To find it too hard to stick to 1200 calories a day

Starvation mode is rubbish. No fat people in concentration camps, were there?

You need to find a diet that is sustainable for you long term. If that means losing weight a lot slower, so be it. Unless it's sustainable and enjoyable you are only going to put it back on later. I lost a stone and a bit over two years and was doing well until my mum died and it all went a bit shit and I put it back on. Going to try again. At least stopping putting weight back on.

I have a disability that makes walking painful but can build it up. I need to start by walking round the gardens again before I can venture further. I used to know the step count for each path. I think I am only going to be able to manage one lap to start.

A dietitian I know is insistent that 14 Cals minimum and 1500 preferable for someone of average height. It's difficult to meet all nutritional requirements below that.

It will work for you as you aren’t doing enough exercise clearly.

That’s the issue here. People are cutting calories to a ridiculous level. If you ate properly and exercised more that would be a far more healthy way to do it. Don’t care how short you are.

These threads are ridiculous and verging on pro-ana..1000 calores a day! Mind you, I remember another thread where someone was arguing 800 calories was fine.

Yes everyone is different. But exercise and healthy eating works for all. Not calorie counting and restricting (then putting all the weight back on again in the future).

Love the toddler reference which gets trotted out.
I think it should be compulsory that when someone says " I eat only protein and spend 30 mins doing bench presses a day, it works" they should add "for me" on the end.
Calories in vs calories out works for me. I am short, Apple shaped and 57. I've done all the calculators and the thing that works for me is 1000 cals a day. I am not a toddler. I am not starving all the time. I include a decent amount of protein and calcium in this. I have 1 st to go to get to the healthy category. I am doing it for me. When I have got to the healthy category, I will go up to 1400 ish to maintain and will add in some extra exercise. Which is my next phase. It will work for me.

Because 1200 calories is completely unsustainable and implies that
someone is not active (as they’d need more calories). Therefore it’s not healthy. You’re better off moving more rather than sitting on your arse all day then eating like a toddler…

Why?

If someone has a daily need of 2100 and the reduce to 1800 to lose weight, will their body start “burning through muscle” and forever mess their metabolism up?

If not, what on earth is the difference when someone with a daily need of 1500 goes down to 1200 to lose weight?! You know everyone isn’t the same height don’t you?

Bloody hell. Precisely 1547 eh? I couldn’t tell you the calories in anything. I couldn’t tell you how many calories I eat a day. But I’m active, I eat healthily. Had to up protein through peri menopause. I had to cut cardio and up weights. Weight doesn’t yo yo and I don’t have an obsessive, unhealthy relationship with food.

People on this thread need to be careful. 1200 calories will really screw up your metabolism and your endocrine system.

Keep telling yourself starvation mode doesn’t exist. Your body will start burning through muscle (which you need) at 1200 calories. It will adjust to the lower calories and your metabolism will slow. Then when you start eating more calories as you inevitably will, you put more weight on. And repeat. And be miserable.

You have a good PT! And sounds like a very sensible and sustainable approach to weight loss.

1200 is really low.

My PT refuses to make plans with calorie goals this low.

you have to be realistic about what your calories were before, for a start, to be overweight.

eg - I was overweight and was
probably doing about 2300 a day. First defecit was 2000. Then moved to 1800. Keep adjusting.

on 1200 I’d be exhausted

There is no such thing as starvation mode, it doesnt exist

When you say 'eating normally', what do you mean by that. If you mean eating to maintenance, then nothing will happen, the current weight will maintain

If you mean eating the way the person was before they lost weight, assuming they were eating in excess of their calorie needs, then what do you think will happen?

My maintenance is 1547, say 1550, if I eat more than that, I can exepct to put on weight. I want to lose weight so I need to eat much less than that. 1lb per week loss puts me on just over a thousand cals.

When going back to eating “normally” means eating 1650, for example, it’s not that hard because it just means adding in a couple of snacks or having desert sometimes, or having slightly bigger portions generally. That isn’t a huge change really.

To lose 1lb a week needs a calorie deficit of around 500 calories a day , so people who are smaller to start with need to go down to 1000/1200, and I can’t see the difference between that and someone who has daily needs of 2000 and then goes down to 1500?

It is why losing weight can be very hard when you are close to your target weight, as your daily calorie needs reduce as you are losing weight (very overweight people need more calories on a daily basis just to maintain, as all the excess weight means that their body has to work harder to do anything at all)

I do 1200 a day to lose weight

roughly

b 300 - porridge or toast egg bacon
l 300 - ham/chicken/tuna sandwich/jacket /pasta
t 500 - chicken - sausages - spag bol - micro meals
s 100 - crisps or small chocolate bar

And also what happens when they go back to eating normally? Having slowed down their metabolism and their body has gone in to starvation mode.

Just eat a healthy diet and exercise (preferably heavy weights).

Yes a small deficit and staying consistent is the best method. It will take slightly longer but will also last longer. Yes people lose weight on 1000 or 1200 calories but they must have willpowers of steel and I would question whether their diet was nutritious enough

OP i have successfully lost half a stone on 1650, but it was painful and took weeks and I was bored out of my mind.

I prefer a short sharp shock and 1200 for 4 weeks is preferable to me and I lose 8lbs pre holiday or whatever.

I am very good at it once I'm a week in. I know if gets me results so I stick to it.

This is combined with exercise though too.

I’ve lost successfully at 1250 a day before over a 4 month period - lost 2 stone - with daily aerobic exercise of 25 mins plus - and higher impact than walking

out of interest - what height would you class as short ? 5 ft 4? 5ft 1?

im not saying you’re wrong btw 1200 can be difficult to sustain

I am 10 stone and 5’8”. MFP has me on 1,200. I can lose 1-2lb per week eating 1,650 average per day, with tons of protein and 25-30g fibre.

1,200 is starvation and not sustainable unless you are really short!

I suggest skipping breakfast. It's much easier to do on 2 meals.

I'm doing 1200. It's working, I'm going to do a couple more weeks then relax it slightly and reduce the rate of the weight loss.

Hang in there. Try not to think about food. Think about the results instead.

MFP is notoriously too low in its calorie targets

We also need different amounts though - my calorie allowance just to maintain my weight is 1700 (and that’s assuming I at least go for a long walk or do some other exercise) so there is no way I’d lose anything on 1800, and I’m currently a stone away from where I’d like to be.

If OP is only two stone overweight then she’s starting with a lot let to play with - and if she is short, that can be much lower!

1lb a week is a steady achievable weightloss. If you try to move too fast you fall off the waggon every weekend and end up losing nothing. 1600 is far more manageable!

I think you’re right to be sceptical - even in small quantities, fats are very satiating. We need some fat for optimal take-up of the essential fat-soluble vitamins.

Black coffee, cucumber

No animal.products could very likely lead to B12 deficiency without very careful supplementation. I'm suffering this despite eating red meat.