Why 1,200 Calories Per Day Never Works

«1

Replies

  • echeindl
    echeindl Posts: 320 Member
    I've been eating 1,200 calories a day for over 6 months and it works for me. If I eat more than that I feel sick. Every body is different
  • tcpowell25
    tcpowell25 Posts: 292
    This is interesting because the only way that I can lose weight is by eating 1200 calories a day. I've tried to increase my calories and I either maintain my weight or gain. I think it depends on the individual.
  • gizmonel
    gizmonel Posts: 24
    If I eat more then 1300-1400 I also get sick, tired and sluggish! There is no right or wrong here just what works for the person,
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Of course it depends o the individual... smaller people and less muscle dense people need less and so do more sedentary people!
  • seven8seven
    seven8seven Posts: 58 Member
    I agree it depends on the individual. I started at 1200 and lost no weight and actually gained and fluctuated way too much ... I'm not eating almost 1600 and ever since I started eating 16 I've been losing a steady 2 lbs a week! Everyone's body is different!
  • LorryGuthrie
    LorryGuthrie Posts: 113 Member
    I am on 1200 calories/day. Works GREAT for me!!!
  • irunforfun
    irunforfun Posts: 113 Member
    Only lose weight eating less than 1,200. I managed to take off over 112lbs...so I'm doing something right for my body. ;)
  • docHelen
    docHelen Posts: 198
    1,200 calories a day did it for me. i'm maintaining now so having more. but i am really small 5'1", so that may be why it was ok for me
  • neenaj33
    neenaj33 Posts: 347 Member
    I've eaten 1200 calories for awhile, works wonders for me.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    I wouldn't say 1200 NEVER works...1200 will never work for me but that is because of my physical activity, lean muscle mass and fitness goals. I can't/refuse go below 1700. Some people metabolic rate is lower or some people can handle large deficits.
  • WoWmamaErin
    WoWmamaErin Posts: 148 Member
    His video should be called "1200 calorie diets work, but people don't track thier food accurately"
  • Dezlyn67
    Dezlyn67 Posts: 28 Member
    Actually, it works for me. Everyone is different and what works for some, might not work for others.
  • kantone999
    kantone999 Posts: 174
    1200 or less is the only way I lose weight. If I eat 13-1500, I maintain. I know because I did this for four whole months this summer and stayed at 160/161 pounds the whole time even though supposedly I would lose weight at 1630 calories/day. More than 1500 I gain. What works for a 20 year old does not work for a 50+ year old whose metabolism has slowed. What works for an active person doesn't work for an office worker. What works for a man doesn't work for a woman. What works for women of childbearing years doesn't work for post-menopausal women. While there are general facts (e.g., eat fewer calories than you expend per day and you'll lose weight) there is no magic number of calories/day that applies to everyone.

    Someone told me if I'd quit eating red meat, I'd lose 5 pounds in a month. I had to laugh. I wouldn't lose an ounce on that plan--I hadn't eaten a bite of red meat for two months at the time. There is no one-size-fits-all plan that works for everyone and never will be. Find what works best for you and follow it.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    It largely depends on how you define "works".
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I couldn't get the videos to work on my computer, but everyone is different. What works for one person may or may not work for another. I've come to realize that there is far too much generalizing in weight loss. No two people's bodies work exactly alike. Yes, we may have the same parts on the inside, but things work differently.

    A lot of women my size (height and weight) consume around 1500-1800 calories a day in maintenance. For me, that is far too low. I've been consuming 2300-2500 NET calories and happily maintaining my weight.

    The key to being successful in this journey is reading, researching and then figuring out what part of all the information will work for YOU.
  • catshark209
    catshark209 Posts: 1,133 Member
    When you're as small as I am, 1200 DOES work.
  • skinnylizzard
    skinnylizzard Posts: 460 Member
    His video should be called "1200 calorie diets work, but people don't track thier food accurately"
    Hahahahahaha!!!! :laugh: :wink: :wink:
  • lijparsons
    lijparsons Posts: 258
    Wow, this guy is an *kitten*. He is basically saying that we are all idiots, and the only reason we are not losing weight is because we THINK we are eating 1200 calories per day, but are counting wrong.
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
    It largely depends on how you define "works".

    I see what you did thar. Heheheh. :D
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,046 Member
    If i ate 1200 calories, I'd starve..I'm only 163lbs 5"6. I am still able to lose between 1400-1600 calories NET.
  • LilMissFoodie
    LilMissFoodie Posts: 612 Member
    It largely depends on how you define "works".

    Absolutely. I often hear people talk about all the diets they have tried and which ones 'worked' for them. As far as I see it if you've regained the weight, it didn't 'work' for you.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    Actually, the doctor didn't say to increase your calories. He said decrease them. And on the videos he explains why. I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing with him. But his point is interesting one. Like he says, anyone can lose weight on 1200 calories a day. That's not what he's really talking about if you watch the videos.
  • grannygethealthy1111
    grannygethealthy1111 Posts: 422
    It worked for me. I have lost 103 pounds. I am 20-months out and still going strong. Every BODY is different and we all have different requirements. For example, patients with PCOS are often put on a caloric restriction of 1000 calories per day. We each have to find what works for OUR body and not listen to blanket statements telling us we HAVE to eat more than 1200 calories per day or we HAVE to eat back our exercise calories.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Of course it depends o the individual... smaller people and less muscle dense people need less and so do more sedentary people!

    Not always. I am considered "smaller" and I need far more calories than most women my size. At 145lbs, I should be consuming in the 1500-1800 range for maintenance. I am netting 2300-2500 and maintaining. So, again.. it all depends on your body.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Well said, everyone. 1,200 works for many. It does not work forever or for every one.
  • woou
    woou Posts: 668 Member
    I wouldn't say 1200 NEVER works...1200 will never work for me but that is because of my physical activity, lean muscle mass and fitness goals. I can't/refuse go below 1700. Some people metabolic rate is lower or some people can handle large deficits.

    Nice to see more people being open to the idea that what works for them may not be what works for everyone else. :flowerforyou:
  • ZeroTX
    ZeroTX Posts: 179 Member
    I love all the real-world, measured testimonies proving wrong the people who like to think they know everything. Some people would say (incorrectly) that you have to get exercise to lose weight. In my months of doing MFP, I've only done deliberate exercise ONCE, and only for an hour of mild activity.... yet I've lost 31 pounds on MFP and 42lbs since June, all just based on adjustment of caloric intake, portion sizes, etc.

    Additionally, I just did a full physical last week, and all my blood work numbers came back healthy, including my CHOLESTEROL which has gone down to normal range (LDL still a little high, so working on that).

    There isn't one true fact that is necessarily true for everyone....
  • RonKay
    RonKay Posts: 85 Member
    bump
  • Victoriav99
    Victoriav99 Posts: 260 Member
    I've been eating an average of 1200 calories a day and work out at least 5 times a week. I've lost 10 lbs. It works for me.
  • lijparsons
    lijparsons Posts: 258
    I don't think anyone is actually getting the point of the videos. Perhaps no one watched the whole thing. He is NOT saying 1200 does not work. He is saying it DOES work. His point is, that when people say it is not working for them, it is because they are not counting their calories correctly. My problem with this guy is that he does not state HOW we could be making such a huge error. So, I can only assume he is implying that we are all idiots who don't know how to read labels and measure food and log it.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories