Seeing a lot of rude comments about 1200/cal....

neverstray

Everyone is different. So, just eat until your full. Listen to your body because you've done really well with that in the past. in fact, I am positive that that's what drove you to the internet looking for a way to control what you eat. So, just listen to your body, since you're super in tune with it, and understand that you are special and science and math have absolutely nothing to do with you, because they don't know you or understand you.

It will work. Go hunny, do it!

ImagineAWorldLikeThat

Having previously lost 45 lbs two years ago in a little under 4 months....I made a comment about 1200 cal diets speaking only from personal experience.
In my experience I lost 17 lbs in the first month of that loss at 1200 calories then I quickly stalled.
I raised my calories to 1600 and eventually started calorie cycling- one day at 1800, one day at 1600, one day at 1400 one day at 1200 all over again and the rest of the weight just peeled off.

I would never make a derogatory comment about someone else's path though. My body responds to interval training in thirty to forty five minute bursts. If someone else is capable of losing a significant amount of weight doing 90 minutes of steady state cardio...thats okay too.

If you are comfortable with 1200 calories and you're seeing losses don't fret about the opinion of others : ), you're good!

trogalicious

Im not calling people mean. I want the honest truth. I'm new to this. I have no idea what I'm doing. I came here for the same reason as all of you, and want the support of my fellow MFPers. I am not "stuffed" at 1200 by any means. I have a problematic relationship with food, and always have. All I'm asking for is insight. If you think that 1200 is too low, that eventually I will plateau, I want to know this! I want your stories to help me!

I hit a plateau. Was doing 1200. Exercise, eating right, etc.. stopped losing.

THEN I figured out my BMR/TDEE, started eating more, started losing again, and have a metric buttload more energy. It was far too little for me.

MFP will give far too many people the 1200 level for calories. It's the bottom of what the site/app will ever set. One number to rule them all? no.

Akimajuktuq

No one with a lot to lose should be at 1200. You have your weight loss goal set too high, that's why it's 1200. If I enter a goal of losing 2 pounds per week, I get the magic 1200 too. Because it's the absolute MINIMUM, not because that's necessarily what's healthy for you.

It is your choice to eat only 1200 calories, and it might even be ok for some really small, not much to lose, sedentary people. I've noticed that many people, just like you, go along fine for awhile on 1200 cals and then when they finally have difficulties get pissed off when people say "eat more". Eat 1200 if you want, just spare us from later posts of "I can't lose weight", "I'm struggling with hunger", "zero calorie food ideas", "no fat food ideas", "I'm ready to give up", "I have no energy", "I feel like crap", "I'm losing my hair/skin/period", on and on and on.

jenniferrusso7393

If you want to reach or exceed the 1200 goal, justeat a nestle brownie cookie bar-- it did it for me! lol

LethainIowa

I swear MFP starts every woman at 1200 calories. It did me to. I can actually fix three meals a day and stay within that, but I usually don't because I burn at least 400-500 calories walking every morning and they add those onto the 1200. I probably average 1300-1400 calories a day and never feel hungry..and so far I've lost 12 lbs in a little over 2 months.
What works for one person may or may not work for someone else..and everybody and their brother has an opinion. Just do what works for YOU and don't worry about anybody else.

yuckidah

Ignore the comments.
If you're feeling good, being healthy (NOT starving yourself) and the weight is coming off (at a steady, yet realistic, rate) then just keep on keeping on.
I have stuck to 1200 (often a bit less) for more than a year now with no ill-effect. If I eat more, consistently, I gain. I don't intentionally exercise (have an on-my-feet job though) so I can't burn off what others, who do more physical activity, can.
This is what works for me.
Yes, the weightloss is probably slower than it could be but it's still coming off and, I hope, in a way I can maintain for the rest of ever.

tisha_rae

Okay,


Here we go.

I feel like I need a disclaimer to say I’m not an expert…..I can only tell you my personal experience and what has worked for me.
I’ve been doing this for a long time so I’ve read a lot of stuff and talked to my own trainer and physician.

So, this is my take on it.

First of all – calories are considered fuel for your body – your body needs it to function – period. Even at rest you are burning calories just to exist. 1200 is usually given as the standard number you need in order to function properly, without feeling tired or sick, having memory trouble or coordination problems. This is why most people say you should never eat less.

Often you will hear talk about “starvation mode”

All I know about this is in extreme circumstances when your body doesn’t have enough food it will first store everything you eat as fat instead of burning it off (preparing for famine) ….people often wonder then why or how people starve to death, once there is no more nutrition the body will burn its fat and then eventually start burning muscle as well…

I think what they are REALLY meaning to explain is that when you don’t eat enough or eat often, your body has a way of taking notes…..

For instance, say you are like I use to be and you rarely eat breakfast, you eat crap or next to nothing for lunch, at dinner you are starved and eat like crazy….your body remembers that from dinner (say 7p.m) until noon or 7p.m the next night that it will not be receiving any nutrition(fuel, calories, food) so it gets smart and stops using what you are feeding it for energy, its saving it….

