Anyone successfully lose weight eating 1200 cal or less?

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  • kel_staffa
    kel_staffa Posts: 11 Member
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    I eat below 1200 with no problem of being tired or hungry. I have lost 9 pounds in the past 3 weeks and I work out usually twice a day for a half hour each time. Working good for me.
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
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    Please eat more. Sustain your body don't starve it. Be healthy. 1200 calories a day is not acceptable for organisms as large as humans.

    There's so many variables, it depends greatly on the balance and quality of the calories not just the number.
    1200 is fine for some people to average around
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
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    Yes. :) 1200 a day average every week (I tend eat more during weekends), and I always eat back exercise calories (when I have them, which is rare). Lost over 3 kg / 6.63 lbs this month with that, walking (less than 2h a week!), and yoga.

    Things I've actively changed in my diet:
    - No more late night snacking (it doesn't fit in my 1200 kcals);
    - Apples and carrots (pears, bananas, kiwis too) when I want a snack, instead of chocolate, so I can have a nice dinner;
    - Cooking with significantly less oil, no fried things;
    - At dinner/lunch, I eat more meat and vegetables than before and less rice and pasta;
    - All meals include some form of vegetable or fruit;
    - No more mac & cheese or MacDonald's fries (McChicken is still a go to a max of once a week);
    - Coffee gets 2 teaspoons of sugar, not 3. :(

    I like your style.. I do pretty much he same as far as the eating goes but if you still need 2 sugars in your coffee find a better barista!!! A really well made coffee will taste great without sugar! :)
    ( I make good coffee haha)
  • cutiepieinchi
    cutiepieinchi Posts: 158
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    If I have a low exercise day I eat 1350, if its a high impact day its more. I don't think I could just do 1200..that would be rough.
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
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    I'm 5'8
    And both my doctor and naturopath have said 1200 is fine if your eating the right kind of foods
    As I've said in a heap of these posts 1200 cal worth of fruit, veg and salad is a huge volume of food!
    ( obviously you have to balance it out with yor protiems and fats and what not but u get the idea)
    If u do it right u don't have to feel hungry in 1200.

    Having said that if there's a day I feel really hungry I just eat a bit more and work a bit harder.
    Listen to what your body tells you!
  • trevpimp
    trevpimp Posts: 170 Member
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    I eat at 1320 and Im losing also so it's working out.
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    Thats too low!
    Depends on the person. I am small and close to goal. My bmr is only 1301.My maintenance calories are only around 1400.

    Your BMR is essentially what your body would need in terms of being completely comatose. To have a maintenance level of ~1400 with a BMR of 1301, you would literally have to do nothing all day in order to maintain.
    At an entirely sedentary level your maintenance calories would be roughly 1550 (this has nothing to do with height or current weight if you've already established a reliable BMR)... your actual maintenance calories would be between 1700 and 2000.
    Sorry I have checked multiple times on different sites and my maintenance is 1465. I would be huge if I ate 2000 calories a day.
    Maybe you were entering your age? At 39 my maintenance cals are much lower than at 23.
    Eta ..my bmr is 1201. Not 1301. Typo
  • amystev21
    amystev21 Posts: 20 Member
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    Yup! It worked for me because I do not have emotional eating issue or eating disorders.

    This is why stomach staple works, you are just doing what they can't do on their own.

    There is no evidence of starvation mode for men over 6% BF or woman over 12% body fat.

    Since I am under 12% BF I can't eat that low or I risk starvation mode. Make sense? But when I was obese I could eat that low because I had BF reserves which prevented me from going into starvation mode. That's how it works.

    This is not recommended for people with eating disorders or emotional eating problems like binging because then you might yo-yo.

    I have kept it off a year so the nonsense that you will gain it back if you eat that low is, well, nonsense. emotional reaction to the starvation mode myth.

