To think 1,200 calories a day is enough?

[MissDallas]

I am 3 stone overweight. I have also been thinking about moving to a plant-based diet for health and ethical reasons.

I am considering a 5 day Juice Cleanse to kickstart some weight loss and break some old habits. There is a company locally who supply 5 days worth of juice and I asked them how many calories a day that is. The guy worked it all out by each ingredient and told me it was 1,200 calories per day.

I know that juice cleanses generally get a bad press and are considered 'starvation', but I think 1,200 calories a day is fine for someone who is trying to lose some weight.

What does everyone else think? Thank you.

There is no way that's 600 calories according to my fitness pal it works out as this
70g beef = 263
65g roast spuds = 87
65g roast sweet spuds = 83
65g roast parsnips = 77
40g carrots = 22
45g cabbage = 11
1serving custard = 200
1 dumpling = 247
Well over 900 calories and assuming no gravy or butter on veggies
This is a tiny amount of food and the desert is bonkers if it's part of a weight loss diet.
I am following the Blood Sugar Diet Dr Mosley and I feel fit and health and my Dr agrees it healthy too. We are eating 800 Cals of food a day for 8 weeks then moving the amount up.

I started using MFP in January I started at 13st 7 and today I weighed 11st 5 so I've lost 2st 2lb so far. I'm on 1200 calories. This is my first successful "diet" I've tried all sorts of diets and usually give up after a week or two but calories counting is by far the best and easiest for me to stick to. I don't feel deprived at all, I can still eat a bit of cake and chocolate biscuits as long as I weigh and log the food. I log all of my meals for the day every morning including a treat and then I can see what calories I have left to play with if I get peckish throughout the day. I think it's going to be weird when I eventually get onto maintenance calories because I hardly ever eat the whole 1200 now and I have 3 meals a day and at least 1 snack so it will feel like I can eat loads more......I'll just have to cut a bigger slice of ginger cake

any diet that uses the word 'cleanse' should ring your babble alarm. Your body has cleansing devices and they are talking out of one of them.

Oh, and you can OD on carrots and turn an interesting shade of oompa-loompa.

moderation, variety, common sense. It's not actually that hard to work out. It is quite hard to do or none of us would need to lose weight.

Misscherry that's because you didn't see the piece of cloutie dumpling and the portion of custard I just had a small bit, properly portioned with the whole recipe as cooked entered into my fitness pal. I'm not a custard fan so just had a couple of tablespoons. You've assumed that I've had a proper portion of both.

And besides, I don't think any food is bonkers on a diet as long as you take responsibility for the effect it will have on your progress. If I go over 1200 on a particular day, it will only affect me. I'll be disappointed the next time I step on the scales. If I want a cream cake that's 441 calories, I know that the rest of my day needs to be under 800 calories or I'll see it on the scales. Simple.

Read Dr Michael moseley's book the blood sugar diet. He gives evidence based, science based advice.

Anti.....that's the dieting following

1200 of proper food is a fair amount. I have a protein based shake for breakfast (as opposed to nothing or a fruit smoothie before) a snack mid morning, usually tuna/cucumber or eggs, anything high protein. Salad or soup for lunch. Snack in the afternoon, fruit with granola or peanut butter then a normal meal in the evening. Also usually have a couple of biscuits before bed.

This is way more than I used to eat bur was consuming more calories plus hardly any protein. I am losing weight and feel loads better. I use MFP and the nutritional information each day shows me if I am over/under fat, sugar, protein, carbs etc.

My TDEE is 1489 so 1200 is slow weight loss for me. If I want to lose weight I try not to go over 1100. I'm 5'3 and 9st 5.

I'm fine on this, really not hungry. Well, initially I can be but I soon get used to it.
I don't tend to eat breakfast just out of preference, I don't want food then but have a decent lunch and a proper dinner and usually have some calories left for wine if I want it.

I reduce carbs because that really does help with hunger and cravings and just replace with extra veg.

Avoid the juice cleanse OP, it will just cause your blood sugar to spike and crash. Good luck.

The problem with crash diets is that they mess up your body's metabolism long term - interesting link here.

Slower is better. I've lost almost 4 stone, but over the course of almost a year. Ultimately you just have to eat less, eat healthier food, exercise more and if you can, cut out the booze.

My TDEE is only 1223 but I still lose weight on 1200 calories i am guessing due to exercise. I imagine I would lose weight quicker on less but only have a few lbs to lose to get to my preferred weight so happy for it to be very slow.

I'm 5'1 and to maintain weight (pre-breastfeeding at least) I'd be looking at 1600 calories or thereabouts. And I don't do a ton of exercise. Everyone is so so different.

I think the TDEE s quoted here look more like energy expenditure if you do absolutely nothing. Even if you are short with a sedentary job you burn at least 1600.
That's based on my Fitbit when I did no exercise at all for three days before new year.

Yes - it's not the basal metabolic rate you
Want it's the total daily energy expenditure. BMR is usually 1000-1300 and TDEE 1600-1900 for the average woman.

According to the calculator linked above, I have a BMR of 1299 and a TDEE of 1786 (so within average?) and I've been losing weight steadily this year on between 1200-1400 calories a day (using MFP to track).

Ah I have quoted my BMR. My TDEE is over 1500 so that makes sense as to why I low weight at 1200!

I think 1200 calories even when wanting to lose weight is too much. I am currently following a calorie controlled diet. I am consuming about 1500 as an average. I had 4+ stone to lose. I have lost almost a stone in a month (I'm still eating things I want - just conscious of the amount and trying to incorporate some exercise into my life as I did nothing previously). I used the NHS BMI calculator which assesses your height, age, weight activity and if you are above a healthy BMI then it gives you a calorie range to stick to which should encourage healthy weight loss at a rate of 1-2lb per week (mine was 1515 - 19??). The NHS weight loss plan which is downloadable information sheets for each stage gives 1400 as minimum for woman trying to lose weight. I use MFP to track and manually altered my given calorie allowance (1200) as I would probably be hungry and then binge.

I'm on 1,200 per day using myfitnesspal. Am also 3 stone overweight and felt absolutely starving the first week but I'm now used to it after 3 more weeks.

Twolittleblooms - it really does depend on how much you weigh/have to lose in the first place. 1400-1500 would be maintenance for my height/weight. I am not that slim or anything but only 5ft4.

1200 would only leave you hungry if you eat a lot of sugary processed foods. It's more than enough if you eat wholesome non-processed foods.

I lost 4 stone in a year eating 1200 a day and never exercising, now I eat 1800 and exercise to maintain. Best thing I ever did.

I think that if, in general, the human body was that easy to deceive, human history would be quite different.