A Success story from someone who eats 1200 calories

suzanne_oh

I think whatever works for you is good. I personally have tried 1200 calories and just end up being so hungry. I fluctuate between 1300 - 1700 calories. Overall I've lost 33 lbs. (8 lbs. since starting MFP).

HotMummyMission

Meeee nearly hahah x

Helloitsdan

I've lost 45 pounds in 100 days by eating approximately 1200 calories per day and doing light exercise.

I experienced a plateau about a month ago and tried to get out of it by following the "eat more weigh less" advice... BIG MISTAKE! I actually started gaining slightly.

I am back on 1200 calories and losing steadily again.

Calorie restriction is no picnic but the results are worth it, and to me the greatest benefit has been that it forces me to be very mindful of every bite of food that I eat. Over the past 100 days I have learned not just to eat less but also to really savor and enjoy the food that I eat.

From what I have learned it seems that these habits of discipline and mindfulness are the keys to maintaining weight loss. Over the long term it seems to me more about how you eat rather than exactly what you eat. So I feel confident that when I reach my weight goal I will be able to transition to maintenance by using the skills I am learning now.

Also, it's hard to explain but I feel that the discipline of calorie restriction and logging of what I eat has changed me in ways that have nothing to do with weight loss. I feel that the mindfulness and accountability have carried over into other areas of my life. I am very grateful to MFP for getting me started in this direction.

Of course youll gain.
Your body adjusts to its current conditions.
You eat low enough youll experience lower BMR/RMR resulting in needing less calories for maintenance.
As soon as you bump cals the body will attempt to use what its given to restore what its lost.
Problem is if you arent working on maintaining lean mass now, when you hit 65+ youll probably not be very mobile.

the history of our country over the past 50+ years is:
Men die earlier than women.
Women end up in group homes because they cannot care for themselves.
I think the boig mistake is eating too low, losing LBM, adapting to lower calls and as a result when you stop losing......
Youll haver to reduce even more.

Thats my 2cents.

If you can lose fat naturally by giving the body a reason not to have it then the EMTWL and IPOARM are the way to go.
People are too impatient with fat/weight loss and believe cutting cals to a minimum is whats needed.
Eat proper nutrition and get all your nutrients.
Lift weights 3x a week to maintain LBM.
Sleep to recover and top off hormones.
Walk as much as possible.
Rinse and repeat.

CB6heart

Can you lost weight successfully on 1200 calories a day, absolutely, I lost about 50lbs doing that.

BUT you will probably end up like me and on here 3 years later trying a different strategy of eating more to lose because you gained most of it back. By the way, my body is completely different. The first time I was weak and flabby after losing a bunch. This time my body is getting tight and firm thanks to eating 1900-2100 cal a day and spending more time with weights and less with a treadmill.

IF you want to yo-yo with your weight loss forever, by all means, go for it!

I understand whay your saying but I think you could have left that last line out! Some comments can be very discouraging to others.....Some people are on here just to lose weight while others are trying to change their lifestyle and continue to eat well long after they have reached their goal weight...with that being said can somebody tell me why is it impossible to lose weight on 1200 calories then up the calories and continue to work out to keep the weight off....... some people are acting like its not possible. yall are making it seem like. once your set at 1200 you always have to eat 1200!

Sizethree4Ever

I google everything. If you make a dish from scratch, google "calories in one cup of ...." and you'll probably find it. I've never not found anything that I've made at home.

Bump.

funsmile1234

I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day and have lost 130 lbs doing that. I still eat a lot of food. I'm eating all day long just very healthy with smaller portions. I lose between 1-3 lbs a week so for me it works.

EmmaOnTrack

I'm just starting my journey (3 weeks tomorrow) but am also eating 1200 cals and struggling most days to get anywhere near it. As others said, if you eat mostly home made, non-processed foods you can fit an awful lot into 1200 cals...and can really go to town if you exercise too! Seems to be working thus far, and reading about other's long term success is very motivating. Thanks all!

valeriewxy

there has been a lot of bashing about people who eat 1200 calories. I thought I would post my success story about it.

I started out at 250 pounds when I began this journey which incidently I was eating the 1600-1800 calories in eating

I then began to reduce my calories and dropped to 220 pounds last January and am now to 179 pounds.

so all total so far I lost 71 pounds and none of it has been gained back at all. I keep on going down.

I don't bash people who eat the calories they need, in proportion to the exercise they take in.

I eat more, in the 1600 to 1800 range and I've lost over 50 lbs by now. But I exercise nearly every day, and my job is pretty active, I would be starving hungry at 1200.

Btw, congratulations... losing that much weight is awesome. If this works for you, then go for it. As long as its nutritionally complete, that is all that matters.

