1200 calories will I always lose weight?

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232good
232good Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If I eat 1200 calories a day will I continue to lose weight? Eventually a person plateaus correct? When that happens, do we eat less calories or add more exercise? I am 5'2" and 127 trying first to get to 118 and it is sloow. I eat 1200 a day and sometimes 1500 if I workout :) I lose about .5 pound per week.

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Not everyone will plateau. But with less than 10 pounds to loose it might just get slower. This is where weighing and logging precisely those 1200 calories becomes all the more important. The scale weight can me masked by water retention, but this does not mean you are not loosing fat per se.

    Have you thought about using a weight trending app? These are great for when trying to loose those pesky last few pounds and maintaining. It weeds out of the daily fluctuations so that you can trend your weight daily and see if you are on par with weight loss or even stalling out or moreover maintaining.

    When you have met your goal weight, you will want to find your TDEE and up calories slowly eat week till you reach that number.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    232good wrote: »
    If I eat 1200 calories a day will I continue to lose weight? Eventually a person plateaus correct? When that happens, do we eat less calories or add more exercise? I am 5'2" and 127 trying first to get to 118 and it is sloow. I eat 1200 a day and sometimes 1500 if I workout :) I lose about .5 pound per week.
    0.5 pounds per week isn't slow for your current size. If you keep losing that much on average, you'll be at your goal in 18 weeks.

    You can't create much of a deficit because you still need to eat enough to get your nutrition.
  • 232good
    232good Posts: 92 Member
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    18 weeks seems like such a long time lol!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    Accurate logging at your stats is key.
    I went from 130-105 lbs at 5'1 eating 1200 plus 175-150 exercise cals. The 150 was when I was close to goal.
    It is incredibly slow but if you try for a greater deficit, or don't eat back your calories you will most likely get fatigued, sickly, and burn out.

    Stick with it, just know it is slow.

    Get plenty of protein and do some kind of resistance work for muscle retention.

    Cheers, h.
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
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    232good wrote: »
    18 weeks seems like such a long time lol!

    What were your expectations for how long it would take?
  • 232good
    232good Posts: 92 Member
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    I guess it's just hard putting in a ton of work and waiting lol. I suppose I don't have any expectations other than to improve, and be fit :) and wow seska422 that is awesome!! Way to go!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    18 weeks is really that long, compared to the rest of your life,!
  • nickisa28
    nickisa28 Posts: 116 Member
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    Very similar to you...I'm 5'1 and was 130lbs when I started. I eat 1200 cals and have been for 8 weeks now (2 weeks off for vacation) I lost loads in my first 2 weeks-7lbs! But then it slowed down. I am now 119lbs but want to lose a little more to get rid of my belly. I am finding it tough as now it's 'vanity' weight I'm trying to lose, I've got to be stricter. It feels like I'm not losing anything anymore but 8 weeks isn't long especially when I remember the last 4 have seen me trying to jump a few hurdles like my period and a weekend wedding and a vacation. But then I remember I'm a whole dress size down in 8 weeks! I'm trying to work out 4/5 days a week now and only eat half my calories back. I'm also trying to be more active every day so those few extra calories that might sneak in due to poor logging won't be as bad. And I'm toying with the idea of intermittent fasting but haven't made up my mind yet. Good luck and keep at it. :)
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited August 2016
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    232good wrote: »
    18 weeks seems like such a long time lol!

    Those 18 weeks are going to pass no matter what, though. The choice is whether you choose to be closer to/at your goal in 18 weeks or still spinning your wheels wishing for it to happen.

    ^^This.

    When I recomped in my mid 20's, that took almost a year and we were talking a change of less than 10lbs.

    You're already at a healthy weight, so making changes takes time. Honestly, at your ht/wt, you may want to research what a recomp can do for you.

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