1200 cals

I'm 39, 5'8" and started a weight loss program last May 1, 2016 at 195.8 pounds. My initial goal was to get to 150# - I hit 148.6 on August 20, 2016. (I'm 3 days away from celebrating one year at goal, yippee!) When I started losing weight quickly, I was concerned by the rate, but never felt deprived or like I was starving myself, so I just kept doing what I was doing.

Full disclosure - I was on Weight Watchers. However, I was always exceeding my allotted points, so about two months in, I started double tracking on WW and MFP, so I could see my calories. I was averaging between 1400-1600 calories a day. My primary exercise was walking; but I am a stay at home mom with two kids under 4, so I'm pretty active and usually hit over 10,000 steps without much effort. I didn't start really exercising purposefully until I was almost at goal, and didn't start going to the gym for weight lifting until six weeks after I reached my goal.

I kept dieting to lose weight until March of this year when I hit 133# and felt I had gotten too slender for my preferences. So I gained a bit of weight back and have maintained around 138-142.

I'm sharing this because I did lose the bulk of my weight very rapidly, and that's usually an indicator that one won't keep the weight off. But so far, I'm doing okay.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different daily/weekly calorie goals to find what suits your needs. If you don't feel deprived or moody or starving at 1200 calories, then perhaps that suits you. But please don't needlessly suffer through your days trying to reach a particular goal by a specified time. Make sustainable changes and go at a rate that still allows you to feel good throughout the process.