This

rockinchick221976

My MFP plan has me at 1,200 calories too, I stick to it and I don't eat back calories from exercise and I've been consistently losing about 2 lbs a week. If I continue at this pace I'll be at my goal weight by next June or July, just in time for swim suit season. I am very short, only 5 ft., I'm not one of these people that can eat 1,800 or 2,000 calories a day, that's about what I've been eating right along and eating that many calories is what made me fat. I find that most days it's hard to even get to 1,200 calories because I'm so full. I eat a lot of healthy protein, fiber, vegetables, 1 or 2 servings of fruit and 3 or 4 servings of nuts which keep very full. I eat 3 meals a day plus one or two snacks and still stay under, in fact I'm eating a bigger volume of food now then I was when I was eating 2,00 calories a day believe it or not. I would always skip breakfast, usually only ate twice a day, but the stuff I was eating was just so high in calories that even though I was eating 2,000 calories I was still always hungry around 9 or 10 at night. I think the highest I can go to actually just maintain my weight would be about 1,500 maybe 1,600 tops.













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Bambalina_1

Over the course of five years I have lost 28lbs by eating 1200 cals...then put it back on with around an extra 7lbs. This has happened 3 times. I've gone from 155lbs upto 189lbs.

I know you can lose weight on 1200 calories I really do and if that's what you wish to do, I would never badger/force my opinions on you. My only word of caution is personally for me I found it hard to maintain (Maybe it was just me and my lifestyle?) and as a result within a year of losing it I had gradually put it all back on...So I started the process again...

This is just my experience, there maybe others that have a differing one, i just think that when you reach goal you will only need another 100odd cals to actually maintain it and 1300 cals for the rest of your life does not sound fun!

FYI I'm a 30year old female 5ft7 and has had 2 children. I also now eat -15% TDEE @ sedentary and if I exercise that day I eat those back too! I'm averaging about 1750-1800 cals a day. I have been doing this for 2 weeks now and have lost 5lbs, it might not Be as fast as before but if it means in a year I'm 30lbs down instead of losing then gaining with an extra few lbs on top then I'm wiling to try it!

Good Luck anyway and I wish you all the best.

xx

harphy

I'm on 1200 calories. So far everything is going well but maintainance worries me...how can I go up to 1700 calories if I can not eat so much anymore? My tummy has become smaller.

mlogantra76

I think people should do what works for them and if that means eating 1200 calories or eating much more, so be it. As long as they are able to reach their goals. I started out eating 1200 calories in the beginning( and not eating back my exercise calories) and did lose weight. I also remember going to bed very hungry. Then I decided to see how many calories I could get away with eating and still lose weight. I did this because, let's face it: I love to eat. I did look into my TDEE etc... So, I went up to 1750 calories and continued to lose. I'm now eating 1550 calories or so and will probably go back to between 1700-1800 calories after I lose these last 5lbs.

liadeane13

Congrats, OP.

And someone feel free to rip me apart for this, but when I'm eating less I take a multi-vitamin to help ensure I'm getting my nutrients. Or supplements. You can also make sure what you are eating in that low-calorie diet (or lifestyle) is rich in nutrients. People on this site kill me with their negativity. If half of them were such "experts" I don't think they'd be on MFP. Do what works for you, or what your doctor has encouraged you to do, and let everyone else do their thing. Again, congrats!

jofjltncb6

Congrats, OP.

And someone feel free to rip me apart for this, but when I'm eating less I take a multi-vitamin to help ensure I'm getting my nutrients. Or supplements. You can also make sure what you are eating in that low-calorie diet (or lifestyle) is rich in nutrients. People on this site kill me with their negativity. If half of them were such "experts" I don't think they'd be on MFP. Do what works for you, or what your doctor has encouraged you to do, and let everyone else do their thing. Again, congrats!

So as long as I take a multi, I don't have to worry about nutrition?

Sweet!

Itlnchk

I do 1200 a day and it is the first time I have ever noticed weightloss. I have lost 9lbs in 2 weeks! I also have PCOS and this is working so why change it? My head had to get used to it at first but its true when you eat healthy 1200 is actually enough! and now week two I do not feel deprived but empowered by the weightloss! Keep it up girls!

DavPul

everyone should absolutely do what works for them. and what works for me is rolling this thread right off of My Topics. So let's everybody post!!!

DavPul

Twice!!!

jofjltncb6

everyone should absolutely do what works for them. and what works for me is rolling this thread right off of My Topics. So let's everybody post!!!

I am in to make this happen...

...and it makes sense since OP apparently deactivated months ago...

...so c'mon people, whether you're "1200 is the answer to all of my dietary problems" or "need to fuel the machine to get work done", jump in here with a quick post to roll this thing.

ETA: I just realized that some mild controversy might be helpful to make this happen, so I'll reiterate my thoughts on this:

1200 is a less-than-ideal calorie amount for 98.44% of adults. It provides insufficient calories to accomplish much of anything at all and insufficient nutrition for optimal health. People would more likely reach their long-term goals by eating at a more sensible deficit than at 1200 calories which is almost always too large a deficit for most people.

And for those people who are the rare exceptions to this, your experience does not invalidate the fact that it is less than ideal for most people.

(There. That should do it. :drinker: )

whierd

So is it a success story if the OP deactivates? Doesn't that mean it wasn't sustainable?

jofjltncb6

OP deactivated. Just FYI

Probably broke her account from eating too few calories.

she ate her computer.

LOL

hahahhahaha that is cruel but i laughed

She changed her account. Not the same.

Any update on her progress on her new account? (I don't recall the name ever being disclosed in this thread.)

ETA: Hopefully, we can find out in the next 18 posts...

...because after that, I'm vowing never to look at this thread again.