Results with 1200 Calories

Johlawrence

WOW!!! I am the one who posted this thread. Honestly, WOW, is all I can say. Thank you all who gave me positive feedback and shared personal stories with me. I am still just as confused as I was to begin with. LOL! I guess I just haven't figured out my body yet!!! I know at 1200 cals I am meeting my nutritional guidelines. Also, I am really focusing on making healthy food choices. I assume that is why I am able to stick to 1200 cals so easily. I have an appointment next week at a Physician Assisted Weight Loss Center and I am really looking forward to asking them my questions, as they are licensed experts.

Again, thank you all for the time you took to respond. I enjoyed reading MOST of the replies!

jzammetti

UUURRRGG here we go...'you're starving at 1200'. What a load of cr**. I have tons of energy, I'm losing weight, my periods haven't stopped, I've not suddenly gained weight and you know what, I enjoy not eating f*** loads of food.

I'll see you at the finish line (I'll be there before you)!

I actually didn't say you were going to lose your period, and you obviously have a bad relationship with food if you thinking eating what your body NEEDS to simply maintain it's functioning level is "loads of food." Also it is starving yourself, the average body needs at least 1700 calories to function every day, anything less than that is starving it.

Do you expect your car to run without gas? Do you use your cell phone without charging it? Stop thinking of your body as a number on a scale, and start thinking of it as a machine that needs energy to function. The bottom line is losing weight at 1200 calories is not healthy because a) you aren't feeding it properly b) it's not ideal to live on 1200 calories for the rest of your life. The damage it does to your metabolism, and yes the potential harm it can do if your body goes into starvation mode and starts to consume it's own muscle. (Also your period doesn't need to stop for your body to be doing this, I was anorexic and my period never stopped not even when I was 115lbs so that's a mute point.) Also talking about muscle and starvation, guess what's a muscle in your body? YOUR HEART

Oh my goodness, this! I love this person so much.

Me too!

Heather_Rider

I am going to show you some pictures.. I am not skin.. i am not weak. I am starting to lift. I take care of my mother, who has two broken hips.. i am far from someone who has no energy or is tired all the time. I started on 1000 calories (per my doctor who monitored me) and slowly graduated to 1300 now over the last 11 months. I have lost nearly 58 pounds and have kept it off. I am still losing, slowly, which is what i prefer. I am not losing at the speed of light. I am doing this a healthy way, no matter what anyone elses opinion is... this is per my DOCTOR and NUTRITIONIST working together according to MY HEALTH, and since no one here knows MY health, they cannot offer any opinions on MY DIET.

Now, with that being said.. you CAN get results on 1200, without starving yourself, and do it without losing muscle and without being tired and all the other things that are not coming along with it. As you can see, my belly still needs some work, but this is FAR from saggy skin...



Im far from done, i have a long way to go, so please dont judge or pick out things on my body that need work.. Im very aware, but im just showing you that you CAN get results.. and good ones on 1200 calories over a long period of time, if done with proper care.

Here is another picture. Since both of these pictures were taken, I have lost an additional 15 pounds.



While I dont advise MOST people use less than 1000 calories, 1200 isnt a magic number. The most important thing you can do is ask your doctor for advice. Good luck!


PS.. my diary is currently not being updated due to lack of time. As mentioned, my mom broke both hips & i am caring for her. I log in a notebook at home.

rosemaryhon

I am looking for success stories from ladies who have stuck at 1200. Please share!!!

I eat about 1200/calories a day and you can look at my (open) diary to see I'm clearly not starving . I'm truly not hungry nor do I feel deprived.

But it might be important to note I'm post-menopause (so not a spring chicken LOL) and my activity level is fairly low (eg, my exercise for today was a 15 minute dog walk). I'm losing about 1 lb a week consistently.

I consider 1200 may have been too low for me as a younger woman or one who is working out much more.

Good luck!

stephcbms

Well put

jackieg218

I have lost over 50 pounds on eating 1200 or less per day. I eat what I want ( being a tad cautious with the really fatty stuff) and when I am full I stop eating. If I want a snack, I have one. I walk around 5-8 miles a week ( mostly just the weekend) and I don't eat my cals back.
Sure I hear you need to eat more, you will go into starvation mode and blah blah blah, but the way I eat now is something I can, and will stick to for the rest of my life.... I have been doing this since jan and I feel GREAT!

Several doctors know what amounts I am eating and have viewed my diary, the ONLY thing I was told about it was to watch my calcium and vitD because I had surgical menopause and since I am so young, and on no hormones, they don't want to see osteoporosis set in.

