Hi all

new here so not sure if this is the right place to ask this but just wondering if anyone had opinions/thoughts on 1200 calorie plan?

I'm 5'1 & 60kg and everywhere i read it is suggested to lose weight i should stick to 1200. I eat healthy, oats for breakfast, wholemeal sandwich for lunch, healthy homemade dinner with loads of veges (i dont eat much meat though).. for a sweet snack in the evening i might have a skinny cow icecream..and boom calorie allowance gone. (i do eat a little more when i exercise btw)

I've been doing it a while now with one cheat day a week (i dont go too nuts) and now im starting to struggle & feel very deprived and hungry a lot.

my weight loss has been extremely slow but theres no way i could eat less. i guess i want to know is if anyone with similar weight/height has had success with 1200cals or even maybe eating more??

could i still lose eating maybe 1400? i know everyone has different bodies/metabolisms but any advice would be appreciated!

thanks!!

You're right. It's only 1200 for our height. That's how many. Get too. Sucks but It should come off.

I think 1200 is just a general number people throw out there and say that anything less is considered starvation, so that means 1200 should be a minimum amount of calories. If you are looking to lose weight, you can eat more calories, especially if you feel deprived (true hunger) and you can offset that by working out and keeping more active (take stairs instead of elevator, pace around your office, park further away, so that you're adding more activity into your day, aside your workout).

Here's what jumped out at me with your foods: sugar. The skinny cow ice cream sandwich may be low in calories, but it will often times cause people to have an increased appetite (making you think you have true hunger, but really, it's self inflicted hunger). When our bodies consume simple sugars, we tend to have a surge of insulin, and then a sudden fast drop of insulin, which makes our bodies crave more. It's more complex than that, but you get the picture. Instead of eating ice cream, eat some protein. Have a 100 calorie cottage cheese pack or some greek yogurt or string cheese or some salted pistachios with half an apple. You'll feel more satisfied. It's very hard to remove sugar from the diet as it is very addictive and readily available, but it's really bad. Please check the sugar grams in your oatmeal and see if you can have oatmeal that is sugar free (you can add some fresh berries to your oatmeal instead).

thanks luckymommy! I know you're right about the sugar in skinnycows.. i just have such a sweet tooth and think of them as 'healthy' but i definitely should look into an alternative. my oats are sugar free and i add stevia to sweeten it. thanks for the tips

You might be able to still lose weight while increasing your calories. I know you gave your height and weight, but it also depends on your age and activity level. You can use a calorie calculator to get an idea of how many calories to consume. If you use something like MyFitnessPal or Lose It to track your calories, they have built-in calculators.

I have been at 1200 or less and it has worked for me. I also have done 45 mins cardio 6 days a week. I am just now highering them for maintenance. Your weight is pretty low so 1200 sounds right. One thing though your bread in that sandwich amounts to piece of chicken breast or steak. Maybe eliminating it and having more veggies will allow for something else later in the day. It's tough but I am pretty used to my 1200 and 175 of my cals r vitamins and chia so really I eat about 1025.

loosing weight on 1200 cals a day can be a hard day! the goal is protein! and cutting the carbs. also really try and focus on low glycemic fruits and veggies! your body can refuse to loose weight based on spikes in blood sugar from high glycemic foods. Protein keeps your hunger at bay. Your goal i would guess would be Ketosis. ketosis is best achieved in what i suggested. or it has been in my experience! diymydiet.com is a great resource that follows 1200cal diet. Keep up the Good work don't get to upset sometimes you just need to tweek a few things to get weight loss back in motion!

Sounds like a lot of carbs without sufficient protein and fat to make you feel full. Instead of just cereal for breakfast, do protein (eggs, turkey sausage) with maybe a small amount of oats or toast. Instead of sandwich, do a salad with loads of protein (beans, edamame, chicken) and real veggies. Make sure you have protein with dinner and for your snack.