Busting the myth that 1200 calories is enough

Food is too delicious for me to always stick to 1200 calories no matter how I try. Some days I can, but other days I can dream on. It really depends on how hungry I am each day. I don't see the point in starving myself to death or of eating until I feel like I could explode and can't stand up under my own weight.

I thought this article was very interesting and insightful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iris-higgins/an-open-apology-to-all-of_b_3762714.html

Well I am not sorry I am on 1200 calories per day, do running, some weights and work fulltime. I am not sorry that I am losing weight. I am not sorry that I feel full of energy. I am not sorry that I eat 100% better than I used to when I ate many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many calories.

I am not sorry.

That is all I have to say really....

I am not sorry.

:drinker:

you probably will be eventually :flowerforyou:
good luck on your journey.

Well not really, this is my third flipping time doing 1200 calories, the first time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs, and now this time.

I put weight back on because of my abyssmal lack of control for eating crap LOL!

I never regretted before and I don't this time

Don't you think you might have better control if you didn't deprive yourself and ate more?

I DID eat more, hence why I put the weight back on.

I thought this article was very interesting and insightful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iris-higgins/an-open-apology-to-all-of_b_3762714.html

Well I am not sorry I am on 1200 calories per day, do running, some weights and work fulltime. I am not sorry that I am losing weight. I am not sorry that I feel full of energy. I am not sorry that I eat 100% better than I used to when I ate many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many calories.

I am not sorry.

That is all I have to say really....

I am not sorry.

:drinker:

you probably will be eventually :flowerforyou:
good luck on your journey.

Well not really, this is my third flipping time doing 1200 calories, the first time I lost 33lbs, the second time 41lbs, and now this time.

I put weight back on because of my abyssmal lack of control for eating crap LOL!

I never regretted before and I don't this time

Don't you think you might have better control if you didn't deprive yourself and ate more?

^QFT.

And off topic - I find it funny how people have to create new accounts in order to say things that they don't dare say on their real account. Carry on....

Who Joy?

I wasn't sorry either all those times I was losing by not eating enough. I was very sorry after I gained it all back. Every time.

THIS.

Losing weight is easy, especially if you're following a very low-calorie diet. The pounds will melt off. You'll feel wonderful.

But maintaining a lower weight, keeping yourself in good health, and optimizing your body composition? Yeah, that's a lot harder, and losing weight on a VLCD often makes it next to impossible.

Yes, on a VLCD it would be. 1200 isn't considered VLCD, so all is okay phew

I thought this article was very interesting and insightful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iris-higgins/an-open-apology-to-all-of_b_3762714.html

Get off of your god damn high horse. I am so sick of these threads.

Amen a thousand time, Amen. Do what works for you and leave the rest of the people alone.

Personally, I'm eternally grateful for the people who didn't "leave the rest of the people alone," because then I would have continued "dieting" in the same stupid way I was before, and I'd keep having the same lousy results.

I never thought weight loss could be as easy as it was, after the intervention of those on their high horses, and never thought maintenance would be this delicious. :drinker:

I had the same epiphany as a lurker on a different site. I was beginning to drink the koolaid that my bum thyroid was keeping me fat. The poster who changed my life doesn't know I exist but 3 simple sentences flipped a switch in my brain: "No one violates the first law of thermodynamics. If you're in a deficit, you lose. If you're in a surplus, you gain." That day I dug out my food scale, figured out my TDEE and saw the scale start moving downwards instead of up for the first time in a decade.

I'm sorry I need 3000 calories

When you go from 1200 calories putting yourself into starvation mode, of course your going to gain weight eating more. And this is no judgement on you. I did the same thing. I plateaued with the lack of calories I was eating. So I decided to do something crazy and follow the "Eat more to weigh less" mentality and it has helped me, but guess what when I started just eating at maintenance which should have kept me at my weight I was at, I gained. Why did I gain? I gained because I was depriving my body of nutrients and calories it needed before so it was now storing everything I was eating because it didn't know when the next time I was going to eat. Our bodies store fat so that we can survive and if we aren't eating enough, the next time we eat more than usual, it is going to hold onto it.
I understand there may be weights and heights that can maintain on a 1200 calorie diet, but thats for the shorties. I'm 5'3 and this isn't enough for me.