I am almost at goal weight, so I will have to increase cals a bit for maintenance, but other than that... So far a success!

ndj1979

UUURRRGG here we go...'you're starving at 1200'. What a load of cr**. I have tons of energy, I'm losing weight, my periods haven't stopped, I've not suddenly gained weight and you know what, I enjoy not eating f*** loads of food.

I'll see you at the finish line (I'll be there before you)!

I actually didn't say you were going to lose your period, and you obviously have a bad relationship with food if you thinking eating what your body NEEDS to simply maintain it's functioning level is "loads of food." Also it is starving yourself, the average body needs at least 1700 calories to function every day, anything less than that is starving it.

Do you expect your car to run without gas? Do you use your cell phone without charging it? Stop thinking of your body as a number on a scale, and start thinking of it as a machine that needs energy to function. The bottom line is losing weight at 1200 calories is not healthy because a) you aren't feeding it properly b) it's not ideal to live on 1200 calories for the rest of your life. The damage it does to your metabolism, and yes the potential harm it can do if your body goes into starvation mode and starts to consume it's own muscle. (Also your period doesn't need to stop for your body to be doing this, I was anorexic and my period never stopped not even when I was 115lbs so that's a mute point.) Also talking about muscle and starvation, guess what's a muscle in your body? YOUR HEART

you had me until you said starvation mode...sorry but you can't be eating 1200 cals a day and be in starvation mode. Your body will not start to consume muscle for energy unless you eat nothing for three days and even then, the effects of starvation mode are minimal...

misssophieleigh

I've been on a net of 1300 calories for about a month now, and I've lost 9 pounds. (I was eating super unhealthy before, so that certainly explains such a weight change). I just stepped on my scale for the first time in weeks, and I was super excited.

kenorus

I have worked with a personal trainer for quite awhile now. Also a dietician. They both hate the calorie counting. Realing people you could be putting 1200 or more of crap calories in your mouth. Eat clean, veggies meat fruit. Also putting right foods and snacks together is even more important. Exercise properly also.

Heather_Rider

All I can say is that whilst I FULLY AGREE that 1,200 should be far too low, there are many, many days when I struggle to go over that.
Especially after exercising.
I'm simply not hungry enough to eat back my exercise calories and don't feel I should force myself to eat when my body is telling me it's fully 'fuelled'. To me that seems a little counter-productive, so I usually just have something small but calorific, although this also seems a little dumb on a 'diet'

Meaning no snark or disrespect, but...How did you come to be overweight if you struggle to get over 1200 calories a day?

This wasnt me.... but i took medicine that caused me to become overweight. I didnt struggle with weight loss my entire life. I have only been overweight for about 10 years, after suffering with 2 massive strokes and becoming bed-ridden for 2 years after them & being on medications that caused weight gain. It wasnt from an obsession from food... but, this was my issue. Not sure of the posters problem. I just know that i also struggled with eating over 1200, and my doctor worked with me and Im now eating right at 1300, but it took me almost a year to get there... and NO, i do not have an eating disorder.. i just gained when i ate at 1200 because i have never eaten that much food... ever.

jzammetti

UUURRRGG here we go...'you're starving at 1200'. What a load of cr**. I have tons of energy, I'm losing weight, my periods haven't stopped, I've not suddenly gained weight and you know what, I enjoy not eating f*** loads of food.

I'll see you at the finish line (I'll be there before you)!

I actually didn't say you were going to lose your period, and you obviously have a bad relationship with food if you thinking eating what your body NEEDS to simply maintain it's functioning level is "loads of food." Also it is starving yourself, the average body needs at least 1700 calories to function every day, anything less than that is starving it.

Do you expect your car to run without gas? Do you use your cell phone without charging it? Stop thinking of your body as a number on a scale, and start thinking of it as a machine that needs energy to function. The bottom line is losing weight at 1200 calories is not healthy because a) you aren't feeding it properly b) it's not ideal to live on 1200 calories for the rest of your life. The damage it does to your metabolism, and yes the potential harm it can do if your body goes into starvation mode and starts to consume it's own muscle. (Also your period doesn't need to stop for your body to be doing this, I was anorexic and my period never stopped not even when I was 115lbs so that's a mute point.) Also talking about muscle and starvation, guess what's a muscle in your body? YOUR HEART

you had me until you said starvation mode...sorry but you can't be eating 1200 cals a day and be in starvation mode. Your body will not start to consume muscle for energy unless you eat nothing for three days and even then, the effects of starvation mode are minimal...