    Yep YOU are telling me exactly what I wanted to hear & what YOU say I take straight to heart! I know you know your stuff & are the queen of the Venus Index ;) thank you everyone for you responses.. ill be proving the starvation mode theory wrong & will report back in a couple of months!!
  • amystev21
    amystev21 Posts: 20 Member
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    Oh & my stars are 40 yr old Mom of 3 needing to lose 70 lb...I am 5'7..work a desk job & weigh 220 sooo I'm going to be keeping my calories between 800-1200..thanks again for the responses!! :) OH & 7 years ago I lost 50 lb within 6 months following this type caloric diet..dud no cardiograph & lifted 6 days a week (split routine) I got in PHENOMENAL SHAPE & maintained it for 3 years...THEN got SUPER DEPRESSED ate uncontrollably & gained it all back.now I'm depressed because I'm fat & miserable ..this isn't me...I'm going back to what DID & DOES WORK!! I'm PUMPED & FINALLY READY!!!
  • amystev21
    amystev21 Posts: 20 Member
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    Meant my stats...
  • Seatosky
    Seatosky Posts: 1
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    I'm finding it really difficult to eat the 1200 calories. I eat lots of foods (veggies, fruit, smoothie in addition to a regular breakfast and dinner) but by the end of the day it's always short of the 1200 calories. I eat a Vegan diet and can't seem to lose any weight.
  • paprs
    paprs Posts: 47 Member
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    I have. I find that I'm generally pretty satisfied if the calories are from good foods because it takes a lot of them to make 1200 Cal. Of course, before I made this change, I was going all day without eating and feeling like my 2000 Cal meal at mcdonalds or pasta house was ok. Apparently not. Feel much better at 1200 throughout the day.

    ^This. I find that eating 1200 calories a day makes me prioritize what I'm putting into my mouth. If you're eating mostly whole foods, you can eat 1200 calories a day and never feel hungry.
  • nursinggraduation
    nursinggraduation Posts: 3
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    I completely agree that 1200 calories is sufficient to sustain yourself as long as you are drinking plenty of water and not exercising like a maniac. Obviously people need to listen to their body and eat more if they feel dizzy or sick. It also depends on lifestyle. I personally eat 1200-1300 cal a day NEVER lower. I drink plenty of water and exercise for 1 hour 6x a week. I lose weight just fine, but I am a nursing student so I do study a lot and have very little time for other activities that keep me moving. For others who are more active, they may need more calories. It really does depend on the individual person. :)
  • AbbsyBabbsy
    AbbsyBabbsy Posts: 184 Member
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    I see it claimed all the time on MFP that eating 1200 calories will make it nearly impossible to keep the weight off. It's in this thread several times. But I've never seen a source for this and have no reason to believe it's true. My maintenance calories will be around 1600 calories. It'll be 1600 calories whether I lose weight eating 1200 calories a day or 1400 calories a day. So why would I be more likely to gain the weight back?

    I've never seen a negative claim about 1200 calories for women that has ever been substantiated in any way.
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
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    Yes. Been on a 1200 calorie diet for 7 months and have lost 27 pounds.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,006 Member
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    Yes , I have been doing 1100-1300 cals for 2 yrs and have lost 105 lbs so yes it works, the last 3 mths I have been concentrating on toning up the lose skin but have decided to try to lose another 10 lbs....
  • amystev21
    amystev21 Posts: 20 Member
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    Awesome!!!
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    For one meal? Yeah, sure.
  • jennifermaffei17
    jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
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    How could a 1200 calorie diet be too low if you eat healthy and eat back your exercise calories when you work out?
    I eat mostly clean with meats, sometimes pasta, and dessert and I am on a 1200 calorie diet and losing weight.
  • Alicat8010
    Alicat8010 Posts: 3
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    I'm losing weight on 1200 caloies a day and if it's not enough calories to also keep me healthy then I'll blame 'myfitnesspal' as it was the target daily calories that they set for me!!! Seriously though, I feel fine on that calorie intake, it's the exercising to help me tone up that I have trouble pushing myself to do.

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