1200 calorie diets are not necessary...

Rompa_87
Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
This post is designed to restate the point that you can lose weight and body fat without having to go to an unusually low calorie level.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that 24 obese women lost an average of 7.5kg and 5.6kg of fat mass in a 10 week period went on a diet that consisted of either 1700 calories/d (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat; 170g carbs, 128g protein, 57g fat).

Women who were on a diet of 1700cal/d (60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat,~ 255g carbs, 85g protein, 38g fat) also managed to lose an average of 7kg and 4.74kg of fat mass in that same period.

Now these women were only doing moderate amounts of exercise over this time period. The take home message is that if you are obese and finding it dififcult to stick to diets that require you to starve yourself then you really do not need to. You can have a diet higher than 1200cal/d and still manage to lose weight and body fat.

For a full review of the article, it is titled 'A Reduced Ratio of Dietary Carbohydrate to Protein Improves Body Composition and Blood Lipid Profiles during Weight Loss in Adult Women' by Layman et al., (2003).
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Replies

  • ravikrishna
    ravikrishna Posts: 51 Member
    Supporting info.. thanks man.!
  • cutiepie2628
    cutiepie2628 Posts: 415 Member
    This post is designed to restate the point that you can lose weight and body fat without having to go to an unusually low calorie level.

    A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that 24 obese women lost an average of 7.5kg and 5.6kg of fat mass in a 10 week period went on a diet that consisted of either 1700 calories/d (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat; 170g carbs, 128g protein, 57g fat).

    Women who were on a diet of 1700cal/d (60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat,~ 255g carbs, 85g protein, 38g fat) also managed to lose an average of 7kg and 4.74kg of fat mass in that same period.

    Now these women were only doing moderate amounts of exercise over this time period. The take home message is that if you are obese and finding it dififcult to stick to diets that require you to starve yourself then you really do not need to. You can have a diet higher than 1200cal/d and still manage to lose weight and body fat.

    For a full review of the article, it is titled 'A Reduced Ratio of Dietary Carbohydrate to Protein Improves Body Composition and Blood Lipid Profiles during Weight Loss in Adult Women' by Layman et al., (2003).


    thanks for the article but i myself could never go on a 1200 calorie diet.....not me
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    bump
  • cassiejoyy
    cassiejoyy Posts: 82
    I do think you can have a diet of over 1200 calories, and still lose weight. but this study is on obese women, as where maybe people who just have lets say 20 or less pounds to lose might not benefit from a higher calorie diet, as they would on a 1200 calorie diet. & I wouldn't really say 1200 calories a day is starving yourself. It's perfectly healthy to eat only 1200 calories a day. & if you want to eat more than that you can always get up off your butt and exercise! Yep, yep!

    & also remember everyone is different when it comes to losing weight.
    You just have to learn what works for you.
  • LilMissFoodie
    LilMissFoodie Posts: 612 Member
    I definitely agree. Although to be fair, 'moderate amounts of exercise' could easily be 500 calories worth for an obese person.

    Regardless of this, I certainly don't think anyone should be or needs to be eating 1200 calories (unless it is due to a medical condition e.g. bed bound) but I don't think 'net' calories are as important since the calories in your body fat don't have the nutrients that the calories in your food can provide your body. Ie I don't think it's a problem if your net calories are 1200 (or even a bit less) and you are exercising and therefore eating much more than that.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    A diet is a diet, and eating below your daily allowance with any reduction will ultimately cause you to lose weight. How fast you do so is quite another matter however.

    BTW, I started on here at 215lbs, was set at 1200 cals, and stuck to it. It's not for everyone, but it's not impossible to manage either.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    You're not taking into consideration height. Maintenance calories for my height are 1250.
  • lovelee79
    lovelee79 Posts: 362
    bump
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
    nope not necessary but helpful for faster loss. I was on a 1600 calorie diet and was losing horribly slow. Waaaay slower than someone of my size should have lost... Bout half a pound a week so I decided heck if I was dropping calories I wanted to drop over a pound. I have no trouble staying tween 1200 and 1300 calories and with no added exercise was losing between a pound and a half and 2 pounds a week. Now Ive added exercise and this monday shall see if it bumps up that loss by more. :)
  • Clinno
    Clinno Posts: 123 Member
    I am only into my 3rd day and have set myself a 1350 cal. Limit which surprisingly enough is not as hard as I thought if would be. I do worry a bit about metabolism so I spread the food out well and always have at hand my water and almonds. My diary is open for anyone willing to give advice :)
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    I do agree with what another poster siad. This study was on obese people - who are probably eating way more than 1700kal a day and therefore will loose easily if they stick to pretty much any diet.

