Eating under 1200

arozman2
arozman2 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is eating under 1200 calories really bad?? Why can't I lose weight. I'm eating under my calorie goal but still can't :(:( someone please help
«1

Replies

  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
    Yeah, it pretty much sucks. Trust me, I'm a doctor.
  • Toddahlie
    Toddahlie Posts: 116 Member
    Because you body think that it has to reserve some calories and fat and for that reason you don't lose weight
  • RunEatLift
    RunEatLift Posts: 68
    Your body thinking it's starving so it's holding onto your fat. You're really going to slow down your metabolism eating that little - it's unnecessary.
  • arozman2
    arozman2 Posts: 27 Member
    So if I eat 1200 though is that enough!
  • newfie_74
    newfie_74 Posts: 11 Member
    I think it's trial-and-error. I was setting 1200 as my net calorie goal, and didn't lose anything. Bumped it up to 1400 and it's starting to come off. You need to feed your metabolism.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    :mad: :explode: :huh:
  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
    If you eat 1200 you will start losing again but you will stall again as it is still not enough. I eat 1400 and I am only 5' 2" and as long as I stick to it I lose every week :smile:
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    :mad: :explode: :huh:

    x2

    ...for the love already
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    Look up eat more to weigh less on the forums here, there is some really good info about it. I can personally say that it works I now eat anywhere from 1500-2300 calories per day averaging about 1800 per day and I have been consistently loosing 2+pounds per week. Think of it this way you need to eat to fuel your work outs.
  • caleo2006
    caleo2006 Posts: 22 Member
    Look up eat more to weigh less on the forums here, there is some really good info about it. I can personally say that it works I now eat anywhere from 1500-2300 calories per day averaging about 1800 per day and I have been consistently loosing 2+pounds per week. Think of it this way you need to eat to fuel your work outs.

    Yes! This ^^^
  • kelmom123
    kelmom123 Posts: 5
    I try and fluctuate my calorie intake so my body has to keep guessing and does not slow down. I still stay within a range to lose weight, but your metabolism doesnt slow down because it's confused, whereas eating 1200 calories a day for weeks on end, it gets used to that and accommodates for so few calories by slowing down.
  • Ashwee87
    Ashwee87 Posts: 695 Member
    I am eating between 1600-1800 calories a day and have recently been losing almost 2 lbs a week the past couple weeks.
  • gaylynn35
    gaylynn35 Posts: 854 Member
    I am 49 years old and 4'10" tall!! I eat around 1500 calories 5 days a week when I am exercising. When I am not exercising I eat about 1200 calories.

    If you are exercising you need to eat back about 1\2 of your exercise calories if you are using what MFP gives you for your exercise. With that being said, MFP tends to over estimate calories burned.

    Good Luck!!
  • jenniferrusso7393
    jenniferrusso7393 Posts: 189 Member
    I cannot consistently stay under the 1200... I even tried to change my goals, and it still kept it at that... I don't panic if I am over most of the time... I've lost over an inch...I'm happy that I am moving in the right direction, and I eat back pretty much ALL of my exercise calories!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    EAT!!!!! :grumble:
  • Zombriana
    Zombriana Posts: 764 Member
    Try netting at least you're BMR. There are cacluators on here for that. BMR is what you body needs to function, so eating less than that, is generally not a great idea.

    edit:
    At the top where all the tabs are, there is one that says APPS, click on it and then BMR in the little tree that appears. That should give you your BMR calories.
  • muddynicola
    muddynicola Posts: 41 Member
    I think everyone's metabolisms are different and it's generalizing to say that's not enough end of story. I spent 6 months eating 1600 calories and exercising and didn't lose an inch and that was me increasing my calorie intake from about 1400 and not exercising because I was thrown the popular line 'you need to eat more' so I did and whilst I didn't gain anything I didn't lose it and I was working out 3.5 hours a week more than on 1400 calories. I have since cut it to 1200 and now I am losing. I advise you to work out your BMR and use that as a guideline. People like to jump on popular bandwagons and at the moment it's low sugar, interval training and eat more, next year it will be something else. Stick as close to the science as you possibly can. I say eat more mass, eat more frequently but don't neccessarily eat more calories unless the science BMR,TDEE says you should. However I have serious doubts about the formula's used for body fat percentages given variations is skeletal structure and fat distribution around the body.
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
    Am I the only one who doesn't benefit from upping my calorie goal?
    People say in order to lose weight,you have to be eating more than 1200 cals,blah blah,but it just doesn't work for me.God,why?!
  • Turtlt
    Turtlt Posts: 1
    Om average you should be eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Do not meal skip. Chose protein and veggies for each meal DON'T DRINK your calories. My training said eat anything with a face 3-4 oz, cut carbs eat carbs only after a work out and in MODERATION. Even your snacks should include a protein.

