any 1200 calorie success stories?

da1128

Yep, 1200 and occasionally less than 1200 calories works just fine for me. I get plenty to eat and I'm definitely not hungry or starving myself. Now, I wouldn't suggest eating two 600 calorie muffins and calling it a day, but you can eat fruit, veggies, cheese, eggs, grains, or really, anything you like in moderate portions. Granted, some people need more than 1200 calories and I think a lot of it depends on your genetic makeup, your physical activity, etc., but others do just fine and are very well satisfied with their 1200 caloric intake.

I don't skip meals and I eat my fair share of snacks. I just happen to 'like' a lot of the low cal foods. For example, I am perfectly content eating an entire can of green beans with half a pat of real butter and a dash of salt & pepper which comes to about 83 calories total. Add in a delicious Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patty on top of half of a homemade, lightly buttered biscuit, and for dessert, a container of Activia 60 calorie yogurt and a juicy Cuties clementine and that entire meal is roughly 354 calories.

A grilled cheese sandwich, using Aunt Millie's Light Wholegrain Bread @ 35 calories a slice and a slice of Kraft Cheese @ 45 calories, an entire pat of real butter, spread thinly on each slice of bread, and *GASP* half a can of Baby Coke, and you're looking at 171 calories of delicious. Accompany the sandwich with a bowl of veggie or tomato soup and you have a filling, satisfying meal.

My snacks include string cheese, apples, bananas, yogurt, nuts, hard boiled eggs, popsicles, fudgesicles, fresh fruit in season, yummy protein bars...lots of tasty things. In short, I can munch all day, depriving myself of nothing, and still stay within that 1200 calorie range.

So, to all the 1200 calorie naysayers, I say "Come on over and spend the day with me! I guarantee you will not go home hungry and you will be shocked by the amount of food there is in 1200 calories!"

Trilby16

The question I have is: if you CAN eat more than 1200 calories/day and still lose weight, why wouldn't you?

Would you lose the same amount of weight in the same amount of time by eating more cals? I think the obvious answer is no. So that could be one reason.

What's the rush? The loss of lean body mass associated with accelerated weight loss is enough of a reason to take it slow and steady, IMO. Eating at a more "normal" level also helps teach you good, healthy, manageable behaviours for maintenance and long-term success.

I don't think a pound a week is rushing it. It's enough to keep you motivated.

MarieG2023

I eat 1200 cal or less a day, but I'm only 5'0". This works for me. On days when I plan a long distance run, then I'll increase my calorie intake to 1300-1400.

AllAboutThatTreble

I started my weight loss journey netting between 1200-1350 calories a day and lost 21 pounds pretty quickly. But I became miserable, I no longer had any energy, and my weight loss stalled for weeks. I was still eating the correct amount of calories (and I have a food scale so I weighed everything), and it was "clean" calories, plus I was working out as usual (but with less intensity because I just didn't have the energy to), but the scale would not budge and I wasn't losing inches either.

I almost gave up, but I decided to look online first and that's when the idea of eating more was introduced. I was very skeptical: why in the world would you eat more to lose weight? It made absolutely no sense. I was terrified: but what if I gain the weight back? But I was at my wits end and willing to try anything short of surgery.

I lost 2 pounds the first week after upping my calories to 1900 a day. Most suggested to do it in small increases, but I'm impatient. That was last week. I only weigh myself once a month, so I won't really know if that was a fluke or not, but the tape measure doesn't lie, I'm also losing inches.

I have WAY more energy, I feel better, my mood is better: trust me, I was the crankiest person ever on 1200 calories. My concentration improved (which is really important for me since I study a lot).

Like seriously, I'm a 23 year old 5'7" fairly active female netting only 1200-1350 calories? My BMR (what I need to eat to maintain my body weight if I was in a coma and not moving at all) is 1730. No wonder I felt horrible.

I eat 1900 calories now, which is ~500 less than my TDEE (2400 at lightly active). And coupled with exercise, I should be losing approximately ~1.5 pounds a week. Which from my first week's result is just about right.

Sure, not everyone* will be able to lose following the TDEE-20%, so do what is best for your body, but I'm willing to bet 90% of people (without health problems) will, it's just human stubbornness that is keeping people from following common sense (math is always common sense).

