1200 calories a day.

Amber1070

I'm shooting for 1150 max but try to keep it around 1050-1100 calories a day. I'm looking for buddys on here. I find that planning out the day while I eat breakfast keeps me on track.

broomykm

My daily goal is set at 1100 calories, and it is doable but with a very limited menu. Adding exercise to my daily routine helps a lot, getting anywhere from 200-400 calories a day back from working out suddenly makes that eating goal a lot more realistic, plus helps to keep me motivated to work out daily.

BeyondThePixels

I've been on 1200 calories since March. September and October I went over 400-700 cals, and I'm still loosing (struggled mostly to meetings, parties and Halloween). Right now, I'm trying to stay between 1200-1400 calories. I eat a variety of food, I don't deprive myself. I try to lighten and modify my food. I like to keep my body guessing.

I exercise 4-5 times a week, except this week!

samanthasimps0n

My daily goal is 1200 calories a day. During the week i find it easy to meet this goal. The weekends are harder, so I have incorporated working out on weekends to allow myself some extra calories throughout the day, and also give me time out of the kitchen/apartment Goodluck with your goals! Feel free to follow me for ideas or support!

daggoneit

I also have 1200 but at the end of the day I only have eaten ~750 calories. Today I forced myself to eat 1000 calories and I really don't want to eat more because I feel so full. Is this bad?

taylorwaylor

Eating below your BMR is very unhealthy and setting yourself up for failure.

Her BMR is probably around 1,200 because shes in her 40's.

Sarauk2sf

Eating below your BMR is very unhealthy and setting yourself up for failure.

Her BMR is probably around 1,200 because shes in her 40's.

Not necessarily. I am well into my 40's and my BMR is a decent amount higher than that. Age does decrease BMR however - about 100 calories for every 10 years, give or take.

emardeb

I have been at this 1200 Calorie thing for a 5 days, and honestly I have no idea how to do this! My life style over the last 5 years has lead to kid friendly, easy, junk and it is a struggle for me and a big struggle for my five year old to eat healthier! Anyone can add me as I need ideas on what to eat!

jixxystardust

I'm on 1200-1300 a day. I've calculated everything, taking in my height and weight and that's fine for me.
Anything under 1000 means you're practically on a starvation diet so 1200 is only a rough guideline; if you're peckish fill up on water or leave it for a bit longer but obviously if you're hungry EAT!
Feel free to add me

MandyRuns

I'm aiming for 1200 cal a day until I leave for a 10 day vacation on December 22. I agree with many here that it can be unsustainable long term but would like to drop an initial 8 to 12 pounds rather quickly. I'm adopting a sort of "holiday plan" with the amount of calories I eat:
Plan A: Several days a week, I would like to eat 1200 calories and not eat back my workout calories. If I feel full and energized and don't have a social engagement I'll do this. 1200 cals of high protein, moderate carb, clean, healthy foods.
Plan B: If I feel at all low energy or cranky, or want to have a glass of wine at a party, I will eat back my exercise calories.
Plan C: Indulgence days/coming down with something/getting frustrated with the diet and tempted to binge eat: Eat maintenance calories (1800) and don't eat back exercise calories.
Plan Damage control days, even on Thanksgiving, holiday parties, etc.: Exercise until net calories are maintenance calories (eg, eat 2300, burn 500 on the treadmill).

In the New Year I plan to eat about 1500 calories most days and eat a couple hundred extra cals on very hard workout days. I like the plan I have now because I think it will allow me to keep losing weight through the holidays. If I feel good on the low cals and am successful, I could drop quite a bit of weight in the five weeks before my trip. But by having a Plan B, C, and D I can both eat a little extra on days I need the energy and have a plan to deal with holiday temptations. And I'm guessing the lower cal and higher cal days will average out to a moderate calorie deficit each week, which seems to work well for my metabolism.

Just wanted to share this plan if it's helpful to anyone. I hope having backup plans will prevent that mentality of "Oh, I blew my calories by having that extra slice of pizza, might as well pig out."

jofjltncb6

Eating below your BMR is very unhealthy and setting yourself up for failure.

Her BMR is probably around 1,200 because shes in her 40's.

Not necessarily. I am well into my 40's and my BMR is a decent amount higher than that. Age does decrease BMR however - about 100 calories for every 10 years, give or take.

My BMR is somewhere around/just over 2000, but I just hit my 40s. Maybe I should drop my calories to 1200 now.

LorinaLynn

Eating below your BMR is very unhealthy and setting yourself up for failure.

Her BMR is probably around 1,200 because shes in her 40's.

I'm 40. According to MFP's BMR, mine's barely over 1200. According to more accurate methods involving BF%, it's closer to 1400.

I'm maintaining at about 2300 and lose eating 1800-2000. And I don't live in the gym or exercise constantly. I exercise maybe 3-5 hours a week, tops. I just exercise efficiently.

lynn3147

Hi
I am also on 1200 calories a day . I manage to make this quite easily. The only problem is I have a social life and often out to dinner a couple of times a week and then it all goes very wrong. !! I am also 66 I play badminton x2 a week and am always active. I certainly dont feel my age I am only about 1 stone overweight but with a combination of my age metabolism I am finding it very hard. I fill in my diary after every meal I think that helps.
I am eating around 1000 a day and hoping that my sinning in the week makes up for the calories I havent used.
Weight loss very slow

AmyRhubarb

Eating below your BMR is very unhealthy and setting yourself up for failure.

Her BMR is probably around 1,200 because shes in her 40's.

