Has anyone lost weight eating less than 1200 calories a day?
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If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.0
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Just curious! I actually ate around 1000 calories per day several years back and lost really well! This was before the starvation mode thing was even a known factor (as far as I knew at least) I lost 60 lb easily within 7 months...I gained my weight due to some depression issues ONLY which of course will happen on any diet! Soooo would like to know if this has worked for anyone else!
And have you pet it off?????0 -
It works for me. I am alternating between P90x and running, and eating around 1200 cal/day. Worked after baby #1 and is working too after baby#2. i am 5'2, small built tho. Try it and see for yourself, you can adjust if it doesn't work for you.0
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Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
The people in this thread do not know their BMRs. That is the issue.0 -
This topic gives me a migraine every time.
Ugh...
THIS!!!0 -
I am a bit older. I checked with 3 of my doctors and was told to eat 1000 calories a day to lose. If I eat 1200 I gain weight Much of it is age. In my 30's..40's I lost so easy. Now at 60 it is difficult.
I'll be 55 in March of this year. Still losing. I eat between 1700 and 1800 every day. It is possible.
NO WAY!! I thought you were in your 30s!!! You look AMAZING!!!0 -
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...0 -
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...
Not everyone is 20 years old.0 -
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I'd bet quite a few do.
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
The people in this thread do not know their BMRs. That is the issue.0 -
Four years is great, and now you're back to get a tune up. GOOD!! Congrats!
Thank you. Maintenance is flipping hard. I have always felt it is way harder than losing the weight. I'm not perfect at it, probably never will be...but I'm always in the fight!
oh, btw, every few years your metabolism will do a CLUNK, downshift. Which will necessitate a tuneup. You may have had one of those down shifts. I've had 3 or 4. They suck.
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Pshh, they wish they were lol.
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...
Not everyone is 20 years old.0 -
If I eat 1700 calories a day I'd be mooing in no time. Sorry, but especially when you get older and your metabolism slows, your caloric intake to lose weight or to maintain it is much different than when you are younger. I eat 900 calories a day, with slight variation either way. I'm healthy, fit, and maintained my 70 pound weight for more than 5 years before gaining back a few pounds which I have now dispatched again. YES you can lose weight eating less than 1200 calories a day! EVERYONE's needs are different and don't let anyone here tell you otherwise!!!
I hate these posts.... don't know why I even bother to respond. Google "starvation mode" to see what that truly means. I'd say you're in no danger of getting anywhere close to that. There are so many "experts" on this forum that will tell you why everything you are doing is wrong. If you really want to know what you should be doing, consult an ACTUAL expert.... a dietitian, nutritionist, and your doctor. You will get lots of misguided information here from well intentioned folks who are just filled with advice, a great deal of which is just plain wrong.0 -
Sure, but they're not. I'm pushing 50 and at 5'6" and 132lbs my BMR is heading into the 1200s soon... My sister at 50 and 5'2" has a BMR around 1000....
Pshh, they wish they were lol.
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...
Not everyone is 20 years old.0 -
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
The people in this thread do not know their BMRs. That is the issue.
They must be short & not weigh that much if they have BMRs that low, or old as I reckon age plays a part? I'm 5'5 120 24yrs old & my BMR is higher than 1200.0 -
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
Less that a few percent of the population and almost no one that is obese has a TDEE below 1400.
Median TDEE In America is recognized at the nice round number of 2000 for women. It is likely a little higher as per the Geneva study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320913).
Median.0 -
As said above though, you will still lose if you eat ab your BMR, as long as you're not above your TDEE, you wont gain weight.0
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A friend of mine does this every time she has a wedding to attend or a big function when she knows she's going to see her ex-husband with his latest piece of 40-years-younger arm candy. She always loses A LOT and looks wonderful for her event and then the minute she eats normally again she gains it back FAST. I would recommend staying within your guidelines for calories. it may pay off in the short-term but you might find yourself scrambling to maintain or continue losing after that. My mother is a dietician and she always says don't try any kind of diet or weight loss trick unless it's something you can do for LIFE. (Like people who can give up sugar or carbs tend to only be able to do it for a short time and then the weight creeps back when they eat normally again). I have taken her advice and will only to what I can turn in to a life habit. Like exercising every day and calorie counting but eating a little bit of everything and not feeling deprived. : )0
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I am a bit older. I checked with 3 of my doctors and was told to eat 1000 calories a day to lose. If I eat 1200 I gain weight Much of it is age. In my 30's..40's I lost so easy. Now at 60 it is difficult.
Doctors are not the greatest to take nutrition advice from. THey know barely anything about nutrition and anyone who does shouldn't be telling someone it's ok to eat so litte.
