how long to begin seeing results when eating 1200 cals

kissmekates101
kissmekates101 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
hey everybody,

how long does it typically take to begin seeing results when eating 1200 cals a day? I have kept to my calorie goal for about a week and a half (including eating back my exercise calories when i hit the gym) and was just wondering when everyone started seeing results from a reduced caloric intake. I am very careful about what I eat, always measure it and carefully count calories. I have also completely stopped picking, which is my ultimate kryptonite, so I know I have definitely been consuming 1200 cals and not accidentally more and the scale hasn't moved. I am close to 120 pounds so I know its probably going to come off way slower than i would like, but any input? suggestions? help

thank you,
katy

Replies

  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
    Heads up.... 99.9% of people who respond to this will tell you to eat more.. i cannot help you as i eat about 1600 cals but it is probably going to take longer than 10 days to see a real noticeable difference.. best of luck :)
  • emirror
    emirror Posts: 842 Member
    You should have already seen a change, if you had not been dieting before. I gave seen a lot of people suggest that MFP's calorie credit for exercise is too generous, so you could either try a heart rate monitor, or expecting the count to be high.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    You want to lose 5 lbs? I fluctuate that much every day.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    how tall are you? basic math here. what is your TDEE minus the amount of calories you consume. it takes 3500 calories to make a pound so you need a deficit of that much to see a pound lost.
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    It takes me about two weeks at 1200 and exercising every day to see the scale move. I can feel changes before that, but I don't see it on the scale. You might try measurements or pictures. The time of month has an impact on when I see the scale move, too. Don't give up! It is very frustrating to feel you are doing everything right and not seeing results, but it will happen!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I didn't loose at 1200 either so I upped it to 1400 calories and started losing. 1200 is way to low for some people- I would gradually increase by 100 calories per week & don't forget to drink water...
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    I didn't loose at 1200 either so I upped it to 1400 calories and started losing. 1200 is way to low for some people- I would gradually increase by 100 calories per week & don't forget to drink water...
    Interesting, but no that isn't how it works.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    you appear to be at a healthy weight range already.

    If you at a higher BF% than you want, I'd suggest eating more and some resistance training. I would be focusing on measurements/pics rather than scale weight changes primarily.

    And just a FYI if you are eating back your exercise cals, it is hard for anyone to accurately answer your question. You may burn 300 or 3000 per day?

    Also, how tall are you?
  • kamakazeekim
    kamakazeekim Posts: 1,183 Member
    I've been eating that way for a year and haven't seen a god damn pound come off yet
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    When I first started, I saw results within a week. But I think I must have been eating a huge amount before!

    My guess is that you are not creating as much deficit as you think. Since you seem to be logging carefully you are probably over estimating your burn. Try leaving a few calories "on the table" when you exercise and see if that helps. Often my goal was to have 100 calories left at the end of the day.

    The closer you are to your goal the harder it is.
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
    I started seeing the weight come off pretty quickly...I wear a hrm and eat back those calories...I do have more to lose than you...but I have been at your weight before and lost successfully as well, just more slowly. I say give it a couple more weeks and see if you notice any changes.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you seem to be at a healthy weight..maybe you need to do a recoup and lift heavy and - gasp! - eat a little more …you will see better results doing this ...
  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
    I couldn't eat that little for very long. My scale saw results in a week, but I upped my calories to 1350. My boyfriend noticed about a month later. Within 6 weeks I had to buy new pants (2 sizes smaller). I've since upped my calories to my BMR because I still have a decent amount to lose-about 40-45Lbs-and I don't want to lose any more muscle than necessary. I'm determined to look good once I reach my goal!
  • svynmrrw
    svynmrrw Posts: 2 Member
    1,200 might be too low for you. As for me, I eat about 1,200 or less a day. It just depends on the person. So, I would say clean eating is an authentic way to see results. They may not be immediate, but they do come. Cut out synthetic sugars. My orchestra teacher lost 20 lbs from just cutting out synthetic sugars. In my opinion, it wasn't even apparent to me, than she could lose 20 lbs. She seemed in shape to me. But we talked, and that's all she did.. She cut out the artificial things. From my own experiences, ORGANIC GREEN TEA is a miracle worker. It speeds your metabolism, and has additional perks, health-wise! Drink it everyday! :smile:
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    1,200 might be too low for you. As for me, I eat about 1,200 or less a day. It just depends on the person. So, I would say clean eating is an authentic way to see results. They may not be immediate, but they do come. Cut out synthetic sugars. My orchestra teacher lost 20 lbs from just cutting out synthetic sugars. In my opinion, it wasn't even apparent to me, than she could lose 20 lbs. She seemed in shape to me. But we talked, and that's all she did.. She cut out the artificial things. From my own experiences, ORGANIC GREEN TEA is a miracle worker. It speeds your metabolism, and has additional perks, health-wise! Drink it everyday! :smile:

    sigh….no, just no...
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  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    A minimum of 3 weeks after any change.
  • chelsea123453342
    chelsea123453342 Posts: 23
    1200 cals isnt enough!
  • Just_Kim_
    Just_Kim_ Posts: 38 Member
    I started seeing results right away. But then again, I have quite a bit to lose.
  • pheona76
    pheona76 Posts: 37
    you appear to be at a healthy weight range already.

    If you at a higher BF% than you want, I'd suggest eating more and some resistance training. I would be focusing on measurements/pics rather than scale weight changes primarily.

    And just a FYI if you are eating back your exercise cals, it is hard for anyone to accurately answer your question. You may burn 300 or 3000 per day?

    Also, how tall are you?

    This is probably the best advice. If you toss out the scale and just start lifting free weights you will probably see the tone you are looking for no matter what your weight. Also crunches crunches crunches. You can never have enough.
  • kissmekates101
    kissmekates101 Posts: 17
    thanks for all the advice everyone!!

    for the record I am not trying to lose a serious amount of weight just 8 to 10 pounds and TONE. I burn about 500 calories just working out (not counting all the weight training I do) and mpf has always suggested 1200 since my bmr is around 1400 to 1500 and I am definitely not going to eat 1000 cals or less. I always believed if I upped my intake I wouldn't lose at all ;/ but ill give it a shot.

    katy
  • kissmekates101
    kissmekates101 Posts: 17
    and I am 5'2 120 lbs
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    you seem to be at a healthy weight..maybe you need to do a recoup and lift heavy and - gasp! - eat a little more …you will see better results doing this ...

    ^ this actually, at your weight you probably would benefit a lot more from toning than weight loss.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    at your height and weight if you up your calories you probably will not lose any weight. 110 is also very very thin for 5 2 it's not very maintainable with the calorie requirements already being so low. I think you'd probably be happier if you ate at maintenance and lifted heavy. you'll find a lot more sculpting that way.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    yep, I'd up cals to around 1700 - 1900 gross. Look up some beginner strength training programs. (can be body weight exercises but if you can do more than about 12-15 reps then you need to make it harder)

    Have patience :smile:
  • youtubeworkouter
    youtubeworkouter Posts: 19 Member
    have you tried taking measurements? on the weeks i don't see weight loss, I might see loss by way of cm or inches.

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