    For example for breakfast I have a green shake (I make) with Whey protein. AM snack is 2 oz of chicken and a handful of veggies (carrots, celery etc maybe 5 or so baby carrot and 2 sticks of celery cut in half) lunch 4 oz of protein and a large salad with no dressing. PM snack is similar to the AM snack and dinner will consist of 4 oz of tuna, steak, chicken etc along with a cup or more of veggies and 1/4-1/2 cup of couscous or brown rice. Skip adding sweetener to teas or coffees. Drink water and teas (unsweetened) at least 48oz a day. Stay away from energy drinks, sodas and gatorades they are high in sugar and sodium. Stay away from Starbucks etc or chose a small rather than medium or large there are a lot of calories in those things. Cut out refined and processed food, fast food, etc.

    Nuts are good snacks. Making a life style change and healthy choices can be difficult until you understand what you are putting in your body!

    Good luck and I hope this helps!
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Am I the only one who doesn't benefit from upping my calorie goal?
    People say in order to lose weight,you have to be eating more than 1200 cals,blah blah,but it just doesn't work for me.God,why?!

    You're probably doing it wrong.
  • libertychoury
    libertychoury Posts: 57 Member
    This is exactly what I came here to look up. I lost around 70 with eating about 1200 per day since July. Since January I have been exercising more, but didn't really up my calories. I have plateaued since the beginning of March and I am not done losing, I still have some 30 to go before I hit goal. I am terrified to up my calories to make up for what I burn on exercise, because I dont want to gain. Should I try anyway? I have a lot of trouble as it is hitting the 1200 some days!
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
    I have a daily calorie goal of 2,000 but I try to end my day at 1200. I eat back the calories I burn. Lately I have been burning 413 a day so I have been consuming around 1600 to land me just over 1200. EAT more and exercise more you need to make your metabolism work for you not against you.
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
    This is exactly what I came here to look up. I lost around 70 with eating about 1200 per day since July. Since January I have been exercising more, but didn't really up my calories. I have plateaued since the beginning of March and I am not done losing, I still have some 30 to go before I hit goal. I am terrified to up my calories to make up for what I burn on exercise, because I dont want to gain. Should I try anyway? I have a lot of trouble as it is hitting the 1200 some days!

    Eat some of my dirty popcorn 445 calories of yum. It works for me now message me for the recipe.
  • gaylynn35
    gaylynn35 Posts: 854 Member
    This is exactly what I came here to look up. I lost around 70 with eating about 1200 per day since July. Since January I have been exercising more, but didn't really up my calories. I have plateaued since the beginning of March and I am not done losing, I still have some 30 to go before I hit goal. I am terrified to up my calories to make up for what I burn on exercise, because I dont want to gain. Should I try anyway? I have a lot of trouble as it is hitting the 1200 some days!

    I was at a dead stop on weight loss for months. For me raising my calories has worked. The way you can get extra calories in is eating peanut butter, avocado's, full fat milk has quite a good amount of calories.
  • dedicated2014
    dedicated2014 Posts: 36 Member
    It depends on the person. I personally cannot eat only 1200 calories, at least not for the long-term. I end up feeling starved and I don't lose any weight anyway. I usually eat somewhere between 1200-1300 calories most days, and 1400 maybe 2 days a week. My calorie goal is 1400-ish, so I usually end up eating less than my goal.
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
    Am I the only one who doesn't benefit from upping my calorie goal?
    People say in order to lose weight,you have to be eating more than 1200 cals,blah blah,but it just doesn't work for me.God,why?!

