Yes, 1200 calorie diets work!

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Replies

  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    If you're looking for a troll, OP, then look in the mirror.
  • Letibetiboop
    Letibetiboop Posts: 24 Member
    Question - are you also working out?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Congrats on your loss. Whether I would be cranky or happy on your diet is pretty irrelevant IMO, because it's not my diet.

    You didn't ask for suggestions, but since it's an open forum I'm offering some anyway.

    If you are not already doing so, start taking a multivitamin to make sure you get your micronutrients.
    Since you are closer to goal, I'd also suggest upping your calories a little to ease the transition to maintenance.
    Start thinking now about maintenance. It is the hardest part. The part most people fail at. Think about it now and make a plan.

    Best of luck to you.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    69 lbs in 9 months, ok its a little slower than you but I have never gone to bed hungry so am happy to do it my way

    If it works for you then great but it doesn't mean that its any more of an achievement than anyone else losses

    Do let us know what program you intend to follow to replace all that lost muscle mass
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    DYELB?
  • wu3ju3j
    wu3ju3j Posts: 12 Member
    I am doing a diet of 1200 or less. Average about 1000 over last 53 days. I have lost 18 pounds and feel great. Feel free to browse my diary. I go for my proteins first, then enjoy good healthy vegetables and fruits. There have been days that I have had less than 800 calories, but felt full. Why eat extra food just to make a number?

    I am monitored weekly by our nurse at my place of work and my PCP is impressed. I have never felt so much full of energy in my life before. I have cerebral palsy which causes spastic and tight muscles along with a scissor gait when I walk and limited use of left arm. I feel so much more agile and less off balance having lost weight.

    I started on 4/15/15 with MFP at 182 lb. (5'10") and am now 164 lb. In the proceeding year I was as high as 195 lb. and nearly a 40 inch waist. Today I and fitting comfortably in 32's. I want to be down at the lower end of the BMI scale near 130 lb. and a 28-30 waist or wherever my body feels best. This weight might seem lower, but having CP, I do not have the typical muscle mass. In my teens I was around 112 lb. and that was considered normal for my CP.

    Responses welcomed!
    I know I will be trolled and flamed for posting this message but I am sick and tired of everyones high horse mentality when it comes to calorie counts. 1200 calories, if done correctly, is more than sufficient.

    I began my journey January 1, 2014. I just completed 5 months and have lost over 55 pounds. I went from 280 to 225 and I feel great. Average calorie count is 1050 with an initial goal of 1200. After a few months, I moved my goal to 1400 and now I am at 1600. Yes, if you plan on just eating a cheeseburger at 1000 calories for the day, your screwed and will harm yourself. But let me give you an idea of my meals.

    Breakfast is high protein egg sandwich OR oatmeal and high fiber toast. Either one is about 300 calories. Lunch is a special K protein bar at 170 calories. Dinner is either chicken breast with rice (370 calories), Large Baked potato with veggies (about 500 calories) or an extra large salad (350 calories). You see, at the end of the day, I have ample protein and fiber, good source of fuel (Carbs) and come in under 1000 calories. This leaves me some wiggle room if I want a small (and smart) dessert, some fruit with my lunch, or anything else. You see, I picked HEALTHY, LOW CALORIE foods to fill me up.

    I will repeat. 1200 calorie diets, eating garbage, will allow you to lose weight but you will not feel good. But 1200 calorie diets that are low calorie, high nutrient food is a great way to lose the weight and keep it off.

    Someone here will complain about my use of a protein bar. Many argue they are candy bars on steroids. They are meal replacements, quite tasty and have good nutrients (fiber and protein being the main ones). Regardless, you can not argue with the results. This diet has allowed me to lose over 55 pounds in 21 weeks. Right now, I average a weight loss of 1.2 pounds a week!

    So before you all chastise someone for asking about a 1200 calorie diet, troll someone who supports the 1200 calorie diet, or even worse, name call (eating disorder, stupid, unhealthy) those who use the diet, take a look in the mirror. Why do you hate the low calorie diet so much? I think if you are honest with yourself, you will realize that is comes down to will power. Doing 1200 calories is the hardest diet out there. You go to bed hungry for the first few weeks before your body adjusts. Many don't make it past the first few days. So although I applaud those of you who are eating better and losing 0.2 or 0.4 pounds a week because you think everyone needs to eat 2000 calories and just exercises the deficit off, I wish you would applaud those of us who have the will power to change and who are losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week because we refuse to listen to those who say it can't be done....

