Will I really lose on 1200 a day?

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rachledezjones
rachledezjones Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I currently eat 900ish a day but I know this is 300 below, and I'm worried about the consequences. I want to do this the right way so I want to make a change and increase my calories, but I'm looking for some confirmation that I won't gain at 1200 now that my body has got used to less.

I've eaten 1200 today and will continue to do so no matter what!
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Replies

  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Let's put it this way. If you gain on 1200 a day because your body has gotten used to less, the weight gain will be temporary and you will start losing again eventually and you will be healthier.

    The major exception to this would be if you are 4'10" with hypothyroid. In which case 900 calories wouldn't be that bad. :)
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    You may see a temp gain so don't weigh yourself for the next week or so. If you are used to eating so little a bit more may cause some water weight gain which is only temporary.
  • charlena48
    charlena48 Posts: 192 Member
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    Your body will go into starvation mode if you don't eat enough - I've been there and it's really hard to get your body back in tune. I have a slow weight loss but the scale keeps moving. I've lost 15 lbs. since the first of this year. I used another site before this one - that's why it only shows that I've lost 8 lbs. Good luck!!
  • tgbyfield
    tgbyfield Posts: 62
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    You are going to hear from a lot of people regarding putting your body into starvation mode. Some are convinced that wth only 900 calories per day you will definitely put your body into starvation mode and it will start holding on to fat and burnign muscle instead. Others will claim that eating 90 calories per day is perfectly fine for you. Most of these people who will share their opinions will swear their view point is right so I say this... talk to your doctor/ nutritionist and find out from them what you should be doing. They will be able to examine you in person and give you more accurate information on what you should be doing with your body. Oh, and watch out for the bullies, there are ALOT of them on these forums. They will rip you to shreds.
  • Acinom23
    Acinom23 Posts: 2
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    Actually 1200 is the least you wanna go if you do not workout.Anything less will put your body into starvation mode, which means when you do eat it will send more calories to be made as fat versus if you were eating healthy. At 900 you will lose some fat (mostly muscle) and it will eventually stop because your body cannot take it. If you start taking in 1200 you might start to gain, but don't worry this is normal because your body is transitioning from not thinking it is starving anymore. Once it has sufficient energy, it will start to lose fat again. Also, if you are exercising you should eat more than 1200 so your body doesn't go back to starving.

    After 8 years of having anorexia and bulimia, i know the effects of not getting enough vitamins, protein, and calories.
  • nostripewhite
    nostripewhite Posts: 53 Member
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    I won't hit you over the head, but 1200 calories doesn't seem like much.

    Speak to someone who would know, but listen to your body. If you're hungry all the time and unhappy you are not eating enough.
  • Jezebel9
    Jezebel9 Posts: 396 Member
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    Let's put it this way. If you gain on 1200 a day because your body has gotten used to less, the weight gain will be temporary and you will start losing again eventually and you will be healthier.

    The major exception to this would be if you are 4'10" with hypothyroid. In which case 900 calories wouldn't be that bad. :)

    This sounds right to me.
    Do some strength training, and some cardio, have fun, laugh, enjoy yourself... I am glad to hear you are doing it this way- it is so much healthier and, in my opinion- (having done it by starving myself in the past), EASIER.
  • JuneBPrice
    JuneBPrice Posts: 294 Member
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    You will lose weight, just slower. Don't worry about "starvation mode," the phrase has been beaten to death around here.
  • territhefrog
    territhefrog Posts: 1,134 Member
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    I am at 1350 a day and I am losing weight. I am sure that you will lose weight at 1200. Don't deprive your body of the nutrients it needs. And make sure you are drinking your water. Also, make sure you go see your doctor. It's the right thing to do when you start a weight loss program.
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
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    Everybody is different. I personally feel that you should eat at least 1200 per day. I personally netted around 1700-1800 and lost weight!
  • Josteyn
    Josteyn Posts: 44
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    Are you exercising?
  • territhefrog
    territhefrog Posts: 1,134 Member
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    You are going to hear from a lot of people regarding putting your body into starvation mode. Some are convinced that wth only 900 calories per day you will definitely put your body into starvation mode and it will start holding on to fat and burnign muscle instead. Others will claim that eating 90 calories per day is perfectly fine for you. Most of these people who will share their opinions will swear their view point is right so I say this... talk to your doctor/ nutritionist and find out from them what you should be doing. They will be able to examine you in person and give you more accurate information on what you should be doing with your body. Oh, and watch out for the bullies, there are ALOT of them on these forums. They will rip you to shreds.

