Anyone on 1200kcals a day?

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  • boomkittyco
    boomkittyco Posts: 6
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    Unfortunately, muscle weighs more than fat so going by how your clothes fit works better. You may be smaller than the scale says due to this extremely annoying fact.
  • boomkittyco
    boomkittyco Posts: 6
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    I am on this too, and the best thing is to fill up on veggies and keep eating normal snacks and meals so you don't go into starvation mode. I am 5'5 and 150. Goal being 130-135. Never been under 145 except after an illness. I am not going to fixate on that number as long as I visibly keep shrinking. Come on skinny Jeans!!
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    WOW.....I have 600 to 800 calories a day....mostly protien. I walk 1.6 miles twice a day except on the days I Zumba, and I'm not tired, I have lots of energy. I drink lots of water. AND I'm not feeling like I'm starving myself. If I get hungry for a snack I grab an apple or a grapefruit. I don't crave fast food any more. I'm happy with what I'm doing. All this talk about starving yourself if you eat 1200 or less a day is kinda silly. What works for you may not work for me...if my body tells me I need something then I get it. When my body tells me I need to add more calories I will. Everybody is different. It's so funny, sometimes I feel like I'm starving and I eat my small amount of food and wait about 10 minutes and I feel full. I try not to cheat even on weekends cause I just get angry over having to lose the same lbs again. But if I want a candy bar one day I add it into my calorie count and I have that candy bar...I don't deprive myself of the things I crave, but I find I'm not craving them like I used to. I can drive right by Dairy Queen without stopping. I can take my kid to get an ice cream and I don't buy one for me, I don't crave it anymore.
  • waitresschick85
    waitresschick85 Posts: 7
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    1200 calories a day is perfectly healthy. A doctor will sometimes even recommend an 800-1200 calorie a day diet for very obese patients. You are obviously not very obese but eating 1200 calories a day will not put you into starvation mode. I have been eating 800-1200 calories a day for a few weeks now and feel fine. I do eat more if I am going to the gym so that I have energy so keep that in mind. If you are feeling full enough on 1200 calories then you are doing fine. Eat lots of fruits and veggies and also protein such as canned tuna or grilled fish or chicken.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    after exercise yes I'm getting about 500 calories a day. I'm good with it right now and don't expect to stay there forever. I also don't believe it's that's bad for me. Sheeesh ..... I'm not starving myself....I feel fine...I exercise daily, most times twice a day.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    First of all I'm NOT advising anyone to do what I do...I do this for me. I do not now nor will I ever have an eating disorder. I raise my calories as my body tells me to and I lower them as my body tells me too. I'm sorry you have the ED but I don't . I know what I'm doing. And I can handle it. I'm NOT losing muscle I'm losing fat. I don't plan to eat this way for the rest of my life...not even for the next year. Calm down, it's not that bad.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    and your muscle...much faster.

    Afraid not pal, you're wrong.

    http://pinterest.com/pin/48413764714673585/

    All forms of diet - LCD, 25% calorie reduction or 12.5% calorie reduction and 12.5% exercise had some non-fat weight loss.

    After all, that's why it's 3500 calories/pound and not 9 * 454 = 4086 - there's fat free mass involved in reducing adipose tissue.
  • roseombre
    roseombre Posts: 7 Member
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    I am currently on 1200 cal a day. Weight varies from day to day so I only weigh once a week or I get depressed seeing the weight increase in if slightly. I do know that as you build muscle it weighs more than fat but takes up less space. Hard to believe but I know it to be true. In my youth, I weighed in at about 125 usually and wore a size 12. In 1990 I started working out at a gym and walking 4 miles nearly every day. My weight was 145 and I was wearing a size 10 to 8. So I weighed more but took up less space.
  • zukkiz
    zukkiz Posts: 362 Member
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    So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal, AGAIN!
  • zukkiz
    zukkiz Posts: 362 Member
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    By the way, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. It is denser than fat and therefore takes up less space. A pound of fat is 16 ounces, so is a pound of muscle!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,
    why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?
  • lisakyle_11
    lisakyle_11 Posts: 420 Member
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    bumping...some interesting observations/comments.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,023 Member
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    I eat1200-1250 cals a day, i dont eat back my exercise cals and i have lost 102 lbs alot of people say you should eat more, but i think you need to find what works for you. I usually do walking and bike riding sometimes exercise dvds . i think if you do intense workouts then you probably should eat back part of your exercise cals. But just experiment and find what works for you. You can do it, just stick with it and dont give up
  • hotjacki85
    hotjacki85 Posts: 287 Member
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    I'm on 1200 but I exercise every weekday for 40 mins - 1 hr. I don't think I'd be able to do it without my exercise as I need those exercise calories to not feel hungry.