    Let the trolling and flaming begin....
  • DavidMStephens
    DavidMStephens Posts: 13
    The only thing that I'm not a fan of is how tiny your lunch is.

    But I mean, if you're not starving before every meal and if you're getting the nutrients you need, then it's all fine by me. I often hit around 1200-1400 cals a day (and sometimes I exercise on top of that), but that's just the amount that I eat to keep me full and not hungry. When I eat up to what my maintenance cals are, I feel stuffed and gross.

    My breakfast keeps me full until about 4pm. So I eat a protein bar about 12pm in order to make it to dinner. Thanks for the input!
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    No
  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
    I lost all my weight on 1200 calorie diet. BUT I am 5'3 31 year old female! 1200 calories for a male is NO GOOD! ALSO I ate back my workout calories all the time, It took me alittle over 2 years to lose 55 pounds! 5 months to lose 55 pounds is prob not the best idea. BUT now I am back up a few pounds bc I am eating more, lifting weights, and trying to get some muscle back that I didnt realized I lost due to my lack of lifting and eating 1200 calories. I will not knock a 1200 calorie diet to lose weight bc I did it. BUT had I known what I know now I would reconcider how to do it. Yes it works but didnt give me the body I wanted. Just gave me the number on the scale I wanted. NOW i am going after the body I want.
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
    Good for you.
    But I work out hard. 4-5 days a week.

    I can't stay under 1700 calories a day without wanting to hurt people.

    Even THEN I still get pretty damned hungry.
    If you are going to bed hungry, you are doing it wrong.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • DavidMStephens
    DavidMStephens Posts: 13
    So in...

    Okay OP..you are a 29 year old man eating less than 1200 calories of course you are losing weight but you are also losing fat and muscle...congrats to you.

    In the long term you will notice the following as well...

    Low energy
    Lethargy
    brittle nails and hair
    Hunger cues will diminish
    Your metabolism is going to slow eventually too

    You will do damage to your heart and muscles
    You will not be able to exercise much

    And then...you will break...you will eat a wad of food

    Long term you become nutrient deficient, your metabolism will adapt and make it hard to lose weight, your bones will become brittle due to lack of muscle...

    But hey you lost weight...good on you.

    As for the will power...naw...my goal is to be healthy and happy not weak, lethargic, unhealthy and skinny with no muscle mass...

    Self control means eating as much as I can while I still lose weight not as little as possible as a form of self punishment for gaining weight.

    There is no way as a man at 1200 calories you are getting in adequate nutrition...1200 is the bare min for a woman ...

    But hey do what works for you...flay yourself as much as you want, don't learn to eat all food in moderation and when you come off this 1200 calorie a day diet and go back to "normal" and gain your weight back because you didn't learn moderation in all foods only self deprevation you will understand why there are those of us who say no to 1200...

    tumblr_lp4nq10fzQ1ql1a3no1_500.gif

    I can only assume you are a registered dietitian or nutritionalist. haha.

    Hmmmm, I work out every other day for about 90 minutes, which includes about 15 miles on a bike, 30 minutes of hardcore racquetball and weight lifting. But yes, I am very lethargic. (Please note sarcasm). Metabolism is better now then when I was fatter so I am good there too. But also, if you read the post, I said I STARTED at 1200 to boost the weightless quickly but after a while, I went to 1400 and then to 1600. How could I be losing as much weight at 1600 then I was at just over 1000? Because I kept my metabolism burning but eating high quantity of low calorie foods.

    Thanks for your support though! Its always great that when someone says something the other person can understand, they are automatically idiots!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Plus if/when that stops working, how will you then create a deficit...you shouldn't go any lower than that...

    He should've never gone below 1600, being a dude and all. 1200 is the bare minimum for women. Men need more calories, especially bigger guys.
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
    Low calorie was how I dropped most my 75 lb total loss, many many years ago. But with that, was also a lot of muscle. I was much, much stronger as a fat 250 lb dude. I really wish I had eaten more, of the right kinds of foods, and exercised more.

    But good job hypnotizing yourself!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Also, diary is not open.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    1200 calories, if done correctly, is more than sufficient.

