To eat just 1200 calories a day...

[lostmyslippers]

I really really need to shift my flab!! Nothing fits me :-((
How many calories do you eat per day and what do you eat? I am trying to walk a bit more too as I hate the gym and never stick to it anyway. So I am trying to curb the calories...

I put weight on if I eat over 1200 calories a day for longer than a few days. I'm 41, 5'2" and small framed, weigh between 8st and 8st 7lb usually and am pretty sedentary when working. I do walk about 7 miles a day though. I don't feel hungry all day on 1200 calories, if I did I'd eat more! I had a period a while back when I was eating about 1600-1700 calories a day, and I went up to 9st 10lb.

Actually, latest research indicates that low carb high fat diets aren't any more effective for weight loss than any other diet. The most effective approach is to eat less of whatever you like, as long as it's not too processed.
OP, 1200 calories a day should be fine. I've lost 3 stones by eating the following
Brunch - 1 slice of toast, half a tin of baked beans, 1 poached egg (330 cals)
Dinner - tinned mackerel/houmous/cheese, plenty of salad veg, few new potatoes (350 cals)
Evening snack - 1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with a little butter and marmite or marmalade (averaged out at 200 cals)
That leaves about 200 cals for fruit, maybe a yoghurt, and a bit of milk in tea/coffee.
I feel fine on the above amount of food and do a fair amount of exercise (60 minutes swimming and 5 miles walking most days).
Good luck with your weight loss.

Sorry, meant about 300 extra calories for fruit, milk etc. I don't count calories strictly, just calculated an average day's intake for me.

I suppose though, that the most effective weight loss plan is the one that an individual can stick to, consistently, for a sufficient period of time to actually lose weight.

Due to the inclination to massively overeat/consume excess calories if I include white carbs, bread, cereals, sugar or lots of fruit, a low carb diet is the only successful weightloss plan I’ve ever done. If I ate 1200 calories of anything I wanted, I’d be hungry. I can eat 800 calories of high fat/ low carb food and feel really full. At weekends when I have 1200 calories HFLC, I can include wine, nuts, dessert (yoghurt/raspberries) and it feels very decadent and I lose weight.

thenewaveragebear thats fine if it suits you. It's a bit annoying when people start throwing pseudoscience around though to suggest that the entire population should eat the same way.

“Actually, latest research indicates that low carb high fat diets aren't any more effective for weight loss than any other diet. The most effective approach is to eat less of whatever you like, as long as it's not too processed”
This needs repeating again and again. It is so important and the message everyone needs to take on board.

Yes, we can ALL lose weight on low carb diets, the same as Weight Watchers, Slimming world, low-fat, 5:2, etc etc etc. But they don’t work long term, evidence shows that the vast majority of people WILL lose weight but WILL put it all back on, plus more because it is not humanly possible to follow theses diets for the rest of your life.

If you chose to eat a low processed, balanced diet with all food groups and pay attention to portion size, you will lose weight and keep it off. It really is that simple.

But of course, the multi billion pound “weight loss” business do not want us to know this.

But they don’t work long term, evidence shows that the vast majority of people WILL lose weight but WILL put it all back on, plus more because it is not humanly possible to follow theses diets for the rest of your life.

Utter horseshit. There are people that have reversed diabetes only by following low carb diets who will never revert to eating the shit considered food by the likes of SW/WW.

I think you’ve misunderstood my post.

Anyway, it’s my understanding that the dieabetic people “reversed” diabetics by following an extremely low calorie diet, not low carb. It’s something like 850 calories a day for 8 weeks iirc.

Any form of getting your weight under control and down to a good level for you will have a positive effect on diabetes.

Give me 10kg more and I have diabetes. :)

As long as it's sustainable long term, as long as you eat a varied diet and not too much processed food, you can lose weight and keep it off.

I gained weight when my rheumatism was bad because I couldn't move much and couldn't reduce my calorie intake enough for it to stay healthy, but now that the pain is under control simply walking more and going to the swimming pool for old people hydrogym is a good way to keep my weight under control.

Anyway, it’s my understanding that the dieabetic people “reversed” diabetics by following an extremely low calorie diet, not low carb. It’s something like 850 calories a day for 8 weeks iirc.

It’s the combination of low carb - carbs cause blood sugar spikes which aren’t just a problem for diabetics - and low cal that does it.

It’s the blood sugar diet I follow. 8-12 weeks of 800 cals per day then 5:2 sticking to low carb principles but not calorie counting on 5/7 days. I’m not diabetic but feel so much better on it. It’s very much no processed junk though.

Oh, so your post stating ”There are people that have reversed diabetes only by following low carb diets” was incorrect and very misleading.

There’s a diet called Royal Marine diet. It has nothing to do with Royal Marines, it’s not very healthy and can only be done for two weeks at a time. It’s very rigid, but I’ve used it for two weeks now and have lost 5kgs. Which is a super way to have initial weight loss. I know I’ll be flames for suggesting it, as it’s not very healthy, but I’ve found it works wonders!!!
Besides that, the Dukan gave me great results after I had DC1.

Oh, so your post stating ”There are people that have reversed diabetes only by following low carb diets” was incorrect and very misleading.

No it wasn’t, given that WW/SW/low fat can’t reverse diabetes.

But you didn’t mention the Low Calorie bit!!

You were implying people reversed their diabetes by lowcarbing. That is not correct information.

