Looking to add people on 1200 calories a day

I PM'ed the specifics, but for clarity's sake in the spirit of this thread, I am petite and sedentary. (Translation-results not typical. Most people won't get those numbers.)

Wow what is this!! 1200 cals good, 1200 cals bad, 1200 cals good, 1200 cals bad. Really?? I'm new to this board, and it's all I see. Anti 1200 people here right fighting day and night. Have you all really nothing better to do than to take over ALL low calorie threads and jam your opinions down everyone's throats over and over?? My lord do you not all have families, jobs or a life besides fighting over food? LOL!!!!!!

All the poor girl wanted to know is if she could get friends eating the same amount of calories as her. Bet she won't make that mistake again!! I was going to post my own thread but after reading these boards for a couple days I don't think I want to. Think I'll skip all the fighting, snarkiness and negativity and just use the calorie counter.

Have fun killing each other! Maybe I'll send a friend request to the OP geez. She seems to be the only decent one here.....

Were it not for my reading of all the 1200 calorie posts that existed when I began in May 2012, I would still be on the merry go round of starving myself and then gaining the weight back. I've done that routine for years and yet, I was still overweight.

Perhaps you find the "fighting, snarkiness and negativity" too much for your sensibilities, but for me - I read everything, listened to both sides and then decided that at 55 years old, I had been doing it WRONG all these years. I will be forever grateful to the snarky, young, sarcastic, people that took the time to explain a different way to me 19 months ago. I am a different person because of all those people that you consider "know it all" jerks. I wouldn't trade any of them for someone clinging to the 1200 calorie diet that so many try and fail at again and again.

^This! My issue isn't that some do need only 1200 calories. Because every person is different. But if someone is so knowledgeable on this, they would also know that is not the case for the majority and would have that disclaimer in a thread like this to help others who are not so knowledgeable. Many others posted useful links that gave good information to help people and that is what I find useful.

I can't speak for her, but she may not have put that disclaimer in because the people who said they'd put all 1200 calorie eaters on ignore didn't put the disclaimer either. It's one thing when people work with someone to determine whether 1200 is necessary, but there are those on here who will mock those who eat 1200 and proclaim it too little for anyone not 3 feet tall. When someone makes statements that they'll go through and put everyone on ignore, there is some indication they might be one of those folks who assumes.

This! I am on 1,200 and am medically supervised. In March 2013, my "medical team" (doctors, nutritionist and physical therapist) started at 1,800 calories and I gained quickly. We decreased by 50 calories approximately every 2 to 4 weeks and realized that I maintain on about 1,500 and that my BMR is low due to said medical conditions and the medications I take for them. As physical therapy progresses and I start to gain some strength back and find a regimen that reduces the tremors, we will revisit the calories and increase if possible. I am currently losing about 1.2 pounds a week om 1,200 calories.

Weight loss is not one-size fits all and it seems that a lot of people here think it is. I am an advanced practice nurse and I work in medical research. If I have learned one thing in my career it is that no two people are the same. In fact, it is rare that two people are even very similar in terms of what it takes to make changes to the body. 1,200 will not work for everyone, but neither will 1,300, 1,400, 1,500, 1,600, 1,700, 1,800, 1,900, 2,000, so on and so forth.

Instead of lecturing others about eating 1,200 or not eating 1,200, the best answer is to encourage them to speak to their doctor. We all have different circumstances and motivations and reclaiming one's health is a very personal journey. Cutting calories and logging hours of cardio are very superficial aspects of losing weight. There are far deeper things that we as individuals need to address to truly succeed and keep the weight off long-term.

I joined here to meet like minds and folks who truly want to change their lives. So far, I have met a lot of folks who think their way is the only way and to be perfectly honest, it kind of sucks. And, I am sure that some folks will say, "then, just leave." Well, that illustrates my point perfectly if you are tempted to post that. Skipping lectures and rudeness for genuine encouragement and realizing that your way works for you and will not work for others goes a long way.

You are correct that no two people are exactly alike. However, the vast majority of these people on this thread who are opting for 1200 calories are basing it solely on what they think will take weight off the fastest without bothering to determine their BMR or TDEE and are not under medical supervision or diagnosed with medical conditions. Those cases are the exception, not the rule.If you're doing 1200 calories without knowing even your BMR, you are doing yourself a disservice. I haven't seen a single post here telling anyone how many calories they should be taking in with the exception of one who took the time to calc another person's TDEE and BMR based on information provided by the other user.

Encouraging someone to chose 1200 calories per day as their net without knowing BMR and TDEE is like someone saying they are going to drive from New York to Kalispel, Montana without so much as a map, smartphone, or even a compass. They might get there, but if you had 100 people do it, many would get hopelessly lost. As a nurse, would you support a doctor prescribing medications for a patient without even looking at their chart before doing so?

Absolutely not. I also do not advocate starting a diet or exercise program without a thorough physical and talking to one's general practitioner. I agree with you and you illustrate your points respectfully. My biggest issue is that some folks seem to think that everyone should do what they are doing. We should be working on what works for us and working with those who can help. It took nearly a year to discover that 1,200 was was I needed to actually lose and I am getting help from multiple medical professionals. I encourage everyone to visit their doctor and get a thorough physical before starting a weight loss plan. This allows folks to know their health status and get some advice on a good starting point.