I'm 40. According to MFP's BMR, mine's barely over 1200. According to more accurate methods involving BF%, it's closer to 1400.

I'm maintaining at about 2300 and lose eating 1800-2000. And I don't live in the gym or exercise constantly. I exercise maybe 3-5 hours a week, tops. I just exercise efficiently.

One of my MFP role models right here, and her posts, photos and success are part of what helped me decide to get off that 1200 calorie train wreck and eat more - enough to fuel my body through my workouts and all my daily activities. Thank you Lorina and Dan for your inspiration and guidance in resetting my goals, calories and macros. And it's working, the fat is coming off, and I'm in better shape now at the age 44 (and eating 1800 calories, or more, per day, exercising an average of 5 hours a week) than I was all through my 30's, and probably even in my late 20's.

Going the 1200 route, I lost weight, sure, but ended up stalling before my "goal weight" with a slimmer version of my squishy body - not the flat, strong abs, the nicely "toned" (many don't like that word, but I use it for those of you who are afraid of the term "muscles" :bigsmile: - not bulky, just beautiful muscles!) arms, nice legs, etc that I was hoping for. I'm still not at that magic "goal weight", but scale be damned - the inches are coming off, and I'm tossing out clothes left and right because they're all too big for me.

Stick with 1200 if you want, but don't dismiss those of us who are eating much higher calories than that, and achieving strong, healthy fit bodies in the process. We're not trying to be bossy, but heck, I wish I'd discovered this route sooner - I wouldn't have struggled so long with low calories - we just want to let others know that you don't have to eat the bare minimum to achieve your goals (and in many cases, you won't achieve your goals by that route). This is a new, sustainable lifestyle for me - I'm not going back to where I was.

AmyRhubarb

Hi
I am also on 1200 calories a day . I manage to make this quite easily. The only problem is I have a social life and often out to dinner a couple of times a week and then it all goes very wrong. !! I am also 66 I play badminton x2 a week and am always active. I certainly dont feel my age I am only about 1 stone overweight but with a combination of my age metabolism I am finding it very hard. I fill in my diary after every meal I think that helps.
I am eating around 1000 a day and hoping that my sinning in the week makes up for the calories I havent used.
Weight loss very slow

Perfect example of the struggle I used to have!

Last night I went out to a very nice dinner to celebrate hubby's b-day. I had steak, calamari, bread, salad, red wine, rice pilaf, veggies - pretty much cleaned my plate, and still came in under my calorie goal. Even if I'd gone over, I'd have been below my TDEE, so no fear of gaining. And you know what? My scale this morning didn't show that I'd gained 5 pounds, nor will it tomorrow. What my diary shows is that I got an awesome amount of protein yesterday, along with all my other macros, and that I enjoyed a dinner out with no worries of "breaking my diet". I'm not on a diet. I can't do that forever, so why try to live that way for a short time, and feel bad if I blow it, or worse, gain all the weight back when I decide that the "diet" isn't sustainable and give up.

californiagirl2012

For me not so much anymore since I've reached my goal and I am in maintenance now.

This works for some short people, not tall people. It all depends on your RMR. Taller people have a higher RMR so this would be too low for them.

1200 is such a stupid number to get stuck on. What you need to eat for a deficit is relative to your RMR. Your RMR could be lower than the calorie calculators say. The only way to know for sure is to test out the amount of calories and if you don't lose over time then you probably need to notch down by 100 until you find what works.

If you plug in all your info (typically age, gender, height and weight) into one of those calculators what you get is the average metabolic rate of a group of people who share your age, sex, height and weight. What you DON’T get is YOUR EXACT calorie needs.

To tell everyone eat more is wrong.

To tell everyone to eat less is wrong.

To find the exact amount of calories for you to be in a sustainable calorie deficit is correct. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others. Some people have emotional eating disorders and it comes into play. Even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux and everyone is different.


I was able to handle a pretty deep calorie deficit because I'm very disciplined and eat healthy (good fuel for the body so I can perform well at the gym) and I do not have emotional eating issues. I have a very low RMR so my doctor said I could go lower than 1200. Everyone is different, I got scientific proof for myself during my 60 lb weight loss journey from obese down to 10% body fat. My doctor checked my hormone levels throughout the process. I have a low RMR, am short, older, and had to eat under 1200 calories to lose the 60 lbs. The DXA scan showed that I did not go into starvation mode or lose lean body mass. In fact in the end it shows I have higher lean body mass than most females my height. I am 5'1" and my lean body mass is 104 lbs. That is still pretty tiny because I'm petite, but it's high for my height and gender. Also the technician said my bone density is that of a super fit 30 year old and I'm almost 52. If that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what else is.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

JamisJourney

I am on 1250 per day and have been for 3 weeks exactly.. If you exercise though, you can eat more and you should. I also drink half my body weight in ounces of water. I am down 11.2 lbs in 21 days. Feel free to add me! I love meeting new friends on here!

lilshorty8584

I just started the 1200 calories a day program. Some days are easier than others. Its hard to get motivated and actually exercise. You can check out my diary if you want but i'm a very unhealthy eater. yesterday i was maxed out on calories before lunch. lol. I eat so much more when im at work guess its because of stress. plus everyone is always ordering fast food and take out which is so tempting. I have been trying to pack my lunch so i can turn down pizza or whatever everyone else is eating but it is difficult.

geniebottle19

Damn I'm at 1390 calories per day....I feel like a fatty lol

kingofcrunk

I've lost 60 lbs eating 1200 calories a day.

It's fine to eat that much- you just have to find foods that are worth the calories (fill you up without being too high in calories).