Taking Phentermine, eating 1200 calories, not losing weight

Holy crap.. OP... you're ... ju...

you're just doing it ALL wrong.

look.. here..

So you're new here. These tips might help:

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.

Stop the pills.

THIS. All of this.

Ditch the pills (and possibly your doctor!), learn to use the free tools here at MFP - eat right, exercise, drink water, get good rest, an have patience. It works, and it's worth it to do it the right way.

I am confused. My primary care physician suggested I take phentermine because I am overweight, I didn't ask him at all about losing weight, he pointed it out to me. If it's so unhealthy, why did he think it was a good idea?

I haven't had any side efffects.

My doctor suggested the phentermine and said I was overweight for my height. I weighed 167 and am 5 foot 7. I got to a point where I was eating all the time, even just because I was bored, then eventually I got used to it and was hungry all the time, even after eating a meal. The phentermine has curbed my appetite. I guess I will force myself to eat more. I am eating very healthy. I am not excercising because I have an issue with energy. I had this problem for a couple of years. My doctors don't know what is wrong, I am low on iron, so I take a supplement, and I've tried vitamins. I barely have enough energy to do normal everyday things without getting exhausted.

I don't excercise at all. I can't. I have had a problem with lack of energy for a couple of years now.

I didn't go looking for a pill to fix my weight problem, I just want to make that clear. My doctor suggested I take it because he said I had gained too much weight.

I don't excercise at all. I can't. I have had a problem with lack of energy for a couple of years now.

I'm sorry, but that sounds like an excuse. You can walk, right? Walk around the block.
I find I have more energy BECAUSE I exercise.
Not trying to sound mean or anything, it just sounds like an excuse to me. If 400 lbs people can swim or walk, you can at least walk around the block.

...that's really not fair. Energy (or lack of it) doesn't always have to do with your current weight. If the OP truly feels tired and has no energy, it could be the signs of another problem that has yet to be diagnosed.
I know 350 lb people who can walk circles around people half their size, but I also know 150 lb people who are sloths....

Get a new doctor, or at least a second opinion.

Your doctor suggested phentermine because you're MAYBE 40 lbs overweight?! I'd guess it's more like 20 or 25.....get a new doctor! There is no miracle weight loss drug. Calories in calories out. End of story

We do not know the details of why the doctor suggested Phentermine....

It's usually prescribed to patients who have a medical reason to lose the weight.