1200 strict cutting diet for 4 weeks
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KarissaChew
Posts: 10 Member
Have anyone went on a strict 1200 diet and manage to not cheat at all? I would like to hear from some of you whether 1200 calories is hard to stay on. I am actually a fairly active person burning 2000-2500 calories per day according to my Fitbit. I hope to stick to 1200 for a month and lose some weight.
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Replies
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What is your ultimate goal? Sounds incredibly painful, I would binge eat on so few calories.0
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I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.0 -
KarissaChew wrote: »Have anyone went on a strict 1200 diet and manage to not cheat at all? I would like to hear from some of you whether 1200 calories is hard to stay on. I am actually a fairly active person burning 2000-2500 calories per day according to my Fitbit. I hope to stick to 1200 for a month and lose some weight.
I used to, before I realised I could eat more and still lose weight.
If your maintenance is 2000 to 2500 there's no need to eat so little1 -
No. It's not nearly enough food. I can go two, max three days. My maintenance is 1800-2000.
Good luck with that. I have to ask, why?1 -
stephaniemooney2016 wrote: »I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.
If you used MFP for calculations - 1200 BEFORE exercise was what you were alloted based on your weekly weight loss goals.
So, yes you should eat more on highly active days. Start off by eating back a % - say 50-75% because calorie burns are just estimates.
If 1200 (+ exercise) proves difficult, it's likely you can still lose weight while eating more. Just not at the same pace you originally selected.0 -
I think if you cut that low you're likely to lose muscle along with fat, and speaking from experience, body composition can make a huge difference. Ideally one should aim to lose fat while preserving muscle. How much weight do you have to lose?1
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I've done 1200-1300 with a higher day once per week, or a refeed after two. Just for a short period of time. It's not fun, it's not necessary, and I don't suggest it to most. For me, there are times during my cycle when I can actually get into a little steep deficit and adhere to it, so I'll go for it...knowing that once I get closer to ovulation I'm going to have to be up closer to maintenance for awhile.1
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I have done 1200 calories for the last six days with increases for activity. This works really well for me. When I eat 1500 calories I tend to maintain my weight. I have done it for several months at a time. And I like the results. I usually do this without too much exercise and then add exercise with calorie increases for that. It also helps me to be more strict at the getgo. It's easier to do the right thing when you are seeing the inches and pounds drop.1
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my goal is actually to lose weight for an upcoming event in 2 monthsqueenliz99 wrote: »What is your ultimate goal? Sounds incredibly painful, I would binge eat on so few calories.
so I was thinking of rushing abit don't know if it's going to be sustainable like what u said without me bingeing in between
I see! How often do u exercise! Yes pls would love to see what u eat most days thank you so muchstephaniemooney2016 wrote: »I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.TavistockToad wrote: »KarissaChew wrote: »Have anyone went on a strict 1200 diet and manage to not cheat at all? I would like to hear from some of you whether 1200 calories is hard to stay on. I am actually a fairly active person burning 2000-2500 calories per day according to my Fitbit. I hope to stick to 1200 for a month and lose some weight.
I used to, before I realised I could eat more and still lose weight.
If your maintenance is 2000 to 2500 there's no need to eat so little
I see thank you so much I just wanna lose some regained weight fast before an event 2 months later and I find that 0.5kg per week is a little too slow so I thought of cutting my calories a little more aggressivelycmriverside wrote: »No. It's not nearly enough food. I can go two, max three days. My maintenance is 1800-2000.
Good luck with that. I have to ask, why?
I see thank you so much. Yup I exercise a lot and I was actually intending to not eat back those calories for faster weight lossstephaniemooney2016 wrote: »I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.
If you used MFP for calculations - 1200 BEFORE exercise was what you were alloted based on your weekly weight loss goals.
So, yes you should eat more on highly active days. Start off by eating back a % - say 50-75% because calorie burns are just estimates.
If 1200 (+ exercise) proves difficult, it's likely you can still lose weight while eating more. Just not at the same pace you originally selected.
my ultimate weight goal is about 8kg more to godistinctlybeautiful wrote: »I think if you cut that low you're likely to lose muscle along with fat, and speaking from experience, body composition can make a huge difference. Ideally one should aim to lose fat while preserving muscle. How much weight do you have to lose?