    You're probably doing it wrong.
    How can I possibly be doing it wrong? I hate it when people try to act smart,but don't really offer a reasonable solution.
    And besides,I think that everyone's body works differently.Some people benefit from upping their cals and some just have to be eating 1200 cals tops in order to lose.However,obviously,I'm a bit frustrated that I belong to those who just have to eat a lot less.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    At that low of a calorie level, your metabolism may be slowed down by as much as 25%. This means that when you get to your goal weight, to maintain it you are going to have to continue to eat 25% below what your calorie requirement would be if your metabolism had not been slowed down.

    For example, let's say that your goal weight is 130, and your calorie requirement at that weight for light activity and a normal metabolism would be 1700 per day. These are rough estimates because I don't know your particulars. A 25% reduction in that would put you at only 1275 calories per day to maintain that weight. Wouldn't you rather keep your metabolism humming along at an optimum rate and get to eat the 1700 calories at goal? I know I would.

    A good way to approach this would be to calculate what your calorie requirements would be at your goal weight and start eating those calories right now. A good site to do that is fat2fit.com. Theoretically, you would slowly reduce to your goal weight, at which point you will no longer lose weight but maintain. However, keep in mind that these are estimates. You may have to adjust your calories up a bit or down a bit. Be cautious. If you need to cut calories, cut back by 100 every 2 weeks, not 500. (be cautious in adjusting calories upward, too)

    Wishing you long-term success!
  • SexiBayBeezy
    SexiBayBeezy Posts: 14 Member
    So glad I saw this post I was doing it backwards eating around 1000 calories
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Am I the only one who doesn't benefit from upping my calorie goal?
    People say in order to lose weight,you have to be eating more than 1200 cals,blah blah,but it just doesn't work for me.God,why?!

    You're probably doing it wrong.
    How can I possibly be doing it wrong? I hate it when people try to act smart,but don't really offer a reasonable solution.
    And besides,I think that everyone's body works differently.Some people benefit from upping their cals and some just have to be eating 1200 cals tops in order to lose.However,obviously,I'm a bit frustrated that I belong to those who just have to eat a lot less.

    And I hate it when someone says something doesn't work for them but doesn't actually say what they tried and for how long.

    Did you figure out your BMR/TDEE?
    Did you accurately log your intake?
    Did you weigh and measure your food?
    Do you exercise?
    Did you log your workouts honestly?
    Did you give it longer than a week?

    There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to lose. These are the biggest ones. I don't try to be smart. I AM smart.
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
    Am I the only one who doesn't benefit from upping my calorie goal?
    People say in order to lose weight,you have to be eating more than 1200 cals,blah blah,but it just doesn't work for me.God,why?!

    You're probably doing it wrong.
    How can I possibly be doing it wrong? I hate it when people try to act smart,but don't really offer a reasonable solution.
    And besides,I think that everyone's body works differently.Some people benefit from upping their cals and some just have to be eating 1200 cals tops in order to lose.However,obviously,I'm a bit frustrated that I belong to those who just have to eat a lot less.

    And I hate it when someone says something doesn't work for them but doesn't actually say what they tried and for how long.

    Did you figure out your BMR/TDEE?
    Did you accurately log your intake?
    Did you weigh and measure your food?
    Do you exercise?
    Did you log your workouts honestly?
    Did you give it longer than a week?

    There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to lose. These are the biggest ones. I don't try to be smart. I AM smart.
    My BMR really is different on every site,but let's say it's around 1600.
    I used to eat about 1500-1800 calories a day and I only did the 30 day shred every day and went for walks sometimes.
    I don't measure my food because I don't have a food scale.However,I think that I log pretty accurately,because,the most of the stuff I eat doesn't need to be measured by a scale(I usually measure with cups,spoons,etc)
    I used to do this for about two months and I lost 5 kg.That's not enough for me and I want to lose more and ASAP because I just can't stand the way I look and feel right now.And that's why I have to eat like 1200 tops until I feel comfortable in my own body,even though it's really really hard sometimes.

Categories