success stories from 1200 calorie dieters wanted

I very much agree with everything you said, and you look great by the way! I am now at that maintenance stage and I need to figure out how to maintain. For the last month I haven't really logged or exercised to much just to see how I would do without MFP and I haven't gained. Now I want to tone up more but I don't want to get too muscular so I am not sure how to do that yet.

You need to change your profile pic to this with that success!:




It's a different world at maintenance. I wish you the best of luck in figuring out what goals to achieve next !

Unfortunately I did not get any feedback from my previous message and I would really appreciate some help here (I'm asking for my wife as she does not speak enough English to ask this herself). If you have any feedback please do share!

My wife is in a "1200 calorie - related" situation right now which is not working too much. According to MFP she should eat 1200 calories a day.

She is about 5¨1 (1.55 meters) and has a thin complexion. Her current weight is about 112 lbs.

She wants to loose about 5 pounds, but the thing is those 5 pounds showing in her arms and belly (she really wants to loose her belly fat as although she is of a thin complexion her belly does not make her comfortable at all). She is kind of pear shaped I guess.

Thing is that we started MFP about 3 weeks ago, and while I've been dropping weight consistently (I am VERY overweight), she has not lost a single pound. She is (of course) getting frustrated as she has been exercising about 30 minutes per day and has not gone above the 1200 calorie limit per day. Also, she does not usually eat back her exercise calories (she basically does cardio and lately has added about 50 situps after her cardio). We have done a lot of "healthy cooking" at home and have pretty much not eaten any fried stuff (for example) and have kept it low fat and a lot of vegetables and high protein...

Any tips/ideas for her? I checked her TEEE (or however it's spelled, we're new in this) and that one minus 20% would be about 1400 calories instead of 1200...

According to MFP she should loose about 1 pound every 2 weeks, but then again it's been 3 weeks and she has not lost anything (I believe her face is a bit thinner as are her legs/thighs, but she does not see it that way)... It's also hard for her since I have been losing weight steadily.

I/she appreciates any feedback!

Unfortunately I did not get any feedback from my previous message and I would really appreciate some help here (I'm asking for my wife as she does not speak enough English to ask this herself). If you have any feedback please do share!

My wife is in a "1200 calorie - related" situation right now which is not working too much. According to MFP she should eat 1200 calories a day.

She is about 5¨1 (1.55 meters) and has a thin complexion. Her current weight is about 112 lbs.

She wants to loose about 5 pounds, but the thing is those 5 pounds showing in her arms and belly (she really wants to loose her belly fat as although she is of a thin complexion her belly does not make her comfortable at all). She is kind of pear shaped I guess.

Thing is that we started MFP about 3 weeks ago, and while I've been dropping weight consistently (I am VERY overweight), she has not lost a single pound. She is (of course) getting frustrated as she has been exercising about 30 minutes per day and has not gone above the 1200 calorie limit per day. Also, she does not usually eat back her exercise calories (she basically does cardio and lately has added about 50 situps after her cardio). We have done a lot of "healthy cooking" at home and have pretty much not eaten any fried stuff (for example) and have kept it low fat and a lot of vegetables and high protein...

Any tips/ideas for her? I checked her TEEE (or however it's spelled, we're new in this) and that one minus 20% would be about 1400 calories instead of 1200...

According to MFP she should loose about 1 pound every 2 weeks, but then again it's been 3 weeks and she has not lost anything (I believe her face is a bit thinner as are her legs/thighs, but she does not see it that way)... It's also hard for her since I have been losing weight steadily.

I/she appreciates any feedback!

I was going to respond before but don't really have much experience to relate to someone this size. But if it were me, trying to lose only 5 calories, I'd focus on working it off rather than dieting it off.

Unfortunately I did not get any feedback from my previous message and I would really appreciate some help here (I'm asking for my wife as she does not speak enough English to ask this herself). If you have any feedback please do share!

My wife is in a "1200 calorie - related" situation right now which is not working too much. According to MFP she should eat 1200 calories a day.

She is about 5¨1 (1.55 meters) and has a thin complexion. Her current weight is about 112 lbs.

She wants to loose about 5 pounds, but the thing is those 5 pounds showing in her arms and belly (she really wants to loose her belly fat as although she is of a thin complexion her belly does not make her comfortable at all). She is kind of pear shaped I guess.