Well said. Knowledge is power, while picking a calorie goal out of thin air is the best way to set oneself up for failure. A search of the forums will find a number of ladies who tried the 1200 calorie plan at first and discovered it was trading short term success for longer term failure before switching to a plan based on some actual useful information. I encourage the 1200 calorie club to check out the threads about how lifting made ladies "supa bulky". Very eye opening. Not twisting anyone's arm here, but if someone wants to succeed at anything, basing it on knowledge is the most effective way to do so. Anything else is just gambling.

Don't you people get it! Nobody is listening to your rants!! In case you hadn't noticed, the OP has long since abandoned this thread. The 1200 cal people just keep coming, and the OP keeps getting new friends! But by all means, keep on bangin' into the night on that keyboard! Live and let live! People can do what they want. And even though I'm personally not on 1200, I fully support those who chose this calorie goal. 1200 calories is still within the realm of healthy eating. Even my own doctor said that when I consulted her! People really need to lay off. Now you all know better than doctors? Mmmm hmmmm.......

Don't you people get it! Nobody is listening to your rants!! In case you hadn't noticed, the OP has long since abandoned this thread. The 1200 cal people just keep coming, and the OP keeps getting new friends! But by all means, keep on bangin' into the night on that keyboard! Live and let live! People can do what they want. And even though I'm personally not on 1200, I fully support those who chose this calorie goal. 1200 calories is still within the realm of healthy eating. Even my own doctor said that when I consulted her! People really need to lay off. Now you all know better than doctors? Mmmm hmmmm.......

You sound hungry. :flowerforyou:

This. If you are going to do something as drastic as restricting yourself to 1200 calories, please work with medical professionals to determine if it's necessary or if something more progressive would be a better method of meeting your goals.

While the advice to utilize a medical professional is solid, I know a lot of people won't actually do that...which is one of the reasons I suggest starting with more calories and gradually working down until you find something that works. For example, if you find that you make progress consistently while eating 1800 calories, there *probably* isn't any compelling reason to see a doctor.

Just a thought. (Please don't misinterpret as me jamming down anyone's throat.)

Well, exactly. If you make small changes, it's not as important to be supervised as when you are doing something drastic. I worry that a lot of people don't realize how ridiculous a 1200 calorie diet is. When I first started on MFP, I asked my doctor for advise. He gave me a sheet with a 1200 calorie diet. However, when I came over here, I found my BMR was around 1700 (I was 215). According to my research, you need to add at least 15% to that number to account for speech, normal motion and digestion. So unless you are shorter tha 5' 3" or have a diagnosed medical condition, a 1200 calorie diet really should be done under medical supervision.

I don't disagree at all, but since I am a nurse practitioner, I must encourage folks to see a doctor first

I know that an earlier poster commented that he was using this thread to set the 1200 calorie per day people to ignore. I'm going to take a slightly different tack. For all those jumping on the 1200 calorie per day plan just because they think it is the best and fastest way to lose weight without knowing their BMR or TDEE, I extend this offer. When the day comes that you get sick of feeling hungry all the time, or you "fall off the wagon", or you realize that you have put most, if not all of the weight you lost back on, should you decide that you want to get healthy and fit for the long term and want support feel free to send me a FR at that time.

Just understand that I won't support anyone who has an extremely low calorie goal that is not supported by either doctor recommendation or your TDEE calculation. That means just because MFP says 1200 is right for you, it doesn't mean it's what you should be doing. Seriously, try using one of the TDEE calculators like http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/, and see what it tells you. I'd be shocked if you see anything close to 1200 calories as the recommended amount.

This site gave my minimum daily calories at 150. If I eat less than that, I risk losing lean muscle mass. Whut??
My TDEE is only around 1600, but I think I will stick with 1200 or so. Don't think I would be very fun to be around if I only ate 150 cals per day. :laugh:
Disclaimer- I am 50 and partially disabled.

If I follow the recommended schedule on the next step, I will reach my goal weight in 6 years.

:flowerforyou: You realize jof - you are one of the snarky people I was referring to?

And people mock me when I say that my penchant for posting in 1200 calorie threads is changing lives for the better.

You see that naysayers?!?

Beacon. Of. Light.

Wow what is this!! 1200 cals good, 1200 cals bad, 1200 cals good, 1200 cals bad. Really?? I'm new to this board, and it's all I see. Anti 1200 people here right fighting day and night. Have you all really nothing better to do than to take over ALL low calorie threads and jam your opinions down everyone's throats over and over?? My lord do you not all have families, jobs or a life besides fighting over food? LOL!!!!!!

All the poor girl wanted to know is if she could get friends eating the same amount of calories as her. Bet she won't make that mistake again!! I was going to post my own thread but after reading these boards for a couple days I don't think I want to. Think I'll skip all the fighting, snarkiness and negativity and just use the calorie counter.

Have fun killing each other! Maybe I'll send a friend request to the OP geez. She seems to be the only decent one here.....