Still think your 1200 or less diet is a good idea?

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Replies

  • JoshuaL86
    JoshuaL86 Posts: 403 Member
    with so much time on your hands, You could also do a search and find lots and lots of success stories of people eating 1200 cals and losing heaps of weight.

    No thanks, we'd rather eat and be healthy.

    Well, I'd rather eat anyways :D
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    with so much time on your hands, You could also do a search and find lots and lots of success stories of people eating 1200 cals and losing heaps of weight.

    Show me some. The majority of success stories threads seem to indicate otherwise. I want to see who is thriving on 1200 calories. Not merely "losing weight".
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    with so much time on your hands, You could also do a search and find lots and lots of success stories of people eating 1200 cals and losing heaps of weight.
    They're much harder to find.
  • Blonde_Vixen
    Blonde_Vixen Posts: 9
    I can do 1200 for my breakfast.

    :laugh:
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    Those are not examples. They are people that are struggling with their diet for various reasons other than being below a magical caloric number.

    Most people don't know how, or understand how to count calories and set macro-nutrient goals.

    There are plenty of examples of people successful eating at a steep caloric deficit and losing heaps of fat and getting cut and shredded.

    Diet/heath/fitness t is a **** load more complicated than some magical caloric number.
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
    I lost a lot of weight by working out too much and eating too little - and gained it all back and found it so much harder this time around to get the weight off. I even had a trainer tell me that I was losing it to fast and I would gain it back but I didn't believe her at the time. Oh and I couldn't figure out why I wasn't building any muscle...

    Keep it healthy- eat TDEE - 20%. I always respond to people - if you could eat more and STILL lose weight, wouldn't you want to??
  • mhcoss
    mhcoss Posts: 220
    i'm eating 1000 calories today ! but that is unusual. I am usually around 2.1k, fasting a bit today.
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    Mods: Please sticky. Thanks.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Those are not examples. They are people that are struggling with their diet for various reasons other than being below a magical caloric number.

    Most people don't know how, or understand how to count calories and set macro-nutrient goals.

    There are plenty of examples of people successful eating at a steep caloric deficit and losing heaps of fat and getting cut and shredded.

    Diet/heath/fitness t is a **** load more complicated than some magical caloric number.

    It's actually quite simple. It's just not easy since it does take some dedication and discipline. However, playing the numbers game with calories and exercise isn't difficult considering most of your diet is coming from nutritious foods.
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    I had the flu for a week and still managed at least 1700 calories a day nom nom nom
  • xXxHBICxXx
    xXxHBICxXx Posts: 370 Member
    I've been on 1200 calories a day since I started MFP in August and I lost the first 25 pounds very fast, that being said I have been stuck between 150-155 for a month and a half now WITH more exercise and better choices of food. I am positive I am eating too little and plan on going up to 1600- 1800 calories (slowly) even though the thought of eating MORE to lose weight scares the hell out of me.
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
    I want to see who is thriving on 1200 calories. Not merely "losing weight".

    Me too.

    Great thread, Taso.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    This post is made of win.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Bump.
  • Tlove1111
    Tlove1111 Posts: 69 Member
    Amen! ????????
  • jenn012112
    jenn012112 Posts: 6
    if MFP is telling me to eat 1200/day should i up it? i want to gain muscle and lose fat... and dont want to end up stuck at my normal 124 lbs!

    You'll have an extraordinarily difficult time to gain anything eating 1200 calories, unless you previous ate less than that chronically.

    Muscle is gained with a calorie surplus, not deficit, except beginner gains.

    MFP sets nearly everyone at 1200 calories which is below 99% of the population's BMR.

    You should definitely eat more if you want to gain muscle.

    your muscles will strengthen which in turn will help you burn fat more to maintain them. It's bull that you need something like 2200 calories to lose fat while gaining muscle unless you want to body build, which we have alot of those people on here for some reason. I haven't been on a surplus, except for maybe 1 or 2 days a week going a bit over on calories for a month and somehow my muscles have firmed up. I guess I"m a witch or something.

    Firmed up muscles and getting stronger IS NOT THE SAME THING AS GAINING MUSCLE.

    Why do people think that these are synonymous???
    because some people dont know. thats why i posted- to learn, not to get mean answers lol. thanks anyway.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    ry%3D400
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
    Mods: Please sticky. Thanks.

