any 1200 calorie success stories?

I think we must all remember that 1200 cals of junk food is ALOT LESS than 1200 cals of healthy eating. If you stick to grain, fruits and vegetables and avoid fillers like soda and candy. then 1200 cals, especially for a woman is maintainable.

I think the thing is can you eat 1200 calories forever. I mean I am not going to lie I did it for a while but then I stopped losing weight so I increased my cals and I started losing again. Everyone is different. Do what is best for you and your weight loss journey!! Good luck!

I think we must all remember that 1200 cals of junk food is ALOT LESS than 1200 cals of healthy eating. If you stick to grain, fruits and vegetables and avoid fillers like soda and candy. then 1200 cals, especially for a woman is maintainable.

^^^^this^^^^^

eating clean and healthy means you get to eat at least twice as much as you would if you were eating crap. i generally eat 1000-1200 a day (minus my cheat day when i'm closer to 1300) and i feel fantastic. i have more energy now that i have ever had. i workout 6 days a week. i am 5'4" and if i'm hungry, i eat. but i eat GOOD food. food that fuels my workouts and feeds my muscles. of course this is not going to work or a 20 something boy who has an appetite comparable to an entire football team... two completely different bodies, two completely different needs. i HATE when people harp on what works (and works well and healthy) for other people. just because you eat more and you have results does not mean you are some sort of food/calorie/body genius.

I can promise you this, you won't fill me up on 1200 calories, you would just make me mad.

You are a 26 yo male. Of course you shouldn't be eating 1200 cals per day. It certainly would not be appropriate for you. But it certainly IS appropriate and works for many others.

Just curious, however, I see you have lost well over 100 pounds. How long did it take you to lose that much? 4 yrs?

The question I have is: if you CAN eat more than 1200 calories/day and still lose weight, why wouldn't you?

The question is what if you can't lose weight eating more than 1200?

the question is... have you tried for more than a week or 2?

I started here at the end of August, on my 49th birthday. I am 5'6" and other than riding my bike 3-4 days a week, I am fairly sedentary. My TDEE is around 1700, so 1200 a day gives me a fairly steady 1 pound a week loss.

Of course, for a 25 yo male, or even active female, 1200 would not be appropriate long term, or perhaps even short term.
If your TDEE is 3000, then you can eat 2000 cals a day and lose 2 pounds a week. But that is not the case for many people.

I have been staying around 1200 for the past 7 months and have lost almost 40 pounds in that time. I still have about 40 more to go, so I will stay at this level for another 20 pounds or so, then start working my way up to maintenance level, which should be around 1500-1600 for me when I get to goal weight.
If I could lose 1 pound a week while eating more, then I would probably relax a bit, but that is not the case for me. Over the holidays I ate around 1500 a day, and stalled for several weeks, even with increasing my exercise a bit. I ended up overdoing the exercise and my back went out so I reduced my cals back to 1200 while I was recovering, and was happy to see the weight loss return. I have been losing 1 pound a week steadily ever since. I keep my exercise in moderation now and it is working just fine.

The trick is making those calories count. I shoot for 90-100 gr of Protein (360-400 cals) and 50 g of healthy fats (450 cals) per day which leaves 350-400 cals of high fiber veggies and fruit to bulk up the meals.
I eat 3 meals (around 300c each) plus 2-4 snacks per day, and feel like I am eating all day long.
I don't go hungry, don't binge or crave carbs, and have more energy and strength than I have had for years.

You have to find the calorie level and food/exercise plan that works for YOU. You can't compare yourself to someone else, or depend on an online calculator to tell you what is right for you and your situation.

Because you eat less and exercise less, doesn't mean you are lazy.
Because you eat more and exercise more, doesn't mean you don't have self discipline.

Figure out what works best for you, and ignore the noise.

No. I eat 3200 calories a day and stil lose right at .5 a pound a week. Unless you're 4'11" or you have to for medical purposes, I see no point in eating a 1200 calorie diet. Especially if you're working out as well.

This^^^

I am 4'10" tall and 49 years old, so when I do not exercise I need to stay at 1200 calories or below. If I exercise I allow myself to eat back about half of my exercise calories.

I believe I am a 1200 success story ....... I lost my first 28 lbs eating at around 1200 cals, it took me 3 months eating that low, then I maintained it for a year .... I still had more weight to lose so I am back to lose the rest of it ... but this time (at it 2 months already) Im eating higher (1600) and so far seem to be losing also ..... The reason I am eating higher cals this time round is because my life is much more active than it was.............. I'm 5'6"

The question I have is: if you CAN eat more than 1200 calories/day and still lose weight, why wouldn't you?

Would you lose the same amount of weight in the same amount of time by eating more cals? I think the obvious answer is no. So that could be one reason.

It's not a race, why do you HAVE to lose weight FAST? You don't.

ACTUALLY yes, I do, for surgical reasons.
Don't assume people are all trying to do it at their own pace, for any given reason, they may need/want to lose it fast.

Edit: I don't personally religiously keep to 1200 cal diet, sometimes I eat less out of sheer circumstances that the food I eat isn't necessarily high cal.
My point still stands, if people want to keep to a 1200 cal diet to lose weight fast, be that perhaps a non-healthy decision, then they will regardless of your input.