1200 is not difficult.

Isn't the general idea tho, the more u weigh the more you can eat because you burn more moving around than people who weigh less?

Well, that's only one part of the equation. Also consider that the more *fat* you carry, the bigger the deficit you can do safely. And if you're REALLY sedentary, you might not be moving around enough (except during purposeful exercise, and if you eat your burnt calories... well, that changes a lot too, doesn't it?) for your excess weight to allow you to eat more.

There is no single formula, no single number that works for everyone. People are all different. 1200 calories a day can mean very different outcomes for different people.

I was doing sub-1200 net calories at the beginning and it worked just fine back then. Now? No way.

True, I agree about the bigger deficit. But I mean, I weigh 122.8lbs & I'm sedentary. My TDEE is still ab 1900. (I this because of my bodymedia) So people who weigh more surely are burning more than that.
I did 1200 in the beginning too, when I didn't know any better. I wasn't on mfp, no1 was telling me otherwise. Did I lose weight? Sure did. Did I lose muscle as well? Sure did. Now I'm flabby & I hate it. I would hate 2 see someone else do that to themselves. Eating 1200 cals for me wasn't hard either. I did it just fine, but I realized that just because I COULD do it, didn't mean I SHOULD.
It does slow down your metabolism too, so whenever you're ready to up the cals, you're likely to gain weight. I would eat as much as I could to lose healthily. Seeing the number move as fast as you can isn't the object of the game. That scale can't tell you what it is that you're losing either.

I've been reading the forums tonight and have read around 10 different posts from people saying that 1200 is impossible, or that unless they workout, there's no calories left for dinner, or that 1200 calories a day translates to starving yourself or living on only salads.

Doesn't work for me, that's for sure!

I did start out around 1200 calories and worked my way up to 1400, then 1600, then 1800 for maintenance (but that's net, so on an average day my total calories burned is around 2200, so I actually eat around 2000 calories or more daily, typically).

Anyway, yes, my goals were to keep lean body mass and lose fat, while become stronger and more fit. Eating more worked out well for me, and I *am* physically hungry quite often, even on 2000+ calories per day.

I agree with other posters that different things work for different people, and for certain people 1200 calories is impossible, just like I've heard people say if they ate 2,000 calories they'd explode from being overfull!

...
Also eating that low is slowing ur metabolism down like crazy.

Exactly. And when those people eating 1200 cals for months on end try to go up to their maintenance calories they are going to be in for a rude awakening. ...unless they plan on dieting the rest of their lives. Fun...

I would have to say that I thought that people who were eating around 1200 a day were insane. Then I cut diary, breads, and most meats out of my diet for medical reasons and I can barely meet my 1400 calorie goal. It was hard to keep it under 1900 when I was eating things I wasn't supposed. Now I wouldn't recommend doing what I did for some they can't I am not starving though, I eat every thing I can eat and a lot of it. I was just so sick that I had to stop eating what I couldn't eat and now I feel awesome. I was reading Eat To Live, which helped a lot but I am now basically a vegetarian.

I would eat as much as I could to lose healthily.

Same here. I love tasty food after all.

It's just -- just because one person (e.g. you) or even most people at X height and Y activity level spend Z calories per day, doesn't mean all people at X height/ Y activity level spend the same amount of calories. You sound like a good example in proving that point. Sedentary, short, 122lbs and 1900+ calories TDEE? Certainly higher than what the equations predict (and I assume the equations come close to average).

There is one factor I haven't seen addressed here - age. I am 5'2" and am on 1200 calories per day. Some days I eat my exercise calories, too; and some days I have a hard time getting to 1200 calories. I have been with MFP for 140 days. I am 58 years old and walk for exercise. I will run short bursts at a time, but not much - I hate running! As you can tell by my ticker, I have lost 33 pounds to date. My weight loss is not drastic. I eat 3 meals and snacks a day. Most vegetables I choose to eat are low cal. I only eat the breads that are low cal, also. I have cut my breads down a lot. My meats and foods are baked, broiled, grilled, or boiled. I hardly ever fry foods (my husband has to have fried once in a while). No sugar - I do eat sugar free sometimes. It's not low in calories but it tames the sweet tooth. And I'm diabetic and can't have sugar. My snacks are mostly fruits. I'm going to start weights for toning. It's a little late in life to start for the muscles. LOL So far, I am happy with my food intake. If I up my calories too much, I stop losing. Maybe it's the age thing?

MFP indicates I should be limited to 1,200 per day and more often than not I find it difficult. I understand making healthy choices, but even healthy choices add up so quickly. I mean, a banana is 100 calories. Don't even get me started on avocados. Jeez! I try to eat 3 meals a day with 2 snacks and the only way to make it is by A.) burning 200 calories per day with exercise, or B.) eating prepackaged frozen meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and who wants that? When I go over my 1,200 limit, or don't get around to exercising...the guilt kicks in. Uggg!

Same here. I love tasty food after all.

It's just -- just because one person (e.g. you) or even most people at X height and Y activity level spend Z calories per day, doesn't mean all people at X height/ Y activity level spend the same amount of calories. You sound like a good example in proving that point. Sedentary, short, 122lbs and 1900+ calories TDEE? Certainly higher than what the equations predict (and I assume the equations come close to average).