I would rather take advice from a nutritionist or dietician. They really know about food.0 -
That's it. They are old, or shorter, or older and shorter than you... less active, more active, physically disabiled..their needs might be different....Their goals might be different.
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
The people in this thread do not know their BMRs. That is the issue.
They must be short & not weigh that much if they have BMRs that low, or old as I reckon age plays a part? I'm 5'5 120 24yrs old & my BMR is higher than 1200.
I'm not advocating at 1200 calorie diet. Just wondering why folks are being such absolutists without considering lives and (importantly) life styles that differ from their own.
I could be on the chit chat section harping on everyone who doesn't put 400 a month into their 401k. That's where I'm at. Others may be thinking: wtf is a 401k and why do I care? My lifestyle and my needs may be different than theirs.
And please, don't bring up snowflakes.0 -
I lost 65 pounds on a doctor supervised Very low calorie diet (900-1100). They did regular blood work and we saw a doctor weekly. I don't think it would be a good thing to do without a doctor's supervision. It is my understanding that you can really mess yourself up without some medical monitoring. Right now I am trying to learn to maintain an intermediate weight before going down a bit more.
One of the things I find interesting on this site is the horror some people show about other people eating 1200 calories per day. That is actually my doctor recommended caloric intake at the moment. One of the reasons I don't post much on the message boards is that I really am not interested in what other posters think of what I am doing under a doctor's supervision.
Also, I don't succeed at it much LOL, which is part of the learning process. I am learning a lot about portions, servings, and the more emotional aspects of my previous eating habits.
It's a journey, not a destination for me. There are more aspects to people's relationship with food than their calorie intake.
the horror (as you say) is not from somebody eating 1200 calories... it's from somebody pulling that number out of thin air without any sort of understanding how it applies to their actual BMR/TDEE and what the nutritional and metabolic consequences may be trying to adhere to that, as well as the problem with future weight gain because VLCD are notoriously hard to maintain for a long time.
if Special Snowflake #1 comes onto the site and insists that she's just fine with 1200 calories and how dare anyone tell her otherwise, you have to realize that most people replying aren't really replying for her benefit. they are replying for the benefit of all the lurkers and those who might find the thread in the future.
we don't want anyone to approach this "journey" without a good understanding of why weight loss occurs. that's the issue. if each individual person learns that information, but decides that they still want to try the 1200-calorie thing, then that's their business. it really doesn't affect anybody else. but if they post a thread insisting that it really does work and that everyone is different and blah blah blah... well, many of us feel we MUST say something just for those who may be susceptible to being misled by that misinformation.
Beautiful response.
I was one of those lurkers last May. I had lost about 35 pounds, but my weight loss had stalled and I wanted to figure out why. I was also exhausted almost all of the time...I had "bursts of energy," but with the amount of exercise I was doing, I believed I should've had more. Turns out that, for the amount of exercise I was doing, I was undereating by around 500 calories a day. So I gradually began increasing my calorie intake by 100 more a day over several weeks. I lost about 1-1 1/2 pounds/week after that, my energy increased, and I stopped feeling famished all the time.
Now I lose on 1800-2000/day and maintain on @2300/day. I still have about 6-8 pounds I'd like to lose, but I'm pretty happy with the way I look and feel.
I am not telling my story to push an "eat more" agenda, I am simply pointing out that it works. And if you're interested in seeing the results, take a look at my before/after photos.0 -
Everybody who decides to lose weight does so for their own reasons.
Everybody chooses the way in which they will achieve this for themselves.
Everybody has the same access to information on HEALTHY weight loss methods.
Everybody has the same access to information on UNHEALTHY weight loss methods.
It would be nice to think that everybody would have the sense to choose a healthy method, but unfortunately they don't.
I am glad that I gathered all the information I could before embarking on my weight loss programme, but I would also like to thank the many MFP'ers who took the time to make comments on posts on the message boards which steered me towards the brilliant piece of information that I can EAT and LOSE WEIGHT, which has resulted in an even healthier weight loss.
I have never before ENJOYED losing weight and getting fit in the past and know that this is working. I wouldn't do it any other way.
GREAT response!!0 -
A round number. Mines not 2000. It's actually a bit higher, because I work out. But my BMR is only 1300ish.
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
Less that a few percent of the population and almost no one that is obese has a TDEE below 1400.
Median TDEE In America is recognized at the nice round number of 2000 for women. It is likely a little higher as per the Geneva study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320913).
