1200 Calorie Diet???? Seriously???

I started out in March at 1200 calories. at the time I was super diligent about my diet and at all of the right things and sometimes it was hard to even hit 1200. Since then a lot has changed. I've lost 50lbs but the biggest change is me adding heavy lifting into my workout routine. Some days I am ravenously hungry! So I've upped my calories to a little over 1500 and I'm still losing .5-1.5 lbs a week. Slow and steady is okay with me but there is nothing wrong with eating 1200 calories.

I also don't eat the same amt everyday. Some days I'm under, some over. As long as it evens out. A strict 1200 cal diet works for some people to kind of reign you in and give you a strict guideline to get started.

I know you meant well by your opening post, but most of it is just regurgitated myth.

Nice attempt to help, though!

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LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »

Michifan wrote: »

LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »

Michifan wrote: »

I haven't had more than 1,000 calories in 3 months, I have dropped weight, walk 4 miles a day and bike 15 on the weekend. My blood work great, I'm being super efficient in my food intake and I haven't felt this good in so long that it's basically a new feeling.

I am sick of hearing people tell me that it is unhealthy - especially when my Internal Medicine Doctor and Licensed Registered Dietician (Wife) have not only blessed my diet but have the blood tests, pulse / blood pressure, etc... to demonstrate that I am actually more healthy by every measure than before.

If you cannot tolerate less than 1,000 calories, don't try it. But unless you are a doctor / licensed dietician giving advice to anyone specifically, keep your mouth shut.

Um..no

Um.. yes.
In my State you must have a medical license or a dietetic license to provide nutritional counseling. Of course people give legal advice that aren't lawyers - but I wouldn't trust them with my life either.

I'm just saying the obvious - unless you actually know what you are talking about - and not just because you specifically have some personal experience - don't give medical / dietetic advice to other people, especially when they are under the care of experienced physicians and dieticians that actually have studied and been licensed to give such advice.

nope...I'll keep doing it. Don't like it...don't read it.

Nice deflection. You must be very popular giving out your opinions to people that don't ask for it.

HealthyVitamins wrote: »

yawn.

lol

I do have to say I started out at 1200 calories. Like everyone else, and in spite of a really good weight watcher instructor, there's a boot camp mentality about wanting to lose weight that permeates our mindset. My dietician suggested I raise my daily goal to 1500 calories. I raised it to 1450 - just can't stop beating ourselves up. Dutifully drank my glasses of water. I also, of course, set my activity level at sedentary, something I've never been in my life.

Right now, I'm recovering from a broken leg and yesterday I had a cataract operation. Being on a cast, I don't log many steps (you would think the darned activity tracker would know I'm stepping on one leg), but I do log a ton of circuit training from walking with crutches. I may be, if anything, more active than when I was "whole."

I won't naysay those who want to stay at 1200 calories a day. But if you're not losing weight at that level, you are doing something wrong. I also don't know what eating clean is - unless it means washing your fruit.

Off to have an ice cream cone.

Sorry to see original OP was flagged for voicing his opinion. I personally see a lot of merit in his views and certainly defend his right to say it.

FredDoyle wrote: »

RGv2 wrote: »

FredDoyle wrote: »

RGv2 wrote: »

FredDoyle wrote: »

RGv2 wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »

ewarren1985 wrote: »

bygblu21 wrote: »

I'm fairly new to this forum and am really surprised at how many people on here are starving themselves to lose weight. Weight loss is not a sprint its a marathon. Its something that should happen over time, not within a few weeks. Weight loss is more than just limiting your caloric intake. Its a combination of eating clean and healthy ( I hate the word diet) and exercising on a daily basis. Starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight and by limiting your caloric intake to 1200 or so calories is doing just that. Not only is it unhealthy, but its a process that you will never stick to because its not natural and uncomfortable to do. So lets be serious and talk about how to lose weight realistically.

I would first ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?' Is it for appearance? Is it to be more healthy? Is it to be able to make it up that flight of steps without getting tired? Once you understand your own reasoning you can then move forward and begin your weight loss journey, because after all that's what it should be, a journey not a short trip. Once you've realized your goal and the reason for it you need to make the biggest decision of all, and that's to commit to yourself and commit to achieving your goal of losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle.

