Success on 1200 cals/day diet
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You can do it. Not quite at 1200 consistently but at 6'3", 330 eating 1200-1400.0
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To all those males posting they are eating 1200 calories, realize that is the minimum for females. You as a male should not be eating below 1500 and many of you should likely be eating far more than that. Eating extremely low calories is not helpful for long term maintenance of your weight loss. I posted this in another thread, but it is just as applicable here,I have a bit more time so I am going to write a longer explanation of why a 2 pound per week goal is excessive, and sometimes even 1 pound per week will be as well.
The reality is that a person's body can only burn a certain maximum amount of fat per day regardless of calorie deficit. The amount an individual can burn is directly related to how much fat they have on their body so he more fat you have, the higher the maximum amount of fat you can burn in a day is. Keep this in mind because it is important to understanding what happens based on your calorie deficit. The more fat you have the more you can burn in a day. The less you have, the less you can burn in a day.
So what does that have to do with calorie deficits and weekly weight loss goals? A great deal if you think about it. If the maximum amount of fat you can burn off in a day is limited, then what happens when you deficit is larger than that amount of fat, or to put it differently, what happens if you weight loss goal per week is greater than the maximum amount of fat you can burn off in in week?
Quite obviously the energy to keep your body functioning needs to come from somewhere. The problem is your body cannot get it all from fat. To make up the difference it goes elsewhere, that is, it starts to burn off lean mass. This would mainly be from muscle mass, but can also come from organ mass as well. Instead of losing two pounds a week of mainly fat, what you achieve by too big a calorie deficit or too aggressive a weekly weight loss goal is a loss of some fat up to the maximum your body can burn off along with a chunk of lean mass. The more fat you lose without reducing your deficit or weight loss goal, the more that ratio swings away from mainly fat toward mainly lean mass.
The take home from this is that the less you have to lose, the lower your weight loss goal per week should be. Unless a person has 80 or more pounds to lose, 2 pounds per week is too aggressive which is why 1 pound per week is the recommended weight loss goal. For people who have under 20 pounds to lose, even 1 pound per week is too aggressive, so half a pound per week would be a much better choice.
It is for this reason based on the information you gave that I suggested that 2 pounds per week is too much. Depending on your body composition you may even want to go to .75 or .5 pound per week which will give you more calories. Also realize when you go to a smaller deficit you need to make sure you food logging is spot on. There is little room for error at that point. A digital kitchen scale measuring in grams for solids including those that are grated and ground, and fluid measures for liquids that you don't have grams amounts for.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »The reality is that a person's body can only burn a certain maximum amount of fat per day regardless of calorie deficit.
[...]
Quite obviously the energy to keep your body functioning needs to come from somewhere. The problem is your body cannot get it all from fat. To make up the difference it goes elsewhere, that is, it starts to burn off lean mass. This would mainly be from muscle mass, but can also come from organ mass as well.
Can you please give sources for your statement?0 -
I have lost 46 lbs by eating a base of 1200 Cal's per day - 5' 8" female of 60yrs. But I believe this amount of food is only sensible if you are really sedentary so I eat back at least half, and often more, of my exercise calories. When maintaining I eat back all of my exercise calories but I am currently trying to lose the 10lb gain from a 6 week touring holiday - it's coming off happily!
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I am currently on a 1200 to 1400 a day diet depending on activity and hunger level. I started on January 3rd weighing 283 pounds and This morning I weighed 240 pounds. I have 80 pounds left to go.1
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rileysowner wrote: »The reality is that a person's body can only burn a certain maximum amount of fat per day regardless of calorie deficit.
[...]
Quite obviously the energy to keep your body functioning needs to come from somewhere. The problem is your body cannot get it all from fat. To make up the difference it goes elsewhere, that is, it starts to burn off lean mass. This would mainly be from muscle mass, but can also come from organ mass as well.
Can you please give sources for your statement?
Hi well written thank you. Another factor to be mindful of is if you do not eat the minimum calories required for your body (dependant on whether male or female, age, frame & activity level), then your body will go into 'starvation mode' which means tha your body instinctively tells itself to store fats by producing increased levels of insulin etc which means that you will not lose weight.0 -
today i started the 1200 cal diet. really hope that i will success like you all as well. pray for me0
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1750 - lost half a stone in a week0
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flowerhouse wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »The reality is that a person's body can only burn a certain maximum amount of fat per day regardless of calorie deficit.
[...]
Quite obviously the energy to keep your body functioning needs to come from somewhere. The problem is your body cannot get it all from fat. To make up the difference it goes elsewhere, that is, it starts to burn off lean mass. This would mainly be from muscle mass, but can also come from organ mass as well.
