1200 Calorie Diet???? Seriously???

Thank you! I am 4"8 and there is NO WAY I can go over about 1300 a day. I hardly get in 1200. I either don't have the opportunity to eat that much that often, or I just can't. I get full quickly and refuse to keep eating when I am not hungry.

I really dont mean to sound condescending but how does someone who has trouble eating 1300 calories a day end up needing to lose 87 lbs?

Because BEFORE they started needing to lose weight they were eating more. Sorry but one of the great things about eating less is the ability not to over eat anymore. How does ANYONE on here end up needing to lose even 1lb?

Hi I am new to the site but think it is really good. That said, I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and attended an education programme on Monday about it. They recommended between 1500 and 1800 calories for me as anything lower could affect my blood sugar levels too severely. What I wanted to know is, is it possible to change the 1200 allowance given on the diary sheet to reflect that? It would be a great help. Anyone know??? Thanks, in advance.

1200 calories work ok for me.I eat a variety of food and even struggle to reach 1200.I'm usually little bit under.Definitely not starving myself!Doesn't work for everyone I suppose but works well for me.;-)

Why does MFP set my calorie intake to 1200 then?

I don't know your stats but it's for one of 2 reasons. Either you are very short, like around 5' or less. Or you set your goal too aggressively. Was your loss goal set at greater than one lb. per week? Usually if you set it at 2 lbs per week you will drop to the lowest calories goal on the site which is 1200 calories.

New dude arrives and has all the solutions starting with lemon water and low fat dairy?
In for the lolz.

Lowfat cheese is the saddest thing in the world.
Give me real cheese.

Yeah, I'm sticking with my high fat cheese...I don't buy low fat anything and have been having great results.

I can't help but wonder..... If that profile picture is really you, why are you even here? You obviously don't need help losing weight.

If you bother doing your research, the recommended minimum for women is 1200 calories. Shorter women that weigh less don't need as many calories as you must.
I am 5'3". 115lb. I maintain at 1450 before exercise.

Because he is here to just sell Beachbody stuff...and give p*ss poor advice.

He really lost me at you don't have to eat a calorie deficit to lose weight. Oh Really??? Please tell me more!

I, for one, am still waiting to hear this secret plan to lose weight in a calorie surplus.

bump for later

I can't help but wonder..... If that profile picture is really you, why are you even here? You obviously don't need help losing weight.

If you bother doing your research, the recommended minimum for women is 1200 calories. Shorter women that weigh less don't need as many calories as you must.
I am 5'3". 115lb. I maintain at 1450 before exercise.

Because he is here to just sell Beachbody stuff...and give p*ss poor advice.

He really lost me at you don't have to eat a calorie deficit to lose weight. Oh Really??? Please tell me more!

I, for one, am still waiting to hear this secret plan to lose weight in a calorie surplus.

Me too...maybe its the lemon water lol

I can't help but wonder..... If that profile picture is really you, why are you even here? You obviously don't need help losing weight.

If you bother doing your research, the recommended minimum for women is 1200 calories. Shorter women that weigh less don't need as many calories as you must.
I am 5'3". 115lb. I maintain at 1450 before exercise.

Because he is here to just sell Beachbody stuff...and give p*ss poor advice.

He really lost me at you don't have to eat a calorie deficit to lose weight. Oh Really??? Please tell me more!

Thank you! I am 4"8 and there is NO WAY I can go over about 1300 a day. I hardly get in 1200. I either don't have the opportunity to eat that much that often, or I just can't. I get full quickly and refuse to keep eating when I am not hungry.

I really dont mean to sound condescending but how does someone who has trouble eating 1300 calories a day end up needing to lose 87 lbs?

Because BEFORE they started needing to lose weight they were eating more. Sorry but one of the great things about eating less is the ability not to over eat anymore. How does ANYONE on here end up needing to lose even 1lb?

How do you know this is the case for her? She specifically mentioned her HEIGHT as the reason why she can't eat over 1300 kcal. Your argument would probably be true if she were further in her journey but judging by her ticker, she's just beginning. She's lost 6 lbs out of 87. So you're saying within that time frame she's gone from eating over maintenance to all of a sudden "NO WAY" being able to eat more than 1300 kcal? Damn, I wish that would happen to me

And hell, at least I asked politely. Did you see all the other sarcastic comments that were directed towards people who made similar statements as the one I quoted?

Anything that eliminates mayo sounds dumb.

LOL! This made me smile, I totally agree. AND lowfat cheese really is the saddest thing in the world.

Patbee:I have type2 also and am on 1200 calories. Usually eat 1400-1500 and treadmill off 250 to 300. At night I take 22 units of levemir. So far no trouble with blood sugar. Am losing about what I expected 1.8 lbs a week. I have checked my glucose level more often just to monitor it closely. Friend me if you want to talk about it as you go. Good luck to you.

You meant well buddy.. you meant well.

This!

I'm fairly new to this forum and am really surprised at how many people on here are starving themselves to lose weight. Weight loss is not a sprint its a marathon. Its something that should happen over time, not within a few weeks. Weight loss is more than just limiting your caloric intake. Its a combination of eating clean and healthy ( I hate the word diet) and exercising on a daily basis. Starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight and by limiting your caloric intake to 1200 or so calories is doing just that. Not only is it unhealthy, but its a process that you will never stick to because its not natural and uncomfortable to do. So lets be serious and talk about how to lose weight realistically.

I would first ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?' Is it for appearance? Is it to be more healthy? Is it to be able to make it up that flight of steps without getting tired? Once you understand your own reasoning you can then move forward and begin your weight loss journey, because after all that's what it should be, a journey not a short trip. Once you've realized your goal and the reason for it you need to make the biggest decision of all, and that's to commit to yourself and commit to achieving your goal of losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle.

So now you've made the decision to put your health first; now what? Lets start with your eating habits. What do you eat? When do you eat it? and how often are you eating? Your body is a very complex machine but by following some simple rules about eating, you can have it running very efficiently. Follow these few simple rules and you'll see and feel the difference in your energy level.
-Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water
-Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day
-Drink water, all day long
-Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts...
-Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible
-Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.
-Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body
-Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy. Greek yogurt is a good choice.
-Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar

This si just a guide to go by. Your food intake should be directly related to your physical activity. Exercise is key but that's a whole other topic....

No thanks. Glad it works for you though :-)

I'm fairly new to this forum and am really surprised at how many people on here are starving themselves to lose weight. Weight loss is not a sprint its a marathon. Its something that should happen over time, not within a few weeks. Weight loss is more than just limiting your caloric intake. Its a combination of eating clean and healthy ( I hate the word diet) and exercising on a daily basis. Starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight and by limiting your caloric intake to 1200 or so calories is doing just that. Not only is it unhealthy, but its a process that you will never stick to because its not natural and uncomfortable to do. So lets be serious and talk about how to lose weight realistically.

I would first ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?' Is it for appearance? Is it to be more healthy? Is it to be able to make it up that flight of steps without getting tired? Once you understand your own reasoning you can then move forward and begin your weight loss journey, because after all that's what it should be, a journey not a short trip. Once you've realized your goal and the reason for it you need to make the biggest decision of all, and that's to commit to yourself and commit to achieving your goal of losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle.

So now you've made the decision to put your health first; now what? Lets start with your eating habits. What do you eat? When do you eat it? and how often are you eating? Your body is a very complex machine but by following some simple rules about eating, you can have it running very efficiently. Follow these few simple rules and you'll see and feel the difference in your energy level.
-Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water
-Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day
Drink water, all day long
-Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts...
-Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible
-Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.
-Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body
-Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy. Greek yogurt is a good choice.
-Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar-

This si just a guide to go by. Your food intake should be directly related to your physical activity. Exercise is key but that's a whole other topic....

I'm sure this was covered somewhere in the thread, but I just don't have the time to read all the replies.
As a dietitian I would like to say that 1200 calories a day is not starvation. Below that yes, but 1200 calories is perfect for SOME people, not all. As for your recommendations:

-Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water

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>What is your reasoning behind this? There is no medical reason or weight loss reason for it other than hydration. But you can get this from drinking plain water, tea, 100% fruit juice, milk, etc. This is a personal preference.
-Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day

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>3 meals a day is recommended. Sometimes 5-6 small meals throughout the day is better for people. there is no nutritional difference as long as the calorie intake is the same. Eating less than 3 meals a day is not recommended, we need at least those three to keep balanced. Portions are a huge issue in todays world. did you know what we call a child's plate today is actually a normal sized plate? What we consider normal sized plates were platters 20 years ago. Measuring out and controlling your portion sizes is key for healthy eating, but meals have no difference in 3 meals a day versus 6 meals a day.
-Drink water, all day long

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>this is good for you. Stay hydrated. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are thirsty so drinking fluids helps that. But Water is not the only fluid to drink throughout the day.
-Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts...

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>Yes lean proteins are most recommended, however loin and round cuts of beef or pork are lean too. There is lean hamburger out there, and ways to decrease fat in prep and cooking. Lunch meats are FINE to eat. Just in moderation due to sodium levels.
-Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible

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> Yes eat lots of fresh FRUITS and veggies. If not fresh frozen is next best followed by canned. Canned has almost the same nutrients as frozen, but they usually add sodium. Just rinse your veggie first, then cook it. Steaming you will still lose some nutrients, so of course fresh is always best.
-Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.

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>Condiments are fine, but we do recommend to go for low fat versions. Olive oil and canola oil are high in unsaturated fats (healthier fats) and good for you. Now there is also avocado oil which is the same. The problem is most people use Olive oil for cooking, however the smoke point is too low for that. You should use olive oil at the tail end of cooking a meal or more for salad dressings. Use canola or avocado oil at the start of cooking-or better yet use a wine, broth, or lemon juice.
-Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body

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>I semi-agree with this. You do not need to really limit your carbs though. Carbs are our body's fuel. Without them we will not be able to function well. The only time we recommend to limit carbs is if you are Diabetic, and even then we jut give set amounts for meals to follow.
-Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy. Greek yogurt is a good choice.

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>Dairy is very good for you. We do recommend the low fat versions always because its not always a healthier fat. Whole milk versus skim or 1%, the only nutritional difference is the fat content.
-Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar

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> natural sugar is EXTREMELY healthy for you. Do not limit your fruit intake on the basis of natural sugars. Please eat fruits and veggies all you want as long as you stay in your caloric goal. Avoid fruit juices. Even 100% fruit juice has some added sugar. If you like juice or want to continue drinking it that's fine, we recommend no more than 4 ounces of juice a day.

Sugar does not cause Diabetes! (just had to through that out there as a type 1 diabetic and dietitian/diabetes educator)