Has anyone lost weight eating less than 1200 calories a day?

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  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Short answer: yes. Better answer: Why would you want to? Food is delicious for a reason.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Bye-bye muscle and hello never being able to eat normal again without re-gaining weight at lightning speed. Thanks to the muscle you lost in your low cal loss it will be even harder to lose again. Also, if someone is beginning at an obese level and attempts to lose that way they will most likely look absolutely deflated.
    ^This is what I'm afraid of...

    I'm hovering above >1200 a day, not really dipping under (<1200). Despite exercising regularly with both cardio and weights - alternating. Weight initially dipped straight away and has fallen off gradually since, but despite my increased exercising the fitter I've gotten of late, my loss of weight has slowed. Almost to a plateau point. A point of a review or assessment perhaps?

    I'm looking healthier (been told) and feeling healthier but I'm keen on losing more. So my diet or intake type may need a tweak..

    or even my exercising needs quality and not quantity?
    It's sad that all of the basics aren't readily available at easy obvious access with citations and explanations. Took me years of research to figure it all out and weed through the bulls*it.
    ^This is where I'm at. > Weeding and trying to figure out the answers to my body.
    I'll give you my .02 - I think any healthy young man of average or greater size who eats anywhere near 1200 calories a day is completely out of his mind. I'm 50 years old, lift 3x/wk and mix in a bit of cardio and I'm still losing (verrry slowly, but that's by design) on 2400 cal/day. If you're young and active, your TDEE is probably close to 3000 cal/day - you're creating a HUGE deficit by eating that low, then further deepening the deficit by exercise. If one of your goals is to hang on to lean body mass while you lose the fat, you couldn't be doing it any more wrong, IMO.

    Do yourself a favor; take a minute to read this article:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html


    Then go to these threads and get your calorie intake straightened out:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
    ^oh look, fantastic links full of great hidden complex useful info that is explained in a way that can be easily absorbed. And a bunch of educated smart people wrote it! And it supports healthy eating and lifestyle. What a revolutionary idea.
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
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    Me!!! My BMR was measured at 950, so if I had eaten anywhere near 1200 I would have actually GAINED weight!!! So, yeah, I ate at 800 calories for almost a full year and lost 30 pounds. And guess what?? Now, my BMR is at 1200 and my TDEE is at 1900, so I've been able to maintain at 1500-1700 calories. So, yeah, eating under 1200 had no long-term effect on my metabolism (it actually improved) and I have tons of muscle for someone of my height. Look at my pics if you don't believe me.
  • ihemby
    ihemby Posts: 4
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    Just wondering why I have only lost 7lbs. I average about 900 calories a day. Not on purpose, I just eat when I'm hungry and I make myself eat breakfast. I have tried switching up what I eat to lower my fat and raise my calories but I still don't get to 1300 a day. I drink 80 oz of water daily and it seems like I'm getting nowhere.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    ditto.......not good for you because you gain it back by eating more.
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
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    Yeah and what was your body fat before and after? Sounds like a lot of valuable lean muscle lost.
  • RoseVernon
    RoseVernon Posts: 88
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    I can ONLY loose weight if I keep my calories around 1000. I usually don't admit that because people get really upset about it. BUT! That's what works for me sooo, oh well peeps. ;-D
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
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    That was me, too! I can tell you, I haven't lost any muscle mass (actually gained it) and maintained when I started to eat more. 1200+ just doesn't work for everyone.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Just wondering why I have only lost 7lbs. I average about 900 calories a day. Not on purpose, I just eat when I'm hungry and I make myself eat breakfast. I have tried switching up what I eat to lower my fat and raise my calories but I still don't get to 1300 a day. I drink 80 oz of water daily and it seems like I'm getting nowhere.

    continually eating at too low a calorie level is treated by your body as a state of stress. IIRC, more cortisol is released as a result, and this in turn makes burning your stored fat even harder. so the consequence of these very low calorie diets over prolonged periods of time is precisely what you're experiencing.

