How do you do 1200 Calories?
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I eat 2 meals a day, and have for the last 40 years. That gives me anywhere from 400-800 per meal - super easy to hit, and I often find myself trying to find calories. If I had to do 1600 (which of course I did & more before I started the MFP journey), I'd eat McDonalds for lunch and still have a 6 oz steak + mashed potatoes for dinner and fit under my calories.0
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honestly, I really don't think 1200 calorie diets work. This is from my own experience of course, basically you should work out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight based on your height, weightloss goal, age and a few other factors. I found I actually hold onto weight if I eat less than 1600 a day and can't lose weight at all. I highly recommend working out your calories using a calculator such as this http://www.losebabyweight.com.au/weight-loss/body-mass-index/
it could make your life a whole lot more enjoyable and successful
What? You were likely eating more than you thought you were than.
no way, I easily ate no more than 1200 a day for 4 months without losing a single gram. In fact I was struggling to get to to 1200 each day. I weighed everything and did ridiculous amounts of exercise to no avail. I am not saying it doesn't work for all people, just that there is more to weight loss than calories in, calories out. I eat way more now and am losing .5 to 1kg a week (1 to 2 pounds).0 -
Intermittent fasting!0
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The first time I tried MFP I moaned to my husband about 1200 cal being next to nothing (he's allowed a lot more as he's twice my size) and he just said "that's why you exercise, you've got to do both or you'll be hungry". So I up the exercise - mainly cardio - jogging my 6 year old to his gymnastics and beavers with our dog and watching my fave telly or reading my kindle while on our spin bike. I have to multitask/focus on it being anything other than exercise or I get bored!
So the exercise is vital as it means I can eat more! Mainly though it helps me to make sensible choices about snacks - I get hungry between meals but rather than snacking on toast I'll have a banana. Also - I have way more motivation in the morning than in the evening so I have a small breakfast (approx. 200 cal), medium lunch (approx. 400 cal) and big dinner (approx. 500 cal) and snacks (approx. 100 cal).
200ish cal breakfast = 2 egg omelette with 75g spinach (209c) / smoothie (1 banana + cup of raspberries + 50ml wholemilk) (199c)
400ish cal lunch = homemade salad (avocado, capers, olives, chicken breast, cherry tomato) (389cal) / beans on toast
500ish cal dinner/tea = sausage & mash with frozen veg and greek yoghurt and honey for pudding (494cal) / sweet potato mash, leg of lamb & broccoli (453cal) / spaghetti bolognaise (584cal)
100ish cal snack = gin & slim tonic and a ginger nut biscuit (102cal) / banana (103cal)
The 200cal I usually get out of cycling/jogging lets me have pudding or a glass of wine or cups of tea. Through the day I drink water (I make myself have a large glass half hour before each meal and before & exercise.
Spreading through the day is much easier with week day routines. It gets trickier with meals out or when my mum does big family dinners on the weekend.
I don't have all the answers and I have fallen of the wagon plenty of times in the past but keeping the food diary on MFP has helped me work out what works on the days that aren't a struggle.
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Eat lots of proteins and fat, to keep me sated longer. When I find I'm hungry, I can always earn more through exercise.
^This. My diary's public. Feel free to look. I'm a vegetarian who often eats the same thing for a few days running, so it's pretty boring, though.
I'm in a spell where I haven't been getting much exercise for medical reasons, unfortunately.
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honestly, I really don't think 1200 calorie diets work. This is from my own experience of course, basically you should work out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight based on your height, weightloss goal, age and a few other factors. I found I actually hold onto weight if I eat less than 1600 a day and can't lose weight at all. I highly recommend working out your calories using a calculator such as this http://www.losebabyweight.com.au/weight-loss/body-mass-index/
it could make your life a whole lot more enjoyable and successful
I will agree with you that there are a few people on this thread who should probably be eating more than 1200 calories.
HOWEVER... blanket statements are rarely true.
Short people with little to lose, older women, older shorter women, those who need to subtract an additional percentage due to medical conditions? It's just the way the math works out to be at a deficit. When I'm at maintenance at my goal weight, my calorie allowance will probably be right around 1200 because of my age and my height. Thems them breaks.
As for you saying you hold onto weight if you eat less than 1600 calories?
Highly doubtful. Because science.
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Wouldn't it be more helpful to talk about deficit %? I mean, a person for whom 1200 cal a day represents a 20% reduction in TDEE would feel fuller than a person eating 1500 but at 50% of their TDEE, no? I am still trying to get this down pat, if anyone has the knowledge and time to explain that would be great!0
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I am short AND older (50) and I have been able to do 1200 by incorporating a lot of tips that others have already said.
