Maintaining weight on 1200 calories?

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Replies

  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    Well, this reminds me of myself. With personal experience of this, I would go against what some others have said.

    I had eating disorders for 12 years and would gain weight on 1000 calories. However, that was 3-4 years ago, and now I maintain on about 1700+.

    I would see a doctor first of all. Although they are likely to try and force you to eat 2000 calories for their own stats, more than when you are ready. After a year they expected me to eat 2000 or said they may want to put me in an out-patients centre to force me to eat. At this point I was on about 1500, and no longer starving myself. However, all the months running up to that moment helped me get past my mental illness for the first time in 12 years.

    I would aim to eat 1200-1400 for the next month or so. Once you are no longer maintaining on this, gradually increase your calories. Doing a big jump isn't going to be good mentally for you, and you will go back to square one. Although you are currently in an unhealthy state, this isn't a race, and actually in reality, jumping your calories up too quick will actually be a set back.

    I would also start to decrease exercise if you can. Working out hard 5-6 days a week and eating so low really is bad for you.

    Bottom line: eat a bit more and very slowly increase, and slowly decrease your exercise until you find the balance.

    Good luck.
  • Majda1234
    Majda1234 Posts: 64
    I have the same stats as you and i did about the same thing for a year and developed anorexia. Loosing your period is really serious and you need to talk to a doctor about it, you could devlop so many health issues if you don't adress this. My suggestion is to talk to a ntritionist if you have that option, i was diagnosed when i weighed about 90 pounds and now i am about your weight, the same age and height maintaining on 2500-3000 calories with moderate exercise so that is what you should be aiming at. What you definitely need to do is up your intake immedietly. You are young and obviously have anorexic tendencies.
  • LuckyMunky
    LuckyMunky Posts: 200 Member
    You need to see a therapist or a doctor, not ask for advice on an internet forum.

    You need to love yourself enough to care about your health. If you can't do that on your own, find help (there's no shame in that) and get better.

    Seriously, therapy. Trust me, it does wonders if you let it.
  • athenalove46
    athenalove46 Posts: 182 Member
    Haven't read through all the replies just yet, but wanted to share my story. Once upon a time ago I discovered Paleo. It was great for me and I lost a lot of weight and thought I felt great. Started CROSSFIT and I kept losing weight and was unable to make PRs, feeling like crap (even went to the doctor cause i thought i might be hyperthyroid....even he suggested i eat more....but i was in denial! i was NEVER hungry....and i DID eat), as well as losing my cycle...or rather it was far from regular (which i used to be able to count 3 or more months out and could pinpoint when i would start). A challenge came and I made it a goal to gain 10 lbs. I started logging and I was barely eating 1200 calories. I couldn't believe it. Almost 3 years of severely under eating and over exercising. I damaged my metabolism bad.

    I got into weight lifting around Feb of this year. Started focusing on calories. Ate about 1500-1600. Found EM2WL and jumped right in and did a metabolism reset. According to the Scooby calculator my TDEE was 2180. So, literally I jumped right in. Gained a total of 10 lbs. thought I was done and went in at a cut to 1950 and proceeded to gain 5 lbs. what? Anyway, I'm back up to 2200 cals and have never felt better. I am not losing weight (currently 150# at 5' 4"), but my body is transforming! Now I eat and lift heavy *kitten* and my cycles come every month and on time.