    i can't say for sure that's what is happening with you, because there could be other factors involved (such as medical conditions), but i honestly would expect any adult trying to live on 900 calories a day to eventually run into the same problem you are seeing.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Just wondering why I have only lost 7lbs. I average about 900 calories a day. Not on purpose, I just eat when I'm hungry and I make myself eat breakfast. I have tried switching up what I eat to lower my fat and raise my calories but I still don't get to 1300 a day. I drink 80 oz of water daily and it seems like I'm getting nowhere.

    continually eating at too low a calorie level is treated by your body as a state of stress. IIRC, more cortisol is released as a result, and this in turn makes burning your stored fat even harder. so the consequence of these very low calorie diets over prolonged periods of time is precisely what you're experiencing.

    i can't say for sure that's what is happening with you, because there could be other factors involved (such as medical conditions), but i honestly would expect any adult trying to live on 900 calories a day to eventually run into the same problem you are seeing.
    Word.

    Once again:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • ihemby
    ihemby Posts: 4
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    continually eating at too low a calorie level is treated by your body as a state of stress. IIRC, more cortisol is released as a result, and this in turn makes burning your stored fat even harder. so the consequence of these very low calorie diets over prolonged periods of time is precisely what you're experiencing.

    i can't say for sure that's what is happening with you, because there could be other factors involved (such as medical conditions), but i honestly would expect any adult trying to live on 900 calories a day to eventually run into the same problem you are seeing.
    [/quote]

    I don't know what more I can eat. I'm not trying to starve myself. I am watching what I eat meaning no white bread, rice or pasta. I don't want to eat anything processed so I'm limited on my choices. I'm used to doing very low carb diets, (I'm not doing low carb now though) so it's nothing for me to have a protein shake for lunch or dinner and not be hungry. I need to know what more I can eat to get up to 1300 calories so I can lose this weight!
  • kaylinn9
    kaylinn9 Posts: 112
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    Actually, I'm restricting myself to around 900 calories a day. I almost always go over, but I need that type of restriction so that I don't let myself even more leway when I raise it up to 1000.

    1200 just never worked for me.

    And yes, it works. But like so many people on here say, it's not the best long-term health decision. If you binge once/twice, you'll gain it all back and more. Takes a lot of self-control and motivation.
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
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    Do you people ever read my postings?????
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Do you people ever read my postings?????

    yes.
  • robsnest64
    robsnest64 Posts: 9
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    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.


    Totally agree. Its a lifestyle change NOT a diet!!!

    Half the battle is in the mindset that you approach your weightloss with.:smile:
  • trishylocks
    trishylocks Posts: 11
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    I lost 40pds in 2 mths, eating about 600 calories a day.. I however ended up gaining it all back +10.. So it didnt really work out in the long run for me.
  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
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    Simplest answer came from my trainer hubb- eat CLEAN, enough and the specific macros you need at the appropriate times. You will need to research what that means in depth. Lift HEAVY and in the appropriate way (again- research as its likely not what you think). And lastly, NEVER give up.


    That's all I've got.

    :)
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    i figure..I didn't gain it overnight so I shouldn't expect it to fall off overnight..I in the past restricted to the point I developed an ED..I still struggle sometimes..I don't recommend under-eating, it only leads to difficult things..whether loss of muscle mass, extreme hunger, or in my case an ED.
  • BaileyBoo13524
    BaileyBoo13524 Posts: 593 Member
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    It's so sad to see posts like this when men and women alike can eat so much more food than that AND still lose weight and KEEP it off!
  • smitty24
    smitty24 Posts: 63
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    I'll give you my .02 - I think any healthy young man of average or greater size who eats anywhere near 1200 calories a day is completely out of his mind. I'm 50 years old, lift 3x/wk and mix in a bit of cardio and I'm still losing (verrry slowly, but that's by design) on 2400 cal/day. If you're young and active, your TDEE is probably close to 3000 cal/day - you're creating a HUGE deficit by eating that low, then further deepening the deficit by exercise. If one of your goals is to hang on to lean body mass while you lose the fat, you couldn't be doing it any more wrong, IMO.

    Do yourself a favor; take a minute to read this article:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html


    Then go to these threads and get your calorie intake straightened out:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Thanks!
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