Is 1200 a day just too low?

[Born This Way]

So I went about half a year aiming (and generally hitting) 1200 calories a day.. I worked out a fair amount and didn't ever calculate my exercise into my daily calorie budget. but for the past few months I've just been...blah

The truth is I haven't been on here for a while (meaning the ticker below is no longer accurate) because I just came to a point where I couldn't do it anymore.

I do not want to give up on my health! it really hit me this morning when my old jeans fit me again when they were falling off back in June...I gotta get back on track.

I just started binging. I couldn't control it. but I'm afraid ill just stay at maintenance if I do any more than 1200 a day bc even when i was eating that little i barely lost half a pound a week..

what are your thoughts/experiences on the 1200 a day mentality? is it just not sustainable? binging is just so demoralizing...I hate it and just want a happy, sustainable balance in my life.



its like....whats the point of losing if I keep on failing. all that effort, time, emotions, everything to lose the weight. and now this again? its just so hard sometimes

[Gabe]

I do twelve-hundred a day, and it doesn't really bother me much. I mean, the inflexibility is sometimes irritating, especially when I have things that don't have a precise calorie count, but generally, it's been okay. I've been at it for about seven months.

That being said, you might personally need more than that, and, as I'm in an entirely different boat current weight-wise than you are, my experience might not be applicable.

The important thing, I think, is to find a plan that you can stick with. Any plan that you hate is going to be unlikely to be successful. You could try upping it a little, or perhaps try something Weight Watchers-esque, where you can bank some points/calories over the course of a week.

And good on you for coming back here!

[pinkrunner115]

I've tried eating 1200 a day, and personally it's just too low for me. I work out a lot and feel that 1200 just doesn't cut it. I tried something once: I cut down my workouts to where I was running only about 20 miles a week (instead of ~35) and ate 1200 calories. I hardly lost any weight. Then I did the same workouts but ate 1400-1500 a day, and I lost 8 pounds relatively quickly.

However, take it with a grain of salt, because this is an area where I truly believe every single person is different. If you're feeling like 1200 isn't working as well as you'd like, maybe bump it up to add just another 100 calorie snack and see how that feels. I know one woman that eats just 1000 a day and it works wonders for her, while another eats around 1700. It's really all relative to who you are.... but for me 1400-1500 (with a higher calorie day on the weekend just because I want something "bad") is what works.

[ChickieChicks]

1200 worked for me overall, but on hard workout days, I really needed 1400. Now I am very close to my goal, so I don't feel as compelled to have such a huge calorie deficit, so I eat 1400-1600 cals daily.

[Harriette]

Chickichicks I agree with you. we are similar stats too! I could not stay on 1200 once I got closer to my goal. I am not obsessed with meeting that goal because I feel great now and fit all my clothes well. At 1200 I was starving all the time (hunger pains). I generally take in about 1400 now sometimes up to 1600. I workout min 5 days a week with extra stuff thrown in. I could not deal with the actual hunger once my body used up all the extra it had and was forced to up my intake to stay sane.

Not sure how people at my height start at my current weight and lose 20 lbs. I would be a skeleton.

[ERHR]

I agree with the other posters that you could go up a few hundred calories a day.

But far more importantly, WHAT are you eating? Do you have processed food in your diet? Artificial sweeteners? Sugar and simple carbs? Replacing any of those items that you might be eating now with real food I'm sure will help you lose weight and feel better.

[ChickieChicks]

ERHR- i totallt agree about WHAT you are eating. 1200 cals od whole foods is very different than 1200 of processed. It's amazing, and kind of sick, how much hungrier I get it I eat sh*t. ;-)

Harriette- Are we twins? Same starting weight and height. Congrats on your suberb loss!!!

[bexwild]

Hi! I'm new to 3FC and have been wondering about the 1200/day question!
I'm 6'1" and 170lbs, so 1200/day WOULD be TOO low for me, but I still set it as my goal because I “cheat”:

1. Calorie Cycling- I have a WEEKLY goal vs a DAILY goal. 8,400/week starting on Wednesdays (so if I splurge on the weekend, I have time to make it up, lol).
-This keep the stress level a low (unless it's a Tuesday and I've gone over)
I also have a 4 week goal of 33,600 that I average out with my weeks in case I go over.
Lots of math? Yes, but SO worth it

2. Don't count EVERYTHING - I DO NOT count fresh veggies (the non starchy ones). I DO count packaged/canned/frozen ones in sauce etc. because I didn’t prepare them myself.
- I DO count any oil that I cook them in (which is rare) or dressing (only yogurt based low-cal).
-I do this because it prompts me to eat MORE veggies, and I don't want to feel GUILT for vegetables
- I DO NOT count low sodium Chicken/Veggie/Beef BROTH (stock I do count), it is an easy way to add SO MUCH flavor w/o oil that I don't think it's worth it.

3. Weighing my food – I pre-weigh a serving size of packaged food (like gold fish crackers, or almonds) and write it on the lable: “3 baby goldfish = 1g” so I can “grab and go” if I need to pack a quick snack.

Sadly, less you weigh, the harder/slower it is to lose weight… but if you’re working out you may be burning MORE now than you did when you weighed less b/c of muscle mass. If you are always hungry – try eating veggies/whole grains and see how you feel… good luck!

[Jubilee]

It really depends on the person. If you are short and a featherweight, 1200 may be fine. Personally, anything under 1800 would not be doable for me. I don't count calories at all but I have a general sense of what I am consuming.

[Juniper Berries]

I've been lurking here and really appreciate all the info you all have given. For me personally 1200 just doesn't cut it for me. I seem to lose very slowly at that range but realize now I'm probably eating too much processed food.

Thanks everyone

[yoyoma]

1200 calories is a good baseline for me in terms of losing weight. Any higher and it's hard for me to see any progress. But now I exercise more and I eat back half my estimated workout calories. That can boost my weight loss and still feel rewarded.

It does get monotonous though, and I've dabbled with Intermittent Fasting (IF) so that I can eat some substantial meals if I bank the calories for them.

[mamamorgan]

I think, every person is different. I started off eating 1200 calories a day. But when I started going to the gym and doing intense cardio for 30 minutes and lifting weights too, I felt so exhausted, drained, fatigued. So now I aim for 1400 calories a day. And at that rate, yeah I only lose about a half pound, sometimes less a week. But the smaller you are to begin with, the slower the weight will come off because you don't have as much excess.

[skinnyelle39]

For me its only doable for a short period of time...like a week or 2. Great job on sticking with it for 6 months but I can bet that restricting that low for that long is what led to your binges.

[sontaikle]

1200 may not work for you! If you're feeling this way it may be a good idea to try just a little bit more each day (perhaps 1400 calories) and see if that works.

I've read about so many people here adding more calories and suddenly their body lets go of the weight

1200 has been working for me, although some days I do go up to 1400 if I'm hungry. I also have to make sure of WHEN I eat my calories. Too few by the afternoon when I get home from work (2:30 p.m.) and I'm cranky!