    Although I do agree that every calorie is not made equal!
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    i have my goal set to 2lb/week and sedentary. i log all my walking and usually burn about 600 calories a day if i do my 30ds too.. mfp has be set at 1370 and i usually eat back most of my exercise calories. ive been losing more than 2/week the last couple weeks though. im kinda worried about losing too fast but i dont really feel comfortable enough to change my calories. it was nice having a lower calorie "diet" at first because i was so used to not eating that i never felt hungry.. i feel satisfied with my 1370+ exercise but wonder sometimes if i should change it
  • melanie3103
    melanie3103 Posts: 246 Member
    Listen to your bodies, these sites and indeed any diet plan are only ever a "plan" - what works for one, won't necessarily work for another. That's why there are so many different diets out there. If it doesn't work, then change it up a bit.

    Fewer calories consumed, get more active (in any way!) to burn more energy/cals - calories defecit.

    It's basic science... it works for most.

    I'm no expert, but having been losing weight on a 1200 cals diet. I'm not often hungry, it's been easier than I thought it would be, once I got used to counting cals again.
  • shoppie
    shoppie Posts: 618 Member
    I think there are a lot of questions for me in this, what is 'moderate' exercise, the obese/ morbidly obese etc range, height as another poster says and are they eating back their exercise cals??

    When I was losing I had my goal set as net 1200 cals - but I was and am still BFing so had 500 cals extra from that, I also gradually built up exercise but would say during most of my loss would have averaged another 200-300 from that. So net I was actually consuming 2000 cals of food (I'm 5'9 and female so maintenance for me is in that ballpark)., but my net intake for the day was only 1200.
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
    Surely 1700 calories minus moderate amounts of exercise would be around a 1200 NET anyway?
  • lolainlondon
    lolainlondon Posts: 160 Member
    You're not taking into consideration height. Maintenance calories for my height are 1250.

    I've done the number crunching and 1250 is only enough to sustain a 4' tall 55 year old woman who weighs in at 87lbs.

    Even that is only if she is sedentary.
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    200 calories is hardly a low calorie diet anyway!
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    1200 is the new optimum for women with PCOS, several new studies have shown. But let's face it, there's a new study every day so we should all just do what is right for us!
  • dobarber
    dobarber Posts: 611 Member
    Something else that isn't taken into account is daily activity level. I work on a computer helpdesk and take calls all day on Saturday and Sunday for 12 hrs. That doesn't allow much activity at all. On those days I make sure that I keep between 1200-1300 calories so I don't gain weight. I don't get hungry on those days at all. On the other days of the week I'm usually around 1500 and on work out days I'm between 1800 -2000 calories. Been doing this same thing since July with a 28 pound loss so apparently it's working.
  • Bluestar083
    Bluestar083 Posts: 146
    I do think you can have a diet of over 1200 calories, and still lose weight. but this study is on obese women, as where maybe people who just have lets say 20 or less pounds to lose might not benefit from a higher calorie diet, as they would on a 1200 calorie diet. & I wouldn't really say 1200 calories a day is starving yourself. It's perfectly healthy to eat only 1200 calories a day. & if you want to eat more than that you can always get up off your butt and exercise! Yep, yep!

    & also remember everyone is different when it comes to losing weight.
    You just have to learn what works for you.

    this. I am a slim women and 1700 calories a day is maintainence weight for me. 1200 calories and I lose weight as long as I dont eat all my exercise calories back.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    You're not taking into consideration height. Maintenance calories for my height are 1250.

    I've done the number crunching and 1250 is only enough to sustain a 4' tall 55 year old woman who weighs in at 87lbs.

    Even that is only if she is sedentary.

