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

BondBomb

At the risk of pissing off some of my friends here...
Why is it so hard to believe that people eat at 1200 calories and are resistant to change this?

Most people came to MFP because they needed a tool to get started. That tool set them at 1200 calories a day. I started off there as well. Over time I made excellent friends who were very tolerant with me during the learning process. There were times where I went back and forth until I finally found a balance between what MFP set for me and my TDEE.

However, telling someone they are wrong and what they are doing is wrong over and over again rarely works. Especially when it is oozing with sarcasm and even disdain at times. People come here and wonder 'hey why should I listen to you? The website that we are all members of and therefore supporting is telling me I should do the exact opposite of what you, a complete stranger is telling me'. I lucked out and found friends that were successful and those are the people I ended up following.
I totally understand the resistance to change because the choir singing the praises of the 'roadmap' approach are not only going against what this whole website is built on, but some of us are doing it with an unnecessary amount of hostility.

BeyondTrouble

thecakelocker

jmcreynolds91

Yepp! Every time I see a thread like that I think "eat"!!!

Katieloula

I would second BondBomb. I think quite a few MFP members have become reluctant to post to the message boards, because if their opinion differs just slightly from the majority, people seriously jump on them! And the comments can come across as (or are sometimes purposefully) condescending and childishly mean.

Just because someone is new, or takes a different view, doesn't mean they're being stupid or making the 'wrong choices'. Believe it not, not everyone has enough time in the day to look up macros of food, to calculate they're BMR - or realise that MFP's calculation may be inadequate.

I'm just sayin' these boards seem pretty hostile recently, and I've seen more than a few people say the same.

lithezebra

1200 calories worked for me. It only amounts to a 250 calorie deficit, before exercise, so it's pretty much 1200 calories, or don't bother trying to lose weight.

MizTerry

I couldn't personally live on that. I'd eat my own arm in a week.

lithezebra

1200 calories worked for me. It only amounts to a 250 calorie deficit, before exercise, so it's pretty much 1200 calories, or don't bother trying to lose weight.

It worked well enough that I'm not trying to lose weight, just trying not to gain it. I don't LIKE 1200 calories a day. I'm much happier having 1400-1500.

ThisGirl2013

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.

I am not defending the 1200 way of life, in fact, I can't seem to always stick to it - however, I thought that it was what I was supposed to be doing since it is what MFP put me at.
If I work out, I try to eat protein before and after. I JUST started working out again so I am sure my calorie intake will go up once I change that info.
It just suc*ks because when I was eating more, I was STUCK for years at 150 and feeling like crap.
I think healthy eating, working out and higher, quality calories maybe are the trick.
My diary is open.. and I am open to advice.

Cait_Sidhe

Being that I'm 5 feet nothing tall and down 32 pounds, why yes, I DO think it's a good idea!! Keep up the good work though, scout.

I'm 4' 10 1/2" and have also lost 30 something lb. But I've done it eating more than 1200. There's no reason to torture yourself just because you're short.

michelleokelly5

I dont know why anybody chooses to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight.. I love food way too much!! Plus, losing weight should be a lifestyle change... I would not succeed only eating the bare minimum of calories because I would feel far too deprived. Ill stick to at least eating my BMR every day..... I am a happier, much nicer person when I am not hungry ;-)

KBSwinger

I think my PBJ alone is 1200 LOL

calibriintx

Tanyaka

Eh. I lost 20 kilos based on 1200 restriction and one work out a day. With a rest/relaxed calorie day each week.
If you're eating the right foods you can fit a lot in!!!! I

I admit I did put weight back on.. but that was years later and due to a completely different lifestyle change, not just "normal eating"

It is important to make sure you're fueling yourself properly.. but I don't think anyone should be looking down at anyone!!! Some days I struggle to HIT 1200!! Just purely coz of the food combinations over the day.. and I'm not hungry at all. I put in extra snacks to bulk up my calories and just can't face eating them. Other days I'm over easily and need to exercise to earn it.

CristinaL1983

At the risk of pissing off some of my friends here...
Why is it so hard to believe that people eat at 1200 calories and are resistant to change this?

Most people came to MFP because they needed a tool to get started. That tool set them at 1200 calories a day. I started off there as well. Over time I made excellent friends who were very tolerant with me during the learning process. There were times where I went back and forth until I finally found a balance between what MFP set for me and my TDEE.

However, telling someone they are wrong and what they are doing is wrong over and over again rarely works. Especially when it is oozing with sarcasm and even disdain at times. People come here and wonder 'hey why should I listen to you? The website that we are all members of and therefore supporting is telling me I should do the exact opposite of what you, a complete stranger is telling me'. I lucked out and found friends that were successful and those are the people I ended up following.
I totally understand the resistance to change because the choir singing the praises of the 'roadmap' approach are not only going against what this whole website is built on, but some of us are doing it with an unnecessary amount of hostility.