So now you've made the decision to put your health first; now what? Lets start with your eating habits. What do you eat? When do you eat it? and how often are you eating? Your body is a very complex machine but by following some simple rules about eating, you can have it running very efficiently. Follow these few simple rules and you'll see and feel the difference in your energy level.
-Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water
-Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day
-Drink water, all day long
-Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts...
-Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible
-Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.
-Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body
-Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy. Greek yogurt is a good choice.
-Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar

This si just a guide to go by. Your food intake should be directly related to your physical activity. Exercise is key but that's a whole other topic....

So... Funny thing that I found this today while utilizing MFP to log my progress on my weight loss journey!

I am currently under the care of weight loss doctor - a qualified medical professional - and was specifically instructed to limit my daily caloric intake to 1200 calories, as that is the medically recognized amount of calories needed for most women's weight loss (it is 1500 calories for men). I was also given the following instructions:

1. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner
2. Limit your daily calories (women 1200 men 1500)
3. Try to avoid excessive snacking between meals
4. Allow yourself to experience hunger between meals and small snacks. Feeling hungry during weight loss and everyday life/schedules is normal and healthy.
5. Limit carbohydrates to breakfast. The reason for this is that your body can easily burn the carbs off during the course of the day AND most of the reason that women retain "water weight" is because the carbohydrates stored in their bodies act like sponges and soak it all up.
6. If you need to snack, choose wisely (fruits, low fat yogurts, hard-boiled egg, small salad with dressing on the side)
7. Dinner should be your lightest meal of the day and breakfast your largest, but do what works for you
8. Find something other than food to soothe yourself
9. Make sure that meals are eaten at the table - not in front of the tv, in the bedroom, etc.
10. Use a Lean Cuisine for a meal if you are in a rush or too tired to cook

On top of that, I was given the advice that studies have shown that people who consume 25 grams of fiber on a daily basis, lose weight. You get 25 grams of fiber by consuming between 5 & 10 servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Therefore, if you get hungry between meals, have a serving of fruit (banana, orange, handful of grapes, bing cherries, sliced apples, etc.)

Last tip he gave me: Learn to eat slowly so your body has time to catch up with your brain about when you are actually full/satisfied as opposed to "stuffed."

All in all, I'm FAR from being an expert on the subject (obviously evident by the fact that I went to a qualified medical professional that IS an expert on the subject), but I feel pretty confident in listening to what was conveyed to me above by my doctor.

In summary, what he tells hundreds of people everyday that leads to successful weight loss that doesn't come back completely contradicts the nonsense you listed! Also, I really feel that some of those choices and options differ depending on the person and their circumstances. At the end of the day, it's whatever works for you and keeps you strong enough to get where you want to be and stay there!

your doctor is I-N-S-A-N-E!!! I'm eating 1674 calories and I'm losing!!!!!

Her doctor gave her information for her, not for you.

You should follow the advice the doctor gives you and she should follow the advice the doctor gives her. Different people get different advice.

1200 calories, as that is the medically recognized amount of calories needed for most women's weight loss (it is 1500 calories for men).

You saw that the above quote was bolded, so that is what the poster was calling insane (and quite honestly is)....right?

Strictly speaking it is medically recognized no matter what the MFP experts say.
An internationally respected hernia hospital (Shouldice) uses those exact numbers for quick safe weight loss prior to operations.
I have eaten 1400 kcals per day (as a male) to lose 40 lbs. and have been in maintenance for two years now eating 2200-2400 kcals per day.
My health markers are fine. So it's wrong to say that it doesn't work or isn't advised by doctors because it is.

So you agree that 1200 and 1500 is needed for most?

I'm not saying it's wrong to do, or it won't work. I'm saying that those levels aren't "required for most" in order to lose weight. To say so, IMHO, is pretty insane.

Nobody said required. One poster said it was INSANE!!!11!
They are wrong since it is technically medically approved. There is nothing wrong with that few calories in a nutritionally controlled deficit.

Unless we're reading this wrong...

1200 calories, as that is the medically recognized amount of calories needed for most women's weight loss (it is 1500 calories for men).

The way I'm reading it (and the other poster) is that it is recongnized to eat only 1200/1500 in order to lose weight.

I never said anything was wrong with that level. It saying that you need to eat that level in order to lose weight (at least that how I read what is written).