    Can you show me where you got that figure? Thanks!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I lost weight and never went below 1750 NET.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    You're not taking into consideration height. Maintenance calories for my height are 1250.

    I've done the number crunching and 1250 is only enough to sustain a 4' tall 55 year old woman who weighs in at 87lbs.

    Even that is only if she is sedentary.

    Can you show me where you got that figure? Thanks!

    I am 4'11'' and my maintenance is aroung 1500-1600 calories. 1250 must be your BMR
  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    I know that i found once i upped my calories from 1200 to about 1700 a day i've been losing weight faster and more steadily.

    1200 may work for some people but most people can and should eat more.
  • LJGmom
    LJGmom Posts: 249 Member
    I am eating 1500 calories a day, weather I exercise or not. I have lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks. I do exercise regularly, but not obsessively. I used a formula to get the 1500 # from a MFP member. I am hypothyroid, and have always struggled to lose weight. I've never lost weight this easy before, so I'm assuming that 1500 is the perfect # for me.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
    The problem here is that 1200 calorie diets are a massive calorie deficit for some and a small calorie deficit for others. When I was losing weight, before exercise my calorie allowance was 1200 a day. Before exercise, my calorie allowance is now 1570 a day now I am on maintenance. I was doing enough activity so I have never had to eat less than 1500 per day when I was losing weight - I am currently eating 1600/day at maintenance this week as it is a low activity week, usually I maintain with 1700-1900 calories when I can actually get to the gym 4 times a week.

    This is where all this 'you shouldn't eat 1200 calories or less' stuff is not strictly true, because it is not nuanced enough to understand that some people shouldn't eat less than 2000 cal per day, some shouldn't eat less than 1500 cal a day, and for some, eating less than 1200 calories per day may not be very damaging.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Posts like this always fascinate me because they really emphasize how different we all are! I can say with complete certainty that I would starve and be horribly crabby and miserable on 1200 calories a day. If I had to pick that low of a calorie limit or being overweight, I would probably just pick being overweight. (sorry... but that's the truth!). Over time, I have figured out that moderation and less calorie restriction just works better for me.

    I started MFP in April. I'm 5'9". I was overweight, but not obese. I have a completely sedentary computer job. I'm 40. I've eaten between 1800 and 2400 calories the entire six months I've been on MFP. My weight loss has averaged 1.5 pounds a week. I haven't watched sodium, sugar or carbs. I've watched portions, total calories and eaten lots of healthy homemade food. So, I definitely think there is some truth to the research that people can lose weight on 1700 calories a day.
  • taurie
    taurie Posts: 225 Member
    I do think you can have a diet of over 1200 calories, and still lose weight. but this study is on obese women, as where maybe people who just have lets say 20 or less pounds to lose might not benefit from a higher calorie diet, as they would on a 1200 calorie diet. & I wouldn't really say 1200 calories a day is starving yourself. It's perfectly healthy to eat only 1200 calories a day. & if you want to eat more than that you can always get up off your butt and exercise! Yep, yep!

    & also remember everyone is different when it comes to losing weight.
    You just have to learn what works for you.

    Totally agree : )
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    does anyone think i should up my calories? mfp has me at 1370, im set at sedentary. i walk 2-3 days a week (8-11 miles total) and started 30ds a couple days ago..i log it all and rarely feel hungry - but i want to do right by my body.. i dont remember ever FEELing hungry,
  • solpwr
    solpwr Posts: 1,039 Member
    does anyone think i should up my calories? mfp has me at 1370, im set at sedentary. i walk 2-3 days a week (8-11 miles total) and started 30ds a couple days ago..i log it all and rarely feel hungry - but i want to do right by my body.. i dont remember ever FEELing hungry,

    No one can answer this for you. How long have you been dieting on your current diet? Have you lost weight doing what your doing? Are you hitting 1,370 NET calories per day on a weekly basis? For how long?

    If you are properly using the MFP tool, you should be losing weight. If you aren't counting all your food or exercise calories, you're not using the tool as it was designed.

    Time will reveal to you if you are at the right amounts or not. Several people including me have tweaked their calorie targets both up and down with time. Stick with it, you'll get there.
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