I see! That's why I thought of doing it for a short period too. Do u have any cheat days?I've done 1200-1300 with a higher day once per week, or a refeed after two. Just for a short period of time. It's not fun, it's not necessary, and I don't suggest it to most. For me, there are times during my cycle when I can actually get into a little steep deficit and adhere to it, so I'll go for it...knowing that once I get closer to ovulation I'm going to have to be up closer to maintenance for awhile.
Ooh I see thank you so much but would like to ask if u incorporated any cheat days or cheat meals to achieve ittiffanyrickbeil wrote: »I have done 1200 calories for the last six days with increases for activity. This works really well for me. When I eat 1500 calories I tend to maintain my weight. I have done it for several months at a time. And I like the results. I usually do this without too much exercise and then add exercise with calorie increases for that. It also helps me to be more strict at the getgo. It's easier to do the right thing when you are seeing the inches and pounds drop.
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I've been eating at ~1200 calories for the past four weeks with no issue. As far as cheating, it depends on what you mean by cheating... I plan my weekday meals and snacks ahead of time and then cook them on Sunday so I already know what I'll be eating for most of the week. On weekends I usually have a 150-200 calorie omelette for "brunch" and then don't eat anything else until dinner so I have enjoy some higher calorie foods on the weekend nights.
I burn anywhere from 600-1000 calories from exercise but I don't eat those calories.
I should also add that I'm 5 feet tall with about 35 pounds to lose so my BMR is about 1330 calories. If you're really tall you'll most likely need more than 1200 calories depending on your BMR and TDEE.
Most of all listen to your body, it will tell you if needs more food!1 -
If you cut your calories by 40-50%, the odds of maintaining your current calorie burn are extremely low. If you are not careful about your intake, you will likely have side effects such as hair loss, brittle nails, etc. These take some time to show up but you may end up seeing them around the time of your big event. By that time you will feel like crap and will probably be mad that your low calorie level has you retaining water and seeing little scale movement anyway so losing hair may be only a small worry.
My suggestion is to simply eat in a modest deficit so that you can go to your event feeling strong and looking healthy. There is no need to make yourself miserable.1 -
So many people under eating! 1200 is a minimum NET goal! If you are eating 1200 and exercising without eating back exercise cals, you risk loss of lean body mass in addition to fat loss. Losing weight quickly may sound good in theory but can have negative effects like fatigue, sallow skin, brittle nails, etc not to mention cutting cals too low can be unsustainable and lead to binging or just giving up.
OP in your situation, I would set a loss rate of 0.5-1 lb/week and then focus on strength training to help with body composition before your event. If your TDEE is 2000-2500 that means you shouldn't be eating less than 1500 and probably more like 1700-2000 most days.4 -
I was at 1600 and was advised to raise my calorie intake. My body was retaining fat because I was not eating enough. However, feel free to add me for support.
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KarissaChew wrote: »
my goal is actually to lose weight for an upcoming event in 2 monthsqueenliz99 wrote: »What is your ultimate goal? Sounds incredibly painful, I would binge eat on so few calories. so I was thinking of rushing abit don't know if it's going to be sustainable like what u said without me bingeing in between
I see! How often do u exercise! Yes pls would love to see what u eat most days thank you so muchstephaniemooney2016 wrote: »I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.TavistockToad wrote: »KarissaChew wrote: »Have anyone went on a strict 1200 diet and manage to not cheat at all? I would like to hear from some of you whether 1200 calories is hard to stay on. I am actually a fairly active person burning 2000-2500 calories per day according to my Fitbit. I hope to stick to 1200 for a month and lose some weight.
I used to, before I realised I could eat more and still lose weight.
If your maintenance is 2000 to 2500 there's no need to eat so little
I see thank you so much I just wanna lose some regained weight fast before an event 2 months later and I find that 0.5kg per week is a little too slow so I thought of cutting my calories a little more aggressivelycmriverside wrote: »No. It's not nearly enough food. I can go two, max three days. My maintenance is 1800-2000.
Good luck with that. I have to ask, why?
I see thank you so much. Yup I exercise a lot and I was actually intending to not eat back those calories for faster weight lossstephaniemooney2016 wrote: »I'm on 1200 it hasn't been bad honestly. Some days the plan allows me to eat more depending on the amount of exercise I perform should I still stick to 1200 on those days? I can message you what I've been eating to show you.
1200 was what I was allotted for my current weight and what I wanted to lose.
If you used MFP for calculations - 1200 BEFORE exercise was what you were alloted based on your weekly weight loss goals.
