1200 is not difficult.
Replies
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This is my first rant in the 6 months of using this site.
DEFINITION: know–all/ˈnoʊˌɑ:l/noun. A know-it-all or know-all is a person who obnoxiously purports an expansive comprehension of a topic and/or situation when in reality, his/her comprehension is inaccurate or limited.
After hearing over and over again from people who are over 100 pounds overweight and who have "lost" 30 pounds in 8 weeks and then become self styled experts-I just want to barf....
Sometimes you can cut the SMUGNESS on this site with a knife. If you're such an expert on proper nutrition then how on earth did you GAIN the weight in the first place?
If it's so easy to live a normal and healthy life and lose weight (and keep it off) while having a rich social life, raising a family, maintaining a strong relationship with a significant other, growing a complex and demanding business, traveling often, and loving to cook --then I'd like to know the "magic" formula.
1200 calories a day IS DIFFICULT for people to achieve when their diet has previously consisted of very large high calorie meals and snacks. It can take months to reset your metabolism (and stomach!) to feel full with regular and lower fat portions. People making the commitment to do this need our support not thinly veiled criticism in the guise of "look at me".
I think perhaps you are the only person on here that read her post as a 'thinly veiled criticism in the guise of "look at me"'
Success stories are what helps motivate many people on this site, and sharing what works for some people, is very helpful for others who are in the same age range, activity level, BF%, gender, etc. There are many people that actually need to eat at 1200 calories to lose weight safely and having people tell them that it can't be done, and they need to eat more, is not helping them. What happens is that they listen to people saying to eat more, they do that, they gain weight, then they quit altogether saying that 'diets don't work'.
The OP was not suggesting that EVERYONE should eat at 1200 calories a day. That would be as stupid as someone saying that NO ONE should be eating at 1200 cals. It depends on the person.
For those people who DO NEED to eat at that low of calorie level, seeing that others CAN and ARE functioning well at that level gives them hope and information on how to do it safely and without starving.
Your comments about the OP were very off-base and uncalled for. She IS offering support to those who are trying to eat at that level, unlike most posters who simply tell them they CAN'T do it without destroying their health.0 -
Good for you.
When you reach a plateau, come back around and we can help you break that.
BTW, I weighed 4 pounds MORE than I do now 2 years ago and people kept asking me if I was sick. This is because I was under eating and not getting the nutrition my body needed. The same woman that asked me 2 years ago if I was okay told me last Saturday that I looked so healthy. The difference? I am eating more and getting nutrients from food, not just watching the calories I eat.
I am living a healthy life today so I can be there for people that need me tomorrow. Being thin is a great side effect.
I turned 44 in August. Feel free to look at my pictures, you will see that by properly fueling my body as well as giving it the nutrition it needs, I look no where near my age.
Hey, according to your profile you are in maintenance and no longer trying to lose weight. Your calorie level is set to around 1700 per day to maintain. If you were wanting to lose 1 pound a week, you would need a 500 calorie deficit- putting you at 1200 cals per day.
You can't argue with the math.
And congrats to you on reaching your goal.0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
^^^^!!!0 -
1200 will work... for now. Then about 8 months in you may plateau and start to gain back some of your lost weight, like I did at 50lbs lost.
I now eat 2000 calories a day, I put away my scale but my clothes feel more loose than ever. I am happy, eat what I want and still get healthy, unlike when I was starving on 1200 calories a day.
It is NOT sustainable and eventually, will stop working!0 -
I started at 196, ate 1200 cals or less and did cardio every day, yea I lost weight super fast and got down to 147, now I'm stuck and have been stuck for over a year. Now I eat 200 cals and weight train my weight is 155 but I'm much leaner and stronger. My point is I wish someone told me from the very beginning to eat more and incorporate weights because I would probably have my dream body by now, over 2 years later. Not eating enough for your body size and height s just a quick fix but in the long run its not worth it.
2000***
This, exactly is what happened to me!0 -
Good for you.
When you reach a plateau, come back around and we can help you break that.
BTW, I weighed 4 pounds MORE than I do now 2 years ago and people kept asking me if I was sick. This is because I was under eating and not getting the nutrition my body needed. The same woman that asked me 2 years ago if I was okay told me last Saturday that I looked so healthy. The difference? I am eating more and getting nutrients from food, not just watching the calories I eat.