Median.0 -
Yes, I have. I'm starting at a high weight (285) and workout about an hour and a half a day as well as weight training and LOTS of water.0
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You've all provided very good feedback and I definitely learned from it, but I can't help but notice the rude tone of a lot of the responses. Is it necessary? Aren't we here to help each other out without giving each other the third degree? I know you want to help, but when people feel attacked, they just get defensive and don't tend to learn from the advise. Just a thought...0
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I lost weight (about 10 lbs) on 1200 calories per day, then gained it back, then lost it again, and round and round we go for over a year. I was exhausted all the time, cranky, and felt like crap. I would binge when I got hungry. Then, I lost significantly more (a further 32 lbs) at 1700-1900 calories per day combined with a good strength training and fitness program eating back all my exercise calories.
The worst part of it wasn't the yo-yoing with my weight, but the long-term damage done to my hunger signaling. As has already been mentioned here, it's very easy when eating too low for too long for the body to adapt and for you to longer feel hungry. Well, that happened to me. Worst part is, it never got better. So all through my pregnancy and when I was eating more and working out, I ate not from hunger, but because I knew I needed to fuel myself. I still rarely actually feel hungry even if I haven't eaten all day. It may sound "awesome" but it actually sucks. It is not difficult for me to go all day long without eating if I'm not careful. Intuitive eating will probably never work for me now.
Long story short, learn your TDEE and eat at a slight deficit to that. Eat to fuel yourself. Weight loss shouldn't be a race to see who loses the fastest. Take your time. Learn to be consistent with your calorie intake and patient. Get on a solid fitness program doing whatever you like. PLEASE do not undereat. It's not worth the potential consequences.0 -
I'm sorry, I don't understand what point you're trying to make? Many people in the low end of 'healthy' according to bmi standards will be towards that number. I'm headed into the 1200s soon too. Like I said, you'll still lose weight eating much more. Why would any healthy person have a need to eat as little as possible just for a number on a scale when they're a healthy weight? Especially when they could eat much more then that and still be the same number. It seems like a very unhealthy thought to me.
Sure, but they're not. I'm pushing 50 and at 5'6" and 132lbs my BMR is heading into the 1200s soon... My sister at 50 and 5'2" has a BMR around 1000....
Pshh, they wish they were lol.
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...
Not everyone is 20 years old.0 -
I'm no where near the low end of the BMI scale.
I'm sorry, I don't understand what point you're trying to make? Many people in the low end of 'healthy' according to bmi standards will be towards that number. I'm headed into the 1200s soon too. Like I said, you'll still lose weight eating much more. Why would any healthy person have a need to eat as little as possible just for a number on a scale when they're a healthy weight? Especially when they could eat much more then that and still be the same number. It seems like a very unhealthy thought to me.
Sure, but they're not. I'm pushing 50 and at 5'6" and 132lbs my BMR is heading into the 1200s soon... My sister at 50 and 5'2" has a BMR around 1000....
Pshh, they wish they were lol.
What if someone's BMR is below 1200? Some folks BMR is less than 1200.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
This is very true. But as far as a healthy person with no diseases go...or a person who can increase their BMR to what it should be by eating sensibly...the math shows that I'd have to be about 85 pounds (at 5'7). And if we talk about shorties, a 20 year old 4'9er would still have to be under 85 lbs for their BMR to be less then 1200...and even if they were...they'd still lose on that...For their TDEE to be under 1200 at 4'9 they would have to weigh under 44 lbs. Not a look I think people should go for...
Not everyone is 20 years old.
Nevermind.
a question as I go? How long have you maintained your weight loss?0 -
Sure I lost 50 lbs eating 900 calories a day. Guess what happened? I gained it ALL back and then some! Not a good way to lose weight.0
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Who are the folks on this thread being 'absolutists'? I didn't see anyone say nobody should do this diet in any circumstance?
That's it. They are old, or shorter, or older and shorter than you... less active, more active, physically disabiled..their needs might be different....Their goals might be different.
Some folks BMR is less than 1000.Anyone can lose on less that 1200 a day, the question is, is it weight you wanna lose weight or mostly fat? Cuz eating that low will promote more muscle loss.
The people in this thread do not know their BMRs. That is the issue.
They must be short & not weigh that much if they have BMRs that low, or old as I reckon age plays a part? I'm 5'5 120 24yrs old & my BMR is higher than 1200.
I'm not advocating at 1200 calorie diet. Just wondering why folks are being such absolutists without considering lives and (importantly) life styles that differ from their own.
I could be on the chit chat section harping on everyone who doesn't put 400 a month into their 401k. That's where I'm at. Others may be thinking: wtf is a 401k and why do I care? My lifestyle and my needs may be different than theirs.
And please, don't bring up snowflakes.0
This discussion has been closed.
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