sorry but people are assuming i have an eating disorder. I've began taking in about 1700cals a day.

    I know your post wasn't about you but are you taking in 1200/day for months (and you're miserably uncomfortable with it) or you've been taking in 1700/day?

    To answer your original question, how some people are not miserable at low cal levels... It's because not everyone is you. We come in all sizes, ages, activity levels, discipline levels, belief systems. There are people who survive just fine on very low cals and they don't have eating disorders. They choose to eat that way for whatever reasons, not always appearance related. There is a lot of evidence that the less you eat, the longer you live, for example. It's very easy to think everyone is either exactly like you or else they are stupid and ill-informed.

Categories