I am living a healthy life today so I can be there for people that need me tomorrow. Being thin is a great side effect.
I turned 44 in August. Feel free to look at my pictures, you will see that by properly fueling my body as well as giving it the nutrition it needs, I look no where near my age.
Hey, according to your profile you are in maintenance and no longer trying to lose weight. Your calorie level is set to around 1700 per day to maintain. If you were wanting to lose 1 pound a week, you would need a 500 calorie deficit- putting you at 1200 cals per day.
You can't argue with the math.
And congrats to you on reaching your goal.
Except that at her goal weight, she has very little to lose if she wanted to lose more. (edited to clarify, she in no way needs to lose anymore, just talking hypothetically). The closer you are to goal, or the less weight you have to lose, the smaller your weekly loss goal should be. At a goal of 5-10 lbs to lose, the weekly goal should be more like a half a pound a week. 1 lb a week would be too aggressive.0 -
I'm eating around 1100 a day right now, last night I was trying to force myself to eat something, but I was so full from eating all day that I thought I might get sick if I put another thing in my stomach. I feel if your not hungry then don't eat, your body know's what's good for you. There is no point in forcing yourself to eat if your not hungry! Then your just setting yourself up to gain weight.0
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I do cardio every morning, I eat 3 full MEALS a day and a snack or two and I have trouble hitting 1,000, my diary is open as well... I am never starving, I get hungry I eat, I do avoid cravings though, like when I just finished dinner and 30m later I am craving something sweet, I just have a cup of tea with honey or something......0
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Its great that it works for you and isn't hard for you, but it just not for everyone. Everyone is different and what works for them is different. I noticed that you do stay at 1200, but are you exercising as well? Exercise calories burned negate some of those 1200 in case you weren't aware and that wouldn't work for a lot of people as far as energy.
I for example have a very active job and a cup of yogurt and some beef jerky wouldn't get me from my breakfast at 8:30am to my lunch at 3pm. But I don't know what your workday is like and your activity level at work is. I eat around 1500 and have lost 1.5-2lbs a week since I started. I like that I have room to play with in my day, can have treats if I like.
Just realize that 1200 isn't the only way to accomplish what you're doing and don't be afraid to add in some calories if you need to at some point.0 -
I've been doing 1200 in average, what is less than my "allowed" calories limit, considering that I am exercising.
The point is that my weight is flat!
I think this is related to pre-menopause (as my doctor says), but I would like to hear if eating less can be really impacting my weight loss.
But, 1200 is not that hard to me.
I would like to hear from others opinions.
Thanks
Yes, for MANY women (not all ) being pre-menopausal can drastically lower your BMR. I maintain at 1400, even exercising regularly, so if I want to lose 1 pound a week, I have to eat below that.
Women that are taking hormone supplements, are very active and/or are weight lifting, have managed to make up for the reduced metabolism and are able to lose at higher calorie levels. For many of us, injuries and other time restraints, etc, prevent us from working out at such a high intensity, so we have to reduce our caloric intake.
Weight loss at this age can be much slower than when we were younger. It also doesn't seem to come off at a steady pace. I may go for 2 weeks without an ounce lost, then I will lose 2 pounds in 2 days. Overall after the first 2 weeks, I am averaging about 1 pound per week. I have to be 100% perfect with my diet to do this. I also make sure my protein levels are high enough, and I cut our sugar and simple carbs to get the calorie deficit without feeling hungry.
Feel free to friend me if you would like some support from other women in this stage of our lives. It isn't as easy as when we were in our 20s, but it is doable. We just have to be patient.0 -
Good for you.
When you reach a plateau, come back around and we can help you break that.
BTW, I weighed 4 pounds MORE than I do now 2 years ago and people kept asking me if I was sick. This is because I was under eating and not getting the nutrition my body needed. The same woman that asked me 2 years ago if I was okay told me last Saturday that I looked so healthy. The difference? I am eating more and getting nutrients from food, not just watching the calories I eat.
I am living a healthy life today so I can be there for people that need me tomorrow. Being thin is a great side effect.
I turned 44 in August. Feel free to look at my pictures, you will see that by properly fueling my body as well as giving it the nutrition it needs, I look no where near my age.
Hey, according to your profile you are in maintenance and no longer trying to lose weight. Your calorie level is set to around 1700 per day to maintain. If you were wanting to lose 1 pound a week, you would need a 500 calorie deficit- putting you at 1200 cals per day.
