1200 Calories?!

Beth720 · January 2012

mines say 1700 calories..i feel like that is a lot? is that normal?

1200 is the absolute minimum amount of calories you should be subsisting on. And that's 1200 NET meaning your exercise calories get eaten.

Depending on your size and how quickly you want to lose (there's a reason 1 pound/week is recommended...you don't want it coming off too quickly or there can be health and just plain old physical issues), you may be assigned a higher number. Mine is 1510 for 1 pound/week loss. Some weeks I lose more, some less. But it averages out.

Beth720 · January 2012

The app said I should eat 1200 calories a day but I changed it to 1066. I looked it up online and used a calorie calculator and it said to lose the 50 lbs in 5 months, I would need to eat that much a day! I have lost 8 lbs in 16 days!

I will just refer you to my post above. That's not healthy or sustainable over the long run.

ilike2moveit · January 2012

I try to eat 1200 cals per day too. It's not easy for me because it isn't enough food. It helps when I exercise and can eat more.

kaylageserick · January 2012

well it is working really well for me!!!

I also exercise every day and burn around 200 calories. ( I eat them back)

Psyb3r · January 2012

I am eating about 1400 right now, but until two weeks ago I was at the 1200 mark for approx 7 months. I've lost almost 80lbs and while it was a struggle at first it gets easier with time.
That being said, I ate back 1/2 of exercise calories until I got closer to my goal weight. Now I eat 90%-100% of them back otherwise I don't lose.

The trick to MFP is that it's a way to lose weight healthily. Not to starve and lose weight quickly. You want something that you're going to stick with, and keep off the weight once you lose it.

mom2jjl · February 2012

well it is working really well for me!!! I also exercise every day and burn around 200 calories. ( I eat them back)

You know I see nothing wrong with this if it's working for ya

I mean we are all (well most of us) to LOSE weight!! I know before I even knew there was a thing such as "starvation mode" I ate below 1200 calories every single day and lifted weights every single day (took off Sundays) and lost all my weight and more very within 6 months! I would say I lost around 50 lb within 6 months no problem doing this...NOW i know about this starvation mode thing and wish I DID'NT know about it!! It worked for me going under the 1200 daily mark, now I did eat whatever I wanted on Saturdays and picked right back up the next day...I kept that weight off for about 3 years then had some thing take place that led me into a depression and sadness and I emotionally ate all my weight back ) So here I am again and determined to get this weight off and plan on doing it exactly like I did it before!!!

cowgirlslikeus86 · February 2012

I went from 1200-1500-1250 and I found that 1250 plus my exercise calories yeilds me 1 lb. a week. I was fine on 1250 for the first 2 weeks then platued so I started playing around with my calories.

On the weekly goal, I tend to be anywhere from 200 under to 700 over (This week I was +1100 :-(

I burn alot of calories working out so this week I am going to try to not quite eat all of them back...I really want to loose 2 lbs a week for the next 4 weeks (I am in a competition)

obolton756 · February 2012

done it for just over a year... lost 35 pounds =]

jenaissance · February 2012

1240 for 4 weeks, down 9 pounds.

ChiefWhitesWife · February 2012

I've been sticking to a 1,200 calorie diet as well (somedays a little over). I'm new here at MFP and am learning alot of information. I've been working out hard but haven't been eating my exercise calories....I wondered too about this and wasn't sure if I was going to hinder my weightloss by not eating back my exercise calories. I drink A TON of water a day and that really helps with the hunger....most days that I stay busy I realize I'm not wanting to eat as much.

Coyla · February 2012

The reason people fail at dieting is because this is how they approach it. All or nothing. Binge or starve thyself.

You should not be eating below your BMR. 1200 calories a day is riding the line between extreme dieting and a body that starts to cannibalize itself for nutrients (<---that does actually happen).

Check out my food diary. You'll probably faint.

Eat more, lose slowly, keep it off, be happy.

dlyeates · February 2012

In the 6 months I've been doing this, mostly at 1200 calories, I've endured 3 months of plateaus. The scale didn't start moving again until I added more calories. Sometimes you think you will lose quicker with less calories but its not always true!

deanna3489 · February 2012

i have just started i been doing this about a week also

mcdonnell77 · February 2012

Ive been eating 1200 calories a day trying to keep that around 50% protein and 25% carbs, 25% fat and ive lost 36 pounds since start of jan. I am going the gym 4 times a week though aswell.

1200 Calories?!

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