Getting fit and losing weight doesn't have to be miserable, nor (for me) does it have to happen in a certain amount of time. I'll get there when I get there, but I don't want to spend the next couple of months in agony.

Plus I don't get why there seems to be a sense of "I have more discipline" for eating so little calories. That is eating disorder territory. Being able to eat less calories than you're supposed to doesn't make you better in my opinion. It just makes you quite foolish.

If it works for you, fine, but I'd like to maintain the weight loss for the rest of my life. There's a reason why so many people gain the weight back (and it's not always immediately, sometimes it happens 2+ years later), and I think eating so little calories and expecting your body to be content with it forever is the reason. Our bodies are smarter than we are, and losing weight is not something it likes to do. I don't want to get into the physiology of it, but our bodies have powerful regulators against losing weight. And once you stop eating 1200 calories and eat more for whatever reason (life has a way of doing that), guess what your body will do? That's right, pack on the pounds. Then the cycle starts all over again. I'm totally not for yo-yo dieting.

So did I have success with 1200 calories? Yes I did, I lost 21 pounds. I'm not saying it doesn't work. But I want sustainable weight loss.

Eating 1200 calories for the next (hopefully) 50+ years** of my life? I'll pass.


But even after that long winded speech, it comes down to this: do what you want to do, because at the end of the day, it doesn't affect me personally. But I like to see people succeed and remain successful.




*People with special considerations and health problems. I'm not bashing a VLCD as long as it was recommended by a dietician/physician. There are situations where this is necessary, and I recognize that. I don't think it is for most people.

**Obviously when I become older I'll have to eat less calories. But even as a 65 year old woman with a sedentary lifestyle I'd have to eat 1550 calories to maintain my goal weight. And I don't plan on being sedentary.

cicisiam

I've been at around 1200 calories for the last 9 months. I have lost 70lbs. I'm not trying to "race" or do it fast or anything. I work out almost everyday (running) and try to pay attention to how my body feels. 1200 calories can be a LOT of food if you are eating really clean, and healthy. I really think it should be more about the quality of your food, than the quantity of your food.

Ditto

Dreyabianca

Hmm, 1200 calories works very well for me, but that's probably due to my height (150cm). Usually if I'm to eat over 1200 calories (Pizza Saturday is an unstoppable force :P) I feel bloated.

nokanjaijo

I am 39, 5'9", and I'm fairly muscular already.

I am eating under 1200 calories a day. I love it. I love everything about it. I feel great. I have so much energy and my disposition has improved. I think that also has to do with cutting out sugar and grains. But there is nothing about this that I'm disliking.

I had even decided to quit exercising until I lost the weight. I decided to do it with diet alone then take up exercise again when I was done. But I only lasted a month before I was doing push ups and squats and lunges in my home. I just found I needed to burn off the extra energy.

I'm 7 weeks in, down 13 lbs, over halfway to my goal.

bigcrystal123

My doctor has me on a 1200 calorie diet.i sometimes go to 1400 when in really hungry but i normaly try to stick to my 1200.i lost 11 pounds from feb.14to mar.7.thats what my doctor said i work out every day.so it can be doable.just have to work on it

mamaomefo

Some of us are 4'11", and we have to eat 1200 or less...

arizonaladybug

thank you for this post. I lost 9lbs last year staying with the 1200 calorie diet. I uped it and started eating my excercise calories back and I gained all the wieght back! Im going to try it again and see what happens. I think it can be alot of food if you eat healthy

mixedfeelings

I used to eat like this, I lost weight but it would stall and I would eventually have to cut to lose more/maintain, finally was down to 600 calories a day when I did eat. But I maintained this for a couple of years, lost about 70lbs, started eating around 1000 calories after being bedbound for 6 months due to lack of energy, 5 years down the line I'd gained about 84lbs, eventually more after they found a tumour in my kidney (I just wasn't active anymore).

In a way I was successful at first, I lost the weight fairly quickly but had to keep cutting. Of course when I started to eat fairly normally it all piled back on. If I could have kept at the really low calories and slept all day I might have maintained the weight. It took me years after to start to lose weight again but it has taken eating more. I am tall though and usually very active. I think most people are against eating 1200 or less because everyone has different nutritional needs, plus the body does need calories to be healthy. I think you also have to be careful who you asked, your doctor might not have any idea about nutrition , my GP didn't, so it's best to seek advice from an expert.

