Am I The Only Eating 1200 Cals A Day?

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  • estherlion
    estherlion Posts: 86 Member
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    MFP set me at 1200 and my doc set me at 1150 after i did an RMR test to really nail down how much i should eat. I am 5 2' and weigh 146 lbs, sedentary most days and i do have PCOS. I am eating 1200 and losing about 1lb per week.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly.

    Where are these Doctors ?

    Do they include in their consideration the calories you can take from the hundreds of thousands in the fat around your body ?

    Fact is that if you're obese may Doctors recommend VLC diets like protein sparing modified fasts which are well under 1200 calories.
  • laurelobrien
    laurelobrien Posts: 156 Member
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    It works for some people, but you'll find on MFP that people will get very angry when you tell them you live off 1200 a day. I eat 1200 on rest days and 1400 on workout days (weights, no cardio). My job and hobby are both sedentary so it's working for me, I'm never hungry or fatigued.
  • KellyyT
    KellyyT Posts: 41 Member
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    i eat 1200 on days i don't exercise, ~1500 on days i do (2-3x/wk).

    i'm 5'4, 157 lbs and i lost 21 lbs in 3 months. i'm never starving unless i eat crap like ice cream cake (eg. last night) and can't get in a real meal. but then i exercise and can add ~400 extra calories, but only eat back MAX 75% of cals burned.

    my tdee-20% says i should be around 1450, but i'm guessing even the tdee maniacs would contradict themselves and probably still say i'm starving myself.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,639 Member
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    i eat 1200 on days i don't exercise, ~1500 on days i do (2-3x/wk).

    i'm 5'4, 157 lbs and i lost 21 lbs in 3 months. i'm never starving unless i eat crap like ice cream cake (eg. last night) and can't get in a real meal. but then i exercise and can add ~400 extra calories, but only eat back MAX 75% of cals burned.

    my tdee-20% says i should be around 1450, but i'm guessing even the tdee maniacs would contradict themselves and probably still say i'm starving myself.

    I think the bolded bit quoted says it all on how some people do not feel hungry on 1200 calories per day, it is WHAT you eat and not how much.

    I am the same, give me 1200 calories worth of cakes (maybe equal three cakes or four if lucky) or 1200 calories worth of proper meals and fruit (which is ample and never leaves me hungry) and therein lies why some people can stick to 1200 and others cannot.

    and for those that refuse to believe people can eat 1200 per day and not feel hungry, that is your privilege but the fact remains that yes, some people really CAN live quite happily and lose weight on that amount.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly.

    Where are these Doctors ?

    Do they include in their consideration the calories you can take from the hundreds of thousands in the fat around your body ?

    Fact is that if you're obese may Doctors recommend VLC diets like protein sparing modified fasts which are well under 1200 calories.

    :flowerforyou:
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    Mfp has me on 1200 and with the changes I've made some days that's hard to reach - I'm eating a lot more salad and have cut out excesses of chocolate, baked goods and ribena, and I'm less hungry than 2 months ago. But I have a fair bit to lose and am sedentary so as long as I'm not feeling hungry or weak i'll stay with it. However I know tonight I will be having a pigout at tgi Fridays so I'm sure that will make up for the lower calorie days I've been hitting :). I've only recently got back on the mfp bandwagon so I'm starting afresh - but so long as on average calories in < calories used I should lose.
  • dluberts
    dluberts Posts: 26 Member
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    my goal is to stay around 1200.realisticly unless your eating the right ype of calories then 1200 can push you to that limit of not enough nutrients.especially if your working them off.again i try to stay around 1200 but do not go more than 1500..thats my give window.and if i exercise..ill treat myslef with a baggie of fruit or a100 calorie snack pack
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Doctors say that you should never eat less than 1200 calories as that is the minimum that you need for your body to function properly.

    Where are these Doctors ?

    Do they include in their consideration the calories you can take from the hundreds of thousands in the fat around your body ?

    Fact is that if you're obese may Doctors recommend VLC diets like protein sparing modified fasts which are well under 1200 calories.

    OK - this isn't a study as I know any study I post will be picked apart and not seen for what it is.

    I start with a chap I consider very highly, ERIK LEDIN, he's always to the point and honest. He trains normal every day folk and also IFBB Pro's etc. This is his views on metabolic damage caused by dieting hard for too long. There is also Dr Layne Norton (he's a Dr :wink: ) that discusses it as well.

    He has a number of articles that discuss the metabolic damage issue - Anyhow, read on...

    Discussion of what metabolic damage is:
    https://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/metabolic-mind-games/

    How to fix:
    https://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/faqs/repairing-a-depressed-metabolism/

    Radio discussion on the subject:
    https://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-fit-bod-radio-show/2011/01/07/episode-2-the-fit-bod-radio-show-1

    Its personally something I believe can be very real. Many people on this thread are dieting too hard, for too long, depressing their metabolisms. Whether I'm right, well its up to you believe.

    Not with standing other well noted people and their views. Layne Norton here for example (PHD in protein synthesis):

    Episode 1 on metabolic damage:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

    Episode 2:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY1DsZMNfNw

    Episode 3:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw3kfRkqVWU

    Please make your own mind up, but don't be closed off. What is said makes a lot of sense. Just because there isn't study that shows the exact result doesn't make it so (and don't forget a study IS NOT PROOF by very definition. Unlike maths there is no absolutes, just the currently understood hypothesis).

    Thanks for reading! :o))
  • ladybuggprincess99
    ladybuggprincess99 Posts: 142 Member
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    In my opinion 1200 is only sustainable maybe if you're a 5 foot nothing woman who is mostly sedentary. Otherwise :noway:
    There is NO WAY I'm buying that women at average height and above feel, living lives with even light activities can feel 'satisfied' with that amount of food everyday...no. I think there is a lot of denial, people ignoring hunger cues and being too scared to eat more because they are on a 'diet'.

    If you are overweight or obese your body is clearly well used to receiving a lot more than 1200 a day, and it doesn't matter that it's all low energy foods now, you can't fool your body into accepting that a plate of veggies provides the same amount of energy as whatever your normal dinner used to be. Once your body has used up that fuel you will be hungry.


    I am 250 lbs, 5'8" and eat 1,200. My doctor suggested it, not the website. 7 months in, I've lost 65 pounds. But hay, maybe my "fuel" will burn out sometime soon...

    Maybe it's just me. I've just learned that the 800+ calorie cheeseburger doesn't taste as delicious as my 300 calorie bowl of fruit. I'm able to eat MORE now than I did before, but I'm still losing. I don't deprive myself of anything, nor do I think anyone should. I've just learned to love new things. I think it's all about WHAT you're eating, now how much.

    If I can have rice, fish and green beans for 600 calories, vs a cheeseburger, plain without the bun, I'm eating the fish. It's a process, I'm still learning, and it's going well so far.

    I exercise 5 times a week. I have more energy than I have ever had before. When I get hungry, I eat. Instead of reaching for chips (150 calories), I reach for an apple (70 calories). See what I'm sayin'?
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    . I've just learned to love new things. I think it's all about WHAT you're eating, now how much.

    I hate to tell you this but it is totally about how much. You can put on weight eating nothing but "clean food" just as you can lose weight while eating junk food.

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