New member 1200 calorie diet
saipriyaa97
Posts: 10 Member
Hey everyone, new member here!
Has anyone tried doing a 1200 calorie a day diet and did it work for you?
Is anyone else doing this diet?
Has anyone tried doing a 1200 calorie a day diet and did it work for you?
Is anyone else doing this diet?
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Replies
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I personally find 1200 calories a day excruciating, especially after doing it for a few days. I have to exercise so I can eat back the calories. I'm 5'7" and trying to lose 10 pounds from 160 and it's a constant struggle, especially at 45 years old. :-(5
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I'm on 1200 a day and 4 weeks in I've lost 6lbs
Not struggling with it at all but it's nice to eat the exercise calories sometimes for a treat. 5ft 2" age 37. Good luck 9 -
I have a 1200cal/day goal, am 5'3" and 137 lbs. I have a hard time not being hungry unless I exercise and can eat back at least some of those calories. My weight loss is very slow but it's working.7
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I've just joined this group and im interested to know what your average calorie intake per day is if you have exercised.1
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I posted to this thread twice and each time it said it would post after it was approved. That was a couple of days ago..does anyone know why this would happen?0
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Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.6
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I'm tall (5'9") and there is no way that I can do 1,200/ day for more than a couple of days. I taylor my calories daily, dependent on that day's current weight and add in my exercise calories. This has me at 1,513 (including a 330 calorie add-in for my 2-a-day exercises).
I would highly caution a 1,200/ day calorie diet if you have current hormone issues, as it could cause a metabolism crash in the long run (I'm 41 and just recovered from my crash diets of my 20's and 30's...not fun). You may actually slow progress too. Our bodies adapt to low calorie diets after periods of time, so I would encourage cycling (keep the body guessing, just like in working out).3 -
bethany_rose8 wrote: »Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.bethany_rose8 wrote: »Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.
If you eat back your exercise calories, how do you lose weight?
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I'm on a 1200-1500 calorie a day plan. Feel free to browse my diary for ideas.2
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bethany_rose8 wrote: »Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.
Not a professional but I just wanted to add on to that, the fact that if your metabolism slows/adapts to 1200cals you have nowhere else to go. You can't reduce your calories anymore so you're restricted to what you can achieve. Eat more and give yourself the room to mix it up if you need to later.
I'm 5'10 and practice martial arts, I'd be in hospital if I only ate 1200 cals a day. Even if I did no exercise I'd still be in pretty big trouble. Set your loss to 1lb a week and go from there. Losing 2lbs a week when you have even just 30lbs to lose is too aggressive. Eat more and slow down. This is a life long change so a few more weeks to get the weight off shouldn't matter. 1 -
I ate 1200 calories or less about 6 days a week for several months and I was exercising everyday. I lost about 20 pounds. I was so tired all of the time. I was agitated and really only felt good in the morning. I plateaued and my metabolism was shot.
In the long term it was really not good for my body. After about a year I gained all the weight back and some. Now I am working on getting into shape the healthy way. The sustainable way. For someone as active as I am, it's important to keep my body properly nourished! My goal is around 1800 calories a day. I second what @glassofroses said "Eat more and slow down".1 -
I eat 1200-1500/day but on the high fat low carb diet. And it is filling, its the only way i can eat less without staring at the clock for more food. And I have energy and am not hangry3
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I have done 1200 calorie diets and feel ok most days hunger wise but found my energy level and mood would bounce all over the place. I have been increasing my calories this mth and I feel so much better and am actually getting back the desire to workout again.1
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Since I am on sabbatical, and sitting around a lot more than when I am teaching in a classroom every day, I just set my activity level to "sedentary" and it gave me a 1200 calorie goal to lose .9 lbs/week. I've gained 5 lbs since leaving teaching, so I am trying a lower calorie goal. But yes, #1 it's extremely difficult to maintain (even with exercising and eating back calories) and #2 when I've done so in the past my metabolism slowed down terribly so I became awfully... you know, backed up. Yuchh. But I need to get back to losing more pounds. But if I'm dying in a few days, I'll try something else.0
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I personally struggle a lot to reach 1200 a day in healthy foods. Anyone have some high protein low fat favorites?0
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HarvestSue2 wrote: »bethany_rose8 wrote: »Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.bethany_rose8 wrote: »Hey there, As a fitness professional i recommend eating as much as you can while still getting results - especially when you are already at a healthy weight. If you want to maintain body shape (muscle tone), i would not recommend cutting calories too severely will only make you smaller version of yourself and eat away at that precious muscle tone you already have. Setting your calorie intake to lose 0.25kg a week is a good idea for anyone on this thread, and eating back your exercise calories for the most part.
If you eat back your exercise calories, how do you lose weight?
Because your calorie intake is determined BEFORE exercise, you add your exercise calories and MFP expects you to eat them back.2 -
I've found that 1200 net calories a day helps me stay motivated to exercise. 1200 hundred is low, but when I upped the calories, I felt satisfied and like I accomplished my goal. I totally ignored the exercise component.
When I kept to 1200, I found I needed to exercise to feel satisfied and not hungry. I'm trying to be healthier and stronger over all, so the physical activity is pretty important. Working out definitely made me feel better. Sometimes I would up calories to 1500 on days that I knew I wasn't getting a workout in.
