Thoughts on 1200 calories?

I can usually eat way less then 1200 and not feel hungry even on days when I'm burning through 600-800 at the gym. I think it might depend on your weight and if your body is used to a a low cal diet.

Lord no, I couldn't survive on that. I ate more than that when I was trying to lose weight, around 1600-1800. Now I am over 2000 calories at maintenance and am having no problems with that.

1200 won't kill ya, but it's a little more difficult to get all your vitamins, nutrients/macros in at that level. If you're hungry, you def need to be eating more.

I've been doing 1200 a day for a few weeks now (5'2 and 170 lbs.) It works well for me, but I'm really careful about what I eat: oatmeal for breakfast to keep my blood sugar level, snacks like almonds and bananas through the day, lots of vegetables, and lean proteins (chicken and ground turkey usually). I also make sure to get in all my water. But, I sit at a desk all day too.

I think if you're hungry, make sure you aren't eating too many empty calories first. But at your weight, you likely do need more calories, and if you're eating right and still hungry, I'd bump it up. Good luck!

Hello Everyone ????

Just a little post on 1200 calories, honestly I am still hungry on this amount so I think I will up to 1400/1500 as if I am hungry 1200 isn't enough, what do you think of the 1200 calorie diet, is it working for you, do you lose weight on higher amounts?


Edit : I am 5,3 and 117 - 120lbs

Thank you!

I know this wasn't your original question but out of curiosity why are you trying to lose weight if you already weigh that little?

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/ideal_bw_women.htm

Even if you are small framed you are approaching underweight status. If you look pudgy or have high bodyfat at that weight it means you are very low muscle which means you probably should be eating a lot more and lifting weights if you want to improve your asthetic look and health.

Eating 1200 calories is going to do the opposite of what you probably should be doing right now.

1200 is almost enough for dinner most nights...

No. Just no.

I can usually eat way less then 1200 and not feel hungry even on days when I'm burning through 600-800 at the gym. I think it might depend on your weight and if your body is used to a a low cal diet.

And that's why your ticker says 23 lbs. to go still?

Given your height and weight, 1200 calories is not terrible for weight loss.

However, given your height and weight again, why are you going for weight loss?

If it is a body image issue, where you still think you could lose a few pounds, you should lose them very slowly (1/2 pound a week tops) OR switch to a surplus and put on some muscle.

This is where many people go wrong. They get down to their "Goal weight" and then still don't like what they see. This makes them try for an even lower number, eventually get overly frustrated at the difficulty, and give up or develop eating disorders.

The reality is that muscle mass is a MAJOR contributor to body composition. You can gain 10 pounds of muscle and actually look 10 pounds lighter than when you started (a 20 pound spread!).

^^ This. At my highest weight I was 13 pounds heavier than I am now. My pants are two sizes smaller though. To drop two sizes in only 13 pounds is body recomposition, I have less fat and more muscle.

Given your height and weight, 1200 calories is not terrible for weight loss.

However, given your height and weight again, why are you going for weight loss?

If it is a body image issue, where you still think you could lose a few pounds, you should lose them very slowly (1/2 pound a week tops) OR switch to a surplus and put on some muscle.

This is where many people go wrong. They get down to their "Goal weight" and then still don't like what they see. This makes them try for an even lower number, eventually get overly frustrated at the difficulty, and give up or develop eating disorders.

The reality is that muscle mass is a MAJOR contributor to body composition. You can gain 10 pounds of muscle and actually look 10 pounds lighter than when you started (a 20 pound spread!).

This all the way.

Hello Everyone ????

Just a little post on 1200 calories, honestly I am still hungry on this amount so I think I will up to 1400/1500 as if I am hungry 1200 isn't enough, what do you think of the 1200 calorie diet, is it working for you, do you lose weight on higher amounts?


Edit : I am 5,3 and 117 - 120lbs

Thank you!

I know this wasn't your original question but out of curiosity why are you trying to lose weight if you already weigh that little?