AM: Coffee with milk (track the calories, milk gives me some protein), Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, egg if I need more (app 250 calories)
Lunch: Chicken breast, Apple, Celery or cucumber...I'm in my car all day so I make things I can just nibble on in the car. (This works out to app 300 calories)
Snack: Fruit, Veggies, maybe a latte....100-200 calories
Dinner: I usually have plenty of calories left for dinner, Those things that are high calorie and not long term filling (like bread) I have taken off of my food lists. I focus on food that is filling long term, higher protein items. ONe of my favorite dinners is a grilled turkey burger with gorgonzola cheese on it and sautéed mushrooms poured over it. It feels decadent and is delicious!0 -
There seems to be some assumptions that if you are on 1200 calories per week, that you are trying to lose fast or 2 lbs per week. That is not necessarily true. Whether I set my goal as 1 or 1.5 lbs per week, I get 1200 calories per day. I'm 5'1, 40 years old, and have a sedentary (desk) job. For someone short like me, trying to lose any weight, 1200 calories is what my body needs. Don't assume that everyone at 1200 calories are trying for fast/big losses. I'm definitely not.0
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yup, don't do 1200 calories for fast or big loss...I have to do 1200 for any loss at all!0
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goldeneye77 wrote: »How do I do 1200 calories?
* Breakfast (16 oz) veggie/fruit mix smoothie** made with my Nutribullet
* Mid-Morning & throughout the day Tea (Bigelow, Yogi, Celestial Seasonings)
* Lunch (8 oz) veggie/fruit mix smoothie
* Mid-afternoon (8 oz) veggie/fruit mix smoothie
* Feast (reward) at dinner (even have wine)
* Flavored (0 calorie) sparkling water until bedtime (feels like a cocktail)
** Smoothies "feed" the body important nutrients -- no "starvation" here. Tip: a banana & AlmondMilk makes every smoothie a winner! AlmondMilk now comes honey-flavored and cashew-flavored, eventually you might want to move on to "unsweetened".
No solid food?? I would be bored as heck...but each to their own
I eat 1200 between breakfast and lunch alone, I lose eating 1900 cals and maintain on 2200...eating proper, home made yummy food.0 -
There seems to be some assumptions that if you are on 1200 calories per week, that you are trying to lose fast or 2 lbs per week. That is not necessarily true. Whether I set my goal as 1 or 1.5 lbs per week, I get 1200 calories per day. I'm 5'1, 40 years old, and have a sedentary (desk) job. For someone short like me, trying to lose any weight, 1200 calories is what my body needs. Don't assume that everyone at 1200 calories are trying for fast/big losses. I'm definitely not.
^^^ This. I am at 1200 as well...maintenance for me is about 1400. This was a lot of trial and error on my part to figure out. I lose 1lb every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes I stall for a month, sometimes I lose 3 lbs a month. And I walk daily. It is what it is. I eat between 1100 and 1200 net daily. I only increase by 100 calories or so right before my period because I am hungrier. I have learned that lots of protein is very beneficial for me. And I am not hungry at the end of the day usually. You have got to figure out what works for YOUR body. Because every one is very different. And you will always have very different opinions on what you need.0 -
Wiseandcurious wrote: »Wouldn't it be more helpful to talk about deficit %? I mean, a person for whom 1200 cal a day represents a 20% reduction in TDEE would feel fuller than a person eating 1500 but at 50% of their TDEE, no? I am still trying to get this down pat, if anyone has the knowledge and time to explain that would be great!
Good observation...and yeah, I suspect that's in play here. It's also why the same people who post against "1200 for everyone" are likely to be the same people who post against excessive deficits (aka "2+ pounds/week for everyone").
(And to be clear, I'm in the camp that believes that more people are trying to unnecessarily restrict themselves to 1200 than is prudent...that a lot of people trying to stay at 1200 would be more likely to achieve and sustain their weight loss (and more likely to be happier doing it) at a higher calorie limit. I also believe that 2 pounds/week is inadvisable for all but obese/medically advisable situations.)0 -
For many of us on 1200 it's because we're overweight by more than 'a few pounds', have a sedentary lifestyle and have more to lose. I'm not trying to lose 2.0/week to lose fast, either... I'm beyond that, tried that route when I was younger and it didn't last. I know that 1200 is temporary, too- that once I lose weight my caloric intake will increase. I'm moving more and eating less, and the days I exercise I have more to eat.
The food I eat is 90% cooked at home- very little eating out these days- so I know what I'm eating and can adjust my recipes for quality, which usually translates into quantity (I can eat more per serving of my own food than I could from take out). Translation- I never go to bed hungry.0 -
Fyi I didn't make a blanket statement, I also included other factors in my initial post (see bold).mamapeach910 wrote: »honestly, I really don't think 1200 calorie diets work. This is from my own experience of course, basically you should work out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight based on your height, weightloss goal, age and a few other factors. I found I actually hold onto weight if I eat less than 1600 a day and can't lose weight at all. I highly recommend working out your calories using a calculator such as this http://www.losebabyweight.com.au/weight-loss/body-mass-index/
it could make your life a whole lot more enjoyable and successful
I will agree with you that there are a few people on this thread who should probably be eating more than 1200 calories.
