can I get opinions on the keto diet vs. just counting calories and staying under 1200?

Keto can be effective if it helps you stay in a calorie deficit. Since I don't find fat particularly satiating but instead easy to overeat, keto would not be effective for me.

Keto is only ever effective if it is also low calorie. It only works by being a way of restricting certain foods which leads to calorie restriction. It’s not magic and if you overeat on keto (which it is very possible to do if you love meat and bacon) you will gain weight.

However, for some people keto is an effective tool for helping them stay in a caloric deficit. If you mainly overindulge on sweets and breads, and often have cravings for carbs, keto may be a good option for you. It can also be an excellent choice for people dealing with certain health problems such as diabetes or pcos.

Personally I don’t like keto because it makes your breath smell like a trash can with a dead squirrel in it, and if you aren’t careful getting in and out of ketosis, and allow yourself to get dehydrated, it can cause flu-like symptoms. I have type 2 diabetes which I manage with a lower carb, but not low enough to be keto, diet. That works for me. But everyone is different. Find the way of eating which will allow you to eat the correct amount of calories to sustain the weight you want to be for the rest of your life. If eating keto forever doesn’t sound good, you don’t have to do it to lose weight. I lost 125 lbs and have maintained for two years without ever eating fewer than 150g carbs per day.

You're not short and you sound like you are Lightly Active for your Activity Level.

When you put your stats into MFP and tell it you want to lose a pound per week, how many calories do you get?

Not reading back here, just answering your question. First, you don't want to cut under 1200 calories a day, it's bad for your health and in the long run, will hamper your weight loss. Second, you'll still be counting calories on the keto diet, but you'll also be limiting what foods you can eat. Third, on any diet, it's CICO or "calories in, calories out" meaning if you eat less calories than you burn you will lose weight. And lastly... from your given height and weight, you don't seem to be overweight, so you might just want to try exercising to gain some muscle tone.

rheddmobile wrote: »

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

kshama2001, im about 5'4, 130lbs and I don't exercise except at work I basically walk or stand for 8 hours out of the day. is 1200 not good for me do you think? I never put much thought into that. im trying to lose 30 pounds, I've gained a lot of weight this year and have no clothes that fit

5’4” at a weight of 100 lbs would be a BMI of 17.2 which is medically underweight. Your current BMI is right in the middle of healthy weight. Although I didn’t flag your post someone did and that’s probably why. To give you an idea of what you’re talking about, some countries have made it illegal for a model to walk the catwalk unless she has a BMI over 18, because they don’t want to promote anorexia.

If you aren’t satisfied with your current appearance, there are ways to improve your shape without losing weight to unhealthy levels. Check out some of the threads on recomp.

Oh, snap, I didn't do the math - @3v0l1s0m1283 how old are you? Was 100 pounds your teenage weight?

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

you know what... I believe I will just delete this app or just not use this part. I was genuinely curious, shared what I was trying to do, and literally got bashed for it. I don't care if you people think I am "promoting anorexia" bc im not. I've always just been a small person. I started eating a huge amount of fast food recently and just blew up. so much for trying to be like everyone else here and ask for advice. you people are just so judgemental for no reason. I'll lose this weight on my own with no advice or help it's cool. flag or report my post or whatever. I don't give a damn

Nobody judged you. People gave you helpful advice from experienced people who have been doing this a long time. That you are reacting this way, in conjunction with some of your other posts, suggests that you are struggling with some issues that are more important to treat than weight loss. I highly doubt you will take this in the good faith it is intended, but I will put it forward anyways. You are best off seeking out a mental health professional to help you with some body issues and your attraction to extreme dieting (plus whatever is causing the overeating). Then from there you can come up with a mentally healthy plan to lose some extra weight in a healthy way if that is what you ultimately decide. But what you are attempting to do is not healthy for you mentally or physically. I'm sorry if you think that is us being mean, but the real mean thing for us to do would be for us to enable it for you.

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

nighthawk584 wrote: »

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

so when a fat person wants to lose 30 pounds it's cool, people want to help. but when I ask simple questions it's "seek help" 😂😂😂😂

The problem is, you will not take any critique at all from experienced people on this forum... This and another recent post of yours looks like you are seeking some quick fix non- sustainable and dangerous diets. What do you expect us to assume? We aren't going to cheer lead something like this! Good luck!

