Did anyone here lose weight on 1200cals and managed not to put the weight back on when maintaining?

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  • goosebeartalk
    goosebeartalk Posts: 39 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Most people pile the weight back on...like 95% of dieters...it has nothing to do with your calorie goals.

    Also, when people go to maintenance they are going to gain a little weight...because they are eating more so obviously they're going to have more waste in their system...and also more fluids retained and glycogen...unfortunately, many people think this is fat or something so they immediately drop calories back down. People really need to do more research on how body weight works...maybe then people wouldn't freak out so much...it's sad really.

    1200 calories isn't maintenance for anyone other than a short 90 year old woman.

    Agreed. If you're active, you need to fuel your body!! Maintenance (before exercise calories) for me is 2200. How are y'all not passing out from hunger? Just goes to show you how very different all of us really are. Good luck to you on your journey.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    RaeN81 wrote: »
    It is actually possible to lose weight by simply eating the maintenance calories for your desired weight (provided that you have more than a couple of pounds to lose). The weight loss may be slower but may be easier to manage in the long run as you develop positive habits. If you choose this method then you can expect to keep eating the same way into the future. Your eating habits must change for good if you want to maintain a weight loss. Best of luck in your journey!

    That's exactly what I'm doing. 1650 calories is maintenance for my goal weight of 132lbs. I've recently started exercising which most days gives me an extra 800ish calories. If I'm hungry I will eat some exercise calories back, (definitely not all of them,) but I'm trying not to until I hit the magical 132 :smiley:

  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    I lost what I needed to lose 3 years ago with 26 points on weight watchers which was around 1200 calories and have maintained the loss while eating between 1700 and 2000 calories a day.
  • 6365melanie
    6365melanie Posts: 3 Member
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    I agree, it's very difficult to say...I'm 5'3" and a small frame....I have lost 11lbs since Jan & have reached my goal weight on 1200 cals and eat more when I exercise. It totally depends on your size and how much you move in the day. I have a Fitbit charge HR so know how much more to eat even if I've just moved more at work, not just when I've exercised. I think it's very difficult to guess how much you've burned in a day. I am sticking to 1200 a day for now, but want to tone up more so will need to eat more as I build muscle and will monitor my weight and eat more as needed.
  • ddmusica
    ddmusica Posts: 50 Member
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    I have been on a 1,200 calorie diet (plus 300 calories from workouts) since September - got to my goal weight in February (41 lbs lost) -- still watching those calories-- but I have eaten some pasta and even a piece of cake-- it was strange, and made me nervous that I would just revert... but I am still staying within 3 lbs of where I want to be (goal weight: 133 - I fluctuate from 133 to 136). In September I was 173 lbs, 5'5" (46 years old). I will continue to omit fast food for sure - will add in some (wheat) bread and pasta every once in awhile, if I want. I feel great, and am physically more fit than I was in my 30's! (I go to the gym for 1 hour 5 days a week).
  • _Tzefira_
    _Tzefira_ Posts: 65 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I'm losing on 1200 a day. Being close to maintenance I experimented with increasing calories just for funsies and found that 1400 is about my max before I start gaining again. Which sort of baffles me, as by everything I've figured my TDEE varies between 1700-2000/day depending how active I am with work/exercise/etc.

    I'm 5'0", currently 127lbs, for reference.
  • toadg53
    toadg53 Posts: 302 Member
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    Same thing for me. I lost a LOT of weight at 1200 calories a day. Hit goal last Sept and added back calories. Reduced my walking (doctor told me to) and unable to hit the gym due to injury, and still have been able to maintain with increased daily calories. So yes, it's totally do-able. Just cannot go back to previous eating habits. That's the key.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    Yes!! Though that was my goal it was usually around 1300. On maintenance I could eat around 1700/1800 day. (added slowly like everyone said) But since the inactivity of winter time, I have dropped back down to 1400.
  • chaarlotte289
    chaarlotte289 Posts: 84 Member
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    How much did people add back at a time with still maintaining? Is there any advantage to upping slowly vs. adding 200 or so at one time?
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
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    I have been maintaining and then losing at about 2200/ day. I am trying out 1600/ day to do a faster cut in time for my birthday but it feels really hard. I don't know how you all feel satiated off 1200! But more power to you for your continued success.
  • jacqueliny
    jacqueliny Posts: 7 Member
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    I agree with Cwolf that learning about how the body works is key. I lost 45 # in 6months, 4 years ago and have been working out maintenance since then. As you lose wt your body changes but has your self talk changed or has your image of yourself changed? These questions guide my maintenance journey also. That is to say I work at changing them with Affirmations( these are statements 62 of them) that I say to myself. One of my favorites is, "miles are logged through small steps forward" and "overeating is no longer part of the true me". I also do books with friends like "Faithfully Fit". And "Made to Crave". To me keeping the weight off is acknowledging that I can't do it myself ... It will be a lifelong undertaking... No vacations for me.... I tend towards depression and am now off the medication and have been for 4 years... I don't experience the guilt any more... Yay!! My calorie intake per day is 1560- 2000 depending on my activity level. I encourage you to keep journeying. And talking. And learning about yourself.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    PinkyPan1 wrote: »
    I lost 22 lbs on 1200 calories and I have been maintaining at 1300-1400 net calories for over 7 months.