You can't argue with the math.
And congrats to you on reaching your goal.
After my plateau at 1200, I upped my calories to 1400 and started losing and achieved my goal of 114. Raised it to 1500 and lost to 110 then raised it to 1600 and lost to 107, now I am at 1700 at 107 lbs plus exercise calories.
I am dealing with some type of auto immune disease that I have had a terrible time getting diagnosed for a year now. We thought it was a back problem. As soon as we figure out what it is exactly I have, I will be back to weight training and hopefully running and will increase my calories to about 2100 per day. The pain I am in is keeping me from being as active as I would like to be. At this point, the theory is fibromyalgia.
I lost the last 5 lbs a 40 something wanted to lose by losing .4 lbs a week.
But to each his own. If you guys wanna live on 1200 per day, hey that is your prerogative. I just hope that if there comes a day where it stops working for you that you will consider raising them. Wrapping my head around eating more was the hardest thing for me to do, especially since I am so tiny.0 -
Good for you.
When you reach a plateau, come back around and we can help you break that.
BTW, I weighed 4 pounds MORE than I do now 2 years ago and people kept asking me if I was sick. This is because I was under eating and not getting the nutrition my body needed. The same woman that asked me 2 years ago if I was okay told me last Saturday that I looked so healthy. The difference? I am eating more and getting nutrients from food, not just watching the calories I eat.
I am living a healthy life today so I can be there for people that need me tomorrow. Being thin is a great side effect.
I turned 44 in August. Feel free to look at my pictures, you will see that by properly fueling my body as well as giving it the nutrition it needs, I look no where near my age.
Hey, according to your profile you are in maintenance and no longer trying to lose weight. Your calorie level is set to around 1700 per day to maintain. If you were wanting to lose 1 pound a week, you would need a 500 calorie deficit- putting you at 1200 cals per day.
You can't argue with the math.
And congrats to you on reaching your goal.
Physiology doesnt work like that.
So yes...we can argue with math.0 -
Its great that it works for you and isn't hard for you, but it just not for everyone. Everyone is different and what works for them is different. I noticed that you do stay at 1200, but are you exercising as well? Exercise calories burned negate some of those 1200 in case you weren't aware and that wouldn't work for a lot of people as far as energy.
I for example have a very active job and a cup of yogurt and some beef jerky wouldn't get me from my breakfast at 8:30am to my lunch at 3pm. But I don't know what your workday is like and your activity level at work is. I eat around 1500 and have lost 1.5-2lbs a week since I started. I like that I have room to play with in my day, can have treats if I like.
Just realize that 1200 isn't the only way to accomplish what you're doing and don't be afraid to add in some calories if you need to at some point.
Good post.
I have a 1-1.5 hour drive to a technical desk job, then a commute home of course. 2 days a week I work from home, so those days, and on the weekends, I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
I would eat more if I worked out more. I do treat myself once in a while- I have a drink or a bite of dessert. I really don't know if I could eat more and lose the same, if I would - I'm not often hungry, and when I eat anything with too much sugar or carbs, I tend to overeat a LOT- I do better by cutting out all (or most) sugar and keeping my white carbs as low as possible.
again, yes, this is just what works for ME. 0 -
1300 is what I am supposed to have to lose weight... it is not difficult... it's only difficult if I want to eat **** food... I prep my fiancé's and my meals ahead of time that way portions are right ect. (5 Containers of Tuna Salad, 5 of Shredded Chicken, Scrambled Eggs for breakfast, Hard boiled eggs & Yogurt for snacks, Veggies portioned out and even ranch)I am very aware of calories... I make sure I eat plenty of protein ... Keeps this belly full!... Sometimes/well most times if I eat heathy like... I eat less than 1300.. I am not starving myself and feel very satisfied...0
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Hey, according to your profile you are in maintenance and no longer trying to lose weight. Your calorie level is set to around 1700 per day to maintain. If you were wanting to lose 1 pound a week, you would need a 500 calorie deficit- putting you at 1200 cals per day.
You can't argue with the math.
And congrats to you on reaching your goal.