Can you please give sources for your statement?
Hi well written thank you. Another factor to be mindful of is if you do not eat the minimum calories required for your body (dependant on whether male or female, age, frame & activity level), then your body will go into 'starvation mode' which means tha your body instinctively tells itself to store fats by producing increased levels of insulin etc which means that you will not lose weight.
I've eaten 1400 calories since December 14th of 2015 and I am 6'1 40 year old large framed male. Weighed 296 on Dec 14th. It is now March 21st of 2016 and I've lost 59 pounds with jogging/running on top. I currently weigh 237.0 This may be true for some people but it is certainly not true for me and others from what I've read. Just be smart and eat right and near the recommended values. Don't ever starve yourself. I've eaten whatever I want just managed the portions. I drink soda, eat chips but I don't pig out anymore. The amount of what I am eating has changed. And I do eat way healthier and drink TONS of water though I hate the taste , I know it's oil for my body.
I sometimes eat back 50% of my exercise calories, not all the time but 60% I'd say, now after reading on here that I should eat some back. I feel better than ever and am more mobile then I have been in 16 years.0 -
i eat back pretty much all my exercise calories. (bar 100 maybe)0
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flowerhouse wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »The reality is that a person's body can only burn a certain maximum amount of fat per day regardless of calorie deficit.
[...]
Quite obviously the energy to keep your body functioning needs to come from somewhere. The problem is your body cannot get it all from fat. To make up the difference it goes elsewhere, that is, it starts to burn off lean mass. This would mainly be from muscle mass, but can also come from organ mass as well.
Can you please give sources for your statement?
Hi well written thank you. Another factor to be mindful of is if you do not eat the minimum calories required for your body (dependant on whether male or female, age, frame & activity level), then your body will go into 'starvation mode' which means tha your body instinctively tells itself to store fats by producing increased levels of insulin etc which means that you will not lose weight.
Why didn't starvation mode work for these poor people?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=underweight&biw=1920&bih=911&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL8MKnk9LLAhXDDA8KHQyiDikQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=concentration+camp+victims0 -
I've been trying to keep myself to 1200 Cals/day since I started my journey. I find it to be pretty easy to stay at or close to my goal of 1200. I don't go crazy if I go over either and I try to not eat my exercise calories.
I added a TON of water to my diet and I do a lot of walking and some resistance band strength training (it's what I can sneak in at work more easily lol). I started in September at 225 and this morning I hit 165. 60lbs!0 -
I think you have the key. Keep it up.0
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Lost 29lbs since the new year only 8 to go to goal.
The daily calorie goal was 1200 a day but most weeks I averaged eating 1350 a day and ate half exercise cals back and still lost usually slightly more than 2lbs a week (not good I know, I really should've adjusted my activity level to lightly active rather than Sedentry to increase the calorie allowance but was enjoying the losses too much)
My loss has now slowed to 1lb a week still eating 1350 and half exercise cals.
I only really walk/hike for extra exercise.
The point I'm trying to make is -I think 1200 is too low if you average height and are more active than Sedentry0 -
I have eaten 1400-1500 over the last 2 years and lost 30 pounds, 1200 can be dangerous so please just make it slow and steady. Losing weight too fast rarely ever stays off plus depending how much you have to loose, slow and steady allows for the extra skin cells to re-acclimate so you don't have all the lose skin.0
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I started the 1200 calorie since Jan 9 and been lifting weights and cardio 6 days a week. I feel a lot lighter and clothes fits better. So far I've lost 19 lbs.. 209 and now 190..my goal is 177 or even better.. 150.
I pretty much have the same goals! I eat about 1200 calories a day. I started at 216.4 last Thursday and now I am down to 212.5 from just eating 1200 calories a day, sometimes a little more, and only walking 30min a day. Trying to make it to 150lbs by October of this year! 63lbs to go! I plan on exercising more starting next week. Just wanted to spend the first week making sure I could manage eating on 1200 calories. You'll find water and tea are your best friend between meal to keep you full! Sometimes I find I eat so much healthy food, like veggies, that I can't even get to 1200 calories.
Good luck and anyone is welcome to add me. I have an open diary if you need any ideas for meals to stay within your goals!0 -
I've lost 55 lbs on a 1200 cal. diet and walking 30 min. a day. I've gone from 238 to 183. I want to get to 150 and I've no doubt it'll happen because it ultimately comes down to CICO. I became a vegan, now vegetarian, shortly after starting my diet so I tend to eat a lot of vegetables and legumes that add bulk to my diet. I meal prep ahead of time so I always have something healthy, unprocessed, to grab when I'm hungry. I'm satisfied and don't feel deprived.0
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