    +1

    I lost 38 lbs on 1200.

    Have been maintaining at 1300 - 1500 for 20+ mths.

  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    It depends. When you say "people say 1200 is too low" are they right? Is 1200 an appropriate deficit for you? If you are just going for the minimum so that you can get to a goal weight faster so you can be "done?" Then, yeah, it probably will be hard to transition to a sustainable maintenance.

    If 1200 is, in fact, where you should be because of your age, height, and activity level, then gradually add calories up to your maintenance level as you approach your goal weight. Recompute your MFP targets as you get closer, and be sure to also lower your rate of loss as you have less and less to lose. It will be easiest to avoid regaining weight by making a more seamless transition to maintenance.
  • pinkteapot3
    pinkteapot3 Posts: 157 Member
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    I lost 42lbs on 1200 a day in 2009-10, and maintained until late last year. I piled 14lbs back on last Autumn following medical treatment, when I was sad and unable to exercise! So since Jan I've been back on 1200 cals and am now nearly back at goal.

    Maintenance is do-able and the MFP cals are about right for me. You have to keep logging accurately though. That's where people fall down - they get lax.

    The system works if you keep using it. :smile:
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
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    OP: It's horsecrap. I lost my weight eating less than that, and I have been in successful maintenance for a while now because I changed all my eating habits. I'm sedentary and unmuscular and my frame is smallish, so I don't use a lot of calories to begin with. Your mileage may vary. But the 1200 rule is arbitrary and unscientific, and mostly intended to prevent people from falling into eating disorders or getting malnutrition due to lack of micronutrients. The real cutoff depends on gender, activity level, height, frame and musculature.

    I even know a man on MFP who went from 300-400 lbs to 170 while eating about 700 calories/day, and except for the usual loose skin, he looks fantastic and has kept the weight off for years. He did pop vitamins, though, and so should anyone. I remember him saying that his doctor recommended bariatric surgery to him, and he asked, "What exactly does the surgery do that makes you lose weight?" And the doctor replied, "Well, it shrinks your stomach, thereby restricting your caloric intake to about 700 calories a day." The guy said to the doctor, "Hell, I can do that myself! Later, Doc!" And he went home and dieted with discipline and achieved the same results just as fast.

    Just my thoughts.
  • alesaux1867
    alesaux1867 Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi, I managed to lose 36lbs using this method and did keep my weight off for some time by eating between 1500 and 2200 a day whilst maintaining. However, towards the end of last year I fell off the wagon and significantly increased my intake and over the last 3 months have put back 23lb, so im now back on it.
  • marmaladepixie
    marmaladepixie Posts: 83 Member
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    I initially lost 20lbs on a 1200 cal diet 2 years ago, then bumped my cals slowly up to around 1500 -1600 and did a. It more intense exercise. I maintained for a year, and then after that I gained 10 lbs pretty quickly, and then the rest all back after another 4 months. I also had to stop taking birth control at the same time, and I have pcos, so that may have been a factor. Needless to say, my body just can't handle that many calories, regardless of what type of exercise I do. So back to 1200- 1300 and losing again. I am 5'4" and currently 133. Was at 115 when I first lost
  • marmaladepixie
    marmaladepixie Posts: 83 Member
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    Jubee13 wrote: »
    I have done it several times and maintained for awhile, but I always think I can stop logging, then I start gaining! I am one pound from goal now and I've started gradually adding. This week I've tried to average 1,300 a day. Some days I eat fewer, some days more, but I average 1,200 and now 1,300. I'm sure I'll end up eating quite a bit more to maintain.

    Same, if I stop logging, I think I'm eating the same sized portions of the same things, and I slowly end up going way over, even though everything seems like it exactly the same. It's foodnesia lol.
  • lindaloo1213
    lindaloo1213 Posts: 283 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I think the biggest factor for those who gain it all back is that people lose the weight on 1200 and then just go back to eating whatever and paying no mind to calories.. In MY opinion if I want the weight to stay off I will be counting calories the rest of my life (adjusting as I see things going one way or the other) and staying within a lower range the majority of the time..with occassional splurges.
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
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    I have done it netting 1200/day. If I could not eat exercise calories back there would probably be no way though. I have been at this consistently for about a year and a half and down about 41 lbs since then. I am actually not intentionally maintaining right now. Still have around 10 lbs to goal but I have been within the same 4 lb range for about two months now. Happy not to be gaining but I really have to get better to lose the last 10.

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