    Correctly being if you do nothing to warrant more than 1200 calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I am doing a diet of 1200 or less. Average about 1000 over last 53 days. I have lost 18 pounds and feel great. Feel free to browse my diary. I go for my proteins first, then enjoy good healthy vegetables and fruits. There have been days that I have had less than 800 calories, but felt full. Why eat extra food just to make a number?

    I am monitored weekly by our nurse at my place of work and my PCP is impressed. I have never felt so much full of energy in my life before. I have cerebral palsy which causes spastic and tight muscles along with a scissor gait when I walk and limited use of left arm. I feel so much more agile and less off balance having lost weight.

    I started on 4/15/15 with MFP at 182 lb. (5'10") and am now 164 lb. In the proceeding year I was as high as 195 lb. and nearly a 40 inch waist. Today I and fitting comfortably in 32's. I want to be down at the lower end of the BMI scale near 130 lb. and a 28-30 waist or wherever my body feels best. This weight might seem lower, but having CP, I do not have the typical muscle mass. In my teens I was around 112 lb. and that was considered normal for my CP.

    Responses welcomed!

    Your calorie goal is 800... :noway:
  • thickerella
    thickerella Posts: 154 Member
    I tried a 1200 calorie diet.

    I was irritable.
    I was hungry.
    I was tired.
    My workout suffered.
    My concentration was terrible.
    All I thought about was my next meal.
    I binged.
    But! I lost weight!

    I started eating the 1700 MFP recommends, PLUS workout calories.

    I am happy.
    I'm not hungry.
    My workouts are better than ever.
    My concentration is great.
    I plan my meals, but don't obsess.
    I don't binge.
    AND! I lose weight.

    Does 1200 *work*? Sure, if your only goal is to weigh less. OR! If you are a small-statured woman.

    If you want to be strong, healthy, and full of energy PLUS have dietary changes you can live with for the rest of your life, I highly recommend eating more.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    MFP has my calorie goal set at 1200, but I'm a 5'3" girl with a desk job. Also, my Bodymedia adds calories from my activites, so I really end up eating more like 1400-1600, sometimes more on gym days. I can't imagine actually sticking to 1200. It's difficult to fit in my ice cream with that budget.
  • DeltaZero
    DeltaZero Posts: 1,197 Member
    tumblr_mwbd4vry9K1r1bjbpo1_500.gif
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    f-p.gif
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
    I am doing a diet of 1200 or less. Average about 1000 over last 53 days. I have lost 18 pounds and feel great. Feel free to browse my diary. I go for my proteins first, then enjoy good healthy vegetables and fruits. There have been days that I have had less than 800 calories, but felt full. Why eat extra food just to make a number?

    I am monitored weekly by our nurse at my place of work and my PCP is impressed. I have never felt so much full of energy in my life before. I have cerebral palsy which causes spastic and tight muscles along with a scissor gait when I walk and limited use of left arm. I feel so much more agile and less off balance having lost weight.

    I started on 4/15/15 with MFP at 182 lb. (5'10") and am now 164 lb. In the proceeding year I was as high as 195 lb. and nearly a 40 inch waist. Today I and fitting comfortably in 32's. I want to be down at the lower end of the BMI scale near 130 lb. and a 28-30 waist or wherever my body feels best. This weight might seem lower, but having CP, I do not have the typical muscle mass. In my teens I was around 112 lb. and that was considered normal for my CP.

    Responses welcomed!

    I'm sorry but 40-50 grams of protein is not enough, especially for a male of your height and weight. You should be hitting closer to 150ish? (depending on bf%)

    Why eat more to hit a number? Why starve your body? You may not think you are hungry/starving but 800 calories is not enough. You are going to lose lots of muscle and feel the side effects posted on page 1.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    I am doing a diet of 1200 or less. Average about 1000 over last 53 days. I have lost 18 pounds and feel great. Feel free to browse my diary. I go for my proteins first, then enjoy good healthy vegetables and fruits. There have been days that I have had less than 800 calories, but felt full. Why eat extra food just to make a number?

    I am monitored weekly by our nurse at my place of work and my PCP is impressed. I have never felt so much full of energy in my life before. I have cerebral palsy which causes spastic and tight muscles along with a scissor gait when I walk and limited use of left arm. I feel so much more agile and less off balance having lost weight.