    If I were you, I would check out the Eat more to weigh less group on here, start increasing your calories, throw out the scale and focus on healing your body, and start lifting.
  • silvervoyager
    silvervoyager Posts: 3 Member
    If you have fatigue and no periods, could you be pregnant? Just a thought.
  • N3ssie91
    N3ssie91 Posts: 1
    Anything under 600 calories is very bad. Maybe you should talk to your doctor? That's what I had to do. 2 years ago I was eating 700 calories a day, living off soup, apples and cereal bars (no joke). I didn't get a period in 2 months and my doctor said what I was doing was very unhealthy as I was very weak. I nearly fainted multiple times.
    Try and eat a balanced diet.. If you don't want to eat near your normal calorie intake, at least try and have it 1,500. Stay off the junk food and sugary snacks. You won't get fat if you eat vegetables, fish, soup, fruit etc.
  • KaraAlste
    KaraAlste Posts: 168 Member
    I am 5 5'' and under 130 lbs and always lose weight (not my goal) when I eat under 1800 calories (active, but no current program.) There is a group on here called Eat More to Weigh Less. I think it would be worth joining and researching. Food is not worth missing out on.:happy:
  • bridgew24
    bridgew24 Posts: 143 Member
    I am 5'7" and a bit over 130lb, the REAL maintenance amount for me is 1700-1900 calories. MFP however tends to UNDER estimate your calories.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Apparently you're not supposed to go back onto maintenance slowly.

    there's a huge post here somewhere about how it works. It appears that if you go up slowly, your body tries to replenish the glycogen stores (which store with 4 times their own weight in water) as a first option. You seem to stack on weight so you try to diet again, the glycogen goes down, you get no joy.

    the post described it perfectly but what I got out of it was that you have to go lower than your goal weight by about 2kg: and then just go back to tdee as calculated in the system, and ride out the 2 or maybe more kg weight gain you'll get in the first week.

    After that initial gain, you can then start to see if your maintenance calories are right for you. I would recommend, if you gain after that first week, increasing your exercise rather than lowering the calories. And that's because after a long period of very low calories you'll have far less muscle mass than you had before, so you want to grow those muscles back up to where they belong, whilst still maintaining a reasonable food intake. :)
  • ProudMomNY
    ProudMomNY Posts: 22
    You should go to a "registered" dietician as most doctors do not understand what food does to your body. I know this because I used to work in a nursing home and would frequently have doctors change a patients diet to one that was not suitable for them and we'd have to speak to him. A registered dietician goes to college for 6 yrs to learn how food works with the body. That's all they study. If you want to maintin your weight loss you really need to find one to talk to. A therapist would help if you're having issues with eating and depression but you need to see a dietician for food advice, Check your local hospital they ALL have one employed with them and you can make an appt. with him or her and they'll go over your medical history and sit down with you and have a long talk about what you've done and how to fix it properly.

    I thought I should also explain the difference between a nutritionist and a registered dietician. A nutritionist education is not regulated. Students do not need to attend a school with any accreditation, no nationwide certification agency or organization regulates the nutritionist profession to provide a standard for educational requirements.

    Registered dietitians, on the other hand, need to attend a college or university accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). These schools provide a regulated standard of education necessary for students to pursue the RD credential. Coursework typically includes economics, psychology, sociology, statistics computer science, mathematics, business, nutrition, foods, chemistry, biology, biochemistry, institution management microbiology and physiology.

    Find one at your local hospital you can make an appt with him or her there. While there maybe great advice here you need to seek professional help to get your exact nutritional needs.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    You should go to a "registered" dietician as most doctors do not understand what food does to your body. I know this because I used to work in a nursing home and would frequently have doctors change a patients diet to one that was not suitable for them and we'd have to speak to him. A registered dietician goes to college for 6 yrs to learn how food works with the body. That's all they study. If you want to maintin your weight loss you really need to find one to talk to. A therapist would help if you're having issues with eating and depression but you need to see a dietician for food advice, Check your local hospital they ALL have one employed with them and you can make an appt. with him or her and they'll go over your medical history and sit down with you and have a long talk about what you've done and how to fix it properly.

    I thought I should also explain the difference between a nutritionist and a registered dietician. A nutritionist education is not regulated. Students do not need to attend a school with any accreditation, no nationwide certification agency or organization regulates the nutritionist profession to provide a standard for educational requirements.

    Registered dietitians, on the other hand, need to attend a college or university accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). These schools provide a regulated standard of education necessary for students to pursue the RD credential. Coursework typically includes economics, psychology, sociology, statistics computer science, mathematics, business, nutrition, foods, chemistry, biology, biochemistry, institution management microbiology and physiology.

    Find one at your local hospital you can make an appt with him or her there. While there maybe great advice here you need to seek professional help to get your exact nutritional needs.
    Thank you for this - great info
  • guessrs
    guessrs Posts: 358 Member
    I'm 5'6 also and 130. I maintain through exercise. At your weight you need to do more than walking. Pick any activity you enjoy, lose more calories through movement and you'll maintain your weight. Exercise has enabled me to get to 130 while eating 1500 to 2000 daily.
  • paulei1975
    paulei1975 Posts: 52 Member
    Over the past six months or so I've lost 60lbs, going from 190lbs to 130 at 5ft 6.

    I won't lie, I didn't lose the weight particularly healthily - I was on a very, very low calorie diet (around 800-1000 at first, but as I became more and more unhappy it ended up being around 400-500).

    Over the past few weeks I've been looking to slowly increase my calorie intake to maintain my weight, and have been doing it in instalments of 100 calories a week. However, I'm currently eating 1200-1300 daily and maintaining (have been for about three weeks).

    If I were shorter and weighed less then I would perhaps understand maintaining at this amount - however, I'm farily active (walking for about an hour 5-6 days a week) and have a BMI of 21. I realise I've probably broken my metabolism but I don't know where to go from here - if I start eating more than 1200/1300, will I begin to gain weight?

    Really would appreciate some help because the amount of calories I'm consuming at the moment is still making me pretty tired and unable to concentrate, and I haven't had a period since May which is also worrying.

    If my stats are relevant: 18 y/o female, 5ft 6, 130lbs

    I read your other post from June. I truly feel you need to talk to a therapist and a medical doctor. Reading between the lines, I think a therapist would be very helpful so that you can establish a new and healthy relationship with foods.

    And just remember as you try to find your perfect maintenance intake you very likely will gain a bit of weight. And it's OK if you do. Taking care of yourself first on the inside, will do wonders for where you appear to emotionally be right now.
    This is great advice that I would recommend you seek. Good Luck
  • upscalelifedownscalebutt
    upscalelifedownscalebutt Posts: 90 Member
    Yes, registered dietitian is the way to go. If you live in Canada, didn't look at location sorry, it is covered if you go to your regional health clinic. I'd also go to your doctor about the missed period. Dollarama has lovely pregnancy tests for a preview, but there are other issues that can cause period loss and it likely has nothing to do with your weight loss.

    Also your weight loss was dramatic, the train of thought could have gone wrong, but you pulled it out of the fire in time. You don't deserve the hostility in some of these comments.

    Your metabolism will bounce back fairly quickly. It's not like you broke it forever. You will likely see a pound or so of gain before you stabalize again. No big deal. Once you get a better overall calorie intake then you can lose them again if it really bothers you.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    This is tricky, I did something similar (about 700 calories a day), gained 10lbs after increasing my calories to a normal amount, but was able to maintain on 1500-2000 calories a day after my gain.

    Could I ask how you increased to a normal amount? Was it something similar to a 100 calorie increase weekly or did you just jump to a normal amount?

    I don't know how much exactly, but it was very moderately... It took about 9 months.

    Don't get into the weeds on this one. You dieted too hard and now you're probalby going to gain some back as a result, as you get back to healthier levels. You need to be concerned with your health before your weight.

    Now I don't mean this in a disrespectful way at all, but it occured to me. If you're only eating 1200 and maintaining now, and haven't had your period since May, is pregnancy a possibility? I really don't know enought about pregnancy to be honest, maybe that's a stupid question, but there could be a correlation there.

    Again, regardless, go see a doctor to get real advice. Nobody here is an expert or qualified to help you with this.



    This^^^^^^
  • ProudMomNY
    ProudMomNY Posts: 22
    You need to see a therapist or a doctor, not ask for advice on an internet forum.

    Agreed. Weight loss advice is one thing, Eating disorders is another, but then again when I was losing weight I got very anal about what I ate, but I wouldn't consider it' pre-anorexic.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Just keep adding slowly and don't fret a gain of 5-6 lbs. If you put on muscle, who cares. You are not going to be putting on fat, if your diet is correct and you continue working out.

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