Is 1200 enough?

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Ne0Indigo
Ne0Indigo Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started my diet about two weeks ago and have been following the no more than '1200' a day 'rule' which has been a bit of a struggle. I'm constantly hungry sometimes even after I eat my main meal because I've been hungry for so long. I've heard this is common when first starting diets but I'm also worried because apparently if you had more calories before you could be under eating which would result in weight gain. I didn't eat heaps often but what I ate was higher in calories or sugar than what I'm eating now for example those box meals that are around 400, or roll ups and chocolate. I'm just wondering if anyone's followed the under 1200 calorie limit and still lost weight? Do I need to eat more? Thanks in advance :)
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Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    It may or may not be. You actually might want to provide a few details about yourself so one could give an educated guess.
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Your calorie budget should be based on current size. 1200 should not be the default
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,261 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I tried it in my first week and it wasn't enough so changed it to 1 pound loss per week
    You are not supposed to be hungry all the time this is why people give up after awhile
  • ItsMariii
    ItsMariii Posts: 23 Member
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    If you're hungry right after eating a meal, most likely you're not hyrdrated enough. Start drinking more water with EACH meal. In between meals as well just to rule that out first.
  • ptaradactyl88
    ptaradactyl88 Posts: 42 Member
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    No. Your body and mind need fuel. Drink tons of water, eat lots of veggies and protein, get active, get sleep and think positive!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Keep in mind this minimum is actually fornet calories. If you are active in any fashion you get to eat more.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I did it for 6 weeks cos I was new and thought I knew better

    Then I lost most of my weight at 1500-1800

    Now I maintain at 2200-2400

    So for me no

    If I was much smaller then maybe
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    I tried the 1200 for a while and ended up caving and stuffing my face with all the foodz and then felt like a failure for not being strong enough to stick with it. It became a really vicious cycle. I did some reading here, and realized that I could make my goals more reasonable and have a plan that was more sustainable for me. When I increased my calories, I had more energy and was able to begin incorporating more exercise. It was the best decision I could have made.

    That being said, depending on age, height, and activity level, 1200 might be appropriate for you. Play around with the macro (carb, fat, and protein) to find what works for you. I find fat, fibre, and protein tend to stay with me longer. To get the full stomach feeling, veggies have been important. This things may not work for you, but experiment with it to see what does. The time is going to pass regardless, don't make it miserable to the point where you give up.
  • Athena_fit
    Athena_fit Posts: 55 Member
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    What you want to do is eat at a deficit to loose weight. Rule of thumb : you should loose about 1 pound for every 3500 calories deficit.

    Depending on your level of activity, starting weight, height, age, etc...the number of calories you need to eat to be at a deficit will vary.

    For instance, I have an active lifestyle (walk about 40 minutes a day 3-5 days a week + 3 gym workouts usually), i'm 5'8 and was 204 when I started... My TDEE is about 2400, so I eat about 1800 calories a day. I loose a little bit more than a pound per week with that and a little more from exercise burn.

    I'm not hungry at that level, but I choose my food in order to feel full : lots of (lean) protein, whole grains, fruits&veggies with fiber, good sources of fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, chia seeds, hemps seeds, etc. ).

    So please don't starve yourself! It's totally possible to loose weight and not be hungry! Food is part of life!

    Calculate your TDEE and remove 500 calories (only if that puts you over 1200). If you dont have a lot to loose, you will need a smaller deficit on a longer period of time.

    Good luck!




  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    Ne0Indigo wrote: »
    I started my diet about two weeks ago and have been following the no more than '1200' a day 'rule' which has been a bit of a struggle. I'm constantly hungry sometimes even after I eat my main meal because I've been hungry for so long. I've heard this is common when first starting diets but I'm also worried because apparently if you had more calories before you could be under eating which would result in weight gain. I didn't eat heaps often but what I ate was higher in calories or sugar than what I'm eating now for example those box meals that are around 400, or roll ups and chocolate. I'm just wondering if anyone's followed the under 1200 calorie limit and still lost weight? Do I need to eat more? Thanks in advance :)

