1200 cal diet

Nichole90 · July 2011

so i was curious for everyone who has been dieting with 1200 cals and little excerise what has your outcome been have you lost alot of weight without doing much excerise and how long has it took? any info id appreciate thanks!

sshap21712 · July 2011

You will lose weight, but you need exercise to tone your body and to lose fat

lyndsaysutton82 · July 2011

I am one of the many on the 1200 calories a day. But I hardly ever stick to it. Excercise is a must so I can earn the extra calories as also allows me to eat some of the same foods as before this life style change.

I've been doing this for about 2 1/2 months, and I'm down 25lbs... I don't eat back all of the calories I earn through excercise, but it's certainly much easier to stick to the Net of 1200 when you work out.

Monica_has_a_goal · July 2011

The first month just cutting calories was an easy water/fat weight loss.. But in the second month I'm having to really put more effort in exercising and I cut more carbs and eat more protein. I hope this helps!

shel_lee_1 · July 2011

i eat between 1200-1500 and go for walks every day i have found that i have been losing but it has been slowly. i was 185 two years ago and am currently 140. hope this helps

Dinob661 · July 2011

In about 3 months I have lost 50lbs doing 1200cals and exercising a ton. (5-6days a week burning usually 1000cals per day). So yea....you will lose weight. Just make sure you hit your target in calories because falling short of 1200 calories you risk putting yourself in starvation mode. which can hinder you more than help you.

Hope this was useful.

tamiller93 · July 2011

so i was curious for everyone who has been dieting with 1200 cals and little excerise what has your outcome been have you lost alot of weight without doing much excerise and how long has it took? any info id appreciate thanks!

1200 cals may be okay to begin with, but you will HAVE TO increase your calories as you start losing weight or else you will go into starvation mode and everything will come to a screeching halt. Been there, done that. And exercise is a must. Eating right will only get you so far. Sad but true.

mrsmichellewilson · July 2011

Im on 1200 calories and I have been steady losing a pound a week. I am going to start incorperating excercise to help boost my weight loss thou. Good luck to you !

MegRuthie · July 2011

I assumed going from eating fast food everyday (often twice a day) to eating healthy and reducing it to 1200 cals a day, that I would drop weight like crazy and never have to lift a finger. Yeah, I was wrong. I did lose a little but I stalled out once by body figured out what was going on. The truth is, you have to add some kind of exercise to have true weight loss. Weight loss based on eating alone is the kind that will bounce right back if you stray from your 1200 cals. That was my experience anyway.

spaceylaceys · July 2011

ive used that calorie level before...had some success but also muscle loss, fatigue, and hunger...the best thing ive ever tried and am still doing is low carb!!! stay under 20 grams per day and after 48 hours your body will start MELTING weight off...also you can have more calories and still have the same weight loss, normally still more (i do 1400 and lose fast), and no muscle loss. Go two weeks like this and you will most likely lose 5-15 pounds easy without exercise even...of course exercise helps even more though....good luck

Lexi_Living_Life · July 2011

it was easy for me. you'll still lose the weight, but you need to work out so that when you lose you don't have lose skin.

Qhoney24 · July 2011

I have the same intake but i workout 6 days a wk and cardio i do 5 days a week, i weight train 3 days a week so i have seen the weight come off.. I was at 180 when i weighted in and i am down to 170 ( dont know where i am now). But burning everything that you eat is what you need to do to help rid the weight. Good Luck

stefdye · July 2011

Hi Dino,

By 1200 calories do you mean that's what you net a day, or that you eat 1200 and exercise -1000 to net 200 a day?

juliapurpletoes · July 2011

The whole 1200 calorie thing has only worked well for my friends who had over 75 or more pounds to lose! It's because they have alot of fat stores to burn off.

For my firends who had from 10 - 50 or so pounds to lose they saw very little results and were very frustrated. It was when they figured out the "maintanance" calories and then just took off about 15% for their deficit that almost ALL of them began to start losing at a steady and predictable rate.

Same for me. I came at this with 20 or so to lose. Told MFP I wanted to lose 2 pounds per week, so it gave me 1200.....didn't lose....didn't lose......3 weeks later still wasn't losing.

Read a great article here and suggested that for those of us who are smaller losers (like you), we need smaller deficits. so I went from telling MFP lose 2 pounds to just lose 1/2 pound and viola` it all started working for me....

Best of Luck!

Jeneba · July 2011

I am one of the many on the 1200 calories a day. But I hardly ever stick to it. Excercise is a must so I can earn the extra calories as also allows me to eat some of the same foods as before this life style change.

I've been doing this for about 2 1/2 months, and I'm down 25lbs... I don't eat back all of the calories I earn through excercise, but it's certainly much easier to stick to the Net of 1200 when you work out.

OOPS! Tried to reply to this post, but it got separated, so my remarks are below... Thanks!

1life2live_cjg · July 2011

I'm on a 1250 cal diet. I've lost 8 pounds in the past two weeks, but I do exercise almost everyday. And I eat my exercise calories back.

Qhoney24 · July 2011

another thing make sure you snack ( smart ones) between meals 2-3 hrs apart.. and this 1200 cal intake will be a breeze but drink plenty of water.

ActiveFaith10 · July 2011

weight training and cardio go hand in hand so you dont lose just muscle!

svgarcia · July 2011

im one of them thats on 1200 also. But I exercise to eat more.