Educate yourself with how much you should be putting into your body.

I'm actually gaining muscle and toning while losing the last little bit of fat I have and I'm not starving or depriving myself while doing it. This for me is a lifestyle change and I don't want to yo-yo back and forth through putting my body through hell on a 1200 calorie diet just to hit a wall and be depressed.

Here are some sources if you want to learn more about eat more to weigh less and here is a link to help you figure out calories
http://eatmore2weighless.com/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Oh look! Another one of these threads where we all pretend to be nutritionist and doctors about a freaking arbitrary number.

1300 calories=ok
1200 = oh****no... Starvation siren starts going off, metabolism police drop ropes and come down from the ceiling with 2 tons of protein bars and a Jillian michaels 30 day shred program. Dr. Oz busts through the front door...all while 1200 calorie poster who is actually 5'1 and naturally petite is crying in the corner while thisisthinprivilege bloggers are throwing their snickers bar wrappers in her face telling her what a pos she is.

I love these threads.

I appreciate the sentiment, but the blog hardly "busts the myth"... But the sentiment is nice.

When you go from 1200 calories putting yourself into starvation mode, of course your going to gain weight eating more. And this is no judgement on you. I did the same thing. I plateaued with the lack of calories I was eating. So I decided to do something crazy and follow the "Eat more to weigh less" mentality and it has helped me, but guess what when I started just eating at maintenance which should have kept me at my weight I was at, I gained. Why did I gain? I gained because I was depriving my body of nutrients and calories it needed before so it was now storing everything I was eating because it didn't know when the next time I was going to eat. Our bodies store fat so that we can survive and if we aren't eating enough, the next time we eat more than usual, it is going to hold onto it.
I understand there may be weights and heights that can maintain on a 1200 calorie diet, but thats for the shorties. I'm 5'3 and this isn't enough for me.

Educate yourself with how much you should be putting into your body.

I'm actually gaining muscle and toning while losing the last little bit of fat I have and I'm not starving or depriving myself while doing it. This for me is a lifestyle change and I don't want to yo-yo back and forth through putting my body through hell on a 1200 calorie diet just to hit a wall and be depressed.

Here are some sources if you want to learn more about eat more to weigh less and here is a link to help you figure out calories
http://eatmore2weighless.com/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

^^thank you for this info^^:bigsmile: Every bit of info is good to store and review later

Oh look! Another one of these threads where we all pretend to be nutritionist and doctors about a freaking arbitrary number.

1300 calories=ok
1200 = oh****no... Starvation siren starts going off, metabolism police drop ropes and come down from the ceiling with 2 tons of protein bars and a Jillian michaels 30 day shred program. Dr. Oz busts through the front door...all while 1200 calorie poster who is actually 5'1 and naturally petite is crying in the corner while thisisthinprivilege bloggers are throwing their snickers bar wrappers in her face telling her what a pos she is.

I love these threads.

Me too and you are right. I'm one of those short older females.
My doctor, yeah the one who went to medical school and has the degrees and license and practices medicine, told me to eat between 1000 to 1200 calories a day.

If I eat 1200 calories of junk, sure I will feel like I am starving because those things have no nutritional value. I could do the Krispy Kreme diet and lose weight but would probably feel like crap because I am not getting the nutrients I need.

When I eat real unprocessed foods like meat, eggs, fish, fresh veggies and fruit; I find it very hard sometimes to even get to 1200 calories a day. I am so stuffed from eating I feel kind of sick.

I certainly didn't get fat by eating 1200 healthy calories a day.

I'm going to listen to my doctor over all the arm chair experts on the interwebs.

I haven't read every post in here.....but 1,200 calories is really low.

Youtube Layne Norton metabolic disorder.

What happens on a very low calorie diet - your body becomes accustomed to this amount eventually. Yes, initially you will lose weight....but again, your body is an amazing organism, it will learn to adapt at that calorie level - meaning it will do everything it can to "maintain" at that level.

The problem is, once you start eating any sort of normal calorie level again, you will inevitably start gaining. Your metabolic rate is so low, any little adding of calories will cause weight gain.

The other problem is that even at 1,200 calories - you will NOT lose any additional weight....I've read that in a few posts in here already....that's because your body is basically used to running on those low calories - including the exercise you do.