    I find weekends really difficult as that's when my boyfriend comes over so I don't have time to exercise and end up going out for dinner and going over my calories. I've asked him if he'd like to go on dates to the gym at weekends but he's surprisingly never very enthusiastic...

    I am also on the 1200 cal 40-60 minutes of working out 5x a week program... i just started....

    Has it been working for you? When did u started seeing change? ... im on the 2nd week and havent seen much changes... thought for sure after eating 2,000 + calroies and not working out AT ALL i wouldve had major weight loss or changes but i havent :(
  • hawaii86442
    hawaii86442 Posts: 167
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    I know this is kinda of trite. But--you didnt gain the weight in a short period of time-and you are not going to lose it that quicly. I am trying to lose about 8 more pounds and with my lack of activity I find it hard to eat 1200 a day. I have injured my knee recently and have stopped exercising. I hope to go back to some short walks next week.. I loved the gentleman that recommended the book--that is the best advice out there. Good luck and keep us all posted.
  • leopard_barbie
    leopard_barbie Posts: 279 Member
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    You are not alone, and, quite simply, science is still struggling to understand this.

    Anyone who gives you any strong, immediate opinions on this - is probably just uninformed.

    I strongly recommend you read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes, otherwise you're just shooting in the dark.

    My opinions:

    (1) it is all in the kitchen. don't even bother about exercise. you're now in "advanced" weight loss for your last few kilos, so it's all in the kitchen

    Whatever you do, DO NOT " ' eat back your exercise calories ' " if you exercise. At your stage of weight loss it is inconceivable you could take that approach (unless you're a marathon runner), so forget that. Read the book, get actual science on your side.

    (MFP laughably includes the concept of "eating back your exercise calories" - just ignore it. They'll remove this feature in future versions.)

    (2) carbohydrates will be key. you must find an exact intake per day - what about 65 grams per day - of carbohydrates which will make you lose the last few pounds

    (3) you should have NO PROBLEM eating only 1200 calories in a day, at your height. Anyone who tells you otherwise is uninformed. I typically eat 1400 cals (I'm also losing the "last few pounds", but I am 6' tall) and I feel stuffed all the time, I can barely eat that much. I experimented with 1200 a day for a couple weeks, and it was perhaps a hair low, I'd feel a little peckish. At your height it should be no problem at all, as long as your pancreas is in good condition.

    you'll only feel HUNGRY, like you're not getting enough food, if you eat too much carbs. if you were eating say 125 grams a day of carbs, and only 1200 calories overall, your body would be starving itself, and psychologically you would be bitterly hungry all the time. in contrast if you are eating 70 g of carbs per day, and 1200 calories overall, your body will be stuffed with all the wonderful food it needs, and you will feel fantastic, energetic and full all the time.

    (4) eating a good amount of FAT is key to FEELING FULL. FAT makes you feel full, CARBS make you feel hungry, and PROTEIN builds and repairs your body. FAT is also key to the health and beauty of your skin. A good source is something like pure, absolutely well-made Greek Yoghourt (made from full cream mlik). carefully included that type of fat with each meal for that really satisfied, stuffed feeling.

    (5) EXPERIMENT and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If you feel good eating 1200 a day - great! Try it CAREFULLY for a week. If you feel too peckish at 1200, try a different amount of carbs and a different level.

    Some thoughts.

    This is really interesting, thanks.
  • zukkiz
    zukkiz Posts: 362 Member
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    So by the time all here are at their goal weight, I will still be working on mine. Congrats you got there first no problem, because when you go to your maintenance calories, and gain back the weight, I'll be reaching my goal and you might reaching your goal,
    why would we gain back the weight on maintenance calories ?

    I'll give an example.
    My BMR is 1439 my TDEE is 2300. So if I ate at a 15% cut I would be eating 1955. Losing weight slowly. When I reach my goal I go back to maintenance, which isn't much more. I would still keep the same activity level.

    however I ate 1200 calories a day and reached my goal, and then went to maintenance I would be increasing my calories by 1100 a day, That calls for a huge weight gain. So then I go back to the lower calories and the cycle begins again.
  • capnwo85
    capnwo85 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I'm on the 1200 calories diet...for a meal :laugh:
    haha, Yahtzee!
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
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    I eat around 1200 cals or so a day and I feel fine. If you eat healthy, you can eat a lot for 1200 calories.
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
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    1200K cals? What is the K for? Is that some metric thing? If not, that is like 1,200,000 calories. Not nit picking, just curious.
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