I see that term thrown around so much - but I think people just use it because it is familiar. It is not starvation mode, like Ndj said, but you can and probably are causing hormonal and metabolic damage when you under eat over a prolonged period of time.

littlelouis

I started eating a dangerously low amount (around 700-900) calories for a few months and went from 127 pounds to around 115. I lost my period for 3 months as well. But now I've upped my intake to 1,100-1,200 calories on basically every day except cheat days and I'm maintaining a weight of around 112-114 pounds. So personally, with exercise, I'm maintaining my weight by eating around that amount daily. Anyways, if it doesn't affect you negatively, I wouldn't recommend eating so little, based on personal experience.

bdkglk

Thanks so much for saying this. I agree. I am eating on most days very healthy choice up until the last few days. Lots of veggies and lean protein. I felt great. When I decided to celebrate over the weekend and went back to eating high calorie foods again, I was tired all the time. I feel great with the new way I am eating and the calories are low. It is hard to eat 1200 calories for me when I choose such healthy food. I stay full most of the time. Watch your choices....go for the good foods and you can have more.

Marrisa188

BUMP

bjdavid53

I usually eat around 1200 calories a day, sometimes more if I burn extra calories. I have a Bodymedia Fit and I know that if I don't do any extra exercise I only burn about 1400 calories in a day. If I ate 1700 calories, I would be gaining weight. Everybody is different and you shouldn't make generalizations about the 1200 calorie limit.

rosemaryhon

The mind boggles.
Why would anyone CHOOSE to eat 1200 or less, when you can eat almost twice that and have better results (less saggy skin, not being skinny-fat at the finish line etc).
Surely 'more food' sounds good to anyone?!?!

No, 'more food' doesn't really sound good *to me*. . I'm actually willing to go over 1200/day, but I honestly am not hungry and choose not to force feed myself. I'm truly satisfied when I complete my daily diary, if I'm not, I eat more.

I read another poster say the same as I have, she too is an older woman. I consider perhaps 1200 is satisfying & sufficient due to our age & lower activity level. So it's not that I CHOOSE to eat 1200 or less, just that this amount suits me.

My point being not everyone WANTS to eat almost twice that ~ I'd feel uncomfortably over-full if I did.

steffaniebrady

5'2"
Started: 200lbs
Now: 145lbs

I started with 1200 calories a day when I wasn't exercising, and it went well. But then I hit a snag at 160 and could not get below it at all for a month! So I bumped my calories at between 1300-1500 a day, and started doing walks/jogs to burn between 200-400 off after lunch and dinner. I haven't done much with weights/strength training yet but I know I should soon or I'm not going to look tight like I'm going for.

So you can start by cutting the calories low and it works.
I had better success when I was eating more, and exercising enough to bring it back down to 1200.




"Remember, bad eating is temporary, and so is the satisfaction. But the way you feel that next morning, that lasts."

ApocalypticFae

This is a horrible thread as far as success stories are concerned. :brokenheart:

I'm 5'1" with a small build and 1200-1350 is definitely enough for me as long as I'm eating back my exercise calories. I have my activity level set to "active" and MFP still only gives me 1200. But like I said, this is because I am built extremely small. 10 pounds look like 20 on me. I once went from 110 to 100 lbs. and everywhere I went, people would say "hey, you look great!" or "wow you've lost so much weight, good for you". The negative side of that is that at 110, many people think that I weigh MUCH more. My build is just very, very tiny. :embarassed:

So I wouldn't suggest 1200 for anyone above, say, 5'3". But the most important thing with this amount of calories is that you MUST, must, must eat very nutritiously - plenty of vegetables, quality protein sources, complex carbs, fresh fruit, healthy fats, etc. If someone spends their 1200 calories on junk, they will eventually get sick, burn out, lose lean muscle, or any of the other things that happen when your body isn't being fueled properly. And I would also suggest eating back exercise calories and not going beneath 1100 no matter what. Good luck to everyone!

rrsuthy

1200 is the target set by MFP for me. I sit in front of a computer all day. I exercise, but rarely more than 30 - 40 minutes a day and not every day includes cardio. I do not eat back my exercise calories, for the most part. I have as much energy now as I did before starting.

A few years ago I did WW and last 18lbs. I was at the lowest points and I did not eat back my exercise points. When I ate exercise points, I didn't lose and sometimes gained. So, I know 1200 Cal is about the same as the WW points. It worked for me before and I'm expecting it to work again.

etoiles_argentees

Almost 5'2, 100 pounds and maintained while totally sedentary for 6+ months. Moved to 2500, still no exercise for 6 months and gained 1 pound per month. Injured now so flat on my back in bed, trying to stay under 2000. I have never dieted for weight loss, so my hormones are fine, might make a difference?