Yeah. I mean I exercise. I lift 3 days a week. Do intervals once. And then light cardio, like walking twice a week. The my rest day. When I'm not exercising, I'm normally sitting. I do laundry, dishes & the like. But I sit most of the day. I eat 1650-1750 cals a day & I lose weight. It's been anywhere between .5lbs to 1lb.

Buuuut if I can eat over 2,000 calories and still lose fat and gain muscle, then why WOULDN'T I want to eat more? I just don't see the point of restricting my eating and being miserable if I don't have to...

There is one factor I haven't seen addressed here - age. I am 5'2" and am on 1200 calories per day. Some days I eat my exercise calories, too; and some days I have a hard time getting to 1200 calories. I have been with MFP for 140 days. I am 58 years old and walk for exercise. I will run short bursts at a time, but not much - I hate running! As you can tell by my ticker, I have lost 33 pounds to date. My weight loss is not drastic. I eat 3 meals and snacks a day. Most vegetables I choose to eat are low cal. I only eat the breads that are low cal, also. I have cut my breads down a lot. My meats and foods are baked, broiled, grilled, or boiled. I hardly ever fry foods (my husband has to have fried once in a while). No sugar - I do eat sugar free sometimes. It's not low in calories but it tames the sweet tooth. And I'm diabetic and can't have sugar. My snacks are mostly fruits. I'm going to start weights for toning. It's a little late in life to start for the muscles. LOL So far, I am happy with my food intake. If I up my calories too much, I stop losing. Maybe it's the age thing?

Wow...think I have found my twin! I am 58, have been with MFP for 150 days, lost 33 pounds and have T2D. I also eat low cal/carb breads and I just started circuit training for toning. Now I am 5' 6' and DO have some sugar but in moderation because of my diabetes. And I agree that age DOES factor into things.

You didn't at all imply that. In fact, I thought you were pretty clear that it depends on the individual. You were responding to the general attitude that people on 1200 are miserable, weak, and starving.

Now see, I read the original post completely opposite, that 1200 shouldn't be hard. I am guessing our interpretation of the original post comes down to our views of the debate.

Buuuut if I can eat over 2,000 calories and still lose fat and gain muscle, then why WOULDN'T I want to eat more? I just don't see the point of restricting my eating and being miserable if I don't have to...

It's because most people who create profiles on here see the sparkly 2 lb weight loss per week have no idea what their actual TDEE range is because they have: 1)not tracked calorie intake ever or in a very long time and/or 2)eaten at a restricted amount chronically and have gotten used to lower intake due to continued depression of RMR and leptin.

I'm sorry OP, but this thread is not going to end well for you.

People are going to jump all over you, you're going to get angry, and it's going to devolve in to a debate about starvation mode.

1200 calories is a BARE MINIMUM to get adequate nutrition. You're likely sacrificing muscle mass by losing so fast, and you're going to hit an early plateau. I don't want to attack you, I'm happy for your success thus far, but that's the truth.

The point should also be made that hunger is not a good barometer for adequate intake. Consider obese people, who eat, say, 7000 calories a day. They still get hungry between meals, despite getting plenty of calories. Also, people on VLCD's lose their regular appetite. Hunger is largely a trained behavior- you get hungry when you're used to eating. Think about when you have a big breakfast- often you'll still be hungry at your regular lunch time. Hunger can't be trusted.

Ok, I have to jump in here. First off, do not assume that your way is the only way and everyone else on here will agree with you.

Do all of you realize that the OP is a 45 year old female?? Of course her caloric needs are less than a 30 year old, especially one who is lifting heavy and has very little excess fat. So please stop telling her that she needs to eat more, she is losing muscle mass, she is losing too fast, etc. What she is eating is healthy. She is getting in all the nutrients she needs. She makes good choices in her foods, so she doesn't have the carb cravings that someone eating donuts for breakfast would have. She is eating enough protein to sustain her muscle mass.

There are HORDES of women in their mid to late 40s and above who are losing safely and steadily at or even below 1200 cals per day. And guess what? They are even keeping the weight off! They never went into starvation mode. They kept their muscle mass by exercising and eating enough protein.

I have no idea who came up with the magic number of 1200 being the minimum that EVERYONE needed to get the proper nutrients. You will not find that on any reputable, scientifically proven website. The only reason this number is such a big deal is because that is the number that the MFP people decided was the minimum amount of calories that it would suggest for someone to eat. This is primarily to discourage eating disorders among young people who are already in a healthy or underweight range.

The goal of losing .5 to 1 pound a week is mainly for people with very little excess fat, who are trying to build muscle. You may want to spend hours a day lifting heavy weights and bulking up your muscles, but not everyone has that same goal.

Someone who is 100 pounds overweight NEEDS to lose more than that. It is perfectly safe for them to lose 2 pounds a week, or even more, as they have plenty of fat stores to use as fuel.

And your BMR is NOT the minimum number of calories to keep you alive if you are in a coma! I am so sick of hearing that. Your BMR is the number of calories to MAINTAIN your current weight if you are sedentary. To lose weight you HAVE to either eat less or move more.

So those of you who want to spend hours in the gym burning 1500 calories a day so you can eat 3000 calories a day in food, and lose a half pound a week, good for you. Go right ahead.

For me personally, I would rather eat less, exercise moderately, and spend my time and energy with my family. You can choose how you want to do it, and the rest of us can choose how we want to do it. Neither side is wrong, if we do what is right for us.

But please stop with all the scare tactics and blanket statements. It is getting SO old.