Will I really lose on 1200 a day?

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  • GeorgieMidd
    GeorgieMidd Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm in the same boat, I usually eat about 950 a day sometimes more and work out every day, mostly cardio. I've been doing this for about 3 weeks and have lost 8lb but I'm getting worried as people keep telling me I'm eating far too few cals, starvation mode etc so I'm contemplating increasing my calorie intake but am worried I'll gain- thanks for posting ,this thread has helped !
  • crusinsweetie85
    crusinsweetie85 Posts: 2
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    I try to eat about 1200 a day give or take depending on my activity level. I have as fitbit and it gives me what I should have according to the data i input and how active I am. If 900 is working for you then great. Don't beat yourself up if you go over. If you are aiming to eat a little more (keeps your body guessing to change it up every now and again) then I would try to fill most of those calories with healthy foods but also indulge a little. A fun size candy bar will satisfy your craving and not break the calorie bank :)
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
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    You will lose weight, just slower. Don't worry about "starvation mode," the phrase has been beaten to death around here.
    This. Your body will adjust. Be patient
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Everybody is different. I personally feel that you should eat at least 1200 per day. I personally netted around 1700-1800 and lost weight!

    I agree with this. Everyone is a bit different as far as their caloric needs per day. There's no way on Earth I could survive or function on even 1200 calories a day - so 900 would be like death to me.

    I can easily lose weight on 2100-2200 NET calories a day (see how 1200 wouldn't work for me?) and I maintain easily on as many as 3000 NET calories a day!

    Best thing to do is find out your BMR and TDEE - once you have those numbers you can play around with your calorie needs per day and see what works best for you.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    i have a goal set to 1200 a day, to lose about 2 pounds a week. I set this for myself because i NEED to see results to stay motivated. Once i lose a little, i will slow it down. Im NEVER on goal.. always under, and i still lose weight, however i do make sure that my body is getting the nutrition it needs to stay healthy! I love my body by vi shake mix! You should check into a protein shake mix for little calories to help you get the nutrition you need, if you are concerned about that! i think you are doing great!!
  • jella74
    jella74 Posts: 106 Member
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    I have been on 1200 calories for 5 months now and lost weight. I am not starving and my usual log at the end of the day is net below 1200 calories as I do not eat back the calories I burn. I do drink water all day roughly 3 fills of my 32oz mug.
  • kirstenmaria
    kirstenmaria Posts: 112 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I appreciate the lack of angry 'starvation mode' comments!

    Just in reply to some of what has been said: I don't feel like I've been starving myself at 900 - I eat good, filling food like scrambled eggs, fruit, chicken, roasted veg, salad, soups etc and never really feel hungry... but I do crave junk like pizza, burgers and chocolate. Eating 1200 today felt like a lot but thats just because of what I've been used to.

    I exercise 4 or 5 times a week, a mixture of swimming and elliptical with some strength training. Apart from this exercise I am utterly motionless most of the time - I'm a student on summer holidays for 4 months and tend to just sit around waiting to go to the gym. So I burn a lot of cals at the gym but I don't think I burn much else the rest of the time which was why I initially ate so little!

    Thanks again for all of your advice - I will stick to 1200 from now on. Out of interest, what should I make up the extra 300 cals with? Today I did it with snacks, but should I have bigger meals instead?

    Back when I was fit/seeing a personal trainer and nutritionist regularly, they told me to eat more smaller meals. I'm 5'5", and at the time I weighed somewhere between 160 and 180. I was instructed to eat smaller meals about every 3 to 4 hours during the day. This week I went back to that philosophy, and I feel much better than when I was eating three larger meals a day...meaning that I feel more efficient, but I'm eating a lot less calories because of the types of things I'm filling up on. Feel free to add me :)
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    How do you know your body is "used to less?" are you not losing? Oh and 1200 is likely still too few cals.
  • rachledezjones
    rachledezjones Posts: 50 Member
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    When I say 'used to less' I mean in terms of not really getting hungry when eating 900 cals a day.

    Out of interest, if 1200 is too low, how come MFP puts that as a daily goal?


    Overall, I'm getting a slightly mixed message from people (sorry...I'm just trying to decide what I should do). Most people are saying I should increase, and I think this is what I will do, but others are saying I should stick with what is working for me? Confused!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    When I say 'used to less' I mean in terms of not really getting hungry when eating 900 cals a day.

    Out of interest, if 1200 is too low, how come MFP puts that as a daily goal?


    Overall, I'm getting a slightly mixed message from people (sorry...I'm just trying to decide what I should do). Most people are saying I should increase, and I think this is what I will do, but others are saying I should stick with what is working for me? Confused!