Thing is that we started MFP about 3 weeks ago, and while I've been dropping weight consistently (I am VERY overweight), she has not lost a single pound. She is (of course) getting frustrated as she has been exercising about 30 minutes per day and has not gone above the 1200 calorie limit per day. Also, she does not usually eat back her exercise calories (she basically does cardio and lately has added about 50 situps after her cardio). We have done a lot of "healthy cooking" at home and have pretty much not eaten any fried stuff (for example) and have kept it low fat and a lot of vegetables and high protein...

Any tips/ideas for her? I checked her TEEE (or however it's spelled, we're new in this) and that one minus 20% would be about 1400 calories instead of 1200...

According to MFP she should loose about 1 pound every 2 weeks, but then again it's been 3 weeks and she has not lost anything (I believe her face is a bit thinner as are her legs/thighs, but she does not see it that way)... It's also hard for her since I have been losing weight steadily.

I/she appreciates any feedback!

Curious to know why someone that height/weight would be trying so hard to fight their body for a few pounds.

Good job and you look great, but I would prefer more muscle definition. Not sure you can get that at 1200 calories.
Thoughts?

This is quite possibly the rudest comment I have ever read (not the first sentence-the second). Perhaps YOU would prefer to see more muscle definition, perhaps others would too. More muscle definition aligns with YOUR goals. This person posted pics of their success as defined by them and their goals. Just because they don't necessarily align with your goals doesn't make their success invalid. I know she said she's started working with weights to tone. It just makes me angry that someone has put pics of what they consider success and have someone respond with - eh, that's not what I consider success.

Not even addressing the whole notion that people "doing" 1200 must post pics or there's no value or credibility in their success.

We all have different goals, we all are in different places towards reaching those goals. I started out morbidly obese looking fairly similar to the Michelen Man. I now look like my profile pic. I am not "done", but I'm no longer morbidly obese and run 25-30 miles a week. That's success to me and I don't care if that's how you define success. I net 1200 (actually a little under that).

This thread makes me sad.

Um, wow! This seems a bit of an over-reaction to me. The responder said the poster in the pics looked great. And they mentioned that they had a different body preference for themselves. How is that rude?

I've gotten this same reaction when I say I don't want as much definition as some women, even if I give them compliments on meeting their own personal goals.

In either instance, why is rude to have a different goal?

It's not rude to have different goals. I consider it rude to compare someone else's success to goals that are not theirs. Perhaps some non-weight loss examples will help:

To someone that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and months/years renovating a house:
"Nice house. I don't like historical homes, and the paint colors are too bright, and I wouldn't have this furniture either. You need another decorator."

To someone who has scrimped and saved to purchase a car in cash:
"Nice car. I would have taken a loan to buy new-or at least a nicer used car. What's a little but of a loan for a better product? What you spent on this car could have put a down payment on something nicer."

People posting success pics are posting the results of hard work for which they are proud (and should be proud). Congratulating someone on achieving their goals (whatever they may be) is great. Letting them know that their definition of success doesn't match theirs is belittling their goals and the work they have done to achieve them (because it essentially says "I don't value what you did"). You can work towards whatever you want to work towards, as can everyone. But comparing someone else's success towards their goals in comparison to your goals is rude.

But you extrapolated into insults that the other poster did not. The responding post never said the first poster needed something different or wasn't good enough. The response said "you look great" and "I want something different".

More along the lines of "Hey, nice sports nice car, but personally I'd want something with more passenger room."

Ok-so I see why you are so confused at the reactions you have gotten when you've responded to other threads saying you prefer less definition. Your preferences and desires have zero place in commenting on the achievements of others. The fact that you prefer other things is fine. That's what makes the world go around. Tacking an "I prefer something different" implies "I don't like what you have/did." So "nice sports car, I'd want something with more passenger room" says your car is of no value to me because it doesn't have what I like.

Ate 1200 for two months last year, lost 10 pounds.. it's been a year and even though I've been eating around 1500-2000 some days I've still been able to keep the weight off so yes 1200 works but you still have to be in control, dont start eating a lot like before once you lose or everything will come back

Good job and you look great, but I would prefer more muscle definition. Not sure you can get that at 1200 calories.
Thoughts?

