Anyone successfully lose weight eating 1200 cal or less?

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  • AliciaHollywood
    AliciaHollywood Posts: 102 Member
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    Yes. And if I don't go out drinking, my natural intake without trying is under 1200. What made me gain weight was alcohol, so I have to be careful about that. I haven't been social lately because of a bad case of strep throat, but I'm afraid once I start going out again, I'll gain again even with low food calories. The alcohol calories add up! And I don't work out. Hopefully I'll get motivated to work out and then will probably want to eat more. But what I do eat is healthy and I take supplements. I think everyone's metabolism is different and calorie intake needs are very different for different people with different lifestyles.
  • droneofvelvet
    droneofvelvet Posts: 290 Member
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    I’ve been eating about 500, sometimes 800 and then the past week pushing it up to 1000-1200. I’ve lost about 7 lbs since Christmas. I’m not sure if it is going fast or slow because it seems too slow to me. I feel scared that I’m going to gain weight eating 1200. I’m 5’8”.
  • Annelies11
    Annelies11 Posts: 174 Member
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    I'm tall (5'10") and I only have 10-15 lbs to lose. Im on my feet several hours a day since I'm a teacher. I tried 1200 for a while and lost weight. But even eating back my exercise cals and eating healthy food I was crazy hungry! I would be light-headed working out, cold, moody, and not sleeping. I upped my cals to 1400 and feel a lot better. I might even up to 1500. So like people are saying, 1200 is not "bad" but not for everybody. Follow mfp guidelines and then adjust based on how you feel.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
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    Thats too low!

    for a man...
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I have been eating around 1200 since the end of August and have lost 32 so far. If I keep my protein and healthy fats higher and cut out processed sugar and grains, then I do fine and don't get hungry or have cravings. Higher sugar and carbs over the holidays threw me off for a couple of weeks, but I am back on track now. Interesting to read the comments on here from when the thread started in September and see who is still on here losing weight and who has quit.
    1200 is certainly not the magic number for everyone, but as you can see, it has been perfectly fine for many people and they are succeeding nicely.
  • ljmiller11
    ljmiller11 Posts: 67 Member
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    I've been eating at 1,200 for 3 weeks and already lost 8lbs. Previously I lost over 1 stone on 1,200 a day. I am 5' 5'' with only 10lbs to go till my goal and so I feel 1,200 is a safe number for me. I do eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories and enjoy the occasional sweet treat. Everyone is different so just listen to your body. You can eat a good amount of food for 1,200 if you make good choices. If you only eat chocolate, 1,200 a day will mean you're not getting all the nutrients you need.

    Good luck!
  • stormynytes4ever
    stormynytes4ever Posts: 60 Member
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    I have :)
  • AshS1050
    AshS1050 Posts: 43 Member
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    i have before in my past w/ great results. now i'm trying again and it is SLOWLY coming off. but mine is more b/c i can't seem to eat all that many calories WITHOUT including alcohol, crap food, or prepacked sodium heavy meals. i've been trying out vegan for almost a month now and it's so very difficult for me to up my cals on just veggies. unless i add tons of carbs (which sucks b/c i retain water like a mofo).
  • Amber1070
    Amber1070 Posts: 106 Member
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    I have rarely gone over 1200 unless I burned a lot and was super hungry after. Even then I only went up to 1242 that day. I have consistently lost weight keeping it mostly under 1100. Some weeks I loose more than others but I average about 1-2 lbs. My net is usually between 500-700 after all food and exercise. I'm not hungry, I have energy and I'm not dizzy. I drink plenty of water and feel perfectly fine. Last weigh-in I was 164.6 on 1-23-13 down from 190 on 11-13-12 I started at 1000-1050 back in Nov because I was not able to workout due to chronic pain. Just this last month after dropping the weight and exercising when I could, I've been able to workout almost every day and have raised my calorie limit to 1100. I eat 3 main meals and 2 smaller snack like meals a day. For reference I'm 5'11 medium build. Do what works for your body. I didn't use any site to figure it out I just started where I thought I should be and have adjusted it until I was a level that worked. I do take in to consideration what MFP says and other sites but I haven't gone by it. Eat a limited amount of the right foods and try to exercise every day and you will loose weight. If your not adjust your calories or exercise more.
  • erin4455
    erin4455 Posts: 135
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    Yes, I'm having steady success at 1,200 calories. Sometimes I don't meet that goal but I try to...I don't consciously try to go UNDER 1,200, however. I've lost 9+ pounds since January 1, so I think it's keeping me right on track :)
  • erin4455
    erin4455 Posts: 135
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    I've been eating at 1,200 for 3 weeks and already lost 8lbs. Previously I lost over 1 stone on 1,200 a day. I am 5' 5'' with only 10lbs to go till my goal and so I feel 1,200 is a safe number for me. I do eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories and enjoy the occasional sweet treat. Everyone is different so just listen to your body. You can eat a good amount of food for 1,200 if you make good choices. If you only eat chocolate, 1,200 a day will mean you're not getting all the nutrients you need.

