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

12346

Replies

  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
    I'm not sure? You have to do the work yourself that's for sure. Just asking people for the answer won't be enough. Research nutrition and the what/why of it all. In the meantime, do the best you can!
    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.

    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.....this was exactly my problem.
    edit
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    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.
    Some folks BMR is less than 1000.
    What does BMR have to do with it? Weight loss comes from eating at a deficit from your TDEE - and I doubt anybody here has a TDEE below 1000.
    But the whole thread was based on the 1200 calorie premise...my point: some folks BMR is at, around or below 1200. So why do we act like 1200 calories is the death knell for all people of all ages?
  • smitty24
    smitty24 Posts: 63
    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.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    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.

    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.
    Exactly!!! it took you "years of research" to get where you are... so why do folks mock folks who aren't there yet?
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    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.

    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.....this was exactly my problem.

    this blog post seems appropriate here:

    "A personal letter to the 1200 calorie dieters"

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/mongoosedog/view/a-personal-letter-to-the-1200-calorie-dieters-481934
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    To the OP - just curious why you asked a question when you were going to do whatever you wanted anyway? The only poster you have thanked was the one telling people they weren't serious about dieting unless they ate 1200 or less.

    Tell that to the 20+ pounds of fat I lost while eating 1700 a day.......

    Seriously. Do what you want, but don't come back here crying when you hit middle age and have stuffed your metabolism so badly that you have to eat 1200 just to maintain.


    Ohhhh HUSH IT!! She was NICE for a change so I basically thanked for her kindness that's pretty much what I meant!! Don't worry WON'T be coming back complaining!!
    Just think about it for a second. Say you cared about someones health and you saw that they were being pulled in by a bunch of people who only wanted to show one side of what you thought was a very unhealthy healthy thing when the majority of people in that group don't appear to see the other options. Did you expect everyone to come in and be nice and happy about it?

    Some people have ended up going down that road and suffering for it all because they didn't listen to those 'rude' voices:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/572503-why-you-should-eat-more-a-lion-s-tale
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
  • Cynclancurrie
    Cynclancurrie Posts: 73
    I lost a lot of weight eating about 500 cal a day. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that this would trigger a descent into depression that I still fight today. Nutrition is a strange thing. Hope we learn more about it. But I must warn those who have a tendency toward mental illness If you find yourself eating almost nothing, you may end up becoming depressed.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    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.
    Some folks BMR is less than 1000.
    What does BMR have to do with it? Weight loss comes from eating at a deficit from your TDEE - and I doubt anybody here has a TDEE below 1000.
    But the whole thread was based on the 1200 calorie premise...my point: some folks BMR is at, around or below 1200. So why do we act like 1200 calories is the death knell for all people of all ages?
    So your point is that some peoples energy expenditure is much more then that? I thought your point was that they could need lower...1200 is quite an arbitrarily low number for everyone. Same with 1201 and so forth. The 'death knell' should be a ratio but somewhere along the lines the masses decided that everyone was the same height weight and muscle mass and since people like to lose weight fast (and some people need to and refuse or cannot do it with exercise, and apparently skinny and sedentary is better then over weight and sedentary) below 1200 was the lowest value for a women and 1500 was the lowest for a man. New and more extreme circumstances exists by the day.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    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.
    Can I steal you away from here and pump you full of scholarly studies and treat you like an experiment doll? :D
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    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
  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
    Short answer: yes. Better answer: Why would you want to? Food is delicious for a reason.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    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
    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
    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
    ditto.......not good for you because you gain it back by eating more.
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
    Yeah and what was your body fat before and after? Sounds like a lot of valuable lean muscle lost.
  • RoseVernon
    RoseVernon Posts: 88
    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
    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: 4,733 Member
    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: 18,343 Member
    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
    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
    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
    Do you people ever read my postings?????
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Do you people ever read my postings?????

    yes.
  • robsnest64
    robsnest64 Posts: 9
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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

    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!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories