A Success story from someone who eats 1200 calories

FTR, I eat over 3000 cals. Just sayin'. There's more than one way to skin a cat. And one of us will still look like this in two years. Can you guess which one?

2 year's ago I looked like this


Now I look like this


Oh and BTW, this is 2 year's of 1200 calories a day. So I guess we know who is gonna change, but whatever works for you. I won't bash you so please don't be a douche and bash people who feel this way works for them.

Where is my like button? Damn you, MFP, where is that button? :drinker:

This!! This!!!!

It depends on your goals, activity level, etc. I did the 1200 calories a day too for a while. I certainly lost the weight and now I look good in clothes, not so much naked Body fat still too high. I think focusing on the scale too much is our problem. Upped my calories and found that 1800 was the right point for me to lose fat without losing too much weight. At 2100 now because I'm trying to put on muscle.

Not discouraging you OP, but I think at some point (when you've plateaued, or reached goal weight but not happy with how you look, or increase exercise and feel like you're starving, etc.) you're going to up your calories. I'd bet any amount of money on it.

I actually took the time to review the OPs diary, which reveals that she is not even eating 1200 calories. It also seems to me her diet is full of processed foods so the claim that she is eating healthy is also debunked.

I am not saying these things because I am wanting to bash the OP, but rather that the way she is going about it is not exactly the best.

If you are new and confused, please find someone that is successful and ask them how they did it.

Good luck, I am out.

^THIS

there has been a lot of bashing about people who eat 1200 calories. I thought I would post my success story about it.

I started out at 250 pounds when I began this journey which incidently I was eating the 1600-1800 calories in eating

I then began to reduce my calories and dropped to 220 pounds last January and am now to 179 pounds.

so all total so far I lost 71 pounds and none of it has been gained back at all. I keep on going down.

The reason for the anti-1200 crowd is because a 1200 calorie a day diet is not sufficient for anyone engaging in any form of high intensity exercise, which the userbase of the site likes to strongly encourage. Also, it is not sufficient for anyone who is a taller or naturally larger person as it takes them well under BMR. You may see weight loss, but your organs lack sufficient fuel to keep them operating at their optimum levels which can take a toll on your health in the long run.

This is very true. And I did used to eat my exercise calories back.

Long term I'd be a fool to eat 1200 and not eat my exercise calories back. It's a short term thing for me, I get extremely sick during hot weather and can barely work out so if I'm going to get 10 more pounds off before November rolls round again I have to do it fast and I have to do it now. And I have a bad back, so it's more than a vanity pounds thing.

But no way would I spend the rest of my life eating 1200 and then not eating exercise calories back. 1200 is a base for us very short, very small boned, COMPLETELY sedentary older women.

While I leave my diary open it horrifies me to think that an active 25 year old, 5'8 female in school and/or working would eat 1200 calories a day for any length of time without a doctor having told her she has a sub-par metabolism.

Do you who eat 1200 a day actually average 1200 a day? Do you have a cheat meal - one night a week where you eat more? Are you really weighing and/or measuring your servings? I'm just wondering because I thought I was only eating 1200 a day too and when I actually measured and/or weighed and I logged every single bite that went into my mouth I was surprised at how much it upped my calories. I have a day or two where I only eat around 1200 because I am not hungry and satisfied - but if I take my total for the week and average it out - its more than 1200.

Not bashing anyone who eats 1200 - if it works for you - stick with it until it doesn't anymore, to each their own. This was just more of a "I wonder" type comment.

Once a week I do let myself have a full day of not focusing on my calories, I find it helps me. However I do measure and weigh my food so I know for sure I am eating 1200. I do eat back my workout calories but not all of them all the time.

I am new to my fitness pal but have been on a weight loss journey since jan 2011 when i had bariatric surgery. I started at 336 lbs and now weigh 173. my low was 166 last april and i am striving to get back there and hopefully below. I dont know what you eat but one thing that helps me alot is to not drink any calories i have been water only for two years. Also i eat a lot of protien then fruit/veg try to eat very few carbs otherwise. I would try reducing your calories by 50 or 100 a week until you are losing 1 or 2 pounds a week and they stay there for a while. for me that is around 1500 but i do 6 days a week of intensive workouts. Good luck!

look from 1/13/2013 and on thats my eating healthier and lost me 23 pounds. the previous diary was when I was doing processed crap. nice try though

You've lost 23lbs in 16 days???

I've only read 2 pages of responses here, so bear with me if I repeat something that was said, but I have two questions:

1. The OP is eating 1200 calories to LOSE weight - so that number is clearly not her calorie goal to MAINTAIN weight loss. Many people are asking her if she is ok with eating 1200 cals for the rest of her life, but wouldn't she be eating more to maintain that weight loss? It is the same as any other number - if you are eating 1500 to lose weight, your number to maintain would be higher than that - that is what all of those calculators are for... am I wrong?

2. In order to lose weight, you need to create a deficit for the week, right? So for example, if you are allowed let's say 1400 calories per day x 7 days = 9800 calories for the week. If you go over one day and eat, let's say 1700 calories, couldn't you just reduce your daily calories to make up those extra 300? That is what I have always done - and I've heard it mentioned many times - if you have a "cheat day" or a 'bad day' where you go over, you can make up for it throughout the week by eating better the remaining days.
So my question is this - if you are on a 1200 calorie/day plan, and you go over by let's say 300 calories on 1 day, can you eat below the 1200 a few times to make up for that extra 300? So for example:
Based on a 1200/calories per day plan:
Saturday - 1500 calories (went over 300)
Sunday - 1100 calories
Monday - 1200 calories
tuesday - 1100 calories
Wednesday - 1200 calories
thursday - 1100 calories
Friday - 1200 calories

OR
are you just 'screwed' that you went over, and you can't do this because it is 'unhealthy'?
I personally know if I go out to eat and go over by a few hundred, there is no way I can eat my usual calories the next day because I am usually feeling stuffed - so I have no problem keeping it under my calorie goal that day to make up for the previous day.

Sorry if someone has already said this. There are so many posts now!

I read this rule of thumb a while back: If you want to weigh 150, eat 1500 cals. If you want to weight 120, eat 1200 cals. This is not meant to be exact. But here's the thing. If you weight 300 pounds, you would not go straight to eating 1200. One, you wouldn't need to in order to lose weight, and two, it would be difficult and discouraging. You could set a goal of 250 lbs. and eat 2500 cals for a while. Then lower your goal and your cals. Hope that makes sense. It makes sense to me.

I only have about 20 pounds to lose. If I were heavier the 20 pounds would come off faster. When you get near to your goal weight you need to lower your cals to make progress.

So it makes no sense to argue for eating a particular number of calories without stating your current weight and goal weight. If I were to eat 1600 cals, I would gain weight for sure.