"quick fix, non-sustainable diets" um. no. im asking general questions about things I have heard about. yes im trying to quickly lose weight but after I lose at least half of it I was gonna take it more slow... I can't even go home for Christmas because my whole family relentless talks about my weight the whole time and ruins everything. I recently got married and not even 5 minutes before, my dad told me I gained so much weight and how awful I look. I need to lose the weight before Christmas or at the very least 10 pounds of it. you probably don't know what it's like to have to literally hide yourself from your family because of your weight but it's awful, I've missed last Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc and I can't keep on this way. no one will ever understand. I just wanted to advice and now I see that literally no one wants to help and it's cool. like I said I'll figure it out on my own. or either spend another holiday without going to see my family bc I just can't handle it. like thanks for making me feel even worse it's sure did help alot ..

I am truly sorry to hear that your own family treats you like this. That is terrible! But losing that much weight (10lbs or more) in 2 weeks time is really only safe for an obese person to do. I know, because I was OBESE! and losing 30 from your weight right now puts you at an unhealthy bmi.
TAKE CARE

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

nighthawk584 wrote: »

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

so when a fat person wants to lose 30 pounds it's cool, people want to help. but when I ask simple questions it's "seek help" 😂😂😂😂

The problem is, you will not take any critique at all from experienced people on this forum... This and another recent post of yours looks like you are seeking some quick fix non- sustainable and dangerous diets. What do you expect us to assume? We aren't going to cheer lead something like this! Good luck!

"quick fix, non-sustainable diets" um. no. im asking general questions about things I have heard about. yes im trying to quickly lose weight but after I lose at least half of it I was gonna take it more slow... I can't even go home for Christmas because my whole family relentless talks about my weight the whole time and ruins everything. I recently got married and not even 5 minutes before, my dad told me I gained so much weight and how awful I look. I need to lose the weight before Christmas or at the very least 10 pounds of it. you probably don't know what it's like to have to literally hide yourself from your family because of your weight but it's awful, I've missed last Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc and I can't keep on this way. no one will ever understand. I just wanted to advice and now I see that literally no one wants to help and it's cool. like I said I'll figure it out on my own. or either spend another holiday without going to see my family bc I just can't handle it. like thanks for making me feel even worse it's sure did help alot ..

Your family’s a bunch of crap heads if they’re going to push such dangerous ideas about your body on you, and frankly you’re better off without them. 100lbs is NOT healthy for a woman your size. As others have mentioned you are exactly where you should be weight-wise, and you are NOT overweight. If shape is an issue, you want to focus on recomposition (swapping out fat for muscle). This can be done using a variety of ways from aerobics & calisthenics videos at home, to going all out with a personal trainer at a gym, depending on your time & budget.

Bear in mind this is coming from someone who has watched several loved ones develop or succumb to eat disorders. Your posts here are a mirror image of the attitudes they developed, including the hyperdefensiveness against legitimate concern for your wellbeing (undoubtedly a result of the mental and emotional abuse your “family” has been inflicting on you). When the folks here say you need help, they aren’t doing it because it’s fun. They are doing it because you are presenting as a textbook example of someone who develops an eating disorder and they want you to have the knowledge and tools to be healthy & happy.

psychod787 wrote: »

missysippy930 wrote: »

Choose whatever works best for you. No matter which plan you choose, the only way to lose weight is to consume less calories than your body burns.

Do you have your own woo crew as well?

So it appears, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve gotten really thick skin since I’ve been on MFP😁

3v0l1s0m1283 wrote: »

so when a fat person wants to lose 30 pounds it's cool, people want to help. but when I ask simple questions it's "seek help" 😂😂😂😂

None of us are qualified to offer advice about moving from a healthy weight range to an underweight range via pretty intense calorie restriction. Someone in this thread already ran the numbers for you, and I ran them again, and right now your BMI is normal and your goal BMI would be underweight. People have tried to talk to you about recomp as an alternative, but that's not something you want. If you still feel that your weight numbers are bad, that we aren't understanding, you should talk to a doctor about your concerns.

edit: And I just saw your post about your family.

If your family is being abusive to you about your weight, pushing yourself into the underweight category is just going to put your health at risk. Your family is acting as abusers, not as accurate representatives of a weight that is healthy for you. Your family should not be abusive to you no matter what weight you are at. They shouldn't abuse you if you were morbidly obese and the fact that they are abusing you while you are in the normal BMI range only drives home how completely this type of abuse isn't about weight at all. Their being abusive isn't a result of your weight, it's a result of their being abusive. This isn't your fault and it's not a result of what you are doing. I'm sorry if you need to stay away from them because of their abuse, but you aren't the problem in any way. My heart is with you.