Any ladies on 1200 cals

I'm at 1,200 as well, I normally have a small breakfast and lunch, and then a big dinner. I don't eat my exercise calories back either and I seem to be losing quicker now that I'm not. I'm doing that purely because I have a holiday coming up in September though. So kind of want to lose as much as possible as quick as possible atm.

I've been on 1200 a day, too, for the last 2 months. I eat back nearly all my exercise calories and have continued to lose weight.

I did 1200 when I first started, and didn't eat back my exercise calories. But I was STARVING. I started cheating in my logging and having days I binged and didn't log, it just wasn't sustainable for me. Then I started eating back part or all of my exercise calories and things got better. Except on days when I didn't exercise. I was way too hungry again. Eventually I upped my activity level on MFP and reduced my goals and got to a more sustainable number (1450), and STILL ate back some of my calorie burns. All my friends back then also did 1200 a day and all eventually had problems too.

Personally I see nothing wrong with starting off a bit aggressively but just keep in mind that you're going to have to ease up, and the scales may "overreact" during the transition to eating more. If you become scale obsessed (as I did) this can be painful. Much less if you do a little reading about glycogen and associated water levels and how the scale is affected.

But that's later, I guess. Mostly just want to wish you healthy success, and encourage you to ease up when you need to.

I'm on 1200 a day after using ankerl to work out my nutritional needs, I'm walking about an hour and half each day, which strava tells me has burned 799 calories... well that's what is posted on MFP. I didn't realise I should eat some of those extra calories, which exercise "earns us"" . My problem is what could and should I eat to stay within macros, I dare not use protein as I'm worried about carb overload? Suggestions please?

hi do you suggest having a 16/8 diet with 1200 calories? I've done that before but now i'm struggling due to health issues. Can I drink lemon water during fasting?

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

theycallmewy wrote: »

hi do you suggest having a 16/8 diet with 1200 calories? I've done that before but now i'm struggling due to health issues. Can I drink lemon water during fasting?

If you're struggling why do it?

I think I just need to do it. Im on night shift. As long as I can drink lemon water during fasting, I know Ill be fine.

boulank wrote: »

MFP gives me 1280 a day I'm in my last 6-9 lbs to lose currently.

I usually eat 1300-1500 a day because I exercise to some extent daily.

I meal prep lunches and dinners.

Breakfast is around 200 cal
Lunch 400
Dinner 600
Snacks 100-400

I do have a cheat meal once every 3-4 weeks.

hi do you eat every 2-3 hours?

I'm on 1200, and tend to have a small breakfast and lunch, and a largish dinner. Calorie split is usually 200/400/600.

I aim to eat back 50-75% of my exercise calories, trying to allow for overestimating my calorie burn (though on the flip side of that, I try to overestimate my calorie intake when I can't measure/weigh). I think I've gone closer to 100% every single week though despite best intentions.

I don't always eat back all my calories in the same day though. If I can, I bank them and eat them for date night (once a week as my boyfriend works stupidly long hours, so we aim to go for dinner on one of his days off) so I'm not being that person who constantly logs the calories of every single morsel that passes my lips as and when I eat it.

The most important thing for me personally, is that I don't ever feel overtired or hungry. I know that if I'm feeling constantly peckish, or worn out, then I'm not having enough calories.

And well done on the 5 lb weight loss! I also lost 5 lb in the first week. It's an awesome feeling, isn't it?

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

How much weight do you have to lose?
Do you have MFP set to lose 2 pounds a week? That may be too aggressive unless you really have a lot to lose. Try setting it to 1 pound or a half pound a week and see what happens to your calorie goal. And you should be eating at least a portion of your exercise calories back.

Not the OP, but I have played with my goals to see what happens -- the difference, for me, between setting a goal of one pound a week and half a pound a week is 40 calories a day. In fact, when I am at 1200 calories, MFP estimates that I will lose .6 pounds per week, so getting a pound a week is no longer within reach for me assuming their algorithms, without adding activity. (I have a desk job, so I select sedentary, but moving up a level adds only 50 calories a day.)

OP: My goal is 1200 calories a day -- I am a 56 year old woman, just shy of 5'3", 141 pounds, with a goal of reaching 120. I do eat back some of my exercise calories. I log faithfully, (which means, if what many around here say, I am still underestimating a little), and I have lost about 1 pound a week, up to this point.

So what do I eat? About 400 calories for breakfast (as heavy on protein as I can get, which includes adding soy protein to my fruit/yogurt smoothie), about 400 calories for lunch (usually one or two cheese sticks, an apple or banana, 1 small packet of peanut butter), and about 300 calories for dinner (protein, veggie, fruit, sometimes a grain -- either rice or corn tortilla). The other 100 calories I use for cream/milk in my coffee and/or a mini dark Dove chocolate. I refuse to give up these things since I've already had to give up all the yummy breads (see below).

If I know I have a lunch or dinner thing, I will skimp on the breakfast calories and bank them for later in the day.

I sometimes drink back my exercise calories with a Trader Joe's organic hot chocolate or chai before I go to bed.

I am Celiac, so I don't eat any wheat, rye, barley, or uncertified GF oats, so my diet is too low on grains, admittedly. I try to be an adult about veg, but as you can see, I'm not very good about making sure I eat the recommended number of servings. Sometimes I'll bring celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, or a cucumber to work and add that to my lunch. I probably eat too much fat for most people's taste, but I love fruit and fat. I am very meh about meat and double meh about veggies.

I am not starving. Although I can get a little grumbly before meals, it's nothing horrible.

I hope this helps for reference/comparison.

1200 here!

Most of my calories are at night however, I like to eat mostly with my boyfriend

I'd love to tell you I have a balanced diet but really I exist on fresh fruit, anchovies, pickled cucumbers and chocolate mousse I'm basically eating all the food id love to eat but don't normally, especially the chocolate mousse. I'm like reverse restricting, instead of restricting the food I binge on, I eat it haha

I'm 5'2" and on 1200 calories. It's not much.