What weight loss per week do those of you on 1200 get?

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According to MFP at a starting weight of 161 and a daily limit of 1200 I should have been losing 1.2lbs per week. However most days I normally make about 1000 (not intentionally, just the way it works out). Yet on this I have been losing approx. 1lb per week. I am 5ft 4in and just wanted to know what ladies of a similiar height and starting weight were seeing on this amount. Am I likely to lose more, if I make sure I am getting 1200 a day?

I also work out doing cardio and strength 4 times a week for 35minutes a time.

Replies

  • jleadie
    jleadie Posts: 7 Member
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    I have been doing the same, 1200 a day goal, but usually ends up less. I have been working for the last four months exercising and eating healthy and I am right where you are 11 pounds lost:) So, I guess taht would be about a healthy pound a week, but I sure wish it was more. I also started at 161 and am 5'4". Add me as a friend and we can check in with each other.
  • LadyL2012
    LadyL2012 Posts: 127 Member
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    I just feel a bit downhearted you know?

    My OH has only made his dinner portions smaller, but other than that hasn't changed a thing and he's dropped a stone in 7 weeks without even trying!
  • jubeemine
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    I'm 5'3 and eating 1200 plus up to half my exercise cals and I'm down 12lbs in 4 wks. My starting was 210.
  • annwyatt69
    annwyatt69 Posts: 727 Member
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    I take in about 1000-1100 per day and do daily cardio and strengthening exercises. In four weeks, I have not even lost 5 pounds. It is very discouraging. I mean, I could all I want and stay this weight. The only difference is that, being a type I diabetic, my blood glucose levels are better and I feel better. I had hoped for more weight loss, though.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    When I was eating 1200 it worked for a while then my weight loss slowed right down to 0.1 per week, now I'm eating 1700 calories a week, MFP says that I should be losing under 1lb a week, but I'm losing upwards of 2lb per week, don't be afraid to eat more :smile:
  • MJEekhoff
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    The healthy way to lose weight is to lose only 1 - 2 pounds per week. Yes, it takes longer, but it gives your body time to also adjust to the changes it's going through. Don't feel downhearted at all. Its progress and its being done the correct way. It's normal to hit a plateau. When you do notice the weight loss slowing down, it's time to change things up. Up your caloric intake, but also increase your exercise. When you hit a plateau, it just means that your body has finally gotten use to what you have been doing and has adjusted itself accordingly.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
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    You say you're expecting 1.2 pounds a week and are seeing approximately 1 pound a week. That sounds like it matches right up, so I'm not sure where the disconnect is.

    Really though, setting a weekly expectation for a number of pounds lost is a surefire way to get disappointed and discouraged. Your body doesn't know you want it to lose at a certain rate and it's not going to do it. Eat a healthy diet, exercise, and you'll eventually see results.
  • misskatibear
    misskatibear Posts: 158 Member
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    Uh, barely anything. Some days I eat 800-1,200 calories. Again like you, I'm not doing this purposely, it's how it works out OR most times I'm not even that hungry. And I've either not been losing or been losing slow. It is true that if you are exercising you do need to eat back more. I'm kind of experimenting now, where I'm trying to eat high calorific foods but so I don't feel like I've eaten like a horse (hate the feeling), so will see where that takes me - But I'm guessing I will lose.

    So I guess, if you're exercising like 1 hour a day (like I do most days) then you really do need to eat more. I feel like such a hypocrite because I've not even been doing that myself, but I KNOW that's the reason why I'm not losing.
  • MJEekhoff
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    You do not want to do cardio and strength daily. You need to alternate. Do cardio 3x's a week and strength 2x's a week. So for example, do cardio on M, W, F, and strength on T, Th. Or whichever days work out best for you.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
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    When I was eating 1200 it worked for a while then my weight loss slowed right down to 0.1 per week, now I'm eating 1700 calories a week, MFP says that I should be losing under 1lb a week, but I'm losing upwards of 2lb per week, don't be afraid to eat more :smile:

