Results with 1200 Calories

Let me tell you my story...

I started dieting after my son was born in 2003, I figured diet was simply "stop eating so much" and 1000 calories sounded like a good reasonable number to go by. I lost all of my baby weight, became weight fixated, and lost more weight. I went from the 1000 calories to anorexia (this doesn't happen to everyone, but let's face it eating 1200 calories is border line anorexia. After all 1000 calories is only 200 less!) I was super skinny, I had never been so skinny, 5'8" 115lbs. Eventually I ate normal again, because you know life is a good feeling, being alive and all that jazz.

2006 I decided at 5'8" 150lbs I needed to get my eating habits under control. I set my goal at 1200, and lost to 129lbs in a few months. I was constantly crabby, I had no energy, I was so ravenous that if I didn't get to eat my scheduled meal I would start biting heads off. I was a real peach to be around. However, I was super skinny!!! YAY! Guess what? Eventually I got sick of starving and ate normal again, and balooned to 150lbs in about a month.

2008 I started working out, still not eating enough but better 1400 calories with a good work out. I lost the weight pretty fast still, but always felt hungry! (I wonder why? I was burning all of my calories with daily calorie useage, and then I was working out and burning even more.) I eventually made my goal weight, and body fat, and I was very fit! However again, STARVING, again I ATE NORMAL again I GOT BACK TO 150lbs without blinking an eye.

This time? I am eating normal, feeding my metabolism, making smarter choices, working out like a champion. I would reach my "goal weight" in a few months with 1200 calories, have the worst attitude ever, and be starving 24/7. This time? I am eating 1700 to 2200 calories, the weight is coming off slow, my muscles are beautiful. I am not a complete *kitten* to be around, and am enjoying my work outs. I can eat whatever I want and not have my butt go up three sizes.

MY SUGGESTION? FEED YOUR BODY. WORK HARD. Or you can ruin your metabolism, and eat 1200 calories the rest of your life, or do it the other way. Oh yes, and lift heavy things up and down, you will not get bulky and your body will thank you for it.

I got curious what a higher daily calorie diary looked like ~ yours was open so I looked. Honestly I felt hungry reading it, despite being about 1000 more daily calories than me. Mine is usually around 1200 and if you take a look at my (open) diary I trust you'll see I am NOT starving. I am "eating normal" (for me) too. I believe I eat well-rounded and (mostly) healthy.

I read another open diary from another poster in this thread who explained they disagree with 1200/day ~ again it was not a food menu that I would personally find satisfying (nor particularly healthy IMO).

just looked too. i see froot loops, some healthy choice crappy frozen dinner, mcdonalds and bud light. i feel sick just reading that. mcdonalds is so disgusting. haven't eaten there in years and have desire to. there is nothing healthy about that diet. hilarious that someone like that is giving me advice.

I gotta agree. Besides being crappy, those frozen dinners are sky high sodium and leave me, well, frankly they leave me HUNGRY. Which I thought the point was that those of us eating 1200 must be HUNGRY. I'd say even at my 1000 less daily calories I believe my menu is more filling (and healthier). I totally enjoyed my pork chop, vegetarian chili, fresh veggies, cole slaw, & big salad dinner ~ it was very satisfying.

Big skinny fat fail thread. Leaves, shaking head and vows to never read another 1200 'success' thread again. The words do not compute. Mind boggles at people who cannot grasp weight loss doesn't have to be this way....le sigh....

This

Big skinny fat fail thread. Leaves, shaking head and vows to never read another 1200 'success' thread again. The words do not compute. Mind boggles at people who cannot grasp weight loss doesn't have to be this way....le sigh....

This

I'm happy with my 109 pound body tyvm.

Let me tell you my story...

I started dieting after my son was born in 2003, I figured diet was simply "stop eating so much" and 1000 calories sounded like a good reasonable number to go by. I lost all of my baby weight, became weight fixated, and lost more weight. I went from the 1000 calories to anorexia (this doesn't happen to everyone, but let's face it eating 1200 calories is border line anorexia. After all 1000 calories is only 200 less!) I was super skinny, I had never been so skinny, 5'8" 115lbs. Eventually I ate normal again, because you know life is a good feeling, being alive and all that jazz.

2006 I decided at 5'8" 150lbs I needed to get my eating habits under control. I set my goal at 1200, and lost to 129lbs in a few months. I was constantly crabby, I had no energy, I was so ravenous that if I didn't get to eat my scheduled meal I would start biting heads off. I was a real peach to be around. However, I was super skinny!!! YAY! Guess what? Eventually I got sick of starving and ate normal again, and balooned to 150lbs in about a month.