So, yes you should eat more on highly active days. Start off by eating back a % - say 50-75% because calorie burns are just estimates.
If 1200 (+ exercise) proves difficult, it's likely you can still lose weight while eating more. Just not at the same pace you originally selected.
my ultimate weight goal is about 8kg more to godistinctlybeautiful wrote: »I think if you cut that low you're likely to lose muscle along with fat, and speaking from experience, body composition can make a huge difference. Ideally one should aim to lose fat while preserving muscle. How much weight do you have to lose?
I see! That's why I thought of doing it for a short period too. Do u have any cheat days?I've done 1200-1300 with a higher day once per week, or a refeed after two. Just for a short period of time. It's not fun, it's not necessary, and I don't suggest it to most. For me, there are times during my cycle when I can actually get into a little steep deficit and adhere to it, so I'll go for it...knowing that once I get closer to ovulation I'm going to have to be up closer to maintenance for awhile.
Ooh I see thank you so much but would like to ask if u incorporated any cheat days or cheat meals to achieve ittiffanyrickbeil wrote: »I have done 1200 calories for the last six days with increases for activity. This works really well for me. When I eat 1500 calories I tend to maintain my weight. I have done it for several months at a time. And I like the results. I usually do this without too much exercise and then add exercise with calorie increases for that. It also helps me to be more strict at the getgo. It's easier to do the right thing when you are seeing the inches and pounds drop.
I don't "cheat". I have refeeds. Days with higher carbs. I count the calories. At the end of the week though I'm eating 1200-1300 calories, I end up averaging closer to 1500. This gives me the ability to enjoy the weekend a bit and still stay in a deficit.0 -
I'm currently on a 1200 too. Do I cheat- yes and no. I find its easiest for me to eat within a range of 1000-1400 plus eating more when I work out. My daily net average is 1200. I tend to binge so the flexabilty in calories lets me eat my cravings so I don't end up binging yet still provides drastic weight loss results. As for nail/hair/problems as long as your net calories after working out is 1200 you should be fine. Getting vitamins and protein from supplements/clean eating helps. If your not used to eating so little at first it can be hard. Protein, fiber, and drinking a glass of water before each meal has helped me a lot. I've lost around 1.5 lbs a week at least. But I'm not extremely active. Good luck
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So much no here.0
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Its great your trying to lose weight. You mentioned you burn 2000-2500 calories per day? If you eat 1200 everyday you will be at a deficit of 800. Which means you would be starving yourself everyday!
This will definitly cause you to binge eat, because you will inevitably be in pain from constant hunger. One thing that people dont factor in to dieting is the psychology of pain, and the brains natural survival mechanism to avoid pain. So if your diet is too drastic and causing you stress it will always backfire because you cannot willfully fight your hunger pains everyday you will reach a point especially factoring other things that stress you out at home, work, relationships that will break you and cause you to binge.
Women with Anorexia can deal with hunger pains because they experience more pain from fear of fat than the hunger pain itself so they avoid eating to cope with their anxiety disorder. In your case you will not likely able to keep the weight off permanently, can you imagine eating 1200 calories and being hungry every single day of your life?
I'd recommend starting with realistic goals with a focus on lifestyle changes. Time is on your side plus your doing this for yourself. So start at just below maintance and work your way down slowly. Adding a 100 calorie deficit every 3 weeks or where you feel neccessary. That way you can lose weight and keep it off.0 -
For just about 90 days I've been at about 1000 calories 80% of them time and somewhere between 1000-1200 probably 18% of the time and I've had 2-3 days in the high 1700 days so 2%ish in the high 17s. My doc has me work strictly on keeping my diet to 100 carbs a day. I'm working on managing the holidays. It's going to be a lot harder.0
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KarissaChew wrote: »Have anyone went on a strict 1200 diet and manage to not cheat at all? I would like to hear from some of you whether 1200 calories is hard to stay on. I am actually a fairly active person burning 2000-2500 calories per day according to my Fitbit. I hope to stick to 1200 for a month and lose some weight.
I've been on 1,000-1,200 calories without any binges and burn 1,800-2,000 according to fitbit. Eating high fiber foods and high volume, low calorie foods (lots of produce) helps. So does protein. As for desserts/treats, I usually make my own, otherwise I'll buy Alyssa's vegan bites at a local Publix. And no, 1,200 is not hard to stay on IMO.0
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