    I started on 4/15/15 with MFP at 182 lb. (5'10") and am now 164 lb. In the proceeding year I was as high as 195 lb. and nearly a 40 inch waist. Today I and fitting comfortably in 32's. I want to be down at the lower end of the BMI scale near 130 lb. and a 28-30 waist or wherever my body feels best. This weight might seem lower, but having CP, I do not have the typical muscle mass. In my teens I was around 112 lb. and that was considered normal for my CP.

    Responses welcomed!

    Your calorie goal is 800... :noway:

    IF CP is a medical condition then you are not an average person and should not be promoting your way of losing weight to everyone else.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Oh and congrats of your muscle loss op :noway:
  • DavidMStephens
    DavidMStephens Posts: 13
    Wow, what a response. Some positive (Thank you!) mostly negative. Let me clear some air.

    I usually work out. At least a LOT of walking. Usually Biking and racquetball. Do I eat back the calories? Sometimes but usually not. Do I feel hungry everyday? NOT AT ALL. The first week, going from 5000+ calories to 1200 was hard but then I adjusted and was fine.

    I was on 1200 calories for 2 months, 1400 for the next two months and now on 1600. By end of summer, I will be at 1800.

    I am not angry, cranky, moody, tired, etc. I get up at 5am and usually not in bed until 11pm everyday and I feel alert and great. I usually only drink water, occasionally passion tea but stay away from caffeine.

    Seems like many people read the headline and then commented and actually never read the post. They would have seen that I STARTED at 1200 and increased, That I feel the best I ever have, etc.

    The main take away. DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! If you can not do 1200 calories, don't. But those of you who really want to lose weight and then gradually increase, do it. Don't listen to the naysayers. But just be focused on what is happening around you. (If you do become sick, tired, etc.)

    Although I am getting a lot of back lash, I wish EVERYONE the best on their weightless, whether I agree with your methods or not. I just wish those of you who "know everything" could support everyone as well.

    Off to work, I will defend my position later!
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    I try to stay just below 1200 (1150), because I'm always certain a few calories sneak themselves in there just due to human error, no matter how I weigh/measure food.

    I try to exercise 5 days a week for at least an hour and have no problems with light-headedness, weakness, hunger.

    Most of that, I believe, is due to what I'm eating rather than how much. Whole grains, fruits, heavy on the veggies and lean protein.

    At the end of the day, I'm going to listen to my body.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    So in...

    Okay OP..you are a 29 year old man eating less than 1200 calories of course you are losing weight but you are also losing fat and muscle...congrats to you.

    In the long term you will notice the following as well...

    Low energy
    Lethargy
    brittle nails and hair
    Hunger cues will diminish
    Your metabolism is going to slow eventually too

    You will do damage to your heart and muscles
    You will not be able to exercise much

    And then...you will break...you will eat a wad of food

    Long term you become nutrient deficient, your metabolism will adapt and make it hard to lose weight, your bones will become brittle due to lack of muscle...

    But hey you lost weight...good on you.

    As for the will power...naw...my goal is to be healthy and happy not weak, lethargic, unhealthy and skinny with no muscle mass...

    Self control means eating as much as I can while I still lose weight not as little as possible as a form of self punishment for gaining weight.

    There is no way as a man at 1200 calories you are getting in adequate nutrition...1200 is the bare min for a woman ...

    But hey do what works for you...flay yourself as much as you want, don't learn to eat all food in moderation and when you come off this 1200 calorie a day diet and go back to "normal" and gain your weight back because you didn't learn moderation in all foods only self deprevation you will understand why there are those of us who say no to 1200...

    tumblr_lp4nq10fzQ1ql1a3no1_500.gif

    I can only assume you are a registered dietitian or nutritionalist. haha.

    Hmmmm, I work out every other day for about 90 minutes, which includes about 15 miles on a bike, 30 minutes of hardcore racquetball and weight lifting. But yes, I am very lethargic. (Please note sarcasm). Metabolism is better now then when I was fatter so I am good there too. But also, if you read the post, I said I STARTED at 1200 to boost the weightless quickly but after a while, I went to 1400 and then to 1600. How could I be losing as much weight at 1600 then I was at just over 1000? Because I kept my metabolism burning but eating high quantity of low calorie foods.

    Thanks for your support though! Its always great that when someone says something the other person can understand, they are automatically idiots!

    I understand 1200 calories..I've done it...even since "getting a grip"...not on purpose that day..