    Most people don't know what they're talking about and are setting you up to fail. Undereating inevitably leads to adverse health consequences or binge eating. how much weight are you trying to lose? What is your height/weight?
  • Living4Liz2012
    Living4Liz2012 Posts: 312
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    I say do what works for you...We are all different, and I did that for awhile and sometimes still do...Some days more
    I ain't complaining:)
  • ashtynplatt
    ashtynplatt Posts: 364
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    Yes you will lose about a pound to two pounds a week eating 1200 calories. I have lost 5 pounds in one month eating 1280 a day.
  • rachledezjones
    rachledezjones Posts: 50 Member
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    I'm 5 foot 6 inches, starting weight 180lbs, currently 162lbs, first goal weight 154lbs and eventual goal weight 140lbs x
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I say don't take advice from people who CLEARLY know nothing about "what works for you." there is vary little variation In human metabolism and the ill effects you can cause are not worth it. Do this the RIGHT way, the healthy way. PM me for advice.
  • brookepenni
    brookepenni Posts: 787 Member
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    I lost 60+ pounds in 11 months by only eating 1200 +/- 150 cals a day. You have to do it right though, simple good wholesome food (fruit, veg, lean meat, grain bread etc) but it is possible. I also gained muscle during this time. Some days, probably one in every 2/3 weeks I went over by going out for dinner or to a party, but it was just once during those weeks so it didn't affect me too much (I refuse to call it a cheat day, it was a life day!)

    Good luck!
  • jasonthekidd
    jasonthekidd Posts: 60
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    You are going to hear from a lot of people regarding putting your body into starvation mode. Some are convinced that wth only 900 calories per day you will definitely put your body into starvation mode and it will start holding on to fat and burnign muscle instead. Others will claim that eating 90 calories per day is perfectly fine for you. Most of these people who will share their opinions will swear their view point is right so I say this... talk to your doctor/ nutritionist and find out from them what you should be doing. They will be able to examine you in person and give you more accurate information on what you should be doing with your body. Oh, and watch out for the bullies, there are ALOT of them on these forums. They will rip you to shreds.

    Excellent advice! Right on.
  • JoStrib
    JoStrib Posts: 1 Member
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    The problem with restricting calories so much is that your body feels like its being starved, when you increase your calories after that your body will want to store as much as possible to be ready for the next famine. The best way to avoid this is to eat more, but to eat more of the right things. I highly recommend you read the book, "The Smarter Science of Slim" by Jonathan Bailor. He provides the scientific evidence of how eating more of the right foods will not only cause you to lose weight, but also to lower your body's internal set-point, so that you no longer struggle with weight loss.

    The key things in eating more is to avoid all sugar and starchy vegetables (that includes rice, potatoes, wheat, oats and corn etc.) Eat more protein. He recommends that you eat as many grams of protein as your weight is in pounds. So if you weigh 130 pounds you should eat 130 g of protein/day. (its a lot of protein and you will feel full).

    Eat only natural fats like nuts and seeds and avocados. Avoid oils, butter and margarine.

    And drink lots of water.

    I am 5'2" and 52 years old (Its much harder for older people to lose weight) and have yoyo dieted most of my life. I am now losing weight on 1200 calories a day. And hooray...I am no longer starving!!!
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    You should not stick with what is working for you when it goes against (general) medical recommendations for women. You will continue to lose at 1200, and there is no reason to put your body in danger by undereating. I'm not talking about starvation mode, just about the inadequate nutrition and the medical problems that come with that.
  • Marlei5610
    Marlei5610 Posts: 16
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    I would hope that when people make "starvation mode" comments they are concerned rather than angry. I'm genuinely concerned that you'll damage your metabolism long term if you continue to under-eat regularly by 300 or so calories a day. I say that speaking as someone who strongly believes her long-term weight problems are due at least in part to eating too few calories when younger. I'm now in my 40s.

    You're a (beautiful) young girl with your whole life ahead of you. Please take this slowly and eat the minimum recommended by MFP. At your age and height, you should certainly be able to lose at 1200 or more a day. I hope you achieve your weight goals, not only in the shorter term but for the rest of your life. Good luck.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    I'm just an inch shorter than you and a bit smaller, but I'm also a good bit older, and I still need much more than that. Now, we ARE all different, but I think you can very safely eat more and still lose. You'll also be able to vary your diet more and be more able to make sure you're getting adequate nutrition. Try going to http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ - they have several good tools/calculators. Then you'll be at a better place to decide how many calories to eat. My guess is that even just sitting most of the day, at your height and weight you use more than 1200 calories to maintain life.

    Good luck! You can also add me, if you want, since we have similar goals.

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