New here. 360lbs and doing the 1200 calorie diet. Am I nuts?

HopelessMagic
HopelessMagic Posts: 2
in Getting Started
Yeah you heard me. 360lbs and I'm 5'6"! I'm just now ending Day 2 of my 1200 calorie a day diet. Do I feel hungry? Only when I stop to think about it. If I start to feel the munchies I drink a bottle of water, then get up and do something to occupy my brain. I read that I should be eating almost twice as much as I am just to maintain my weight but obviously, I don't want to maintain this! LOL I just wanted to maybe get some pointers from some of you. I don't want to become sickly but I'm already at the point where I can't fit in most amusement rides and by next summer, I aim to change that!
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Replies

  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
    I started at 375 and am also 5'6" and never ate 1200 calories, for many reasons; the biggest one is that it isn't healthy or necessary.

    Please read these

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • tefleon
    tefleon Posts: 32 Member
    1200 is a very low amount of calories; it's also my daily target.

    Sometimes you'll feel hungry and sometimes not. Look at what you're eating as well as the calories - loads of salads and veg will help.

    I'm guess the 1200 per day is the minimum MFP has given you to loose the maximum amount of weight each week. When you go over this, as long as it's still under your maintenance week you should continue to loose - so don't starve yourself and make yourself unhealthy!
  • CarolinkaCjj
    CarolinkaCjj Posts: 622 Member
    Slippery slop in my opinion. 1200 is too few - if you were 150 trying to get to 140 maybe but 1200 at 360 without any medical supervision seems to me to be too risky. I have my daily intake set at 1700 and am down 43 pounds (from 318) - I still have a long way to go but it feels like a lifestyle change rather than a diet.
  • pteryndactyl
    pteryndactyl Posts: 303 Member
    Slightly nuts! :P At 5'6" and 120 lbs I ate at least 1800+ calories to maintain. At your weight you can probably eat at *least* that and still lose. Remember, whatever you do should be sustainable. Do you want to eat 1200 calories forever? Doubtful!!
  • jmcdonald2011
    jmcdonald2011 Posts: 181 Member
    Good luck on your weight lose journey. I am by far no expert. and most times I don't know what I am talking about when it comes to this stuff. but 1200 seems low to me considering your weight and height. I am sure that someone else can give you better advice tho.
  • crazymamma1962
    crazymamma1962 Posts: 1
    new as well I Hope can do this
  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    Yes, you are nuts. Or maybe gullible... Do your research and quit punishing your body.
  • maryoracle
    maryoracle Posts: 62 Member
    I started at 1200 calories for a few days and was still genuinely hungry in the evening so I upped it to 1400 calories and it is working for me. If you cut too much, your body might think you are starving and slow down your metabolism!
  • KateyWegman
    KateyWegman Posts: 2
    It's great for like a week, then your body will start to realize you're not nourishing it properly-especially if you're exercising. I started at 355 and started to see results, so I hovered around the 12-1300 range and I lost like 7 pounds in a week, but then stopped completely. It was very frustrating and scary to start upping my calorie intake, but I'm glad I did because it hasn't slowed or stopped since.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    I started at 245 and 1200 calories and regret it. EAT MORE! because you will train your body to only accept that and starting to eat more will take some adjustment.. I mean I don't gain now eating more, but it took some time. So just eat more now, YOU NEED IT!!!!
  • scottnrose
    scottnrose Posts: 1
    Good Luck on your journey! You won't regret losing the weight!
  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
    This sounds like fun. Count me in.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    I'm sure you understand that this is going to take some time. It took me 2 years to lose 100 pounds. So, with that in mind, it's important that you do something that is sustainable. Have you tried to find your TDEE and BMR? Those would be important numbers to know. That's why I'm going to post the links again (they were posted above). Find those numbers and then you need to eat between the two.

    Read these links and learn all you can about how to do this in a healthy way. Restricting your calories too deeply can cause bingeing, giving up, and some health consequences that are not pleasant (losing hair, vitamin deficiencies, etc.).

    Very best of luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Yeah you heard me. 360lbs and I'm 5'6"! I'm just now ending Day 2 of my 1200 calorie a day diet.

    That's totally sustainable for a long, long time, given how much you have to lose.

    Pay attention to your macro/micro intake, chat with your doc....but yeah, there's no reason to avoid this path, if you can handle it.

    Good luck!
  • Ulwaz
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
    1200 is too low really, id aim for at least 1500-1800 calories
  • forkofpower
    forkofpower Posts: 171 Member
    If you're 360 lbs, then no, definitely do not start at 1200 calories. I'm a 5'1 girl who's highest weight was 130 lbs, and I didn't start at 1200 calories when I tried to lose weight.
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,462 Member
    I'm sure you understand that this is going to take some time. It took me 2 years to lose 100 pounds. So, with that in mind, it's important that you do something that is sustainable. Have you tried to find your TDEE and BMR? Those would be important numbers to know. That's why I'm going to post the links again (they were posted above). Find those numbers and then you need to eat between the two.

    Read these links and learn all you can about how to do this in a healthy way. Restricting your calories too deeply can cause bingeing, giving up, and some health consequences that are not pleasant (losing hair, vitamin deficiencies, etc.).

    Very best of luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    If you're serious, if you mean it, if you want it - read those links and change what you're doing.
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    MFP set my calories to 1200 and I wondered why I would dream about food, binge once a week, and was so hungry all the time. I added a couple hundred calories and everything changed. I can eat the foods I love, I'm not hungry and no more binges. Trust me, listen to the good people on this forum. Good luck :smile:
  • maryann9wood
    maryann9wood Posts: 75 Member
    Read the links. I gained these 57 pounds over 16 years - it's taken 16 months to lose them. I do a lot of aerobic exercise, I lift a lot of weights. I eat 1800 - 1900 a day. I usually don't binge, because I can usually eat what I want. And even at the slow rate of loss, I have loose skin on my belly and upper arms.

    It took a long time to gain - don't rush losing it! Make a plan you can continue for the rest of your life.
  • RamonaFr
    RamonaFr Posts: 112
    I agree with most of the others (was at 350 once, no longer). About 1600 calories a day works for me. I think 1200 is too few calories and you'll be more successful if you eat a little more.

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