    Good luck!

    I'm nearly on the same regimen and progress level as you and I agree - it works! Keep up the success!
  • mickiebabs
    mickiebabs Posts: 183 Member
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    Sure did. I spent 10 months dropping 60 pounds eating at 1200 calories and working out 4-6 days a week at an hour each time.

    NOW, the downside. I took a one month road trip with my family where it was impossible for me to meet those standards. Not only did I not continue dropping weight, I packed on 20 pounds by the time that month was over. Two days after we came home I was hit by some devestating news that kicked in my emotional eating and before I knew it, I was up another 20.

    So yes, it is possible to drop weight at 1200 calories or less but it's SO easy for that weight to sneak back on. And it comes back a heck of a lot faster than it goes off.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    No.
    I have success eating between 1800-2100 depending on the day.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Simple answer is yes, people have lost weight eating 1200 calories.

    Much better answer is no, you won't healthfully lose weight loose weight eating that few calories.

    This. Plus, you're more likely to gain back all the weight once you start eating your BMR/maintenance level if you lose on a low-calorie diet.
  • derice81
    derice81 Posts: 3
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    I was consuming about that for 21 days and lost 19 lbs. I went vegan as a cleansing diet. Worked!
  • cbrrabbit25
    cbrrabbit25 Posts: 384 Member
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    i definetly did BUT only when I was not lifting as much weight at the gym-i was instead doing more cardio. But, i am a 5 foot tall small framed female and i ate back my calories from exercise so was actually eating around 1400-1500. I lost 10 lbs. though doing it.
  • BigSexy0_0
    BigSexy0_0 Posts: 57
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    bump..interesting
  • caroleslaststand
    caroleslaststand Posts: 178 Member
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    yes i have. and i was having a hard time reaching to eat 1200. now that i'm at my goal weight and recalculated, mfp is saying i should eat 1890 cal. it's really hard to eat that.

    Get used to it, because it works. Make sure that you get into the exercise part, because it's essential for losing fat, or, in your case, avoiding the heartbreak of regained weight.

    That being said, the question should be "Has anyone lost weight on 1200 calories or less and kept it off for say....3 years, 5 years. Thinking you did the right thing because you recently lost weight by eating a low calorie diet is most likely going to backfire on you. Like many MFP members, I've been there, multiple times and we know what we're talking about. The guy who gradually increased his calories over 4 months until he was able to consume over 3000 cal. a day has an interesting concept there, but I actually don't think very many people could manage that without a coach or exceptional dietician.

    Just because you succeeded doesn't mean it will last....you have a major struggle ahead of you, unless you are part of a very small minority of people who manage to maintain health and a new weight for more than a year.
  • kmccormick42
    kmccormick42 Posts: 78 Member
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    Yep, I hear a lot of people say that's too low, but it works for me. Keep in mind that I'm only 5' even with a small frame. There are certainly days when I'm over but I'm usually fairly consistent. You can friend me if you want to see my diary - it's open and I really don't care what others say about it.
  • LoonyLovegood8
    LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
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    Yep I did lose weight eating less than 1200 calories. I netted around 800 calories because I exercised a lot. But I felt tired, hated my exercise regimes and binged on weekends. I've upped my calories today and I'm going see how it goes. I've pulled a muscle in my leg recently so I can't exercise as much and I've just started the 30DS. Eating my exercise calories back gives me more energy and I feel happier now and I'm not looking to lose weight, just going to try and tone :).

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