1200 calories? Anybody doing it?

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  • KBmoments
    KBmoments Posts: 193 Member
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    WBB55 wrote: »
    KBmoments wrote: »
    People are saying you lose more lean muscle on 1200 per day... Why would this happen at 1200 and no other calorie goal? Isn't a deficit a deficit?
    When you aren't getting enough protein and other nutrients your body will cannibalize itself to ensure your heart has the nutrients it needs to continue to beat. The larger your deficit, the less likely you're eating enough nutrients to maintain your organs, then the more likely your body will cannibalize "unimportant" muscle (like your biceps or quads) in order to maintain the "important" muscle (your heart).

    I see... thanks for the info!
  • janjones2
    janjones2 Posts: 2 Member
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    beachbunny90 wrote: »
    So I know this site reccomends everyone trying to lose weight to eat 1200 calories... I was wondering how many people actually are? And how it is going for you?

    Also even though I'm new I realize 1200 is too low for most people. I am just curious about if it's working for some.

    Hi ...I'm jan.im finding that I'm actually only maintaining on 1200 cals .this is my 8 th week now and even if I don't use my exercise cals I'm not losing. I only need to lose half a stone but I'm stuck . I would never dream of going under 1200 cals but I am wondering if I need to drop carbs
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    janjones2 wrote: »
    beachbunny90 wrote: »
    So I know this site reccomends everyone trying to lose weight to eat 1200 calories... I was wondering how many people actually are? And how it is going for you?

    Also even though I'm new I realize 1200 is too low for most people. I am just curious about if it's working for some.

    Hi ...I'm jan.im finding that I'm actually only maintaining on 1200 cals .this is my 8 th week now and even if I don't use my exercise cals I'm not losing. I only need to lose half a stone but I'm stuck . I would never dream of going under 1200 cals but I am wondering if I need to drop carbs

    No to the drop carbs. If you are not losing you are in surplus. Are you weighing your solid food??....measure liquids only?? If not there is your problem, get a digital scale and weigh your food.
  • petitehealth
    petitehealth Posts: 148 Member
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    I'm averaging between 1200-1400 cals gross. Please add me if you are in a similar cal range for support!
  • RBracken34
    RBracken34 Posts: 90 Member
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    Me! I know that, for me, this is the only sustainable route to weight loss. I can come up with a TON of so-called external excuses not to exercise, but I can't excuse eating too much or being hungry because I chose calorie dense foods that didn't fill me up. When I stay on track with a healthy 1200 calorie diet, I feel great and I lose. When I commit to exercise more so I can eat more, I crave more calories... even when I don't move my body. And I ALWAYS fail to keep those commitments. Call me lazy, I don't care. I know myself, and I know this is the only way I can lose and maintain weight over the long haul. And when I DO exercise? I never eat back the calories. #justwhereimat

    Lost almost 40lbs since May 1st.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Remembering that 1200 is the base and exercise calories are added to that, I will say that days I sit on my lazy butt, I have eaten at 1200.
  • Talkativeartist
    Talkativeartist Posts: 16 Member
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    I only intake 1200 or less when you factor in my exercise.
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
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    I manually set my calorie goal to 1500 since MFP suggested 1300. I think I'm between lightly active and active, so I'm rolling with 1500 calories and seeing how that goes. I felt so hungry eating 1200-1300.
  • titania_one
    titania_one Posts: 26 Member
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    MFP recommended close to that for me and for a while I did it, but it was too low - I lost weight super fast, was freezing cold constantly, and found I couldn't concentrate on anything but food. Now I do 1500 and lose slower, but feel soooo much better.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    I've averaged 1275 calories a day consistently for almost 3 months and have averaged 1.58 lbs a week for a total of about 19 lbs, from 164 to 145.
    I don't do any particular exercise. It's been very sporadic and I haven't stuck with anything since the first couple weeks I started. And my loss didn't slow down when I stopped. I only average just under 3000 steps a day.
    Consistency is key for me and I don't do cheat days. I don't allow myself to make any food excuses and I'm working on changing my ways as it comes to exercise excuses.
  • TiaGia101
    TiaGia101 Posts: 51 Member
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    I just started on 1200 and I am hungry!
  • rhoda1990
    rhoda1990 Posts: 25 Member
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    beachbunny90 wrote: »
    So I know this site reccomends everyone trying to lose weight to eat 1200 calories... I was wondering how many people actually are? And how it is going for you?