HOWEVER... blanket statements are rarely true.
Short people with little to lose, older women, older shorter women, those who need to subtract an additional percentage due to medical conditions? It's just the way the math works out to be at a deficit. When I'm at maintenance at my goal weight, my calorie allowance will probably be right around 1200 because of my age and my height. Thems them breaks.
As for you saying you hold onto weight if you eat less than 1600 calories?
Highly doubtful. Because science.
You clearly have a very simplistic view of metabolic function if you believe that calories are the only factor relevant to weight management.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »My diary's public. Feel free to look. I'm a vegetarian who often eats the same thing for a few days running, so it's pretty boring, though.
I'm in a spell where I haven't been getting much exercise for medical reasons, unfortunately.
I hope you don't mind mamapeach but you are constantly saying your diary is public so I took the liberty of printing it out and quite frankly I am not surprised you are as sick as your are. I understand you are vegetarian and have Celiac Disease but it would be unrealistic to expect a young healthy person to survive and function on this amount. You are constantly advising people regarding their diets and yet you eat poorly in my opinion. When you analyse your diet, there is not a lot of food there and this is fairly consistent from what I can see of the way you eat. And what is with all the water - 16 -18 glasses a day.
2oz of Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine - that is less than a 1/4 of a cup and that is your main meal of the day with a serve of cabbage and pepper stir fry.
I would be eating my right arm by dinner time.
Breakfast
Trader Joe's - Irish Breakfast Tea, 24 oz
Splenda - Splenda, Granulated, W/ Calories, 1 Cup, From Splenda.co.uk, 0.36 cup (25 g)
Land O Lakes - Low-fat Half & Half, 4 Tbl
Spices - Cinnamon, ground, 0.25 tsp
Nuts - Almonds, 6 g(s)
Trader Joe - Fat Free Cottage Cheese, 1 cup (113g)
Libby's 100% - Canned Pumpkin Puree, 0.5 cup (122g)
Spices - Pumpkin pie spice, 0.25 tsp
Lunch
Explore Asian - Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine, 2 oz
Cabbage Pepper Stir Fry, 1 serving(s)
Dinner
Simply Nature - Creamy Almond Butter, 0.5 tablespoons
Fage Greek Yogurt 0% Fat - Greek Yogurt, 8 oz
Nuts - Almonds, 8 g(s)
Quick Tools
Snacks
Quest Bar - Vanilla Almond, 1 bar
Talenti Gelato - Toasted Almond, 1/4 Cup (100g)
Totals 1,115
mamapeach910 Daily Goal 1,254
Remaining 139
I also ran an 90 day Report on your diary and all your Iron, Potassium, Calcium, vitamins etc etc etc are all dangerously low on a consistent basis.0 -
Wiseandcurious wrote: »Wouldn't it be more helpful to talk about deficit %? I mean, a person for whom 1200 cal a day represents a 20% reduction in TDEE would feel fuller than a person eating 1500 but at 50% of their TDEE, no? I am still trying to get this down pat, if anyone has the knowledge and time to explain that would be great!
^ This. I'm not doing 1200 but I was doing 1325 for the past number of months, and I had no trouble at all feeling full. But then, I'm only 5'1". I'd imagine a 6'2" man would be gnawing his arm off on the food that fills me up quite nicely.
'Course, that's partly how so many of us shorties gained the weight in the first place... by eating the same portion sizes as much larger people even though our bodies don't need anywhere near as much food.0 -
LeenaGee: mamapeach may not be very tall, so these calories may be just fine. She's consistantly eating more than 1,000 calories a day, so I don't think she's in the "danger zone".
One thing I think a lot of people forget to consider when it comes to my(or other's) consuming 1,100-1,200 calories a day, is this won't be a forever calorie set. After I reach my goals I'll be in maintenance, which will give me a few hundred extra calories per day.0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »My diary's public. Feel free to look. I'm a vegetarian who often eats the same thing for a few days running, so it's pretty boring, though.
I'm in a spell where I haven't been getting much exercise for medical reasons, unfortunately.
I hope you don't mind mamapeach but you are constantly saying your diary is public so I took the liberty of printing it out and quite frankly I am not surprised you are as sick as your are.
And people wonder why some us make our diaries private . . .
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1200 a day is easy if you're 5'0", small-boned and over 50. Even my future maintenance weight is probably only 1600 or so. I got fat in the first place because I spent a few decades eating a larger person's portions out of social and family obligation. It's a relief now to have an excuse to eat what what I need and no more. I've never been hungry since after the first week. If anything I have to force myself to finish that last hundred at the end of the day.0
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