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/ideal_bw_women.htm

Even if you are small framed you are approaching underweight status. If you look pudgy or have high bodyfat at that weight it means you are very low muscle which means you probably should be eating a lot more and lifting weights if you want to improve your asthetic look and health.

Eating 1200 calories is going to do the opposite of what you probably should be doing right now.

Careful--you may not know exactly what you are speaking of here. Yes, the main theme of your answer is good--OP should be trying to build muscle as that will improve the body more in the long run. But your facts are not quite spot on.

I am 5'2.5" and have a body fat of about 23%. According to the BMI charts, and the body fat recommendations, I am healthy. (I actually weigh right at 130). I am not close to underweight.

But because of being short and because I carry most of my fat in my abdominal area :noway: , I will have to diet to a lower bodyweight and a lower body fat percentage to truly look slim. So you can't necessarily go by the charts. Some of the online calculators and charts even recommend a bodyweight of 104 lbs as okay for me, and I believe most say the optimal weight for my small frame is around 110-112 lbs. I am guessing that may be true for the OP also. Now, whether either of us will want to go that low is a personal choice, but those are healthy weights for petite females.

Also, when you drop below 130 lbs, and especially below 120 lbs, the number of calories to maintain body weight is significantly lower, especially after age 45. So 1200 calories to lose, depending on activity level, might not be crazy. Again, personal experience speaking here. In fact, if I don't work out regularly, I have to drop below that to lose.

So, OP, definitely heed the advice to strength train. Also, experiment with numbers, and use the highest number of calories possible and still lose slowly (1/2 lb per week, maybe).

But depending on your stats and activity level, 1200 may be reasonable for you. Yes it will be difficult, and you will have to make sure you eat healthy foods, and not junk, because you will be hungry all the time if you fill your 1200 cals with junk. There is just no room for junk on a 1200 cal diet.

I personally would prefer to up my activity a bit and eat a little more, but sometimes that is not possible, and you will have to investigate and track your intake carefully to find what works for YOU.

Best of luck, and I hope that you find that you can eat more than 1200 and still lose!

Depends on how fast you want to lose, really.

My TDEE is 1735, so if I want to lose a pound a week, I need to average (or net) 1200 calories a day on average. This might mean eating 1400 and exercising 200 or if I am not exercising, eating 1200, or if I really am getting after it, I might eat 2000 and exercise 800....but again, this is 'on average' - I am not super-stringent about my daily numbers, but rather look at my entire week.

Just started 1,200 calorie 4 days ago. I have been doing good so far. Trying to eat every couple of hours to spread it out. However I am wondering if I chose the right plan. I need to lose around 50 pounds. I am 198 and 5'7. I sit at a desk all day...and I mean all day. I just starting a running program running/walking intervals for about 2 to 2/12 miles. I figured I needed a good 7 days to see any results. reading all your comments makes me think I need more calories. I am so confused

Yes, you do! You need lots more.

I've been eating mostly 1200 for the past 20 days, and it works for me. The trick seems to be eating a lot of protein overall (60g at least) and eating as close to 20g of protein at breakfast. When I follow this plan, I'm genuinely not hungry at the end of the day. I should add, I'm also not "full" in the way most Americans are trained to feel after each meal. I should probably also say, I'm 5', I do 30 min of cardio 6 days a week, and I'm mostly vegetarian. My main protein go-tos are legumes, leafy greens, nutritional yeast, and hemp shakes for lunch with the occasional egg and a sushi splurge about once a week.

Given your height and weight, 1200 calories is not terrible for weight loss.

However, given your height and weight again, why are you going for weight loss?

If it is a body image issue, where you still think you could lose a few pounds, you should lose them very slowly (1/2 pound a week tops) OR switch to a surplus and put on some muscle.

This is where many people go wrong. They get down to their "Goal weight" and then still don't like what they see. This makes them try for an even lower number, eventually get overly frustrated at the difficulty, and give up or develop eating disorders.

The reality is that muscle mass is a MAJOR contributor to body composition. You can gain 10 pounds of muscle and actually look 10 pounds lighter than when you started (a 20 pound spread!).

^^This