    Depends on your height, weight, and age. So plug those numbers into MFP's diet calculator, set yourself at a 1lb a week loss, and see what it comes up with. Then eat back 50% - 80% of any exercise calories you burn. Are you still at 1200? Unless you are 4 feet tall I doubt it. 1200 doesn't sound like enough.
  • SoUl_ReBeL2021
    SoUl_ReBeL2021 Posts: 120 Member
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    Go to google search for a RMR "resting metabolic rate" calculator that will tell you your minimum calories you should be eating just to live, make sure your organs everything is running at full peek.
  • Blondieee00
    Blondieee00 Posts: 29 Member
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    I think 1200 for most people (unless they are midgets) is way way too low. I'm pushing 6' and I am an endurance athlete...I have been following the sites 1200 cal recommendation and it has me losing 5lb a week lol.. time to eat more XD
  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
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    Depends on your height/age. Older shorter folks like me, maybe.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Go to IIFYM.com and use their calculator to see what your calories should be. Or at least enter your info properly into myfitnesspal and follow their calorie recommendation- don't just arbitrarily set your calories at 1200.
  • BridgetHarrington
    BridgetHarrington Posts: 41 Member
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    I thought that it wasn't enough myself...but I've been losing 3-5lbs a week on it. For comparison, I'm 48, 5'7," 168 pounds, lightly active (mostly sedentary with some activity here and there) and I am trying to get to 150-155. It depends on your diet, but I fill up on cauliflower, broccoli, eggs and squash (use salsa and hot sauce as condiments), throw in lean chicken, beef or fish a few times a week, occasionally snack on low-fat cheese crackers (150 calories for 25) and don't feel hungry too often outside of mealtime.

    I figure I'll get to where I want to be and then just maintain. The calories to maintain my goal size are around 1500.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    BridgetHarrington wrote: »
    I thought that it wasn't enough myself...but I've been losing 3-5lbs a week on it. For comparison, I'm 48, 5'7," 168 pounds, lightly active (mostly sedentary with some activity here and there) and I am trying to get to 150-155. It depends on your diet, but I fill up on cauliflower, broccoli, eggs and squash (use salsa and hot sauce as condiments), throw in lean chicken, beef or fish a few times a week, occasionally snack on low-fat cheese crackers (150 calories for 25) and don't feel hungry too often outside of mealtime.

    I figure I'll get to where I want to be and then just maintain. The calories to maintain my goal size are around 1500.


    you aren't eating enough. Based on your stats you BMR is 1469. losing 3-5lbs a week is an unhealthy rate of loss and some of that will be lean muscle mass.

    You should probably actually be eating around 1600-1700 calories given you amount less to lose, and your maintenance is closer to 17-1800.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Ne0Indigo wrote: »
    I started my diet about two weeks ago and have been following the no more than '1200' a day 'rule' which has been a bit of a struggle. I'm constantly hungry sometimes even after I eat my main meal because I've been hungry for so long. I've heard this is common when first starting diets but I'm also worried because apparently if you had more calories before you could be under eating which would result in weight gain. I didn't eat heaps often but what I ate was higher in calories or sugar than what I'm eating now for example those box meals that are around 400, or roll ups and chocolate. I'm just wondering if anyone's followed the under 1200 calorie limit and still lost weight? Do I need to eat more? Thanks in advance :)

    I don't think you SHOULD be hungry starting a diet, because it means you are unlikely to stick to it for very long. 1200 is often given as the standard calorie suggestion, which is both a default on the part of MFP and also on the user, who often will try and choose the largest possible deficit they can ie. 2lbs per week. 2lbs per week is the sort of target for the very obese, and people often get frustrated when they don’t see those sort of results.

    One philosophy is to find the maintenance calories at your goal weight and eat at that. The weight loss will be slow, but you will learn portion sizes for the rest of your life, and not feel like this is a temporary fix.

    Some people work on a rolling average – so they eat more at weekends and have a higher deficit during the week. 1200 is only enough calories for a very very small number pf people -the very small and the very old. I for example am aiming for 1500 NET, and I’m under 5’ tall. I’d rather have enough energy to be active, and not be hungry, than aim for any number on a scale.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Personally if I am hungry when dieting I eat more and adjust accordingly. I don't find it particularly sustainable to be hungry when trying to lose weight and at least for me it isn't necessary. I can lose a pound a week without being hungry at all. So is hunger a requirement for dieting for you personally? I can't really say but I doubt it. Is hunger a requirement for dieting period for everyone? Definately not.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    I have eaten at (or under) 1200 calories per day since February, exercised regularly, and successfully lost weight. Being hungry is a regular thing for me, but I've learned to live with it in order to reach my goals. If you space your calorie intake out appropriately, you can mitigate the hunger...for me that's a small morning meal or protein shake, a second pre-planned meal when I get so hungry I can barely stand it (2-3pm usually), and a third pre-planned meal around 6-8pm.

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