I think it is just poorly phrased and it's obvious to most readers that "needed" means minimum to reach nutritional requirements and the minimum safe amounts for weight loss. People pick the wrong battles to fight on this site and it gets tedious.

^^This

I think it's funny how when I speak up about 1200 cals working for ME, I get flagged for spamming ...LOL!! Well tough rocks. IT WORKS FOR ME and I'm sticking to it

"how about you realize he posted this over a year ago and hasn't been back...lol...good lord."

Or perhaps what he was doing worked.

Your posts had a couple of quotes in it and it is difficult to read ALL the quotes and sub quotes.

Your post just happened to be the last one, not the most interesting.

bygblu21 wrote:

I'm fairly new to this forum and am really surprised at how many people on here are starving themselves to lose weight.

There are a few people on MFP who promote anorexia, VLCD, binge eating (OMAD), etc.
But for the most part we have our heads on straight.

Weight loss is more than just limiting your caloric intake. Its a combination of eating clean and healthy ( I hate the word diet) and exercising on a daily basis...
Exercise is key but that's a whole other topic.

Define "clean". It means different things to different people, so is meaningless.
But you're right that exercise is important. Certainly not "key", but important. (At least, if you want to rely on real-world experience of people who have lost weight & kept it off, which would seem a reasonable thing to do.)

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

Starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose weight and by limiting your caloric intake to 1200 or so calories is doing just that.

Nope. 1200 is the minumum a woman of average height should eat per day. Not starving, just pretty low, and you have to be very careful how they're allocated in order to get the nutrients you need.

If someone is very short, less than 1200 calories may be perfectly adequate to get all the nutritents she needs for the day. One of my MFP friends is under 5' tall, and IIRC she's aiming for no more than 800. (For her, 80 lb would be a healthy goal weight, so that's reasonable.)

I'm 5'10" or so, and my doctor recently recommended I eat at 1300 cal/day and ignore exercise calories. I'm currently aiming for 1400, and while I sometimes go a couple hundred over, I certainly don't eat back anywhere near all my exercise cal (which are generally around 700-1000), and not every day.

by following some simple rules about eating, you can have it running very efficiently. Follow these few simple rules and you'll see and feel the difference in your energy level.

The only "rule" people need to follow to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than they burn.
Where those calories come from is irrelevant w/r/t weight loss.

Start every day with an 8oz. glass of lemon water

Only if you like lemonaide. Won't do a thing for weight loss, any more than drinking plain water will.

[/quote] Monitor your portions- you should be eating small portion meals throughout the day rather than one, two or three large portioned meals a day [/quote]
Actually, research has shown that eating half your calories for breakfast, a medium lunch, and a small dinner leads to more weight loss than the usual American plan.
See the last half of this post for the studies:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818

Drink water, all day long

If you're thirsty, drink. If you're not sure you're hungry, have a glass of water. If your urine is darker than straw, drink more water.

Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, salmon etc. and I don't mean processed cold-cuts

Plain lean protein is good. So are beans, lentils, nuts.
Lunchmeat can be OK in moderation, but the main problem there is sodium.

Focus on eating fresh vegetables, steamed when possible

A good way to fill up, with few calories. But be sure to eat from all the food groups.

Limit unnecessary condiments i.e. mayonnaise, oils, salt etc.

Condiments are good. They can make bland veggies edible.
Use the high-fat ones sparingly.

Limit, but don't restrict carbohydrates. Complex carbs are needed by your body

Actually, carbs are the fuel the body runs on. If they're not simple, the body makes simple carbs out of them.
But you're right that eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein. That's at the high end of a healthy range for protein, and the low end of healthy for the other 2.

Dairy is ok but in limited portions and should be kept to low fat dairy.

There's no reason to limit dairy unless you're allergic.
And some fat helps sate, plus allowing the body to digest fat-soluble vitamins.

Fresh fruit should be kept to 1 or 2 pieces a day. Its high in sugar and you should be limiting your sugar

Fructose is not evil. Fruit is not evil. As long as you have calories / carbs to burn, have fruit if you want. The main reason to limit it is if you're diabetic.

I find it amusing that they flag at all. Spam is different.

I find it amusing that I responded to such and old topic lol. And what is it with all the flags anyways ?

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