why is eating 1200 calories looked down on but....?

deevatude

why is eating 1200 calories looked down on but when some one posts a success story showing how they lost 70/80/90 + pounds in 7 months, everyone congratulates them? If we are gonna be honest here, granted losing weight is an accomplishment, those people who lost a massive amount of weight in such little time were probably eating 1200 calories or around that.

so y the 10 page thread criticizing one for eating 1200 calories but a 10 page thread congratulating another for doing the same thing but showing pictures/proof?

DanaDark

It all depends on nutrition, height, age, and starting weight.

deevatude

im talking about the double standard on here.

theres a thread on here where someone lost nearly 200 pounds in a year and everyone was happy for them because they showed pictures.

Let someone state their reasons for eating 1200 calories and they get a negative response.

Thomasm198

why is eating 1200 calories looked down on but when some one posts a success story showing how they lost 70/80/90 + pounds in 7 months, everyone congratulates them? If we are gonna be honest here, granted losing weight is an accomplishment, those people who lost a massive amount of weight in such little time were probably eating 1200 calories or around that.

so y the 10 page thread criticizing one for eating 1200 calories but a 10 page thread congratulating another for doing the same thing but showing pictures/proof?

Don't automatically assume anything.

Do you know what amount of calories they were eating? Do you know what exercise they were doing? Do you know what their original starting weight was?

DonnaLeeCattes

MFP put me on 1200 when I started and it has worked great for me

everysn0wflake

im talking about the double standard on here.

theres a thread on here where someone lost nearly 200 pounds in a year and everyone was happy for them because they showed pictures.

Let someone state their reasons for eating 1200 calories and they get a negative response.

I can see your point. I guess if they were eating 1200 calories, and eating back the calories they were working off; they can get full easy. It depends on their genetics. A 200 lb person can easily lose the weight, comparing to someone wanting to lose 5 lbs. Also probably, with the pictures shown, they're happy for them. They want to congratulate them, and don't want to bash on them for eating 1200 calories. Y'know?

AmiC0717

I started in May of 2012 at 265 pounds. I was given 1400 calories per day by a dietician through my local hospital. Others in my group that had less to lose were given 1200. They took measurements of our bodies and calculated our BMI, BMR and activity level. I am now on 1300 by my choice even though I was told 1200 by the dietician. I really think it depends on each case for an individual. I have lost 70lbs since May and I couldn't have done it without eating less and moving more. It's not about starvation it's about learning to eat healthy for those 1200-1400 calories.

deevatude

why is eating 1200 calories looked down on but when some one posts a success story showing how they lost 70/80/90 + pounds in 7 months, everyone congratulates them? If we are gonna be honest here, granted losing weight is an accomplishment, those people who lost a massive amount of weight in such little time were probably eating 1200 calories or around that.

so y the 10 page thread criticizing one for eating 1200 calories but a 10 page thread congratulating another for doing the same thing but showing pictures/proof?

Don't automatically assume anything.

Do you know what amount of calories they were eating? Do you know what exercise they were doing? Do you know what their original starting weight was?

1200 calories net basically, netting below their bmr

deevatude

I started in May of 2012 at 265 pounds. I was given 1400 calories per day by a dietician through my local hospital. Others in my group that had less to lose were given 1200. They took measurements of our bodies and calculated our BMI, BMR and activity level. I am now on 1300 by my choice even though I was told 1200 by the dietician. I really think it depends on each case for an individual. I have lost 70lbs since May and I couldn't have done it without eating less and moving more. It's not about starvation it's about learning to eat healthy for those 1200-1400 calories.

Im not trying to bash those who eat a certain amount of calories im just asking y the double standard and dishonesty of the people on this site


if u created a thread on how many calories you eat, you would get dragged but if u created a thread in the success stories forum showing pictures of your weight loss, you would get congratulated.

thickntired

I can understand where you are coming from on this. It does seem like a double standard. I don't think it's fair to pick on someone doing 1200 or even lower, as in my case. My doctor told me to do 1000 calories due to my weight and trouble it is causing me and the fact that I have hypothyroidism and it makes it harder for someone to lose weight. Not everyone can lose weight higher calories. I know a lot of women with PCOS can't lose on more than 1000 and in some cases 800 calories. Some people can lose weight on less. I think those on less calories do have to omit exercise or hardcore exercise because that will be starving the body for sure. But if someone is doing it with diet alone, then I think lower calories are ok or even if they are doing light exercise. Just my thoughts.