Titty just a quick google brought me to this article about weight loss and diabetic reversal.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/05/radical-diet-can-reverse-type-2-diabetes-new-study-shows

There is absolutely no single mention of low carbing in this research. It states a low calorie diet plus the importance of exercise.

Half of the practices put their patients on the very low calorie diet, while the rest were a control group, in which patients received usual care. Only 4% of the control group managed to achieve remission.

The diet was a formula of 825–853 calories per day for 3 to 5 months, followed by the stepped reintroduction of food over two to eight weeks. The participants were all given support throughout, including cognitive behaviour therapy and were encouraged to exercise.

Can help you with a few meal ideas at 1200ish calories per day...let me add a few pictures

I always have 1oz of porridge and 8oz of milk.
I have 6oz of red berries or one piece of fruit.

Lunch is 4oz of meat or 2oz of cheese-grated it's loads. 12 oz of veg.
A piece of fruit, a tablespoon of oil or dressing.

Same for dinner.

I've had steak, I've had cod with vegetables. I've had chicken with grilled veggies. I even half my meat allowance and have an oz of cheese to make little ham bakes with lots of veggies and a garlic mayo.

My favourite meal is chicken bacon and cheese salad served with grilled mushrooms and garlic mayo.

An easy favourite is mushrooms stuffed with onions, garlic and cheese, with a mixed leaf salad, and again garlic and mayo dip.

I've also done breadless big Macs, I've halved my meat allowance to 2 oz, which allows me 1 oz of cheese. I squish lean mince into a patty shape, put it in tinfiol, throw it in the oven. Chop lettuce and onions and some gherkins, a little burger sauce, open up the tinfoil, throw the oz of cheese on top, close oven for a minute or so. Get it out. Honestly like its own little big Mac without the guilt.

Cod wrapped in tin foil with pepper, on the vine tomatoes drizzled in olive oil card pepper before chucking in the oven for a few minutes served with salad.

These foods are keeping me quite satisfied. HTH

I can't follow diets. I find them really complicated so I just decided to kind of making my own 'diet' by following common sense plus the foods I love. I don't cook much and I hate doing it so most of my main meals are plain meat + veg. After a year of doing this I went from a size 20 to a 10. I don't weigh myself or count calories.. I just find it makes you think about food all the time and makes me want to more.

I do eat alot of the same food which some people will find very boring.

Generally:
B (about 11am) Yogurt, berries and walnuts or two boiled eggs.
L (about 2pm) veg sticks with hummus or an Ommlette (2 eggs, spinach, tomatoes, onions, asparagus with some cheese).
Dinner (about 6pm) meat and veg.
So sausages and Swede mash with veg, burgers cut up in a massive salad, bolonagse with Swede mash or steak and salad.

My salads include 1/2 an avcardo.

I may snack on fruit, nuts or slices of meat and ocatrionally some chocolate.

I walk a lot, and do yoga / Pilates twice a week.

I have done this using mfp and lost weight, but it was tough going. I had a ‘deadline’ so it worked with me, but I had to make sure I ate proper food that would fill me up. No junk. I did it for about 2 months. I couldn’t long term - would be very depressing! I did exercise too to help it along and lost about 5lbs. I need to lose it all again as put it in over the summer hols and haven’t lost it.

Noeffingidea that’s why I didn’t throw pseudoscience around

It’s also quite well researched now that insulin resistance is a factor in weight loss for many people (such as myself, with pcos, history of GD in 3 pregnancies) and continuing to eat refined carbs makes it worse and can lead to T2 diabetes. That’s not pseudoscience.

It’s also a known fact that sugar has zero nutritional value. Zero. So it’s not Food is it? So cutting it out entirely can’t leave your diet in any kind of remit, because it gave you nothing but empty calories in the first place. No one gets their knickers in a twist over people cutting out alcohol (which is also virtually nutritionally void and empty calories) but when it comes to cutting back on hobnobs everyone’s in uproar like you’re cutting out a major food group.

Hence my post: find something that works for you, and do it. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t do it. Being overweight, unhappy and addicted to sugar didn’t work for me, but this does.

There is absolutely no single mention of low carbing in this research. It states a low calorie diet plus the importance of exercise.

That’s because it was a scientific trial which used meal replacement shakes to ensure calorie intake could be accurately measured.

That then lead to the BSD being developed, which focuses on foods which don’t spike blood sugars - ie, carbs.

Totally agree with Lizzie.

I was also at the statement that obesity is caused by whole grains and low fat. Really don't think this is true.

That then lead to the BSD being developed, which focuses on foods which don’t spike blood sugars - ie, carbs

So, your understanding is that in the BSD diet, you can eat as many calories as you want, as long as it’s low carb and you will reverse diabetes?

go on long walks and pile your plate with veg

Low carb was successful for me a few years ago but I've had to stop it as it caused some awful gall bladder problems.

What worries me more though that such a reliance on meat is just not healthy especially given the evidence that meat contains cancerous elements especially bacon.

It's hard to know what to eat these days!

So, your understanding is that in the BSD diet, you can eat as many calories as you want, as long as it’s low carb and you will reverse diabetes?

NO!

As I’ve already said on this thread, I follow the BSD. It’s rounds of 8-12 weeks of 800 low carb cals per day. Then I maintain my loss using 5:2 where I follow the low carb principles but don’t calorie count on 5/7 days. I find I naturally settle on 1100-1300 on maintainance days. Then I do another weight loss round.