2008 I started working out, still not eating enough but better 1400 calories with a good work out. I lost the weight pretty fast still, but always felt hungry! (I wonder why? I was burning all of my calories with daily calorie useage, and then I was working out and burning even more.) I eventually made my goal weight, and body fat, and I was very fit! However again, STARVING, again I ATE NORMAL again I GOT BACK TO 150lbs without blinking an eye.

This time? I am eating normal, feeding my metabolism, making smarter choices, working out like a champion. I would reach my "goal weight" in a few months with 1200 calories, have the worst attitude ever, and be starving 24/7. This time? I am eating 1700 to 2200 calories, the weight is coming off slow, my muscles are beautiful. I am not a complete *kitten* to be around, and am enjoying my work outs. I can eat whatever I want and not have my butt go up three sizes.

MY SUGGESTION? FEED YOUR BODY. WORK HARD. Or you can ruin your metabolism, and eat 1200 calories the rest of your life, or do it the other way. Oh yes, and lift heavy things up and down, you will not get bulky and your body will thank you for it.

I got curious what a higher daily calorie diary looked like ~ yours was open so I looked. Honestly I felt hungry reading it, despite being about 1000 more daily calories than me. Mine is usually around 1200 and if you take a look at my (open) diary I trust you'll see I am NOT starving. I am "eating normal" (for me) too. I believe I eat well-rounded and (mostly) healthy.

I read another open diary from another poster in this thread who explained they disagree with 1200/day ~ again it was not a food menu that I would personally find satisfying (nor particularly healthy IMO).

just looked too. i see froot loops, some healthy choice crappy frozen dinner, mcdonalds and bud light. i feel sick just reading that. mcdonalds is so disgusting. haven't eaten there in years and have desire to. there is nothing healthy about that diet. hilarious that someone like that is giving me advice.

Considering the OP of these has had amazing success with how she's eating, I think she probably knows what she is doing. She offered her opinion and didn't insult anyone in the process. Also, she wasn't giving you this advice, it was directed to the OP, not everything is about you, sweetie :flowerforyou:

Her entire point about not eating enough before is useless if she was eating 1200 calories or 1400 calories and half of it was beer and the rest mcdonalds and frozen dinners. Of COURSE she was starving on a diet like that. When I eat 1200 calories, I'm not drinking all that alcohol or eating that crap.

I'd be starving for nutrients eating all that crap too..

Bump...

...for more self-righteous indignation.


My diary is open too...feel free to provide your analyses of it next.

holy crap... 2000+ calories of mcdonalds sweet tea, jimmy johns, aaaand chipotle every now and then?! how could you ever consider yourself healthy or properly nourished

(would be much more enjoyable if i could more easily portray a tone of sarcasm. looks about like mine so cheers!)

1200 calories worked great for me. Exactly as MFP calculated my results would be. I worked out 4-5 days a week and ate back the calories when I was hungry and 1200 when I wasn't. Wasn't a big deal. I ate fruits and vegetables with every meal and took a calcium chew, fish oil and multi vitamin everyday.

Easy Peasy

I like it when people assume that you are specifically talking to/about them...it makes me giggle inside.

I like it when people assume that you are specifically talking to/about them...it makes me giggle inside.

In my experience here, that consistently happens to the same people too.



Personally, it would make me dizzy...

...from the world always revolving around me.

holy crap... 2000+ calories of mcdonalds sweet tea, jimmy johns, aaaand chipotle every now and then?! how could you ever consider yourself healthy or properly nourished

(would be much more enjoyable if i could more easily portray a tone of sarcasm. looks about like mine so cheers!)

Let's be fair here...my Chipotle has been *slightly* more frequent than "every now and then"...

(Admittedly, this little exercise would have been far more interesting during 2012 when I was a mostly-strict adherent to a "clean" diet...or perhaps it is more illustrative as it is now.)

I'm 23 about 5'7 and went from 336 to 274 in a couple months of getting rid of the soda and cooking all my meals. I literally just joined MFP and now that I realize what I am eating, 1200 ish calories feels fine for me. Is it still so unhealthy eventhough I am so big and trying to lose? I am going to up it once I join the gym I'm looking into but for now doing basically nothing, I'm never hungry. Should I still up it a little? Just looking for advice, not looking to be yelled at. thanks =/

I like it when people assume that you are specifically talking to/about them...it makes me giggle inside.

They are talking about people who eat 1,200 calorie diets. I am one of those people.

Check and mate.

I am sticking to a 1200 calorie intake, sometimes slightly more, sometimes slightly less, not eating back exercise calories and I am doing ok, no complaints. I think the real gist is *what* you are eating. Almonds, for example, are a real miracle food, imo and great at leveling the blood sugar.

I feel like the things I am eating are keeping me fueled all day long, and they are healthy and wellbalanced, to the point where while I will be very happy when I am done losing weight, it will feel a little odd to be at a point where I could/should be eating more to maintain it. Go figure, you eat things that are better for you, you stay fuller, lol.