    Also even though I'm new I realize 1200 is too low for most people. I am just curious about if it's working for some.

    That's crazy!!! 1200 CALS is extremely low and sickening. You can surely, lose weight but I'm positive you won't be happy or healthy. Try 2000 cals and a good exercise routine, then track your progress from there.

  • kimmiebrito
    kimmiebrito Posts: 40 Member
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    I do 1200 cals! But then again I am just 5'1
  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
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    Ugh, I would be hungry, angry, miserable, and extremely unhealthy if I ate 1200. I'm 5'2" and I lose weight eating at 1800 (very slowly, but I do lose). I workout 4x a week, and I'm aiming to lose fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. I feel like a lot of people just want the weight off immediately without thinking about body composition and how much muscle they'll lose in that time.

    More muscle = faster metabolism
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    The site now states 1000 to 1200 cals. I do 1000 ad I'm 5f0 and almost 100 lbs and sedentary due to current I'll health. Occasionally I go over when I'm doing a lot of walking. I dont really get hungry but then i've always had s small appetite.
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
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    Those who claim they eat 1200 and are just fine and stable weight....you're body is running metabolically efficient. Meaning you can run fine on less calories.
    WBB55 wrote: »
    KBmoments wrote: »
    People are saying you lose more lean muscle on 1200 per day... Why would this happen at 1200 and no other calorie goal? Isn't a deficit a deficit?
    When you aren't getting enough protein and other nutrients your body will cannibalize itself to ensure your heart has the nutrients it needs to continue to beat. The larger your deficit, the less likely you're eating enough nutrients to maintain your organs, then the more likely your body will cannibalize "unimportant" muscle (like your biceps or quads) in order to maintain the "important" muscle (your heart).

    Edit to add: your intestines are also a long bit of muscle your body will cannibalize other parts of your body in order to maintain. Your blood vessels also need protein. All of these organs are more important than your 6-pack, which your body will devour in order to feed the other needs. All of these organs have 24-hour per day protein/nutrient needs.

    Exactly ^^^^^
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    eternaltears wrote: »
    The app Lose It says for me to take in 930 calories and this app says 1200 so I do 1000 to average it out

    bad idea, the reason the other site says 930 is that your weekly weight loss goal it too aggressive. change it to either 0.5 or 1lb/week and you will get more calories.
  • rowantb
    rowantb Posts: 85 Member
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    I eat around 1250-1350 on average a day. I'm a stay at home dad and work at my desk in the evenings. The only exercise I generally get is some basic weights at home. I don't struggle with this amount of intake, I'm rarely hungry or have cravings and I don't feel 'crashy' but Im now on a plateau. I lost 12 pounds and haven't budged since. I'm wondering if I need to up my intake to 1500 but i feel like it's counter intuitive at this point.. More often than not I have to remind myself to eat something else to up my intake.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    rowantb wrote: »
    I eat around 1250-1350 on average a day. I'm a stay at home dad and work at my desk in the evenings. The only exercise I generally get is some basic weights at home. I don't struggle with this amount of intake, I'm rarely hungry or have cravings and I don't feel 'crashy' but Im now on a plateau. I lost 12 pounds and haven't budged since. I'm wondering if I need to up my intake to 1500 but i feel like it's counter intuitive at this point.. More often than not I have to remind myself to eat something else to up my intake.

    I would never go below 1500 even if bed ridden. That said, if you are not losing on 1250-1350 then I would suggest you are acutally eating much more than you think you are.

    Do you weigh all solid foods you consume and measure all liquids? If not you may be eating 10-50% more than you think you are.

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