    ^This. If you're really wanting to up your weight loss, check out all the threads about eating more. It worked for me too. I started out eating 1200/day and very slowly lost 10 lbs. Only when I reset to maintenance mode and started eating more did I quickly lose the last 10 lbs. It may sound scary, but it's worth a try to see the scale move.
  • RetroSnowflake
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    I started my MFP on 16th June, but I'd started to get fit and healthy on 24th May, and since then I've lost 15lbs. Some weeks I would lose 3lbs then for three weeks I would maintain and since the middle of July I've dropped a pound and half then three and a half pounds and then a pound and a half.
  • kornmaiden
    kornmaiden Posts: 109
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    The best thing you can do is get your resting metabolism rate done so you know for sure where you are at. These sites that give you your metabolic rate I have found to give me too high a calorie alllowance. I had been losing less than a pound a week on 1200 cals a day but this week I lost 1.2. I have my calorie allowance set to my resting metabolic rate (what I would burn if sitting on my couch all day) and then I add back some of the calories I burn from exercise. I have lost 75 lbs as of today, started in April of 2011.
  • Msl001
    Msl001 Posts: 24 Member
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    I stick to 1200 calories a day and have been losing about two pounds a week add me if you want we are at similar weights and my food journal is open if you want to look..
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,023 Member
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    I have been eating between 1000 =1325 cals for 2 yrs i have lost 105 lbs at first it was 1-4 lbs per week for the first 4 weeks then slowed to .5-2 lbs per week and now i stay the same or lose up to 2 lbs per week a few weeks even gaining. everyone is different find what works for you. if you find it is not working anymore change things up a bit. I would suggest calorie cycling this has worked for me in the past
  • rebeccasedwards
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    I have about 1200 calories a day. The weight loss has been steady with 1-2 pounds a week. Of course sometimes I would gain from the weekend and then lose the next week. I know you want it to come off quickly but as I am reminded by my husband "You didn't put it on overnight" :-/ So just hang in there and do the right things and it will come off.
  • Amyaustin90
    Amyaustin90 Posts: 27 Member
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    im 5'6" started at 219.
    been doing 1200/day, sometimes more sometimes less....but when you do less your gonna shed muscle mass

    after 40 days( about 5 and a half weeks) ive lost 15 pounds....i think thats about 2.5 pounds a week. but its probably because im so big.

    but ive been eating mostly natural foods, friuts and veggies...sometimes beans and wheat products. low fat cheese for protein.



    and no exercise yet.
  • ism32
    ism32 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi! I started around 154 at 5'4" and ate about 1300-1500, with 30 minutes walking 5 days a week, and not much else (I don't like formal exercise) My daily deficit was about 350-500, though I will admit I went over at least 1-2 days a week, but not by much. At first, I was actually losing about 2+ lbs per week, though once I hit 135, it's been coming off much slower. From 154- 135 took from mid-March to the end of June.
    I don't know about eating more to weigh less, but I know I haven't missed a meal, and still eat everything I like. And I'm not miserable.
    Hope this helps.
  • ctumbarello
    ctumbarello Posts: 23 Member
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    I really resonate with this group. Right now i am loosing, but fear I will plateau since that's what I have done in the past. I really started seriously tracking my food and consistently increasing my exercise in June. I am down 14 pounds in 9 weeks so I guess I am a little more than 1 pound a week. There are several weeks when I loose nothing, then it is a pound or so a few weeks later. Right now I am up 1.5 pounds from last week, but trying not to get too worried about it because I haven't eaten crazy. The ups and downs are so emotionally trying!
  • mccbabe1
    mccbabe1 Posts: 737 Member
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    When I was eating 1200 it worked for a while then my weight loss slowed right down to 0.1 per week, now I'm eating 1700 calories a week, MFP says that I should be losing under 1lb a week, but I'm losing upwards of 2lb per week, don't be afraid to eat more :smile:

    yess! ive heard this... im a month in now on mfp.. and I started at the 2# loss a week of 1200 cals a day.. and im down close to 9pnds now (prob clda been lil more but had the niece/neph visiting from florida! fair food/eating out.. sodas.. i still tracked and didnt gain that week though!! anyway.... just a few days ago.. i noticed ive been more hungry and im like man this 1200 cals is for the birds! lol... so i put my thingy at 1 1/2#'s a week loss and get 1380 a say more! that 180 felt like CHristmas, LOL!! anyway... i havent donte that for a week yet.. so well see.. and its not alot more.. but wow okay u jumped up to 1700 cals a day vs 1200 big diff! and u eat ur exercise cals back too or?? (I do.. faint if not, LOL).. how far in were u on mfp..when u changed the 1200 to 1700