Mine isn't a success story, but I think you need to hear it. It's my 1200 calorie mistake story.

I thought that I could lose weight on 1200 calories---and I did! It was awesome! I had about 10 pounds left (of 30 or so), and began personal training. I found myself tired and dizzy sometimes. But I stuck with it. And I lost 1 more pound. Then my weight stalled completely. I could not lose weight for the next 12 weeks at 1200 calories.

Then I stopped logging. I wasn't exercising much. I gained back 45 pounds.

I joined MFP, started at 1200 calories again. I lost a few pounds. And then I realized after reading this thread that the SAME thing would happen to me again if I kept eating 1200 calories. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

So I upped to 1700 and lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I eat what I want and enjoy it, always logging. From then on, I've lost at least a pound a week. I'm 10 pounds from my goal, and I'm NOT going to screw it up again.

I hope you'll take this "success" story to heart--eat more, and you WILL lose weight. Not only that, but you will keep it off because you can eat food like a normal person.

Best of luck.

I am 5 foot 3 and currently 126 pounds with a goal weight of 115. I exercise every monday through friday as of 2 weeks ago and I have been eating 1200 calories or less for awhile now. I find it hard to eat above 1200 because usually I eat healthy and obviously most healthy food is not high calorie. I only eat when I am hungry and I don't deprive myself. Everyone is different. Just because one person is always hungry and deprived eating 1200 calories does not mean it is bad for another person.

I have lost 25lbs in the last year and a half (from 185 to 160lbs), which i believe is a healthy rate of weight loss. It has also been easy to MAINTAIN. I am 5' 4" and an athlete. I do p90x, and when I am not doing this I am on a soccer team and exercise regularly. I honestly think that my fitness pal is a good tool, BUT it is more of a guideline ladies. It is not the bible. I eat sometimes almost 3x the recommended amount of protein, because if you don't want to be flabby then that is what you need to do. I am pretty cut as far as women go, and I use the 1,200 calorie a day diet.
With that said if I go a little over or under it is not a big deal. I do not suggest just dieting. You need to work out too if you want to look healthy, and YOU NEED MORE PROTEIN than Myfitness pal alots. Protein helps you stay fuller longer and build muscle. It is not the amount of calories you are eating that is leaving you feeling unsatisfied it is the **** you are eating. Hell, if I ate all salad all day I'd be hungry too, or if I only ate a bag of chips and 2 slices of pizza all day because I wanted to stay under this calorie limit and eat crappy I WOULD BE HUNGRY TOO!
MORAL OF THE STORY......IT IS NOT HOW MUCH YOU EAT AS MUCH AS WHAT YOU EAT (and putting in some quality MUSCLE BUILDING, NOT JUST CARDIO GYM TIME) that gives you the ideal results. A 1,200 kcal diet is doable, but if it isn't for you and the 1,5000 kcal is because that is what you can maintain LONG TERM, then do what you feel is right. Either way you will get results if you stick to it.
Myfitness pal should be a teaching tool rather than something you become a slave to. It should be something to teach you portion control and the basic amount of food you should be eating to attain certain results. So.....pick something that is maintainable for you, so when the time comes that you get sick of micromanaging what you eat using myfitnesspal, you don't go binge just because you don't have the ****tieness of what you ate staring you down from your computer screen. Eventually, you should be able to *kitten* the healthiness of your diet by yourself, and your body will naturally be able to feel what is excess and unhealthy.

UUURRRGG here we go...'you're starving at 1200'. What a load of cr**. I have tons of energy, I'm losing weight, my periods haven't stopped, I've not suddenly gained weight and you know what, I enjoy not eating f*** loads of food.

I'll see you at the finish line (I'll be there before you)!

I actually didn't say you were going to lose your period, and you obviously have a bad relationship with food if you thinking eating what your body NEEDS to simply maintain it's functioning level is "loads of food." Also it is starving yourself, the average body needs at least 1700 calories to function every day, anything less than that is starving it.

Do you expect your car to run without gas? Do you use your cell phone without charging it? Stop thinking of your body as a number

on a scale, and start thinking of it as a machine that needs energy to function. The bottom line is losing weight at 1200 calories is not healthy because a) you aren't feeding it properly b) it's not ideal to live on 1200 calories for the rest of your life. The damage it does to your metabolism, and yes the potential harm it can do if your body goes into starvation mode and starts to consume it's own muscle. (Also your period doesn't need to stop for your body to be doing this, I was anorexic and my period never stopped not even when I was 115lbs so that's a mute point.) Also talking about muscle and starvation, guess what's a muscle in your body? YOUR HEART

You really can't talk about the "average" body. I lost all my weight on1200 calories, but then I'm small-framed, short and older. Hence my BMR is1050. I'm maintaining on about 1350 and feeling fine.