1200 calories? Anybody doing it?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I would literally die if I ate 1200 calories. It's just not enough. Sure you'll lose weight but in the long run it won't be sustainable. I try to eat a solid 1500-1700 calories a day and eat back 25-50% of anything burned during a workout. I've tried the 1200 cal thing before and it's never worked out. It's a major reason why weight loss has always failed for me.