Results with 1200 Calories

rosemaryhon

If you stick to 1200 calories a day...where do you go from there? You have to eat to lose!!!

I, and others, have said we ARE losing at 1200 calories a day. And I DO eat, I eat my fill every day.

mableward33

I have been eating a 1200 calorie diet for the most part for over a year. (Fell off the diet plan a few times). As well as I go to the gym 4-5x a week, I have not lost muscle mass, I am toning up well, and have lost 45 pounds. I am 5'2. I have worked with a trainer which has helped me figure out how many calories is needed to lose weight. I have had no issues with this calorie intake, and at times will consume a bit more if I am hungry. I certainly don't starve myself, I just eat healthier foods and by doing that I can consume a bit more than what processed foods offer.

anniecakez

I'm currently on 1200 calories a day, I think it's working for me, only been on it 2 weeks but I'm amazed to say that I'm not hungry. Like other people have said as long as you're eating lots of fruit, veg, protein and good fats you shouldn't go hungry. Also because I work out 5x a week I do eat back my calories (not all of them at times) so that can help fit in my little treats.

At the weekend I go over 1200 calories (not a huge amount as I'm more conscious of what I'm putting in my body) but I don't feel overly guilty about it, I just make sure I'm back to clean eating and gym on Monday

Works for me but may not work for others - everyone is different

rosemaryhon

I did this, and like everyone else told me to, it was a bad idea. Gained it all back. Now I eat to fuel my body and never have to starve again. Maybe become educated? talk to a nutritionist?

I'm pretty sure you would've gained it back even if you weren't at 1200 before. There's nothing magic about 1200 that makes you gain it back, eating over maintenance does that.

What makes you think we're not educated about nutrition?

yep. All these people who yo-yo dieted are lecturing us. I have never yo-yo dieted. I suddenly gained weight after I turned 35. Now I'm thin again and planning to stay that way. So, all these people who failed think that they have the answers for me, but they do not.

Same here ~ I am not a yo-yo dieter. I'm mid-50's and this is the 2nd time in my life I've 'dieted'.

ShannonS2714

Pretty much everything that SerenaFisher has said.

Good luck, no matter what!

fakeuntilumakeit

Its tempting to drop to 1200 for a quick fix and yes it has worked for me 5ft 7 was 11st currently 9.13st, I exercised and ate calories back, but I can tell you that I have been

MOODY
HUNGRY
OBSESSIVE in calorie counting

and guess what MY PERIODS DID STOP.

Will you loose weight?....Maybe.... will you feel great? I didn't.

Ultimately on this site your gonna get those in favour and those against. I tried it based on what I thought was the recommended way to do it, based on me wanting to loose 2llb a week, a quick fix. Great loss but not for me, too unsustainable. Having done my TDEE on fattofit site I am now upping my calories based a healthier more sustainable and realistic goal for me without all the obsessional calorie counting. It may be slower I haven't tried it yet, but I sure as hell don't want to be a hungry grouch any more.

One thing I've noticed is how obsessional and judgemental of others some people can get on this site, even without the full story, so no judgement here just be careful and good luck

thenfacetoface

Hi All, I lost 5 lbs using 1,200 method. It really works when you are an average weight & not very toned and having a good limit helped me to learn to control portion sizes and what calories are entailed in each serving of food. I now diet differently, but 1,200 cals is a good place to start in my opinion. I also would include jogging or the elliptical at least 3 times a week for 20 to 30 min straight. The 1,200cal/day method was my first time dieting and it was very rewarding to see the great results!

toutmonpossible

I did this, and like everyone else told me to, it was a bad idea. Gained it all back. Now I eat to fuel my body and never have to starve again. Maybe become educated? talk to a nutritionist?

I'm pretty sure you would've gained it back even if you weren't at 1200 before. There's nothing magic about 1200 that makes you gain it back, eating over maintenance does that.

What makes you think we're not educated about nutrition?

yep. All these people who yo-yo dieted are lecturing us. I have never yo-yo dieted. I suddenly gained weight after I turned 35. Now I'm thin again and planning to stay that way. So, all these people who failed think that they have the answers for me, but they do not.

Same here ~ I am not a yo-yo dieter. I'm mid-50's and this is the 2nd time in my life I've 'dieted'.

I'm not a yo-yo dieter either. I've never been overweight, but over the years the pounds have crept up. Whenever they veered towards the high range for me, usually after the holidays in the winter), I did have to make an effort to get down again. And I usually have to fairly dramatically create a deficit because I have very little margin for error. If I stick to it, it's not for very long.

fbmandy55

I lost about 50lbs fairly quickly when I start here at 1200 calories.

It took less time to gain back almost all of that.

I am eating between 1900-2200 a day now and losing FAT.

fbmandy55

Hi All, I lost 5 lbs using 1,200 method. It really works when you are an average weight and having a good limit helped me to learn to control portion sizes and what calories are entailed in each serving of food. I now diet differently, but 1,200 cals is a good place to start in my opinion. I also would include jogging or the elliptical at least 3 times a week for 20 to 30 min straight.

1200 is a good place to start, you diet differently and recommend cardio?

I think we can see where this is going...

servilia

I lost about 50lbs fairly quickly when I start here at 1200 calories.

It took less time to gain back almost all of that.