Your point is irrelevant. Her maintenance is only 1700 calories because she is at her goal weight. The bigger you are, the higher your maintenance (My maintenance right now is 2400 calories. So I eat 1900!)I am sure when she was losing weight, her maintenance calories were way higher, which is why she did not have to eat 1200 calories a day. She was probably eating around 1700-2000 calories the whole time as those are her maintenance calories for her GOAL WEIGHT. Also, the closer you are to goal weight the slower you should lose and make the deficit smaller. You go from a 500 calorie deficit to a 250. Really, just think about it a little.0 -
Just because something works for you does not mean it will work for others.0
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I agree 1200 is not that difficult. I don't do 2 snacks but here is what I do:
250 - Breakfast
400 - Lunch
150 - Snack
400 - Dinner0 -
There are days that once I exercise I have enough calories to eat Taco Bell at 550 calories for a burrito...and that's when on 1310 calories, so...yeah. It's doable. On days where there's junk food, and I don't plan...it seems impossible, but it's not if you plan it.0
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I agree. I have difficulty actually reaching 1200 some days because I am low carb and protein/veg arent very calorie dense! Then again some days I eat more around 1400.0
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Your entire op was condescending and telling everyone how easy it is if you eat healthy foods, at 1200 calories a day. You did not say it was "working you you". You said you read about ten posts about how hard it is, and questioned if they were eating junk. Don't backtrack. At least own what you say.
Bottom line, you are wrong. If you want to do it that way, and like the results, go for it. I support you. Just don't tell everyone, when we are all drastically different, that losing weight and doing it your way is not hard or the right way. And that IS what you said. Good luck not gaining it all back, btw.Here's a brief summary of the thread:
Original post:
"hey, I started eating really healthy and it's been easy to maintain my calorie deficit. I have a decent amount to lose and it's been working for me, but I'm not saying I would recommend this to anyone."
Replies:
"I can't believe you're recommending this to everyone"
"You sound very snotty"
"I'm a completely different height, weight, gender, and activity level than you and what you do wouldn't work for me, therefore, you're completely wrong"
"You'll gain it all back, whereas I will be successful for life."
"That works for me too, thanks".
"8oz of yogurt for breakfast?? OMG!!!!!"0 -
Your entire op was condescending and telling everyone how easy it is if you eat healthy foods, at 1200 calories a day. You did not say it was "working you you". You said you read about ten posts about how hard it is, and questioned if they were eating junk. Don't backtrack. At least own what you say.
Bottom line, you are wrong. If you want to do it that way, and like the results, go for it. I support you. Just don't tell everyone, when we are all drastically different, that losing weight and doing it your way is not hard or the right way. And that IS what you said. Good luck not gaining it all back, btw.
Yes. This. Thank you for summing up what half the people on here have been trying to say.0 -
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.
My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.
Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.
You're right, it's neither impossible nor unhealthy if you eat the right foods. Congratulations.0 -
Some days, 1200 seems impossible. OK, I admit, if I'm going for Papa Gino's pizza, I have NO control. :blushing: But, I've done it for a little while now, and have been UNDER my daily "allowance". I'm not starving myself either. I'm just making smarter eating choices, finally. :drinker:0
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Really enjoyed looking at your food diary - that's the way to do it! Good luck to you!0
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bump0
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I started at 196, ate 1200 cals or less and did cardio every day, yea I lost weight super fast and got down to 147, now I'm stuck and have been stuck for over a year. Now I eat 200 cals and weight train my weight is 155 but I'm much leaner and stronger. My point is I wish someone told me from the very beginning to eat more and incorporate weights because I would probably have my dream body by now, over 2 years later. Not eating enough for your body size and height s just a quick fix but in the long run its not worth it.
2000***
Just so you know, there is an "edit" button for typos. I use it often. :blushing:0 -
Just chiming in to say that I'm so happy that I can lose weight eating 3000 calories. Some of the daily totals you guys are touting is my breakfast.
I wish I could lose at 3000. :flowerforyou:
Maybe once I build some muscles my BMR will go up!0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
THIS
Because I am eating more, almost all of my losses have been strictly fat loss and not muscle (according to my monthly bio impedence analysis tests).
You might be feeling fine and able to do 1200 just fine...but what it is doing to your metabolism and loss of muscle mass the main issue.0 -
....but what it is doing to your metabolism....?
^^^^^^^ THIS
Please everyone eating 1200 calories or below their BMR, please go and do some research about BMR & TDEE / maintenance calories.0 -
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.
My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.
Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.
I couldn't agree more. This is me to a "T"! Thanx for the post!0
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