I abandoned 1200 calories per day, and so should you

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  • carpe_viam
    carpe_viam Posts: 1
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    Wow, I can't imagine suffering through 6 months of hunger only to find it got me no results. Restricting my calorie intake does very little for me, either--for my metabolism, it's exercise that does the trick. And, even if I exercise, if I eat the majority of my calories in the evening I won't lose a damn thing. I think it's good for people to be aware that 1200 calories isn't a magic rule. Thanks for posting this.
  • jodes18
    jodes18 Posts: 16 Member
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    If 1,200 cals is that bad for you then why does MFP give me that as my NET Calories?
    I'd like to eat more as i am always hungry and it's probably why i give up after a month but, i dont see how i can eat more when thats my net, i'm only 5'0
  • vanillalife666
    vanillalife666 Posts: 10 Member
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    I started on 1200 but plateaued for about a month, I posted on several boards and everyone said I was trying to lose too much too quick.

    I went from 9 stone 11 to 9 stone 5.

    I've not lost any weight but my measurements have changed so I try to not obsess about the scales.

    I've now upped my calories to 1400 calories a day and am much happier, I don't always eat them all just because I don't get hungry but I do try most days.

    I do low intensity cardio 2-3 times a week and strength training 2-3 times a week also.

    It seems to be working :)

    I wish you the best of luck!
  • vanillalife666
    vanillalife666 Posts: 10 Member
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    voni2086 - I also have an underactive thyroid but a clean, healthy diet helps me maintain my weight and I haven't ever been over weight due to my thyroid. Feel free to take a look at my diary it's open :)
  • aceink64
    aceink64 Posts: 21 Member
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    When you first start the 1200 calorie diet for woman and 1500 calorie diet for men, might not appear to be working the reason is if you just go according to the scale and you are exercising also you might be actually converting fat to muscle which weights more but you should be able to tell because your clothes will fit differently. I used MFP a few years back and lost about 35lbs, I then plateau and lost motivation. I dropped back into my old habits and gained back about 45 lbs, a couple months ago I turned 50 and looked and realized I had to do something if I wanted to be around for my grandkids, I go busy and I'm currently training for my first sprint triathlon, I have lost 11 lbs. But I feel much better and looking in the mirror I look like I have lost allot more, I'm currently weighting in at 302lbs. My goal is to be back down around 200lbs. but it is going to be a slow and steady loss so I can maintain it once I get there. The key is find something that you find fun to do and do it become more active, and the more you burn the more you can eat and still loose the weight.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    if you just go according to the scale and you are exercising also you might be actually converting fat to muscle which weights more

    No. Fat does not convert to muscle. And a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. They don't take up the same amount of space though.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    At your age and weight you should not have been going for a 2 lb/week loss. The reason you did not lose is you probably were not really sticking to 1200 calories, I mean come on!
  • emkayelle91
    emkayelle91 Posts: 846 Member
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    I really wish people would just post their experiences and leave it at that, rather than I did it and so should you.

    Yes. This! One size does not fit all.
  • JeriAnne84
    JeriAnne84 Posts: 543 Member
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    I started out at 1250 calories and I was hungry all the time and didn't lose crap. I upped it to 1550, which still wasn't going great but better than 1250. Then I figured my TDEE and BMR which is 1814 and now do around that and its coming off fast. I even see a wee bit of an ab poking through. YAY!
  • jodes18
    jodes18 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thats really good, i might just up my calories to around 1500 then, i go to the gym 4 times a week but MFP also knows thatl. I was sticking to 1200 and lost a stone in a month my i constantly thought about food cause i was hungry
  • ashleyb34
    ashleyb34 Posts: 29 Member
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    I have been on the 1200 Calories a day for a week now. I bought a bow flex and have been doing 30-45 minutes of strength training a day plus 20-30 minutes of brisk walking with my 2 dogs every night. I can tell you that my personal experience has been that I feel full all day long and have a really really hard time eating back the calories that I have burned working out. I have been trying to fuel my body with only whole foods and have increased my protein. I felt a bit off the first 2 days just had a headache and was a bit irritable. Day 4 I felt amazing and day 7 I feel even better. This morning was my week weigh in and I lost 4lbs. To the poster of this thread, you are certainly right this won't work for everyone but there will never be a one shoe fits all answer. Every body, every metabolism is all different. 2 people could eat the exact same thing and do the exact same fitness routine for 2 weeks and have incredibly different results.
  • maryanne2000
    maryanne2000 Posts: 13 Member
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    I am a 5'4", 210 lb woman. Until recently, I had always believed the magic number for weight loss is 1200 calories per day. Honestly, I am not sure where or when I got this information, but I know I have believed this since I was in my twenties (I am 49 now).