This equals poor/slow metabolism

When you begin to eat many times through the day your body realizes it isn’t in any danger of starving and begins to burn the food you are eating – you should feel more energetic and will burn more calories (and probably feel more hungry)

People often don’t feel hungry at 1200 calories because the body isn’t burning anything you are taking in , the metabolism has stalled.


The idea behind losing lbs is simple - in order to lose you must burn more calories than you take in.
Keep in mind that MFP figures your calorie deficit into the number it gives you – this is why you hear people say they “eat back calories” or why your calories will increase if you add exercise.

I used 6 or 7 different calorie calculators to figure my calorie intake and all of them gave me a different number – I went with an average.
Each time my weight stalls – I up my exercise and therefore my calorie intake and I begin to lose again.

Different things work for different people.

I am big believer in eating more to lose only because it has worked for me – and because I’ve seen so many people close to me nearly starve themselves on fad diets and detox’s only to become frustrated and quit because they are hungry and not losing weight.

Listen to your body….if you are hungry (truly hungry, not bored, not stressed, not out of habit) then eat!

I am an emotional eater so I use a scale when I think I’m hungry to determine if I am actually hungry or if I’m just wanting to eat for other reasons.

I wish you luck with your journey!
Be smart, and listen to your body, and your gut, *wink *wink 

chocl8girl

Lifecycle of an MFPer

1. Start out at 1200 calories
2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
3. Make a post calling out the mean people
4. Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears
5. Realize that you're still losing weight and feeling much better
6. Try to help 1200 calorie people
7. Get called an arrogant ahole one too many times
8. Retreat to chit-chat forum more or less permanently, only occasionally emerging to lay down a burn

coachmjfitness11

Definitely believe you can achieve results with 1200 a day, like most have said, it all depends on the individual. Personally, I work out too much to achieve results with a calorie intake that low, because my body DOES go in to starvation mode. When this happens your not getting enough nutritions to fuel your body and while you might be losing weight its not healthy, steady progress. I experienced a plato in results at 1200 after a few weeks because my body needed more to fuel my workouts. Its all individual. Do what you gotta do. Just keep others advising in mind if you are new to all of this, but do what feels good for your body and don't obsess too much over then number.

VelociMama

bump..........

DebbieLyn63

I cringe whenever I see people say "YOU NEED TO EAT MORE" because that advice is to generic and it causes some people to gain weight if they aren't taking in the right kind of calories. The body of a woman who eats 1800 calories of donuts and does not exercise is going to look drastically different from a woman who eat 1800 calories or chicken, fish, and veggies and exercises 4-5 times a week.

Pretty AND smart!

whitneyps7

anything under 1200 cals a day is considered starvation mode. food for thought.

as long as your eating your body is NOT in starvation mode it takes 72 hours of eating and drinking nothing to hit the starvation level. i know because i am the same way its hard for me to reach my 1240 calories a day sometimes cause im just not hungry. if she feels ok and its working for her then let her be. she isnt starving herself

fit4lifeUcan2

STick with what works for you! If your losing weight at whatever calories then stick with it and ignore the haters.
Someone commented from my friends list that I wasn't eating enough so I removed them from my friends list.
Don't like it don't look.

WhyeatKachra

Lifecycle of an MFPer

1. Start out at 1200 calories
2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
3. Make a post calling out the mean people
4. Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears
5. Realize that you're still losing weight and feeling much better
6. Try to help 1200 calorie people
7. Get called an arrogant ahole one too many times
8. Retreat to chit-chat forum more or less permanently, only occasionally emerging to lay down a burn

That is pretty much it.

red_road

fit4lifeUcan2

as long as your eating your body is NOT in starvation mode it takes 72 hours of eating and drinking nothing to hit the starvation level. i know because i am the same way its hard for me to reach my 1240 calories a day sometimes cause im just not hungry. if she feels ok and its working for her then let her be. she isnt starving herself

Exactly!!

4_Lisa

everyone starts off at 1200 calories

Really? No they don't.... it depends on height, start weight, age, gender, goals, and activity level....

lorib75

Maybe they are struggling and it makes them feel better to make others feel worse. Sorry for their comments. We should be encouraging one another. I also have a 1200 calorie diet. Today is my 1st day but not my first time losing weight. This isn't my first rodeo. I hope you keep up the good work, you should be proud of yourself.

aww this is what I was gonna say... :flowerforyou:

x_ItNeverEnds_x

Lifecycle of an MFPer

1. Start out at 1200 calories
2. Complain about how you're "stuffed" at 1200 calories and don't understand why everyone wants you to eat more
3. Make a post calling out the mean people
4. Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears
5. Realize that you're still losing weight and feeling much better
6. Try to help 1200 calorie people
7. Get called an arrogant ahole one too many times
8. Retreat to chit-chat forum more or less permanently, only occasionally emerging to lay down a burn

"Gradually up your calorie goals when you grow tired of being "stuffed" on asparagus spears" I always wonder how obese.overweight people could be stuffed at 1,200. How did you get so big if you can barley eat 1,200 calories? So confused. Honestly at 1,200 a day I would have to stay bed bound and i'd still be hungry.