Looking to add people on 1200 calories a day

ok, so i'm noticing the trend of people on this thread who are starting the 1200 but are feeling very hungry and are struggling...to those people, i want to share my story.

last march, i started off with 1200 calories. and it was awful. i saw very little gains. i felt very frustrated. i thought about cutting back even more. it's like, how low could i go? it sucked big time. i was irritable, tired, and basically, a huge *****. pardon my language.

then i read this (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13) and it changed my life. at first i didn't understand it all. and it took me like an hour to figure it all out. but that was probably one of the most valuable hours of my life. right now, i'm 64lbs down (I began dieting in January, but joined MFP in March) and i am keeping it up! my original goal was to try to lose 1 lb a week for a year, but i exceeded my goal by 12lbs. best thing i did was educate myself. haven't looked back to 1200 since.

i'm not ridiculously hungry (until i change my goals, which i do about every 5lbs lost, and then it regulates itself after about 3 days) and it's been something i have been able to keep up with for 9 months. and i've even "scheduled" cheat days in there. during the holidays, when i went over a little on a couple of days (maybe by 100-200 calories), i still saw consistent weight loss. and if i can't work out as much as i'd like, i cut a little deeper on my deficit (right now, my TDEE is 2295 and i'm eating at a 20% cut, so about 1836). at first, i wasn't sure how to get all of those calories eaten (because honestly, it *seems* like a lot), but with some careful planning, it worked.

i wish you all the best of luck, but definitely encourage you to read that link and try it out. i mean, what do you have to lose?

There is none so blind as those who will not see.

This. OP has made up her mind, and will not be swayed by reason. Hopefully some of the others that have posted will read some of these links, and make a better choice for themselves.

Good luck to them all.

Is every new year this exhausting?

To be certain, my motivation for posting in this thread almost entirely has nothing to do with OP. Oh, sure, if she is helped by it, then bonus, but she is just one person. I post in threads like this to help the hundreds...maybe thousands...of others who read it...even the ones who initially dismiss it.

Actually, *especially* the ones who initially dismiss it, because they are the ones who are likely to be helped most...for when they've tried the *maximum deficit possible* approach and find themselves miserable, perhaps they'll remember that there was another way...seemingly less popular amidst the chorus of "1200 works for me!", but possibly another way...and then maybe they'll try it...and then maybe next year, they too will spread the word that the *most* deficit isn't always the *best* deficit.

Maybe.

and let me say that this is the first time i have actually been successful. and motivated.

Yeah...I posted this about 9 pages ago but I really don't expect people to read all 9 pages...anymore than I expect people will actually read this article. But it's good and thought provoking to say the least.
A few thoughts:
-I don't "look down" on people who are trying to get by on only 1200 calories. But I feel a genuine concern that most of you have your goals and focus misplaced.
- The goal should NOT be weight loss. 1200 calories will get you weight loss...but the wrong kind. The goal should be health. Which includes the kinds of calories you eat, activity level, etc. Studies have shown those who are overweight but active actually are healthier than skinny people who aren't active. So again, weight and calories really aren't the focus.
- If you feel that you are thriving on 1200 calories. then good for you and keep at it. But thriving is not measured by the scale. As I drop weight, and as I started first running and then training for triathlons I felt better. I wasn't that hungry as my body adjusted (only for the first week or two) and I had more energy. I felt less sluggish, had fewer medical issues, and good emotional health. This is thriving. If after a few weeks you aren't experiencing that...you're not getting what you NEED.
Best of luck and take a moment to at least skim through this article as it has some wonderful information.

http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-diet/1200-calories/

ok, so i'm noticing the trend of people on this thread who are starting the 1200 but are feeling very hungry and are struggling...to those people, i want to share my story.

last march, i started off with 1200 calories. and it was awful. i saw very little gains. i felt very frustrated. i thought about cutting back even more. it's like, how low could i go? it sucked big time. i was irritable, tired, and basically, a huge *****. pardon my language.

then i read this (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13) and it changed my life. at first i didn't understand it all. and it took me like an hour to figure it all out. but that was probably one of the most valuable hours of my life. right now, i'm 64lbs down (I began dieting in January, but joined MFP in March) and i am keeping it up! my original goal was to try to lose 1 lb a week for a year, but i exceeded my goal by 12lbs. best thing i did was educate myself. haven't looked back to 1200 since.

i'm not ridiculously hungry (until i change my goals, which i do about every 5lbs lost, and then it regulates itself after about 3 days) and it's been something i have been able to keep up with for 9 months. and i've even "scheduled" cheat days in there. during the holidays, when i went over a little on a couple of days (maybe by 100-200 calories), i still saw consistent weight loss. and if i can't work out as much as i'd like, i cut a little deeper on my deficit (right now, my TDEE is 2295 and i'm eating at a 20% cut, so about 1836). at first, i wasn't sure how to get all of those calories eaten (because honestly, it *seems* like a lot), but with some careful planning, it worked.

i wish you all the best of luck, but definitely encourage you to read that link and try it out. i mean, what do you have to lose?

