My 1200 calorie story

Everyday on the message boards there is at least one topic about exercise calories and 1200 calories being right or not. I'm not going to tell anyone what to do or not to do but I want to share my story.

When I started back on MFP in May I knew nothing about BMR, TDEE, net calories, starvation mode, etc. and I really didn't care. I knew I wanted to lose weight and get healthy so I plugged my numbers in and was given a number of 1310 by MFP. So I quickly lost 10 pounds and plugged my numbers in again and Walla, 1200 was the magic number, or so I thought.

I quickly lost another 10 pounds. This was over a six week period. I was over the moon happy. But I started to notice some things. First I was reading in the forums about net calories and exercise calories so I looked at mine. I wasn't eating my exercise calories and I put in some huge burns. My net calories were negative more than they were positive. I thought I was doing things right.

But, some other things happened. My hair started falling out, my skin was wrinkling even with 8-10cups of water a day, I was exhausted, my pee was no longer bright yellow from my vitamin, my IBS was out of control, and I stopped losing weight.

So I thought that I'd try increasing to 1500 calories, I couldn't get there because I was "too busy" to eat. Instead I started Zumba. I lost another 4 pounds but still had all these physical symptoms.

I finally messaged someone on MFP who always responded to these 1200 calorie forums non-judgmentally. That changed my way of thinking and I am grateful to this person. I am now eating at my TDEE minus 20%, which is around 2150 calories. I don't make it every day but I also don't eat less than 1800 calories. I do have to supplement with protein shakes. However, I am losing weight at a slow and steady rate, my IBS is under control with food alone, I have boundless energy, my skin looks amazing, my weight fluctuations have gone from 7 pounds to 2 pounds, and most importantly my hair has not only quit falling out but is also growing back.

I just started training with a trainer and dietician. His first comment to me was to quit counting calories altogether. Not going to happen. His second comment, "you're my first female client in months I haven't had to convince to eat more."

This is my story, take it for what it is. Some will agree and some will disagree with what I am doing. I am not telling anyone to change but for those who are frustrated there are other options, that's all I want you to take away from this.

Good luck to everyone in this journey for it is one of the, if not the, toughest battle of your life.

Thank you for this post. I've been feeling "off" for a while now - almost like I'm depressed. I wonder if that's a result of a reduction to 1200 calories that MFP suggested almost 2 months ago. Has anybody had this happen to them?

I think the problem is that MFP sets 1200 as a goal for most people not taking into account weight, height, calories consumed normally etc.

I eat 1200 but thats because I need approx 1400 to maintain, im 5 ft 4 lbs and quite petite, however someone who is 20 stone plus eating a 3,000 calorie a day diet is going to suffer badly on 1200, its just common sense, just reduce your calories by around 500 to what you were having originally. And in my case that takes me down to 1200.