How is 1200 Calories working for you?

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Margarita211
Margarita211 Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you feel deprieved? How do you stretch them (calories)?
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  • dlyeates
    dlyeates Posts: 875 Member
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    I don't feel deprived on 1200. Still trying to figure out if I should be doing 1200 or 1500. Best way to "stretch" them is to exercise and "earn" more. You can check out my last week in my diary for ideas (excuse the couple of days with fiber bars for breakfast....I had absolutely no time to eat. Usually its cereal or oatmeal!!)
  • flyspyro
    flyspyro Posts: 7
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    i was able to do it for awhile few months.. but now it just doesnt feel like im eating enough food im always hungry
  • jordanashley19
    jordanashley19 Posts: 51
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    You won't feel deprived if you eat healthy snacks that don't have too many calories in them. I eat every 4 or 5 hours.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I started out doing the 1200 calorie goal and it quickly taught me to make better choices if I didn't want to feel like I was starving all day. LOL Fruits, veggies, and lean meats. No more drive-thru. Or at least far better choies the rare times that I *do* go to a drive-thru (grilled chicken sandwiches or salads instead of burers, fried chicken, fries, etc). It's also gotten me more interested in cooking so that I can create dishes that fit into my calorie allowance but aren't totally boring. Yes salads and grilled chicken are great but you do need variety. The 1200 calorie goal also motivated me to exercise, since when you exercise the site automatically tells you that you've 'earned' more calories for the day, meaning I can either have higher-calorie meals or add in extra snacks. I don't usually eat 'all' of my exercise calories, I normally eat somewhere between 25%-75% of what I burned. Just depends on how I feel that day. Some days I do go a little bit over but those days are balanced out by the ones where I go under. These days I normally eat closer to 1400-1600 depending on how much I exercised that day. I'm still on the 1200 'plan' but I exercise more regularly so I get to eat more.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
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    1500 was hard 1600 is much more doable. 1200 is starvation diet for me :ohwell:
  • musicgirl88
    musicgirl88 Posts: 504 Member
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    I've been doing great on it! I never feel deprived, and some days I even have trouble eating all 1200! I also do not eat back my exercise calories. I "stretch out" the calories by having 5-6 200 calorie meals. I also try to plan out my day the night before so I know if I need to cut something out or maybe I can add a desert one night! If you feel hungry, you may want to up your calories. You just need to find what works for YOU! :)
  • kimber_av
    kimber_av Posts: 98
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    1200 is plenty for me.
    I make sure everything I eat is healthy so it takes a lot to get up to 1200. the key is eating the right things.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I HATED being on 1200 a day. I was hungry, freezing cold and grouchy the whole time (about 3 months). I don't know how anyone does it for longer than that.
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
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    I used to think it was too much believe it or not. Now I upped mine a little bit (maybe 80 calories more?) and it seems to be working for me. It's enough for when I have a rest day and I always eat most of my exercise calories. :) Try eating snacks in between meals and drinking plain tea, milk, and water. I found that when I cut out juices (unless homemade) and soda I could have more room for food instead of consuming empty sugar calories.
  • Elle_Jamaicangirl81
    Elle_Jamaicangirl81 Posts: 418 Member
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    i'm at 1270... works out well enough for me. there are days i feel deprived... but i just try to do some walking or exercise or something on that day
  • Cathygal
    Cathygal Posts: 25
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    Don't forget to eat back the calories that you burn exercising! :) I never feel deprived. I burn an average of 200-300 calories a day with my workout which bumps me up to about 1400-1500 calories. If you are not eating back your exercise calories, then you WILL be deprived. Your body needs that for energy.
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
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    1500 was hard 1600 is much more doable. 1200 is starvation diet for me :ohwell:

    ^^This. I failed miserably at 1200. Switched it up and I intake more like ~1800-2000 now. And I'm 5'3", 128ish lbs. (SW 132ish)
  • davidpm
    davidpm Posts: 208 Member
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    I was doing about 1280 for a few weeks. I didn't feel deprived but my body apparently did. I hit a plateau for 3 weeks. When I upped my calories to about 1500, I started losing again and I was much happier to be able to eat a greater variety of food and stay within my goal number.
  • Babzl1957
    Babzl1957 Posts: 37 Member
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    HI, I am on 1200cals and have been for the last 2 weeks. Recording everything has helped me and as I loved bread but it has made me realise I was eating way too much of it. You will soon get to know what you can have and how to spread things out so you manage your cals properly. I have 100lbs to loose so I have just told myself get used to it if you want to loose this weight.!! If you have something you really want and it takes you over just watch what you eat at other meals or the next day. x Changing products to lite and low-cal really has helped. All the best with your journey. Babz.xx
  • Getting_Fit_4_Life
    Getting_Fit_4_Life Posts: 401 Member
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    I do 1200-1350 depending on the day and my hunger level. I feel this is working for me. I don't feel hungry, even on days that I stick 1200 I do just fine :)
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
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    I burn about 1200 calories a day during workouts. It's working out pretty good for me!

    Oh, that's not what you meant.
  • AI1108
    AI1108 Posts: 488 Member
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    I started out at 1200 the first few months and lost a lot. It wasn't too little for me cause I would normally hit somewhere in the 1100s and then have a light snack before bed. But as I kept going for a few more months I plateaud so I went to maintenance for two weeks cause I knew I needed to eat more. I was at a lower bmi so I upped my cals to 1/2 lb a week (1510 cals). Now I do anywhere between 1350 - 1500 a day.
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
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    Personally, I love working out because I get to eat more food!

    So my base 1200/1300 cals works out great since I can easily bump it up to 1700/1800 :)
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
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    Double post!
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
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    I think if I had to stick around 1200 I would start fantasizing about biting the heads off of small animals. I don't think it's healthy to eat that low, it screws up your metabolism. You can starve yourself into skinny, but what's the prize? Being stuck at a super low maintenance intake because you're a waif. Work hard, get lean, and EAT.

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