I am sad to report that your words are following on deaf ears.
Myself, liliawolf, jof, and etc have been trying to show the new years the light so they don't fall into the same issues that you and I did. But to no avail!

But huzzah, another one of us! =]

yeah...i wonder if it can be chalked to not reading the thread. yeah, that's what it's got to be, it's just gotta! honestly, i didn't start with the ipoarm until i started reading around the forums. hopefully some of the new members will do the same and do some research.

I eat 1 calorie a day from a grape

I eat 1 calorie a day from a grape

You must have some really small grapes.

Does it bother you that she is harming herself? 1200 is too low for someone with her stats. As I just posted, 1400 would the liquid diet her doctors would put her on to maintain life were she to go into a coma. It is called her basal metabolic rate, and it puts great stress on the body to try and function on less than that.

At least look into it and make your own informed choices.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Sorry, messed that up.

What do you do if your BMR is only 1348 & you have a desk job so are sitting around for about 9 hours every day? I go to the gym 4-5 days a week but probably don't burn more than 200-300 calories for my workout. How many calories can I eat if I want to lose 1 pound a week?

Assuming your numbers are good, your goal to lose 1 pound/week is likely unrealistic.

-snip-

Effed up the quotes and lazy but Jof answered her question

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexy+pants

Ever heard the phrase 'you can catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar'? The messengers who are saying "eat more than 1200" are SO NEGATIVE. No one wants to take advice from people who are so negative. People will make their own decisions about their health, and do their research (or not do their research). Folks are here looking for encouragement, and one who is wise understands how to give it, and how to correct someone to get them on the right path, and hopefully on the path that is right for that individual.

You're perceiving them as negative.
Only one that I can see as negative is the last one I posted in response to you.

I don't like honey anyway

Ever heard the phrase 'you can catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar'? The messengers who are saying "eat more than 1200" are SO NEGATIVE. No one wants to take advice from people who are so negative. People will make their own decisions about their health, and do their research (or not do their research). Folks are here looking for encouragement, and one who is wise understands how to give it, and how to correct someone to get them on the right path, and hopefully on the path that is right for that individual.

Actually the majority were helpful and heartfelt. At worst they were disappointed at the defensiveness or lack of interest from people that we are spending time and effort trying to help. Ironically, yours was actually one of the most negative posts on the thread.

Does it bother you that she is harming herself? 1200 is too low for someone with her stats. As I just posted, 1400 would the liquid diet her doctors would put her on to maintain life were she to go into a coma. It is called her basal metabolic rate, and it puts great stress on the body to try and function on less than that.

At least look into it and make your own informed choices.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Sorry, messed that up.

What do you do if your BMR is only 1348 & you have a desk job so are sitting around for about 9 hours every day? I go to the gym 4-5 days a week but probably don't burn more than 200-300 calories for my workout. How many calories can I eat if I want to lose 1 pound a week?

Your BMR is how much energy you use in a day, at rest (so hanging about at home all day not doing much). That's how much you should eat minimum, even on a lazy day, in order to provide your cells and vital organs energy for basic function (your body uses energy regardless of if you move or not; your heart needs energy to pump blood, your lungs need energy to breath). When you factor in how much you walk around every day, just doing everyday things like going down a hallway, most people need to consume around 1500 calories, and they'll lose weight. If you're going to the gym, you need to 'eat back' those calories to give yourself fuel for your workout. So you could probably be eating between 1600-1800 calories daily (possibly more, since I'm not privy to how much you work out, or to your personal metabolism) and be losing weight quicker and more permanently than what you would at 1200.
*I'm no doctor or nutritionist, I'm simply a college student who's program is about physiology. But it's given me enough background to actually understand how it works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

I'm on 1200 calories a day because I don't exercise. I feel like I'm starving all the time!!!

Ever heard the phrase 'you can catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar'? The messengers who are saying "eat more than 1200" are SO NEGATIVE. No one wants to take advice from people who are so negative. People will make their own decisions about their health, and do their research (or not do their research). Folks are here looking for encouragement, and one who is wise understands how to give it, and how to correct someone to get them on the right path, and hopefully on the path that is right for that individual.

I suspect you're seeing negativity where it doesn't exist. Why is it that the suggestion for people to take what advice works for them and disregard the others is only interpreted one way? (In other words, perhaps you should disregard the advice that is phrased in a way that you don't prefer and accept that it may be beneficial to others.) Some people actually prefer more straightforward communications.

Besides, I sometimes prefer a little bit of balsamic vinegar instead of honey. For example, I haven't tried eating cooked spinach with honey, but I doubt I would like it at all.

That was mean. Honey took that one right in the feels.