    So I am speaking from experience. Nails were brittle, had to have a bone scan done, was lethargic and had difficulty exercising, hair got thin etc. I lost a great deal of muscle mass which I am only now possibly getting back albeit very slowly as I am 41 and a woman and not in a surplus just yet.

    I could be a nutrionalist if I wanted to take a 3 month online course...but naw I would rather save the money...and rely on studies and knowledge gained from personal experience and reading...as well don't assume people are not "professionals" on here otherwise you will be wrong....

    As for how could you be losing the same amount at 1k vs 1.6k...it's called mislogging...if you as a male were truely eating less than 1200 calories or even less than 1800 you are missing valuable nutrients both macro and micro...

    Let me ask what are your protien levels at? 1gram for every lb of lbm? or at least 0.8gram per lb of total mass? no it's not so you lost muscle...even with the weight lifting you were not eating enough to aid in the repair.

    As well long term low calorie diets for men and woman are not healthy nor are they sustainable...proof is all the people who start out that way...succeed then are back here in 6 months restarting at a heavier weight then the last time...

    AS well I did not call you an idiot I laid out the facts of what you were doing to yourself...if that fact makes you an idiot so be it...but I did not say that...you did.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    I'm a female and I lose weight eating 2200 calories a day. I lift heavy 4x a week with no cardio, still manage to lose weight. The reason for this is because I fuel my body appropriately, I've preserved my lean mass and I've kept my hormones in balance (very low calorie diets have a big impact on hormone balance).
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    OP is trolling.

    He mentions he started at 1200 to kick off weight loss and then increased his calories.

    As for the 1200 number, it all really comes down to the size of the person, both weight and height. I am on the shorter end of the height scale with a TDEE of about 1750. I can imagine (and know of) people smaller than me with even less.

    The danger of 1200 and less diets is not really the caloric deficit, but the greatly increased chance of malnutrition.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I know I will be trolled and flamed for posting this message but I am sick and tired of everyones high horse mentality when it comes to calorie counts. 1200 calories, if done correctly, is more than sufficient.

    I began my journey January 1, 2014. I just completed 5 months and have lost over 55 pounds. I went from 280 to 225 and I feel great. Average calorie count is 1050 with an initial goal of 1200. After a few months, I moved my goal to 1400 and now I am at 1600. Yes, if you plan on just eating a cheeseburger at 1000 calories for the day, your screwed and will harm yourself. But let me give you an idea of my meals.

    Breakfast is high protein egg sandwich OR oatmeal and high fiber toast. Either one is about 300 calories. Lunch is a special K protein bar at 170 calories. Dinner is either chicken breast with rice (370 calories), Large Baked potato with veggies (about 500 calories) or an extra large salad (350 calories). You see, at the end of the day, I have ample protein and fiber, good source of fuel (Carbs) and come in under 1000 calories. This leaves me some wiggle room if I want a small (and smart) dessert, some fruit with my lunch, or anything else. You see, I picked HEALTHY, LOW CALORIE foods to fill me up.

    I will repeat. 1200 calorie diets, eating garbage, will allow you to lose weight but you will not feel good. But 1200 calorie diets that are low calorie, high nutrient food is a great way to lose the weight and keep it off.

    Someone here will complain about my use of a protein bar. Many argue they are candy bars on steroids. They are meal replacements, quite tasty and have good nutrients (fiber and protein being the main ones). Regardless, you can not argue with the results. This diet has allowed me to lose over 55 pounds in 21 weeks. Right now, I average a weight loss of 1.2 pounds a week!

    So before you all chastise someone for asking about a 1200 calorie diet, troll someone who supports the 1200 calorie diet, or even worse, name call (eating disorder, stupid, unhealthy) those who use the diet, take a look in the mirror. Why do you hate the low calorie diet so much? I think if you are honest with yourself, you will realize that is comes down to will power. Doing 1200 calories is the hardest diet out there. You go to bed hungry for the first few weeks before your body adjusts. Many don't make it past the first few days. So although I applaud those of you who are eating better and losing 0.2 or 0.4 pounds a week because you think everyone needs to eat 2000 calories and just exercises the deficit off, I wish you would applaud those of us who have the will power to change and who are losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week because we refuse to listen to those who say it can't be done....

    Let the trolling and flaming begin....

    Congrats on the weight loss.....I would be willing to bet if you had eaten more and lost more slowly your body composition would be much better today.
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