    WELL SAID!!!!!
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    there are people on here losing weight at 1800+ a day!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Eat 1200 you will lose. :) I've lost 54.
  • ocukor1
    ocukor1 Posts: 66
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    You can calculate how many calories you need a day. It will be roughly your weight * 10 + (20-50% of your weight depending on the level of activity, normal activity would be somewhere in the 20-30 range) That's a rule of thumb, but if you google the "metabolic rate calculator," you will find a few different ones. Once when you see the ball park figure, you can adjust week to week until you get the results you want. I used this and I consistently lost about 1-2 pounds a week, my wife has used this and lost about 3 pounds a week, since March I've lost 37 pound and she's lost 50 pounds. One caution here, your metabolism changes depending on what you eat and the type of activity you're engaged in. When I started in March I needed about 1600 calories to get the 1-2 pound loss a week, and I ate 6 meals a day (healthy food low on glycemic index) and now my metabolism speed up so much that I can barely keep up with 2400 calories a day. I have also been weight lifting, but I am just saying this as an example how nothing is set is stone and there are many variables there. If you don't eat healthy food, there is no amount of cutting that will keep you feeling full and make you lose weight.
  • craftykat12
    craftykat12 Posts: 50 Member
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    I have loss 48 lb. eating 1250 cals. a day if you eat less you will maintain what you weigh now, not lose weigh.
  • flabulous4
    flabulous4 Posts: 599 Member
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    I couldn't survive on 900 a day! I'm 5'2", currently maintaining after losing 3 stone. I've stopped logging what I eat and while I don't pig out, I don't deprive myself at all.
    I took up running and I now have to make an effort to eat more some days in order to maintain (I know, it's a hard life).
    As ocukor1 says, keep tabs on your metabolism and have a look at a metabolic rate calculator. When I started my super scales said I had a metabolic age of 46. Now it's 26.
    Good luck!
  • rachledezjones
    rachledezjones Posts: 50 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I appreciate the lack of angry 'starvation mode' comments!

    Just in reply to some of what has been said: I don't feel like I've been starving myself at 900 - I eat good, filling food like scrambled eggs, fruit, chicken, roasted veg, salad, soups etc and never really feel hungry... but I do crave junk like pizza, burgers and chocolate. Eating 1200 today felt like a lot but thats just because of what I've been used to.

    I exercise 4 or 5 times a week, a mixture of swimming and elliptical with some strength training. Apart from this exercise I am utterly motionless most of the time - I'm a student on summer holidays for 4 months and tend to just sit around waiting to go to the gym. So I burn a lot of cals at the gym but I don't think I burn much else the rest of the time which was why I initially ate so little!

    Thanks again for all of your advice - I will stick to 1200 from now on. Out of interest, what should I make up the extra 300 cals with? Today I did it with snacks, but should I have bigger meals instead?
  • rachledezjones
    rachledezjones Posts: 50 Member
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    Can I also add that I've lost 17lbs doing what I'm doing but have become conscious of the low cals because I don't want to hit a brick wall - if its working for me should i carry on, or should i make the change even though I'm doing OK as I am?
  • ocukor1
    ocukor1 Posts: 66
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    If it works, you should continue doing what you're doing. The calorie deficit doesn't have to be huge, it takes about 3500 calories to add a pound to your body, so if your deficit is 350 cals, you will lose a pound in ten days, make it a 700 and you will lose it in 5.

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