Is it normal to stop losing pounds after about 1month?

You should open your diary. You'll get better feedback if we can see what you're doing. Are you eating back your exercise calories?

A lot of noobs see quick drop initially, then loss will level off. Also, I agree with above, make sure you are eating enough. Set your activity setting on at least Lightly Active, make sure you're eating most of your exercise calories back, and consider upping your daily net a bit, like at least 1400.

Definitely not gaining muscle on 1200 a day.

Totally normal to lose several pounds right away and then slow down, even gain a few - weight loss isn't linear, and our weight fluctuates daily due to many different factors - exercise, sodium, not enough water, hormones, etc.

It's a good idea to take measurements and photos rather than just relying on the scale - you'll often seen results on the tape measure while the scale is busy messing with your head.

And I also agree that you should make your diary public - much easier to offer advice that way.

It would also help to know your current stats: height, current weight, and goal weight.

It happened to me this month I managed to break through the plateau after taking a rest for 2 weeks. Just keep going and read other peoples' advice and try to create your own plan. If someone's calorie intake advice is making you gain weight just subtract a little at a time until you find your ideal weight loss speed! 1-2 lbs a week is good but it depends on your current weight as well.

contrary to some people's beliefs (and posts on this thread), you *can* gain muscle on a deficit. I'm doing it currently. There are lots and lots of documented cases of people doing it, too. Eating at a deficit just means that your body is forced to use fat (and in some cases muscle tissue) to close the caloric gap. It's not as easy to gain a lot of mass quickly when on a deficit, which is why body builders use bulking phases, but it is very much possible to gain plenty of lean body mass (muscle) when eating at a deficit. That's scientific fact, even though it may contradict the "bro science".

Also, eating more calories will not make you lose weight. That is a bastardization of the real reason to eat higher calories, which is to maintain a higher metabolism. Your body adapts to its intake (slowly), and keeping yourself at a consistently higher intake level will ensure that your body remains adapted to that level of intake. The best method is widely agreed upon (by real, live scientists and nutritionists) - consume a maintainable level of calories and create your caloric deficit through exercise. If 1200 calories per day is something you can do forever, that's fine as long as you're getting your nutrients. "Eating back your exercise calories" can help raise your metabolic rate a bit, but will also slow your weight loss. Which direction you go depends a lot on your psychological ability to stick to an eating plan and how much of a deficit you want.

It's a trade-off between quick weight loss with a tougher, slower transition to "normal" eating, and slower weight loss with an easier time later on and more "fun" eating more calories now. People will argue both sides all day long, but the science of adaptive thermogenesis is real. If you *really* want to figure all of this out, forget reading about it on the message boards from non-experts (like me) and using faulty, inaccurate online calculators. Go see a real, educated nutrition specialist. Seek out one with an advanced degree. Have your BMR measured. Every human is different. Stop the guesswork

disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but the above is based on the research and conclusions of experts. I didn't link a bunch of studies on this post, but they are all readily available from reputable sources and many have been posted on these very forums many times over. "adaptive thermogenesis" is the best search term you can use to uncover a wealth of information... you just need to know how to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were. Peer reviewed or it doesn't count.

Yeah that's pretty typical when doing the 1200 calorie thing.

contrary to some people's beliefs (and posts on this thread), you *can* gain muscle on a deficit. I'm doing it currently. There are lots and lots of documented cases of people doing it, too. Eating at a deficit just means that your body is forced to use fat (and in some cases muscle tissue) to close the caloric gap. It's not as easy to gain a lot of mass quickly when on a deficit, which is why body builders use bulking phases, but it is very much possible to gain plenty of lean body mass (muscle) when eating at a deficit. That's scientific fact, even though it may contradict the "bro science".