    I tried and failed to lose weight too many times to count, mostly by trying to eat 1200 calories a day plus exercise. The main reason I failed on 1200 calories a day was because I was hungry all the time, and frustrated at how quickly the calories would add up! If you aren't hungry on 1200 cals per day, that's awesome, but I couldn't handle it.

    Recently, I used MFP to calculate various options. I settled on 1500 per day for a weight loss of .9 pounds per week. Yes, that's pretty slow, but this time next year I could be down fifty pounds. I have never lost fifty pounds before! I would always stall at about 20 pounds because that is when I would get sick of being hungry and restricted.

    I have been eating 1500 calories a day of whatever food I want. I feel very satisfied, not hungry at all. The 300 calories make a huge difference! I have done yoga a couple of times, but my real focus is on diet, and not exercise. I have been following 1500 cals for two weeks and have lost exactly two pounds. If I thought I could stick to 1200 per day and lose quicker, I would do it, but experience tells me it is just too difficult for me to sustain.
  • marca_june
    marca_june Posts: 38 Member
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    I abandoned 1200 calories also! It is simply okay for some people and not for others. I lost and gained for almost a year also and got to thinking about it. MFP wanted me to be on a 1800 calorie program but I felt that was way too much. So I started eating 1400 calories and had a nice loss the next week. If this didn't work I would have increased them. I have lost 26 lbs. so far. 1200 calories is NOT for everyone!
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    These 1200 calorie posts always turn into a poo tornado dont they?

    Yeppers! Yesterday's 1,200 calories post is locked so dibbs on how long it takes for this one to get locked as well.
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    1200 cals is the minimum needed for your body.

    Only in the USA

    ^^^This
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I really wish people would just post their experiences and leave it at that, rather than I did it and so should you.

    ^ THIS
    Exactly.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    I love reading about how people realized 1200 calories per day is ridiculous and is not the way to set yourself up for long-term success.

    What I hate is when people comment on these threads with, "Well it works for me!" Of course it works - you're depriving your body of the calories it needs, so you're likely to lose weight. HOWEVER, if you CAN eat more and still lose, why the hell wouldn't you?

    What annoys me about these 1200 calorie people is that they don't listen to reason, and they don't rely on simple math. Your BMR and TDEE are insanely useful numbers, and unless you're 3 feet tall, eating 1200 calories per day puts you at too much of a deficit.

    And then there's those people that say, "I know I should eat more than x amount of calories, but I'm not hungry and I can't force myself to eat!" If you can't eat more than 1200 calories, how did you get fat in the first place?!

    +1
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
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    What a pronouncement!

    I have been on this site for 9 weeks using 1,200 calories and have lost 14 lbs. I initially set my goal to lose 2 lbs/week but this week changed it to 1 lb/week.

    I weigh my food and record everything. Even my doctor gave me a tip sheet for a 1,200 calorie "diet" and I think she might know a little more than I do.

    It didn't work for you because you are obviously doing something wrong.
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    That was just 1 day out of 3 months of logging. I did only eat a pizza from Pizza Hut because I had been having fun at a Comic Con all day and I didn't fancy the cakes and fries on sale at the event, so I waited until we left.

    That day I had worked up a raging appetite, but a single day of what many people would class a mini fast is not going to hurt anyone. As it happens the following day I was ill with a vomiting bug so you could probably criticise that day too! My logging is not spotty, sometimes 'real life' gets in the way - it's not always 100% enjoyment in most peoples' life. Good luck with your perfect life!

    Aren't you pleasant. I'm just going to leave it with hangry and go eat ma ice cream. Have fun singing the joys of 1200 calories

    Yeah, have fun telling people how to have fun and, you know, enjoy life! Digging around in diet diaries to make personal judgements sounds a right bundle of laughs. Meh...

    A very good reason for keeping your diary closed! I really dislike when someone gets bashed for their diary even though they never asked for advice or help. It seems to be a pass time with some folks here :noway:
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
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    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.

    **Breathe of fresh air inserted**

    Thank you!!

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