This is quite possibly the rudest comment I have ever read (not the first sentence-the second). Perhaps YOU would prefer to see more muscle definition, perhaps others would too. More muscle definition aligns with YOUR goals. This person posted pics of their success as defined by them and their goals. Just because they don't necessarily align with your goals doesn't make their success invalid. I know she said she's started working with weights to tone. It just makes me angry that someone has put pics of what they consider success and have someone respond with - eh, that's not what I consider success.

Not even addressing the whole notion that people "doing" 1200 must post pics or there's no value or credibility in their success.

We all have different goals, we all are in different places towards reaching those goals. I started out morbidly obese looking fairly similar to the Michelen Man. I now look like my profile pic. I am not "done", but I'm no longer morbidly obese and run 25-30 miles a week. That's success to me and I don't care if that's how you define success. I net 1200 (actually a little under that).

This thread makes me sad.

Um, wow! This seems a bit of an over-reaction to me. The responder said the poster in the pics looked great. And they mentioned that they had a different body preference for themselves. How is that rude?

I've gotten this same reaction when I say I don't want as much definition as some women, even if I give them compliments on meeting their own personal goals.

In either instance, why is rude to have a different goal?

It's not rude to have different goals. I consider it rude to compare someone else's success to goals that are not theirs. Perhaps some non-weight loss examples will help:

To someone that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and months/years renovating a house:
"Nice house. I don't like historical homes, and the paint colors are too bright, and I wouldn't have this furniture either. You need another decorator."

To someone who has scrimped and saved to purchase a car in cash:
"Nice car. I would have taken a loan to buy new-or at least a nicer used car. What's a little but of a loan for a better product? What you spent on this car could have put a down payment on something nicer."

People posting success pics are posting the results of hard work for which they are proud (and should be proud). Congratulating someone on achieving their goals (whatever they may be) is great. Letting them know that their definition of success doesn't match theirs is belittling their goals and the work they have done to achieve them (because it essentially says "I don't value what you did"). You can work towards whatever you want to work towards, as can everyone. But comparing someone else's success towards their goals in comparison to your goals is rude.

But you extrapolated into insults that the other poster did not. The responding post never said the first poster needed something different or wasn't good enough. The response said "you look great" and "I want something different".

More along the lines of "Hey, nice sports nice car, but personally I'd want something with more passenger room."

Ok-so I see why you are so confused at the reactions you have gotten when you've responded to other threads saying you prefer less definition. Your preferences and desires have zero place in commenting on the achievements of others. The fact that you prefer other things is fine. That's what makes the world go around. Tacking an "I prefer something different" implies "I don't like what you have/did." So "nice sports car, I'd want something with more passenger room" says your car is of no value to me because it doesn't have what I like.

No, not true. You choosing to infer insult, does not = insult implied. Although why would it matter if I thought you car was of value to me? The important thing is whether it is of value to you, right?

This is my second go on the 1200 calories deal and so far today im at 500 calories and im starting to feel full all the time and for me to consume 700 more will be a struggle...i hate the idea of feeling like i gotta eat more just to not seem like i gotta eating disorder..different bodies handle caloric intake differently....i have one cheat day a week to eat whatever i want and even then im still only eating 1800 calories...so long as you eat low calories filling foods and eat only when hungry you should be good...i know the body goes into starvation mode when its intentionally being denied food, and instead of burning fat it stores it because it thinks its starving

When everyone says I am set at 1200 calories does that mean Net or Gross? I think the topic can be confusing unless you are saying net or gross behind your 1200 number. I am set at 1200 and eat 1200 NET. So I am really eating more than 1200 calories.

there is absolutely no reason to keelhaul a person that asks if they can achieve similar results and a little muscle definition and wants an opinion from a successful person.

That was very uncalled for, for you to attack them for asking for help. But it isnt my business. Please carry on with your bad self.

You are correct. This is the beauty of the Internet. The initial post closed not with "can you help me", it closed with "thoughts?". You interpreted that to mean, "can you help me?", I interpreted that to mean "let's discuss" (in the charming way mfp "discusses" cleanses & raspberry ketones and 1200 calories in general). Had the comment ended with "can you help me?" That's very different and non-interpretable. I would not have keel hauled someone asking for help. "Thoughts?" Can be interpreted many, many ways.