Tiabean86

I agree. Basically 1200 is the very lowest you can go AND STILL BE HEALTHY AND NOT STARVING. So why the hate? It's in the healthy range? I was given 1350 cals. So I try to hit anywhere from the LOWEST (1200) all the way up to 1400. It really is annoying when I have a 1200 day and people ask me if I'm ok. Ugh!

FredDoyle

I'm a 5'-7" male and started at about 200lbs. My doctor told me to eat 1400 cals/day and I'm down to about 160 lbs. to date.
I'm back to 1800-2000 cals/day to lose the last 10 I want though. I did eat back the calories my HRM gave me.

superchunk17

Funny that I came about this post. A friend and I were just talking about the whole 1200 calorie thing. I am not a doctor or a nutrition expert by any means but I dont buy the whole starvation mode thing. Why is it that if you dont eat enough calories, your body will stop burning calories and go into "starvation mode" yet then you over eat, there is no "hyper-calorie-burning-mode". Doesnt make much sense to me. It seems like simple math to me, eat more calories than you body burns in a day and you will gain weight, eat less.......you will lose weight. Any comments from someone with a nutritional or medical background are welcome, some clarity on this theory would be nice. I have been eating when I am hungry until I am satisfied and try to make the majority of the food I eat healthy choices. Somedays i eat 1000 calories, sometimes I 2000 calories. It has been working for me so far

sillyli234

You are right in the fact that some people lose tons of weight and it is not always in a healthy manner. I started out my first 3 months of dieting by simply cutting out meat and soda and lost around 60 lbs... I was probably eating around 1800 calories a day which was sadly a HUGE reduction from what I used to eat...keep in mind I started at 284 lbs at 5f5.

RobinvdM

I lost 130lbs and the handful of days I hit 1200 cals I was either really sick or was one of my "traveling" days when I was still learning how to pay attention to traveling food. Dont be so presumptuous.

JesterMFP

im talking about the double standard on here.

theres a thread on here where someone lost nearly 200 pounds in a year and everyone was happy for them because they showed pictures.

Let someone state their reasons for eating 1200 calories and they get a negative response.

People like a success story. I think people in that section tend to be more inclined to be nice, or say nothing at all, especially when someone has already reached their goal and is not looking for advice. In the other parts of the site, people are trying to give helpful advice and in some cases try to prevent people making the same mistakes they themselves did.

Also, the people congratulating fast or extreme weight loss are probably not the same people cautioning against fast or extreme weight loss.

Also, depends on context. People can healthily lose faster when they have more to lose. The more fat someone has stored, the more their body can cope with an extreme calorie deficit. There's a big difference between someone who is 300 lbs and eating 1200 calories a day, and someone who is already very lean eating that little.

AnjellaRose_GF_SillyYak

whats wrong with only eating 1200 cal a day?

fightininggirl

this! I agree . I get asked that all the time too. Jillian Michaels says women should eat 1200-1400 calories
I agree. Basically 1200 is the very lowest you can go AND STILL BE HEALTHY AND NOT STARVING. So why the hate? It's in the healthy range? I was given 1350 cals. So I try to hit anywhere from the LOWEST (1200) all the way up to 1400. It really is annoying when I have a 1200 day and people ask me if I'm ok. Ugh!

RoseAmongThorns91

MFP has set me at 1450 which I don't always meet but I try to eat at least 1200. If you look at my diary the last two days, I haven't hit my goal and barely topped 1200 (and that's w/o adding exercise). I haven't been hungry and when I am, I eat healthier/lower caloric foods. If it works and you can see that they are healthy, then why bash?

*Note - if a friend is consistently not eating well/waaaaay below 1200, and you know they don't have a medical condition, private message them. Don't bash them in public.

deevatude

whats wrong with only eating 1200 cal a day?

create a seperate thread about that and see what people say

deevatude

honestly?



if you had 200pounds to loose, 1200cals for a year is guaranteed 100% less harmful to your health than obesity.

DUMBASS.

your dumb for not reading the original post

now go suck a big one, sure you will like it

DEEDLYNN

you seriously want someone to bash someone who is proud of their success. There are TOOOOO many factors to consider to know if a quick weight loss is done at an extreme calorie deficit.

If someone was so inclined, I guess they could take the success stories food diary and tear it apart. THEY MADE IT! They achieved what we are trying to achieve. They did it on their terms.

I don't see this as hypocritical or a double standard. They are posting their SUCCESS.

Normally, when we are in conversations about the total calories per day.....add in exercise calories....don't add in exercise calories, it is because someone has asked a question or is seeking advice on what worked for others. We have been ASKED for input. So, based on our own experiences and the knowlege we have gained, we offer the input.

People posting success stories are generally proud of their success and trying to share what worked for them.

Do we always have to be so freaking judgemental?

Bonnieelizabeth

I am only having 1200 calories a day and don't always eat all of that! I have oa in my knee and foot so that kind of pain makes me sick to the point of being nauseated so if I feel that bad I dont' eat all of my calories but I can afford to do that at my current weight! Going under 1200 is not good if you have very little to loose because your body hangs on to what you have. i say athink about what you are doing before you do it.

nikilis

honestly?



if you had 200pounds to loose, 1200cals for a year is guaranteed 100% less harmful to your health than obesity.

DUMBASS.

your dumb for not reading the original post

now go suck a big one, sure you will like it

loool. this thread is invalid.

MaggieSporleder

I lost 20 lbs in 4 weeks, with 1800 calories. I dropped to 1200, stalled and am just now starting to lose again going back to 1800. Sorry you just don't lose with that little calories.

MaggieSporleder

im talking about the double standard on here.

theres a thread on here where someone lost nearly 200 pounds in a year and everyone was happy for them because they showed pictures.

Let someone state their reasons for eating 1200 calories and they get a negative response.

Prove that's how they did it. Maybe they just worked their bloody butt off!

Melo1966

Funny that I came about this post. A friend and I were just talking about the whole 1200 calorie thing. I am not a doctor or a nutrition expert by any means but I dont buy the whole starvation mode thing. Why is it that if you dont eat enough calories, your body will stop burning calories and go into "starvation mode" yet then you over eat, there is no "hyper-calorie-burning-mode". Doesnt make much sense to me. It seems like simple math to me, eat more calories than you body burns in a day and you will gain weight, eat less.......you will lose weight. Any comments from someone with a nutritional or medical background are welcome, some clarity on this theory would be nice. I have been eating when I am hungry until I am satisfied and try to make the majority of the food I eat healthy choices. Somedays i eat 1000 calories, sometimes I 2000 calories. It has been working for me so far

I did not believe in it until it happened to me. I thought people who were not losing was not eating at a deficiet. But then it happened to me I was netting 1,000 and NOT losing after regular weightloss. I was not hungry so afraid to eat more. Since I had lost 50 pounds I was healthier but the weight-loss stopped. I upped my calories slightly and lost 3 pounds immediately and then nothing. I upped my calories to maintenace and did not gain weight but gained a ton of energy so hopefully I repaired the damaged I did to my metabolism. I just started this week going down by 500 and working out more and eating my exercise calories back to keep my net a more healthy number.

I believe that the 1,200 diet works well for short-term but not long-term.

Rays_Wife

I lost 60 pounds in 8 months. I have NEVER had my calorie goal set at 1200 calories. I've always eaten between 1600-2200 calories a day. In fact, the months I lost the most weight I was eating 1800-2000 calories! Yup! I think it's funny people just assume 1200 calories renders the fastest weight loss. Nope. I just ate normally, watched my portions and exercised. Nothing crazy either. 2-3 days strength training for 1 hour and 3-4 days cardio.

odadkins78

i dont know if it helps it helps but mfp started me at 2230 cal... and i have not went over at all....

skaliga

Hi How long it took for you loose 40 lbs? I am 5 8 and weigh 176 lbs. my goal is to cut down 20 lbs in 12 weeks.I started low calorie diet this week I am on 1200 calorie diet, though my Dr put me on 1500 calorie diet. Do you know how long it takes to reach my goal? anyone in the same page as me?

Aviva92

MFP put me on 1200 when I started and it has worked great for me

yup, me too. it worked fine. i lost weight pretty much exactly on target for what the application said for eating 1200 calories. i have some cheat days though.