Jeneba · July 2011

I'm supposed to do A THOUSAND CALORIES if I don't exercise!!! WHAT????? Talk about STARVATION! No wonder I can't stick to it! And - the truly devlish thing is that a smaller person wil burn less calories when working out, so 1200 calories feels like a 10 course meal to me!!! Soooo furstrating! SO - yes - I understand about "hardly ever stick to it!!!" :drinker:

Dinob661 · July 2011

I eat a total of 1200 calories of food a day. And burn 1000 of that off so at the end of the day i usually net 200 calories. It has been consistently working for me. Haven't lost muscle I have actually gotten stronger and faster.

But also what i left out in my last post.... I eat ALOT of protein and low carb low sodium. The first 2 months id say I averaged 5lbs a week in lost weight now its down to about 3lbs a week.. but the close you get to your goal the more it will slow eventually.

dsreilly · July 2011

I did 1200 cals and ate half of exercise cals, but due to exercise weight gain (excess water) put on 12lbs. This very much played a part on me quitting exercise(and maybe becoming obsessed by the scale). I exercise now 6 days a week(re-started, watching the scales 3-4 times a day), and am losing weight, i eat rarely into my exercise cals, but, everybody is different, see what works for you, pay attention to salt, sugar and carbs. What happens to your body and weight, when. You will soon figure out what works well for your body.

hkrosez · July 2011

I am trying to use the 1200 diet, but I'm starving most of the day. It's also difficult because my office brings in breakfast and caters lunch a lot. We also have parties for birthdays and bring in cupcakes or w/e. I try really hard, but since I am starving my body anyway, it's difficult. I have been on this diet for about 2 weeks. I only want to lose a very small amount of weight.

Honestly, I am very frustrated with yoyo weighting. . . I lose a pound, gain a pound, and MFP says I should have been down 5 lbs in 5 weeks, and I have GAINED 3 pounds since this diet.

I do exercise, but not vigorously. I work out at least once a day, bike riding, or walking, etc.

I'm in need of advice as well.. I have tried to cut out a lot of my hydrogenated oils, added sugars, preservatives, etc. from my diet, but still -- no signs of weight loss. I'm very frustrated. Any ideas. Sorry I couldn't contribute more.

Jennplus2 · July 2011

so i was curious for everyone who has been dieting with 1200 cals and little excerise what has your outcome been have you lost alot of weight without doing much excerise and how long has it took? any info id appreciate thanks!

1200 cals may be okay to begin with, but you will HAVE TO increase your calories as you start losing weight or else you will go into starvation mode and everything will come to a screeching halt. Been there, done that. And exercise is a must. Eating right will only get you so far. Sad but true.

I would also like to add that for me 1200 calories made me binge like a crazy person every other week or so. I would be telling myself to stop eating but really couldn't control myself. I would do great during the week staying with 1200 but late nights or weekends I would gain back the few I lost during the week but overdoing a meal or two. Now I am eating 1500 calories per day, I exercise the same amount, and I am losing much more quickly without any issues with binging. I have a desk job and don't feel I am very active at work, but even walking to the copier burns a few calories and 1200 (IMO) is doing nothing, laying in bed and just breathing.

stanvoodoo · July 2011

Fist you want to go with what MFP or the Doctor recommends and work your way down to 1200. At the same time you have to increase the exercise, down 100 calories per day up the exercise by 5 or 10 minutes depending on your beginning level.

Once there, if you plateau you may need to start eating back some of your calories. It may not happen for some time it truly depends on how much you have to lose.

You want to limit as much processed food as possible, also limit carbs, fat and sodium and increase your protein, fiber and water along with the exercise.

Water should be 64oz a day, try to limit or get off soda if possible.

Log all your food and all your exercise. Remember exercise is time devoted to exercising not any daily activities.

Best of Luck, You Can Do It!

Dinob661 · July 2011

Believe it or not, you can actually eat a lot of food on a 1200 calorie diet. it just depends on what you eat. Red meats=no-no. Chicken n Fish are so awesome in protein and so little calories for what you are getting. I don't have issues with feeling starved at all.

I will have to leave the 1200 calorie a day diet though soon. because I am getting closer and closer to my goal weight.....but it has worked wonders for me. at one point I was losing a 1lb a day for an entire month.

Dinob661 · July 2011

Fist you want to go with what MFP or the Doctor recommends and work your way down to 1200. At the same time you have to increase the exercise, down 100 calories per day up the exercise by 5 or 10 minutes depending on your beginning level.

Once there, if you plateau you may need to start eating back some of your calories. It may not happen for some time it truly depends on how much you have to lose.

You want to limit as much processed food as possible, also limit carbs, fat and sodium and increase your protein, fiber and water along with the exercise.

Water should be 64oz a day, try to limit or get off soda if possible.

Log all your food and all your exercise. Remember exercise is time devoted to exercising not any daily activities.

Best of Luck, You Can Do It!

this also has to be one of the best suggestions I have seen. Make sure you see a doctor and says its ok for you to do this. Make sure you drink a TON of water..... good post

i_love_vinegar · July 2011

i hardly lost anything

so i switched to under 1,000 calories and am losing quickly

I know a lot of people here dont recommend eating less than 1,200 calories....just like how the weight ranges for heights don't fit everyone, same goes for calories. If a 5'4" girl is given 1,200 calories per day...why would someone 7 inches shorter follow the same formula either?

1200 cal diet

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