IMHO, the ultimate goal is to build your metabolic capacity - meaning how high can you take your calories and still maintain weight......then, when you want to lose, you are starting at a much higher calorie level.

I'm not a nutritionist or chemist....just have interest in body recomp and how important metabolic response is.

When you go from 1200 calories putting yourself into starvation mode, of course your going to gain weight eating more. And this is no judgement on you. I did the same thing. I plateaued with the lack of calories I was eating. So I decided to do something crazy and follow the "Eat more to weigh less" mentality and it has helped me, but guess what when I started just eating at maintenance which should have kept me at my weight I was at, I gained. Why did I gain? I gained because I was depriving my body of nutrients and calories it needed before so it was now storing everything I was eating because it didn't know when the next time I was going to eat. Our bodies store fat so that we can survive and if we aren't eating enough, the next time we eat more than usual, it is going to hold onto it.
I understand there may be weights and heights that can maintain on a 1200 calorie diet, but thats for the shorties. I'm 5'3 and this isn't enough for me.

Educate yourself with how much you should be putting into your body.

I'm actually gaining muscle and toning while losing the last little bit of fat I have and I'm not starving or depriving myself while doing it. This for me is a lifestyle change and I don't want to yo-yo back and forth through putting my body through hell on a 1200 calorie diet just to hit a wall and be depressed.

Here are some sources if you want to learn more about eat more to weigh less and here is a link to help you figure out calories
http://eatmore2weighless.com/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

So if the body stores fat for the starvation times and you say at 1200 calories somebody is in starvation, why is the body not using the stored fat as it is in starvation.

1200 is not too low, I do not feel starved nor depressed.

ALL the online calculators are ESTIMATORSm, people are taking them as gospel, wrong move for some people.

Oh look! Another one of these threads where we all pretend to be nutritionist and doctors about a freaking arbitrary number.

1300 calories=ok
1200 = oh****no... Starvation siren starts going off, metabolism police drop ropes and come down from the ceiling with 2 tons of protein bars and a Jillian michaels 30 day shred program. Dr. Oz busts through the front door...all while 1200 calorie poster who is actually 5'1 and naturally petite is crying in the corner while thisisthinprivilege bloggers are throwing their snickers bar wrappers in her face telling her what a pos she is.

I love these threads.

Me too and you are right. I'm one of those short older females.
My doctor, yeah the one who went to medical school and has the degrees and license and practices medicine, told me to eat between 1000 to 1200 calories a day.

If I eat 1200 calories of junk, sure I will feel like I am starving because those things have no nutritional value. I could do the Krispy Kreme diet and lose weight but would probably feel like crap because I am not getting the nutrients I need.

When I eat real unprocessed foods like meat, eggs, fish, fresh veggies and fruit; I find it very hard sometimes to even get to 1200 calories a day. I am so stuffed from eating I feel kind of sick.

I certainly didn't get fat by eating 1200 healthy calories a day.

I'm going to listen to my doctor over all the arm chair experts on the interwebs.

The bolded bit above..... says a hell of a lot and I suspect that all those that "tried" the 1200 calories per day but decided they were unable to stick to it, ate a lot of junk - this left them hungry and unable to continue with this method of weightloss. Then to appease themselves and their conscience, they hack into anybody that does do the 1200 AND succeeds.

1200 calories per day, if anybody is going to do this, ensure you eat lots of protein - that will fill you up, eat nutritious stuff - that will fulfill your macros, IF you have any calories left over, THEN you can go for your treats, sweets, rubbish and any other crap you wish to stuff into your body.

If you CANNOT sustain or manage such a weightloss program, nobody is going to think any the less of you at all, but please, for the Love of God, leave those of us alone that ARE succeeding with such a method, because this is getting beyond tiresome.

The problem with 1200 calories though is that there's no where else to go.....it's not sustainable long term which is why inevitably people that sustain on that level usually gain much back. If your set point is 2000 or 2500 calories and you start eating more and gain....isn't it much easier to start eating at 2,500 calories again versus 1,200? Always better to have a higher base metabolic rate.

No, they gain it back, because as do many, many people after they get to their goal, they start eating way above their maintenance levels.

THIS is why they gain weight after reaching their goal, nothing to do with 1200 calories.