I abandoned 1200 calories per day, and so should you

How about agree to disagree - what works for some, doesn't work for others, and visa versa.

For some 1200 works, for others not so much. Age, lifestyle, what you eat (filling foods, or junk), and all sorts of things come into play.

I'm not going to condemn someone for eating more, or less than I do - do what works, when that stops working, change something. Other than that, to each their own.

Hi everyone,

This post is mainly concerned with the myth that 1200 calories per day is ideal for losing 2lb/week. This is the number that myfitnesspal will spit out at you if you want to lose a lot of weight and you don't exercise much. I followed this 1200 calories/day goal for about 6 months, and I am here to tell you that, if your current goal is 1200 calories per day, you should really reconsider.

First of all, a bit about myself so that you can compare to my circumstances. I am a 23 year-old female, 5'7", and I weight 150 lbs. I am a university student and during the period where I was eating 1200 calories/day, I was not exercising much at all. I have been sitting at the same weight (+/- a couple pounds) for about a year.

While I was eating 1200 calories per day, I was not a happy camper. I was constantly hungry, and I found myself skipping meals in order to maintain that goal. In addition, I was not losing any weight. And I can say with 100% confidence that eating 1200 calories/day for 6 months didn't make me lose a SINGLE pound. I had been sitting at the same weight the entire time. I was fed up, and I started reading into the 1200 calorie/day myth a bit more. I took some advice and I calculated my BMR, which was about 1500 calories/day. I was scared to increase my intake though, because I was afraid of gaining weight.

About 2 months ago I increased my calorie intake to about 1700 calories/day. Guess what? I'm still sitting at the exact same weight. This makes me realize in retrospect how much I was starving my body. I am also much happier now. I am not afraid to eat throughout the day. I can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between. I have also started working out for an hour per day on the exercise bike in hopes of overcoming my plateau. But the point of this post is that 1200 calories was definitely not ideal for me, and there is a chance that it is not ideal for you. Calculate your BMR and bump up your intake if 1200 calories is not working for you. Your body needs nourishment and there is definitely more to losing weight than limiting your calories. I know that there are already posts about the 1200 calorie misconception, but I just wanted to tell my experiences and try to get the message across that 1200 calories is not something to automatically swear by.
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How are the clothes fitting you, performance at gym, or body measurements?

I read comments by experienced folks on this site that they have disowned the scale and now go by clothes fitting/ body measurements and/or their performance at gym or activity.

I would love to hear from you of if you are seeing any positive difference in other areas b'coz someday oneday I may be in your shoes.

Hi everyone,

This post is mainly concerned with the myth that 1200 calories per day is ideal for losing 2lb/week. This is the number that myfitnesspal will spit out at you if you want to lose a lot of weight and you don't exercise much. I followed this 1200 calories/day goal for about 6 months, and I am here to tell you that, if your current goal is 1200 calories per day, you should really reconsider.

First of all, a bit about myself so that you can compare to my circumstances. I am a 23 year-old female, 5'7", and I weight 150 lbs. I am a university student and during the period where I was eating 1200 calories/day, I was not exercising much at all. I have been sitting at the same weight (+/- a couple pounds) for about a year.

While I was eating 1200 calories per day, I was not a happy camper. I was constantly hungry, and I found myself skipping meals in order to maintain that goal. In addition, I was not losing any weight. And I can say with 100% confidence that eating 1200 calories/day for 6 months didn't make me lose a SINGLE pound. I had been sitting at the same weight the entire time. I was fed up, and I started reading into the 1200 calorie/day myth a bit more. I took some advice and I calculated my BMR, which was about 1500 calories/day. I was scared to increase my intake though, because I was afraid of gaining weight.

About 2 months ago I increased my calorie intake to about 1700 calories/day. Guess what? I'm still sitting at the exact same weight. This makes me realize in retrospect how much I was starving my body. I am also much happier now. I am not afraid to eat throughout the day. I can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between. I have also started working out for an hour per day on the exercise bike in hopes of overcoming my plateau. But the point of this post is that 1200 calories was definitely not ideal for me, and there is a chance that it is not ideal for you. Calculate your BMR and bump up your intake if 1200 calories is not working for you. Your body needs nourishment and there is definitely more to losing weight than limiting your calories. I know that there are already posts about the 1200 calorie misconception, but I just wanted to tell my experiences and try to get the message across that 1200 calories is not something to automatically swear by.