1200 calories? Anybody doing it?

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  • chill21516
    chill21516 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have been doing this since January. I try to stay to 1000. In a wheel chair, so cutting calories is just about the only option to lose weight. Started at 210 and now, 167. Some days it was hard, some easy. I was determined. So I stuck with it. I only went totally off the diet about 5 times. I was starving and I ate everything in the house. But when I went off, all it did, was get me stuck at that weight. Maybe because I only went off one day and right back on the next. I never one time went the other direction gaining weight back just stalled for a week or two. I failed at every single other diet I have tried. I like MFP because it educates you to what a serving is and which foods are better than others. I LOVE bread. I have to have it. Every low carb diet I ever went on I failed. MFP did not tell me not to eat bread. It just educated me about which kinds are better. I will NEVER go back to 210. Every day I get up and drink a 2 cups of black coffee and have two pieces of toast. Lunch is a sandwich. Lunchmeat, lettuce, light mayonaise and tomato. Typical supper, grilled chicken breast, salad, corona light with ounce and a half of tequilla.
  • elkasterling144
    elkasterling144 Posts: 1 Member
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    I started using MFP two and a half years ago. I have never had a BMI of above 21, but I was pretty determined to shed some extra weight and started at 1200 calories a day. I lost 15 pounds in about three months and have tried to stay at a 1200-1300 net range since. The first month was the hardest, for sure, but since then I've adjusted and I can easily get by within that range for the day and still feel totally energized. Your body does adjust! However, that does mean that it's harder for me to lose weight by eating any less now. I gained back a lot of weight after moving (which is why I started a new account), even though I wasn't eating much more than 1800 calories a day and still riding (horses) for at least an hour six days a week. When I tried restricting back down to 1200 after that, it didn't make as much a difference in my weight loss as last time. At that point I discovered the only way I could lose any more weight was by eating 800-900 calories a day, which I maintained for about 2-3 months, before I nearly collapsed and my mom started forcing me to eat more.

    Today, I'm a bit higher than I would like, but still maintaining a 1200-1300 range and feeling totally fine in terms of energy, but still finding myself wishing I could allow myself to eat a bit more freely. My advice would be to take it slow. Don't jump down from 2400 to 1200 immediately, because that is brutal. If possible, reach a net of 1200 by exercising more and not not eating. If you feel ok at 1200, try it for a little bit, and then increase again. The last thing you want to do is starve yourself all day and then either faint or binge on everything in sight.
  • amr32r
    amr32r Posts: 245 Member
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    Depending on your stats 1200 cal may not be enough...i tried it for a couple weeks and was fine until i started exercising and found it wasnt enough for me snd my activity level. You can try it and see how you do and adjust accordingly..good luck.
  • MarilynTC
    MarilynTC Posts: 98 Member
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    KarenJanine wrote: »
    beachbunny90 wrote: »
    So I know this site reccomends everyone trying to lose weight to eat 1200 calories...

    Only if 'everyone' is female, puts that they want to lose 2 lbs per week, and does not exercise.

    Not true. I am female and want to lose less than 2 lbs per week and do exercise and it still recommended 1200 for me.

    I stick to 1200 or so when I am not exercising, but I eat more like 1350 when I do exercise.
  • rowantb
    rowantb Posts: 85 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    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.
    I weigh all foods as of three weeks ago now maybe more. Was surprised how close I was prior on some things and shocked with others! I'm very strict with it so it should be pretty much spot on. The only liquids I don't measure accurately is water and coffee may go over but only because it's a larger mug so I add more water not milk. I think I may need to up my fibre but other than that I think I need to focus on my macros a bit more.
  • chatterbox3110
    chatterbox3110 Posts: 630 Member
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    Mine is set at 1270 to lose 1½lbs a week. I'm generally just under that, although I do have days when I've gone over, and I'm losing a steady 2lbs a week. I've had to bump my speed up a bit as I'm waiting for surgery.

    I don't eat back my exercise calories now as I found they weren't accurate, and my loss was actually slowing down, so I just work on my gross calories.

    What seems to be helping is that I'm only eating 'real' foods most of the time, with no bread or potatoes.

    3894102.png
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I tried it for almost a week on the recommendation of my Dr. Found that my brain wouldn't work right, I couldn't focus or think straight and was exhausted and starving all of the time. I did loose about a pound a day. It was not however something I could continue for the long term with 100 pounds to lose and a highly level of daily activity. I found MFP and got an activity tracker and have been losing a more sedate and much more sustainable 1-1.5 pounds a week on average, eating between 2300 and 3000 calories a day depending on activity level.

    I am always impressed with people who seem to be able to practically live on air ,on a 1200 a day goal, but nope, not for me. I enjoy eating real food and am active enough to be able to be able to do so while still loosing weight.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I tried the 1200 thing a while ago but it was just too miserable a target and I was often hungry.

    Now, I net on average 1300-1400 I think, some days I eat a lot more, some days less. I take a weekly view. Exercise doesn't make me hungrier, the opposite in fact so those are nice calories to play around with for a treat. I'm losing steadily and slowly which is perfect as far as I'm concerned.

