Does it REALLY matter what you eat as long as it's a certain amount of calories? I realize a lot of food is unhealthy, but say you weren't really concerned with your heath...would eating say 1,200 calories of anything you want still work to lose weight or does it really have to be healthy foods?

Also, I tried 1,200 calories a day and I was still hungry and ended up binging. I'm only 15 and I weigh around 215 lbs right now (hence why I'm here) and I exercise 2 hours a day (cardio). Would it be okay to increase the calorie intake or should I leave it as it is? Does it take a while to get used to?

Thank you so much!

The reason you are still hungry on 1,200 calories is probably because you are eating unhealthy food that is not filling you up. It most definitely matters what you eat. You should be concerned with your health. You are also exercising a lot daily for taking in that low of an amount of calories. You should eat more calories, at least closer to 1600-1700, but that's just my opinion. As you start to lose weight your body may require you to eat fewer calories so you can keep losing weight, so if you are at 1200 right now and stall, where are you going to go from there?

If I didn't care about my health...I wouldn't care about how many calories I ate.

Might I suggest you post your daily diet so you can get some custom tailored advice on tweaking your diet plan.

I suppose for sheer weight loss, you could argue that what you eat doesn't matter... BUT you have to be able to function on your diet too! WHAT you eat most certainly will effect how your body responds, your hunger levels, your brain function, your happiness. If you are going to be succussful at long term weight loss and creating a body that functions well, it most certainly matters what you eat. Drink water, eat veggies, avoid processed foods, try to not eat anything with ingredients you can't pronounce! You're so young... now is the PERFECT time to develop really good habits. If you learn to eat healthy, you won't have to constantly be dieting for the rest of your life. And I agree that 1200cal is too low if you're exercising 2 hours a day. When I drop too low, I start losing slower... Good luck! I speak from experience when I say the longer you wait to makes changes in your habits, the harder it will be. Do it right the first time!

Thank you guys !!!! : )

A study was done by some professor, he stuck to 1200 calories a day but ate only chips and chocolate and "junk" food. He still lost weight. So YES it can be done but at the same time, you might weigh less but health wise its probably not a great decision. Someone who is 120 lbs and eats junk and never exercises is going to be less healthy than someone who is 150 lbs that watches what they eat and exercises.

Junk food will make your insulin spike then come down quickly. When it comes down quickly, your body tells you you are hungry. If you eat healthier choices, your body will adjust and level out to not be so hungry. Also, find an online calculator for calories to lose weight and plug in your info. I think you can go a little higher with that much exercise. Good luck and now is the time to get control of your weight.

Hey low, here is one that may help you. I personally think 1200 calories a day is a good jumpstart. However, you will need to experiment with the calories that works for you. It may be 1500 or whatever this calculator I am posting tells you. Just remember you can incorporate pizza and such stuff into your diet. Just don't eat it every day.
http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm

I think that 1200 is awfully low and very difficult to sustain. I think 1200 is for people who are very close to goal (though I know many others stuck to 1200 and met their goals.)

More aerobic activity makes you hungrier, makes you need more calories. 2 hrs a day sounds excessive

Some foods will make you hungrier, faster. I have that with breads and pastas; I noticed if i eat much more lean protein, I'm full much longer and don't have cravings. Some people prefer lots of fiber.

Using a service like fitday or daily Plate might help you find a good balance between eating and exercise that will keep you losing weight

Heylow the good news is that at your age your metabolism is your best friend

You don't have to restrict yourself so low to lose weight. It might even backfire by slowing your metabolism to adapt-and you have nowhere to go if you are already bottoming out on the lowest possible healthy amount of calories.

On top of that, going too extreme on your limits can have an emotional impact as well, feeling so deprived and hungry all the time will make you more likely to binge and undo all your efforts.

Especially since you are exercising so much you can afford to go up a good bit on your calorie intake and still lose weight at a good pace. No matter what number you choose if it is vastly different from what you've been eating it will take some time to get used to. If you have been eating alot of carbohydrates and suddenly stop, it takes anywhere from 3 days to a week just to stop riding out the fluctuations in blood sugar that cause cravings.

Hi heylow, I just want to say that I started my journey near your age at at a similar weight(210 for me) and I can tell you that there really is no reason for you to start out at 1,200 with your stats considered. I personally began at a range between 1,400-1,500 and lost weight steadily on that, but eventually I dropped down to 1,200 as I lost some weight and got used to calorie counting. 1,200 is definitely not going to do you any good if it causes you to binge from hunger- I'm sure you could lose at a higher amount... maybe 1,500 would be a safe place to start, and you can see how it works and adjust from there.

As for your other question, in theory you could eat nothing but potato chips and lose weight as long as you maintained a calorie deficit, but the problem with doing it that way(even a less extreme version of that "plan", a mostly junky diet with at least some variety) is that those foods won't fill you up...which leads to binging for many. A junk-laden diet also won't give you the nutrients you need which can affect your weight loss efforts in a variety of ways.. I know that at the very least, I personally wouldn't have the energy to maintain a proper exercise regimen if I wasn't keeping myself full and nourished with a variety of healthy, nutrient dense foods in my diet. With all things considered, healthy, clean eating is really the way to go.