    Seconded. Brilliant post Taso.
  • Amy106Days
    Amy106Days Posts: 172 Member
    It is so frustrating when the 1200 calorie defenders seem to never have open diaries. I just want to see what their macros are like :/. I appreciate that the petite 1200 calorie woman earlier in the thread did leave her diary open. That was refreshing to see.
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  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    Those are not examples. They are people that are struggling with their diet for various reasons other than being below a magical caloric number.

    Most people don't know how, or understand how to count calories and set macro-nutrient goals.

    There are plenty of examples of people successful eating at a steep caloric deficit and losing heaps of fat and getting cut and shredded.

    Diet/heath/fitness t is a **** load more complicated than some magical caloric number.

    It's actually quite simple. It's just not easy since it does take some dedication and discipline. However, playing the numbers game with calories and exercise isn't difficult considering most of your diet is coming from nutritious foods.

    I agree, It's not difficult to find some sort of calculator. It's also not difficult to learn some basics about macro nutrients. It's not difficult to set a reachable goal. People jumping on a VLCD are often in a diet mindset way out in left field. That's why they fail. Their whole approach is bad. I doubt people are tracking their food correctly, and are often eating 2-3x as much as they think.

    Does metabolic slowdown happen when on a strict cut? Yep, not but not nearly as much as people think. 1200 calories or below should easily allow for sustained fat loss regardless of some metabolic downturn. Even then, that's easy to come out of. Failure is often not the diets fault, it's often the fault of the dieter.
  • Cognito1025
    Cognito1025 Posts: 323 Member


    I am the same. I do 1700 and it's working so far. But..if you were 70, inactive and post menopausal? Probably wouldn't. Again, depends on many factors.

    That's my kinda woman! Can you intoduce us?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I've done both eating under 1200 and significantly more than 1200, and lost weight both ways.

    However, under 1200, weight loss was painfully slow... so much so that I thought there was something really wrong with me. And it was demoralizing. By the math, I should have been losing 2 pounds a week, and in reality, it was a half pound every other weak. I was tired, cranky, and by the time I got to my goal weight, I was still dissatisfied with my body. Still had muffin top, back fat, huge thighs, etc. More demoralization. It got to the point where I (mistakenly) believed that in order to get thinner, I'd have to cut my calories even MORE, and I just couldn't do it. I honestly decided I'd rather be overweight and eat what I want than skinny and hungry. So I put the weight back on.

    Over 1200 (typically 1350-1700 plus exercise calories, or up to 2200+ total), the weight came off as predicted, I was completely satisfied with everything I ate. Still able to fit in pizza at least once a week. Cheeseburgers. Bagels for breakfast almost daily. Pasta, garlic bread, potatoes. Ice cream. Chocolate milk at bedtime every night. And way more than satisfied with the way my body looked and felt. The stereotypical "I'm 40 and in the best shape of my life" infomercial cheese. :)

    And I've been maintaining close to two years.
  • dayvco
    dayvco Posts: 8
    2000 a day and looooovin' it




    Me too!!!
  • Shen191
    Shen191 Posts: 86 Member
    love it
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    if you undereat long enough you'll lose weight, I mean people with eating disorders do even the ones that don't purge, such as anorexia restricting type.

    Good point. We wouldn't want to spend all this hard work and discipline and end up looking like an anorexic, now would we?

    I've been down that road. I was never one of the extreme cases like the pics you see all over the web. Got there and maintained for several years eating under 1200/day. When that was over, I gained weight faster than I ever believed was possible just eating like a normal person, I guess because my body was so unaccustomed to it. It was just STUPID. Not to mention how effed up my mind had to remain for me to keep my focus through the hunger. And, when I regained all the weight I had lost (plus an extra 20 or so), the distribution of it on my body was completely different. When I came to this site and started trying to lose it, hopefully for the last time, my goal all along has been to eat as MUCH as possible and still lose weight. I want to eat right up to the limit where that can happen because I do not ever want to go down that road again.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    funny_set_of_gifs_to_share_your_appreciation_05.gif
  • andyisandy
    andyisandy Posts: 433 Member
    funny_set_of_gifs_to_share_your_appreciation_05.gif
    two wins:this thread and fifth element
  • Juliew518
    Juliew518 Posts: 17
    I am going to ask a stupid question... Let's say you are eating 1540 calories a day (which I am) and then you do a LOT of exercise one day which takes you below 1200. Is that the same as eating 1200 calories and will that slow your weight loss down or speed it up.

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