I am eating between 1900-2200 a day now and losing FAT.

Umm it's always easier to gain than lose, that's no mystery. Great that you're losing fat but why put it in caps? Are you implying those at 1200 are not losing FAT lol

runny111

Has anyone asked the OP how tall she is/how much she weighs?

kezza8888

I'm currently on 1200 calories a day, I think it's working for me, only been on it 2 weeks but I'm amazed to say that I'm not hungry. Like other people have said as long as you're eating lots of fruit, veg, protein and good fats you shouldn't go hungry. Also because I work out 5x a week I do eat back my calories (not all of them at times) so that can help fit in my little treats.

At the weekend I go over 1200 calories (not a huge amount as I'm more conscious of what I'm putting in my body) but I don't feel overly guilty about it, I just make sure I'm back to clean eating and gym on Monday

Works for me but may not work for others - everyone is different

^^^^ DITTO - every word except I have been doing this for almost a month! I ensure I eat balanced meals with protein and fats in, and I take regular snacks at 11am and 4pm (veg, fruit, nuts etc). Weekends are more relaxed and aviods my body getting used to a certain intake..

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! TRIAL & ERROR :-)

kezza8888

I'm currently on 1200 calories a day, I think it's working for me, only been on it 2 weeks but I'm amazed to say that I'm not hungry. Like other people have said as long as you're eating lots of fruit, veg, protein and good fats you shouldn't go hungry. Also because I work out 5x a week I do eat back my calories (not all of them at times) so that can help fit in my little treats.

At the weekend I go over 1200 calories (not a huge amount as I'm more conscious of what I'm putting in my body) but I don't feel overly guilty about it, I just make sure I'm back to clean eating and gym on Monday

Works for me but may not work for others - everyone is different

fbmandy55

I lost about 50lbs fairly quickly when I start here at 1200 calories.

It took less time to gain back almost all of that.

I am eating between 1900-2200 a day now and losing FAT.

Umm it's always easier to gain than lose, that's no mystery. Great that you're losing fat but why put it in caps? Are you implying those at 1200 are not losing FAT lol

I gained it back quickly because I was not eating enough. People who diet properly, ie eating at a healthy deficit, have better success maintaining. I was eating far too little for a long period of time and majorly slowed down my metabolism. People who eat like birds, as women are programmed to think, will spend their lives gaining and losing. As they say, yo-yo dieting.

And no, I lost lots of water weight and probably some muscle mass as I was under eating and doing not strength training, I was left with flab.. Doing it the other way around, lifting weights and properly fueling my body has made my body look completely different.

ArroganceInStep

I lost about 50lbs fairly quickly when I start here at 1200 calories.

It took less time to gain back almost all of that.

I am eating between 1900-2200 a day now and losing FAT.

Umm it's always easier to gain than lose, that's no mystery. Great that you're losing fat but why put it in caps? Are you implying those at 1200 are not losing FAT lol

Weight loss is both muscle and fat. Greater deficits generally lead to larger muscle loss when dieting.

likitisplit

I lost about 50lbs fairly quickly when I start here at 1200 calories.

It took less time to gain back almost all of that.

I am eating between 1900-2200 a day now and losing FAT.

Umm it's always easier to gain than lose, that's no mystery. Great that you're losing fat but why put it in caps? Are you implying those at 1200 are not losing FAT lol

A lot of the time they are losing fat + muscle + bone density. People who eat with less of a deficit will lose fat and can actually gain muscle at the same time.

sarahjalink

I was on 1200 for a while and found it to be fine but when i stalled i switched to 5:2 which works better for me. I defiantly don't agree about the whole "1200 cals is practically anorexic". And frankly eating 1200 calories a day was much healthier for me then eating 3500 calories a day, but there will always be a debate about it. In terms of dieting the 1200 calories vs more is all about how fast you want to lose the weight, for the average person on here 1200 is set for 2lbs a week, on my 5:2 diet the average loss is 1lb a week, it all depends on what pace you are comfortable with. Its all about personal preference and your journey and many doctors are fine with 1200cals a day because it is safer then staying at your current weight. I know this is a sensitive topic and i dont want to get flamed on the forums but most diets work if you work them, and in terms of the comment about gaining everything back after, yes if you go back to pigging out as soon as you lose weight you will rapidly gain it back...or you could just spend 5min online to find out your tdee and eat at that. Just a suggestion.

This! I too find 1200 cals a day is enough for my daily lifestyle (office work) and my height (5,2). I eat back exercise calories and am losing 2lbs per week. It is not starvation!

Helloitsdan

Layne Norton on Metabolic damage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY1DsZMNfNw

SHR with Carl and Layne Norton Talking about metabolic damage.
Skip ahead to the 1hour mark.
http://www.superhumanradio.com/components/com_podcast/media/mp3s/SHR_Show_1193.mp3

Also if you look up In Place of a Road Map you can set your MFP to maximum cals to maintain, then slowly cut till you lose fat the natural way.

SweetVictorE

MFP also suggested 1200 calories for me. I did not know it was wrong or low. I have lost weight and try to eat my workout calories but exercise is often the last thing I do so sometime I go under.
I think you need to see if you have energy and are gaining muscle as well as losing weight. My legs are getting really toned and I am losing weight.