I have no desire to get into a debate with someone on a post where the entire purpose seems to point to some people who have been unsuccessful at following a certain plan and mock others who follow the same plan while completely ignoring the numerous posts by people who have not found success following the TDEE-10/20% method. I did, however, want to say that I appreciate you having posted this.

My reasons for following the 1200 outlined by MFP are completely different than the ones you discussed (and I have been doing it for longer than I've been on MFP) but I appreciate you having pointed out the things that you did.

pumpkinspice84

I am 5'0 and eat more than 1200 and losing just fine. I would be very crabby if I ate 1200 or less all the time everyday. I wouldn't last.

servilia

I did 1200 NET last year and it worked fine for me. I ate my exercise cals though, hence the emphasis on net cals.

zhvah18

That list of threads is scary long...

Being that I'm 5 feet nothing tall and down 32 pounds, why yes, I DO think it's a good idea!! Keep up the good work though, scout.

I'm 5'1" and have averaged 1500 - 1600 calories for the past year and a half and have lost 57 lbs. JS

ghhosstt

At the risk of pissing off some of my friends here...
Why is it so hard to believe that people eat at 1200 calories and are resistant to change this?

Most people came to MFP because they needed a tool to get started. That tool set them at 1200 calories a day. I started off there as well. Over time I made excellent friends who were very tolerant with me during the learning process. There were times where I went back and forth until I finally found a balance between what MFP set for me and my TDEE.

However, telling someone they are wrong and what they are doing is wrong over and over again rarely works. Especially when it is oozing with sarcasm and even disdain at times. People come here and wonder 'hey why should I listen to you? The website that we are all members of and therefore supporting is telling me I should do the exact opposite of what you, a complete stranger is telling me'. I lucked out and found friends that were successful and those are the people I ended up following.
I totally understand the resistance to change because the choir singing the praises of the 'roadmap' approach are not only going against what this whole website is built on, but some of us are doing it with an unnecessary amount of hostility.

I really like this post. There are people on here who ask for help who may be a little ignorant, and though the majority of replies are usually helpful, I see so many posts from people making smug/smarmy comments who would prefer to think they're clever. No one needs to be coddled, but cynicism's cheap.

riveraphx

love it thanks! i have lost 50+ plus lbs ten different times eating 1200 calories or less and gained it ALL back and more every time!

I learned the hard way to eat more and take things slower. I finally know what it feels like to be starting a lifestyle.

Pepper2185

Excellent post, Taso!

hmadrone

I think this discussion tends to generate more heat than light.

I'm 5'8". At MFP's suggestion, I was eating 1480+exercise calories and stuck at a plateau for 6 weeks. When I dropped my calories to 1260+exercise calories, I started losing weight again. I can easily believe that a petite woman might need a base of 1200 calories or less to see results. I have an MFP friend who had her RMR tested and discovered that it's about 950 calories a day. She wasn't losing weight going by the numbers, and so she had to cut her calories substantially to get results.

I lost 84 pounds (I'm up 14 from my low water mark) by eating a strict TDEE-20% diet, with no allowance for exercise calories. That ended up being 1400-1700 calories a day over a period of about 3 years. It worked just fine.

People tend to undercount dietary calories and overestimate burn calories. Some of the people who look like they're consuming 1200 calories might actually be consuming substantially more.

Weight loss is really not rocket science. It's just effort over time. There are lots of ways to do it, and you need to choose the ones that work best for you.

Do what works. If what others suggest doesn't work, try something different.

Confuzzled4ever

It's all well and good.. but it's hard to eat that much sometimes. Even with exercise. I'm not hungry.. i'm not suffering.. i'm not torturing myself. I'm simply trying to eat when hungry and not eat when not hungry.

I think that's a bigger problem.. me eating 1200 calories a day was a goal.. because I was eating less before I joined here. But I'll get all the rude answers too. For me.. it's still a struggle.. although getting easier.. My goal is higher now and I still miss 1200 half the time..

Lets not even get into net calories.. which half the time put me down to negative or close to it.. talk about getting jumped on. People's struggles are their own.. and unless you know their journey you should encourage them in their path and if their path really is a bad one, gently nudge them in the right direction.

honkytonks85

Not quite sure a bunch of anecdotes from MFP users counts as evidence that a 1200 calorie a day diet doesn't work?

annascrapper

Need to read this later. Thanks

idiocracy

...so...if BMR is 1400 calories and I burn 300 with exercise, then I should eat 1700 calories that day and still lose weight?

RainHoward

Not quite sure a bunch of anecdotes from MFP users counts as evidence that a 1200 calorie a day diet doesn't work?

how dare you say such blasphemy.

Cat_Lifts

And for those of us who do consume 1200+...

PikaKnight

Being that I'm 5 feet nothing tall and down 32 pounds, why yes, I DO think it's a good idea!! Keep up the good work though, scout.

I'm 4' 10 1/2" and have also lost 30 something lb. But I've done it eating more than 1200. There's no reason to torture yourself just because you're short.

^This. I'm 5'1" and I eat more than 1200 cals.

SteveJWatson

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.