Of course, WHAT makes up your calories makes a big difference in how doable 1200 is as well.1 -
I do 1200 calories during the work week and it's not really that difficult. I have made an excel spreadsheet on my computer about what I allow myself to eat each day of the week and at what time. I alternate between having smoothie's for breakfast or eating some grains and other traditional breakfast stuff. Lunch is usually something light and vegan. I eat lots of vegetables and avoid grains as the day progresses. Usually, I try not to eat meat but I do consume it on days I go to kickboxing. I think what's important is self-control. I run 5 days a week and go to two kickboxing classes and ballet occasionally. If I load myself up correctly at the beginning of the day I never feel tired. I do drink a lot of water though.3
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I'm currently trying to eat 1200 calories a day; sometimes I eat back some of my burned calories so I can have dessert . I really struggle with eating a lot of calories in the afternoon, which then means I can't have dessert. I love dessert, even if it's just Greek yogurt with peanut butter. I have to plan very carefully.
What's hard about this calorie goal is going out to eat. I love going out to eat, and it's very difficult to stay in the 1200 calorie range, even if I order something semi healthy. Also, I miss alcohol
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I've done this before for my wedding, and I did lose almost 30 lbs. Unfortunately I gained back 5 pounds during the honeymoon and gave up on maintaining my weight from there. I'm sure I would have been able to keep the weight off if I had just paid attention and exercised.2 -
Always been thin - size 4/6. Hit my 40's and my weight started to creep upwards. Need to loose 10 pounds. It seems impossible. I am at 1200 calories a day but, find it hard to stick to that.0
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I hear you about the 40's thing. I am following the 1200 cal as well, but I try to make sure I'm reaching my daily protein goal and that helps with hunger.3
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I also wouldn't recommend the 1200 diet. The best way to determine what you should be eating is by calculating your TDEE based on your day to day activity level, reducing that slightly and then adding exercise to your routine. The basic concept of CICO. In my case:
My TDEE (sedentary) is somewhere between 1900 and 2000 cals (my BMR is just shy of 1600 cals, I'm tall at 5'10") and therefore I have set my target calorie intake to 1700 per day, a deficit of 200-300. I aim for 3-4 days weight/resistance training at the gym, and 3 days of roughly 30 min cardio (outdoor jogs). I do double up on those (e.g.: Jog in the morning and gym in the evening) to ensure I have rest days.
If I stay significantly below the 1700 then that will be because I am not particularly hungry that day. Equally, I try not to eat back my exercise calories, although I will eat some if I need them.
Once I reach my goal weight and body fat % I will start working on a reverse diet to get my calories back up with a view to refine my muscle tone more.
This way of working will allow you more freedom and to eat the foods you like. Today I had a cornetto ice cream as an afternoon snack, and it easily fits in to my calories for the day. Very satisfying!
You really don't have to starve yourself or cut out foods in order to get results.4 -
Im 5'9" and have been on 1200 for a month, I have never eaten my exersize calories back but it has gotten harder and harder as my workouts are getting more intense. I walk 3km before breakfast, 30min run after lunch and 45mins of weights 2/3nights. Sunday is my monthly weigh in day and I will be revising all goals then. Dont know the exact figure but I've well and truly dropped a dress size in the last month.2
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I have been doing 1200 calories for a month and a half, and have lost 11 lbs so far. I plan on keeping 1200 calories until about 1 August and then slowly add in more calories until I am at my maintenance weight. I am currently at 138 lbs. I do have a day a week where I eat a good meal and don't care about the calories and also a snack within the week beyond my 1200 calories. I found the first 2 weeks difficult, had a week in the middle where I wanted to just say forget it, and now I am back without issues. I think that 1200 calories is a good range for me to lose 2 lbs a week. Will let you know how another month goes!1
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I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet for three weeks and 5 days and ive lost 9lbs i have been putting off 2lbs a week and to be honest ive gotten adjusted to this and its working out great. Sometimes i work out sometimes i dont and i also drink plenty of water. I have lost 23 lbs total and i plan to loose 17 more pounds and then i ll add more calories to my diet.1
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1200 is so frustrating sometimes. I can stay in that range if I do a 16:8 intermittent fast (eat within an 8 hour window each day) and stay away from sugar/refined carbohydrates/fried food as much as possible. So if I have a 500 calorie lunch and a 700 calorie dinner, I can be pretty satisfied.
Try ramping down the calories slowly instead of cutting down to 1200 right away, starting by replacing carbs/sweets with fruits/veggies. So if you're eating 1800 now, go a week at 1600, then 1400, then 1200. Up the exercise too; it helps. And if net 1200 is inadequate, then eat more; you know your own body better than MFP does.1 -
I second the idea of not setting your weight loss goal too high as you will be losing fat AND muscle and could just end up "skinny fat" once you reach your goal weight (speaking from experience here). In my opinion for best results if you want to obtain a "toned" look, and to maintain the muscle you currently have, try to lose 1/2 a pound per week. Doesn't sound like much, but believe me, you will be much happier with the end results the slower and steadier you go. Plus you get to eat more food and that's never a bad thing.
When I was counting calories and cutting I ate about 1800 calories per day using the TDEE method. I am 5'8 and 150 ish. Having said all that, I realize that everyone's weight loss journey is their own so ultimately do what's best for your situation and current goals. Good luck! 1 -
I'm "officially" at the 1200 level, but it's not enough. I've upped it to 1400-1500 a day, and that's working well for me. Looks like I'm not as sedentary as I thought I was!0
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I think everyone has a go at this diet at first in an attempt to lose as quickly as possible at the mo I average net 1400-1500 calories (that's eating back exercise calories) however I go for a weekly deficit of -2000 from maintenance and cycle my calories (ie some days over, some days maintain and some days under) so I can still do things like go out for a meal or drinks at the weekend.
I've made it part of my lifestyle so I don't feel like I'm dieting most of the time, when I restrict too much I end up caving and yo-yoing. :P I hope you find what works best for you. xxx good luck.0 -
Tried it and failed miserably. I was so hungry ALL the time.0