Also, eating more calories will not make you lose weight. That is a bastardization of the real reason to eat higher calories, which is to maintain a higher metabolism. Your body adapts to its intake (slowly), and keeping yourself at a consistently higher intake level will ensure that your body remains adapted to that level of intake. The best method is widely agreed upon (by real, live scientists and nutritionists) - consume a maintainable level of calories and create your caloric deficit through exercise. If 1200 calories per day is something you can do forever, that's fine as long as you're getting your nutrients. "Eating back your exercise calories" can help raise your metabolic rate a bit, but will also slow your weight loss. Which direction you go depends a lot on your psychological ability to stick to an eating plan and how much of a deficit you want.

It's a trade-off between quick weight loss with a tougher, slower transition to "normal" eating, and slower weight loss with an easier time later on and more "fun" eating more calories now. People will argue both sides all day long, but the science of adaptive thermogenesis is real. If you *really* want to figure all of this out, forget reading about it on the message boards from non-experts (like me) and using faulty, inaccurate online calculators. Go see a real, educated nutrition specialist. Seek out one with an advanced degree. Have your BMR measured. Every human is different. Stop the guesswork

disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but the above is based on the research and conclusions of experts. I didn't link a bunch of studies on this post, but they are all readily available from reputable sources and many have been posted on these very forums many times over. "adaptive thermogenesis" is the best search term you can use to uncover a wealth of information... you just need to know how to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were. Peer reviewed or it doesn't count.

If you think lean mass and muscle are the same thing, you are not clear on the science yet, sorry.

At higher body fat levels you might see some increased muscle mass for a time, but if aiming for lean, in my personal experience, by the time you get to your goal body fat you have lost much of what you gained. But no big deal, because you can see the muscles you do have.

Don't confuse lean (non-fat) mass with muscle. It includes bone, blood, and anything that isn't fat.

As you get into more normal body fat ranges, everything gets way trickier and suddenly you don't feel s superior to all the "bros" who were giving you good advice from the start.

contrary to some people's beliefs (and posts on this thread), you *can* gain muscle on a deficit. I'm doing it currently. There are lots and lots of documented cases of people doing it, too. Eating at a deficit just means that your body is forced to use fat (and in some cases muscle tissue) to close the caloric gap. It's not as easy to gain a lot of mass quickly when on a deficit, which is why body builders use bulking phases, but it is very much possible to gain plenty of lean body mass (muscle) when eating at a deficit. That's scientific fact, even though it may contradict the "bro science".

Also, eating more calories will not make you lose weight. That is a bastardization of the real reason to eat higher calories, which is to maintain a higher metabolism. Your body adapts to its intake (slowly), and keeping yourself at a consistently higher intake level will ensure that your body remains adapted to that level of intake. The best method is widely agreed upon (by real, live scientists and nutritionists) - consume a maintainable level of calories and create your caloric deficit through exercise. If 1200 calories per day is something you can do forever, that's fine as long as you're getting your nutrients. "Eating back your exercise calories" can help raise your metabolic rate a bit, but will also slow your weight loss. Which direction you go depends a lot on your psychological ability to stick to an eating plan and how much of a deficit you want.

It's a trade-off between quick weight loss with a tougher, slower transition to "normal" eating, and slower weight loss with an easier time later on and more "fun" eating more calories now. People will argue both sides all day long, but the science of adaptive thermogenesis is real. If you *really* want to figure all of this out, forget reading about it on the message boards from non-experts (like me) and using faulty, inaccurate online calculators. Go see a real, educated nutrition specialist. Seek out one with an advanced degree. Have your BMR measured. Every human is different. Stop the guesswork

disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but the above is based on the research and conclusions of experts. I didn't link a bunch of studies on this post, but they are all readily available from reputable sources and many have been posted on these very forums many times over. "adaptive thermogenesis" is the best search term you can use to uncover a wealth of information... you just need to know how to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were. Peer reviewed or it doesn't count.

^This....also it's only been a month, and your body is like "WTF?" I wouldn't sweat it, weight loss isn't linear, you won't lose exactly 1 pound per week, it'll be some here and some there.
I personally don't like the idea of 1200 calories, but as long as you're comfortable long term with the amount you're eating (not hungry between meals and wishing you weren't dieting) and getting proper nutrition (all the food groups) then maybe it works for you.