Is 1200 cals too low really?

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tkw2011
tkw2011 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Ive been managing on 1200 cals for over 4 months and have seen a great 40lbs loss. At the beginning I didnt eat back excersise cals, and this had a great effect. Now, Im just tired of eating so little, so what exersise I do I eat back, during the UK heatwave my exersise has dropped off, but Im still only eating 1200 and have plataued. I have had some "bad" weekends where I have gained 2 or 3 lbs and manage in the week to lose it again, but I just can't get past the 40lbs mark.
Ive tried to get to grips with TDEE -20% but Im number dyslexic and just cant get my head around the amount of numbers.
Lots of people on here who have had sucess stories have written that they wasted too much time on 1200 and wish theyd have eaten more.
Should I increase my cals?
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Replies

  • romanticRECK
    romanticRECK Posts: 16
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    bump
  • c_tap77
    c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
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    This is the second time I've used this site to lose some weight and in both circumstances I've had success on 1200 calories per day.

    I don't know how carefully you weigh and measure all of your portions, but I'm not always able to measure as carefully as I would like--so I approach it with the attitude that if I'm estimating 1200 calories, I'm probably actually eating closer to 1300 or 1400 and I don't eat back my exercise calories.

    I think the greatest thing I've learned from this site is that everyone is different, so even though this is working for me, it doesn't mean that works for everyone, and if I plateau I might have to re-evaluate.

    I'm not sure what kind of exercise you've been doing, but is it possible that maybe your body has adjusted to the exercise and maybe that's why you aren't seeing any results? Maybe it's time to switch it up!

    Best of luck!!!
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
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    Short answer. Yes.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Probably. Most likely. It's hard to tell without your statistics (age, height, weight, activity, etc)... but if you have already dropped 40 pounds... you probably should be at TDEE - 10% anyway now, so even if you had started out using the TDEE method, you would be increasing calories at this point. Really, if you're in a plateau, you have nothing to lose by trying something different. How big is the difference between your 1200 calories and the amount you figured for your TDEE - 20%? Maybe try to raise it gradually- start by upping to 1400 for a week, then add more depending on at what number you need to be.
  • eblakes93
    eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
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    Ive been managing on 1200 cals for over 4 months and have seen a great 40lbs loss. At the beginning I didnt eat back excersise cals, and this had a great effect. Now, Im just tired of eating so little, so what exersise I do I eat back, during the UK heatwave my exersise has dropped off, but Im still only eating 1200 and have plataued. I have had some "bad" weekends where I have gained 2 or 3 lbs and manage in the week to lose it again, but I just can't get past the 40lbs mark.
    Ive tried to get to grips with TDEE -20% but Im number dyslexic and just cant get my head around the amount of numbers.
    Lots of people on here who have had sucess stories have written that they wasted too much time on 1200 and wish theyd have eaten more.
    Should I increase my cals?

    How tall are you and what is your goal weight and current weight?
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    Yes. Now do a search in the forums on this topic and you'll find 500,013,345.231,235 posts about this with answers to go with it.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    4 months and 40 pounds. Curious to know how long you have been stuck and not able to lose anymore?
  • xeno8604
    xeno8604 Posts: 193 Member
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    I myself hit a plateau so I changed it up for this month anyways. I was eating 1400-1600 calories a day, quickly lost 60 lbs in 6 months, then stopped. After 2 months and soem reading I decided to bump it up. Started this month at 1800, and plan on adding 100 cal to it every week till I get back to 2200. According to my TDEE, 2200 is still below so I should technically not gain weight, however, on day 6 of this change, I already an increase in strength, focus, and energy levels. Remember there is more to progress besides what the scale tells ya.
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
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    Yes! It is not recommended to eat below 1200 calories. You can fall ill. I would consume a bit more determining certain factors: height, weight, age and activity level.
  • jillianbeeee
    jillianbeeee Posts: 345 Member
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    I use to not eat back my exercise calories but now I eat some of them back. I actually look forward to it! Its like a treat. I still eat healthy but its sure nice to be able to have an extra celery stick with peanut butter or a bowl of special k with skim milk in the evening! My weight is still coming off and on those stressful days when I use to overeat, i still get that pleasure but I have to work for it now. lol
  • tworthen79
    tworthen79 Posts: 1,173 Member
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    Maybe change your goal to 1 lb a week and not 2. This will give you more calories. Are you getting the right stuff, lean meats, veggies, fruits, whole grains, steering clear of tons of sugar? I had to change my cal from 1200 to 1450. It just wasn't enough for me. And I'm 5'7 197.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I agree that without your stats, it's hard to say.

    But with only 10 pounds left to lose, you should only be aiming to lose a half pound a week anyway, which, unless you're very short, very light and probably over 50, would give you more than 1200.

    The final couple pounds are always the slowest. Be sure to eat most of your exercise calories, include strength training, get more protein than MFP suggests, and track your progress by how clothes fit, measurements and progress photos instead of just the scale.
  • xmeganxtarax
    xmeganxtarax Posts: 79
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    Yes. Now do a search in the forums on this topic and you'll find 500,013,345.231,235 posts about this with answers to go with it.

    This.
  • prairiewalker
    prairiewalker Posts: 184 Member
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    NO!
    Do what works for you...:flowerforyou:
  • tkw2011
    tkw2011 Posts: 4
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    Im 5ft 5in, started at 204lbs now on (gained over the weekend!) 168lbs. Goal is 154lbs to get a BMI of 25. I jog 3-4 times a week, but other than that very sedentary.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Im 5ft 5in, started at 204lbs now on (gained over the weekend!) 168lbs. Goal is 154lbs to get a BMI of 25. I jog 3-4 times a week, but other than that very sedentary.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • aggiehaylea13
    aggiehaylea13 Posts: 5
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    Eat more! I've been losing steadily on about 1500-1600 calories a day over the past 2 1/2 months. I eat back some of my exercise calories every day and have a cheat about once a week. I started off not even very heavy (I was about 133 at 5'0") and if I can lose on that many calories, SO CAN YOU!
  • Emsie_lou
    Emsie_lou Posts: 50 Member
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    Hi, Also from the UK here!!
    I would say you should increase as this is a change of life not just a diet. Can you see yourself living the rest of your life on 1200 cals? I would slowly up your calories and settle on 1500 to 1800. I am on 1800 cals a day although I don't eat that much some days but I have 5 stone to lose so obese at the moment. But I plan to maybe cut my cals down to 1600 max when I have lost weight mainly because I enjoy food and as long as I am eating healthy foods it should be ok. Another thing is maybe increase the intensity of your exercise? If you have been working out for a while your body gets used to the exercise and needs to be pushed more in order to lose weight.
  • tkw2011
    tkw2011 Posts: 4
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    Thanks everyone, Fat2Fit tells me to eat 1730 cals a day.
    My TDEE is 1723, minus 20% makes approx 1400 cals, thats a big difference so which is better?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Thanks everyone, Fat2Fit tells me to eat 1730 cals a day.
    My TDEE is 1723, minus 20% makes approx 1400 cals, thats a big difference so which is better?

    Where did you get that your TDEE is 1723?

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