My tumour was caused by hormonal problems and I always wonder if I caused this myself by not eating enough.

This is worth a read:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013?hl=road+map

ChristiSykes

I stay around 1200 calories a day +/-......

BaconMD

The question I have is: if you CAN eat more than 1200 calories/day and still lose weight, why wouldn't you?

Would you lose the same amount of weight in the same amount of time by eating more cals? I think the obvious answer is no. So that could be one reason.

What's the rush? The loss of lean body mass associated with accelerated weight loss is enough of a reason to take it slow and steady, IMO. Eating at a more "normal" level also helps teach you good, healthy, manageable behaviours for maintenance and long-term success.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/early/2012/04/24/jc.2012-1444.abstract?papetoc

cmeiron

The question I have is: if you CAN eat more than 1200 calories/day and still lose weight, why wouldn't you?

Would you lose the same amount of weight in the same amount of time by eating more cals? I think the obvious answer is no. So that could be one reason.

What's the rush? The loss of lean body mass associated with accelerated weight loss is enough of a reason to take it slow and steady, IMO. Eating at a more "normal" level also helps teach you good, healthy, manageable behaviours for maintenance and long-term success.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/early/2012/04/24/jc.2012-1444.abstract?papetoc

I'm not sure if you're supporting my assertion or refuting it, lol! This study says that the "relative" loss of LBM is low with accelerated weight loss, but...relative to what? Loss does occur (about 18% if I recall correctly) and there are no control groups or alternate treatment groups (i.e., ones with no or less exercise, or which lose weight at a slower rate, or perhaps more relevant to many people here, a group of participants who were not morbidly obese). How might their LBM preservation have compared to the group in this study, and how might that have that affected their metabolism? I would like to a see a follow up done on these subjects too, to see if they maintained their losses and/or if their RMRs recovered over time. Either way, this study seems to indicate that drastic rapid weight loss does negatively affect (i.e., lower) one's metabolism.

grandmakaye44

Great success on 1200 or less. I've been doing it since the end of Sept. I am not hungry. I eat a balanced diet of real food with my family, just smaller portions of high cal things. I rarely eat fast food, and never have alcohol. I am 68 years old, and had a knee replacement in Oct so my only exercise is walking, but I walk at least 30 min. nearly every day.

dangerousdumpling

When I was 215 lbs I started eating 1200 calories and working out and I lost weight quickly. 35-40 lbs in about 3-4 months. I got burned out on working out so hard and eating so little and decided to maintain for a while. And I did but over a few years 10 lbs crept back on. I decided to do my 1200 calorie thing again but this time it didn't work. The numbers didn't add up. For the calorie deficit I was creating I was not losing pounds. I decided that if I was going to lose weight slowly I was going to eat more. I certainly wasn't going to start eating less than that. Last weekend I started increasing my calories. I feel much better already. For me this is a much more reasonable and balanced approach. This way after I monitor my weight for a few weeks to find out what I'm losing there is room for change if need be. I can lower or raise my calories. At 1200 calories I felt the only way was up, as in more calories.

BaconMD

I'm not sure if you're supporting my assertion or refuting it, lol!

Supporting. The conclusion is a pretty clear reason as to why it's not a good idea to bust it in the gym 7 days a week while eating a paltry amount of food. As you said, it's not a race, so why the rush? I'd rather reach my goal weight in 5 years than 5 months by eating a proper amount of food that won't screw up my metabolism.

Gabilinski

I have been doing this since the middle of January and have lost 5.5 kilos or 10 lbs. Sometimes I go over the 1200 cals but just watch what I eat the next day. I still indulge in chocolates and ice cream occasionally. This is the best thing I have ever come accross and I am very close to my goal weight now. I have already started altering my clothes and buying smaller sizes. It's great

crazytreelady

Lost 10 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet about two years ago and kept it off without having to stay on 1200 calories, I actually quit using mfp for while and I am guessing I was eating about 1600 or 1700 calories most days.

Worked well and really isn't that hard to do, well for me anyways.

Decided to come back and lose some more

ashleab37

I lost 20kg (45lb) in 4 months eating 1200-1300 a day. Gained it all back in less than 1yr.
Have now lost 8kg (17lb) in under 2 months eating 2000 a day, same start weight.

Why would I limit myself to 1200 if I can get the same results with 2000? I clearly love food or never would have been in this predicament to begin with.