    I'm 5'5 and female. I think if you are a petite female then 1200 may be pretty easy but less than that and for anyone not petite I'd be concerned about long term health and the impact undereating and lack of nutrients would have.
  • Chiqui74
    Chiqui74 Posts: 72 Member
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    So, I had my goal set to 2lbs per week and my calorie allowance was 1200. Just for kicks, I set it to 1.5lbs per week and my calorie allowance is still 1200. I'm 5'1.5 and have just under 30 pounds to lose. I pretty much always eat my exercise calories/Fitbit adjustment.
  • beachbunny90
    beachbunny90 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hey didn't mean to abandon this thread. Fellow 1200ers can add me. It's my first week but I'm losing very very fast on 1200. Lost 5 lbs in the last two days alone. Definitely water weight but my clothes are already looser
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Chiqui74 wrote: »
    So, I had my goal set to 2lbs per week and my calorie allowance was 1200. Just for kicks, I set it to 1.5lbs per week and my calorie allowance is still 1200. I'm 5'1.5 and have just under 30 pounds to lose. I pretty much always eat my exercise calories/Fitbit adjustment.

    See what happens when you set it to the appropriate 1lb/week for the amount you have to lose.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    Chiqui74 wrote: »
    So, I had my goal set to 2lbs per week and my calorie allowance was 1200. Just for kicks, I set it to 1.5lbs per week and my calorie allowance is still 1200. I'm 5'1.5 and have just under 30 pounds to lose. I pretty much always eat my exercise calories/Fitbit adjustment.

    If you change your goal, just for a moment, to Maintenance, you'll find out the real numbers. Let's say your maintenance number is 1800 (just throwing out a number): 2 lbs per week means a 1000 daily deficit so it would be 1800-1000 = 800. But since MFP won't let you go below 1200, they will give you 1200 which in reality is only a 600 deficit. Then you change it to 1.5; that's a 750 calorie deficit. 1800-750 = 1050. Same problem. MFP will still give you 1200, which again is only a 600 deficit. That's why it's so important to first calculate maintenance.

    I'm 4'11 and close to goal, so my maintenance is 1450 and MFP gives me exactly 1200 for a 250 deficit/.5 lb loss. Once I enter a lower weight, my maintenance will drop below 1450, but MFP will continue to give me 1200 which will in reality lead to less than a .5 lb loss.
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
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    I did it for about a month and a half. My goal was to lose one pound per week.

    Stats:
    5'8
    SW: 150
    GW 130
    CW: 129

    I just couldn't hack it after a while. I was tired, listless, and cranky. That plus training for a 5K made me an unhappy puppy. I tacked on another 100 calories or so and was much happier.

    It does work, just listen to your body, ok?
  • CharlieB1978
    CharlieB1978 Posts: 8 Member
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    I've been using MFP since January, with a daily target of 1200 calories, and I generally eat between 1000-1200. I feel the healthiest I have felt in years, and in 7 months have lost 38lbs. I weigh everything I eat, so I know for sure that my calorie intake is correct.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I aim for 1100 to 1200 a day. But I'm a very short 52 yo woman who is currently fairly sedentary and I only want to lose 10 pounds or so. I'm also hypothyroid (recently diagnosed and working on getting that back in normal range). MFP has me losing 0.7 pounds/week at that calorie intake. I weigh or measure every single thing. During the summer I have no problem with that intake, even though I rarely hit the full 1200. It's harder during the winter since I tend to get a lot hungrier when it's cold. But I also exercise a lot more then, so can up my intake a bit.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited July 2015
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    rhoda1990 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.

    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.

    I would blow up like a balloon on 2000 and would not be healthy or happy either.

    VintageFeline wrote: »
    I tried the 1200 thing a while ago but it was just too miserable a target and I was often hungry.

    Now, I net on average 1300-1400 I think, some days I eat a lot more, some days less. I take a weekly view. Exercise doesn't make me hungrier, the opposite in fact so those are nice calories to play around with for a treat. I'm losing steadily and slowly which is perfect as far as I'm concerned.

    I'm 5'5 and female. I think if you are a petite female then 1200 may be pretty easy but less than that and for anyone not petite I'd be concerned about long term health and the impact undereating and lack of nutrients would have.

    I'm 5'2 and went gun-ho with 1200 at first too and it was too low. I eat similarly to you now at around 1400 and I'm much happier. My maintenance is about 1550.

    Point being: there is no one size fits all. But I always encourage people to see if they can eat more while still achieving their goals.
  • apalma
    apalma Posts: 5 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I just started Tuesday and it seems a bit difficult. I'm way more sedentary than before kids. Lots of walking and standing all day, but no cardio. It seems like 1500 would be more realistic if I add exercise. Tweeting things to make it work. Tons of greens. Hemp fiber smoothies are filling. My problem is dinner. I don't want salad for dinner. Made vegan pho last night( it was gross) so kinda stuck on dinners and want to lean towards mostly vegan and grain free with some eggs and fish. Will eat other meat occasionally.
  • DarlaX1973
    DarlaX1973 Posts: 9 Member
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    I don't understand how they are calculating calorie goals. My calorie goals are 1420 a day to lose 1 lb a week and I want to lose 60 lbs. My friend just signed up she's an inch taller and only wants to lose 5 lbs and her calorie goal is 1200 if she wants to lose 1lb a week like I do.

    This doesn't seem reasonable. I've been losing weight steadily but my friend is leery of the calculations and I don't blame her.
  • racheltrevino22
    racheltrevino22 Posts: 17 Member
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    I try to stay around 1200/day and notice a big difference when I go over. I think it's just a matter of researching food. I tend to stay within my calorie range if I eat several small meals a day, rather than 3 large meals.
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    I lost very consistently a total of 100lbs over the course of a year and did it by eating a minimum of 1500-1750 calories per day PLUS I ate back each and every one of my exercise/running calories. I don't think I could have lasted that long on only 1200 calories per day; I get cranky when I'm hungry.

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