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

[Lilacdreamowl]

I’m two stone overweight. I’ve started calorie counting and upping up my steps and on couch to 5k in my third week.
i can’t stick to 1200 calories :( i find it very tough. I have one meal a day where i allow carbs that i like such as bread, rice or pasta as whenever I’ve tried very low carb it just doesn’t work. The other two meals I don’t have carbs.
im ranging between 1205-1500 this week.

Can I still lose weight if i do a smaller deficit instead? Wanted to hear other experiences on a smaller deficit and how long it took?

You should do a deficit calculated on the James Smith Academy free calculator

There may be some adult women with a TDEE of 1200kcal but I would venture that this is very unusual, even on Mumsnet.

You are aware we are meant to have 2000 calories not 1200 aren't you.
Healthy eating and a not too-out-there treat is fine usually. Perhaps swimming once a week or something like that and build it up to more.
Though without knowing if you have high cholesterol and on any meds, it's hard to say.
But a swim exercise tones every muscle really if stuck too.
So I eat carbs more than i should and have a sweet tooth and was a stone overweight. I lessend the cake and swam and lost it over 6 months. I changed evening sweet stuff for crackers and breakfast from toast to porridge with fruit.
Hope it goes well

I can only stick to 1200 if I use ‘unhealthier’ upf foods so it depends what you are prioritising. If it’s purely weight loss with no regard to nutrition then it’s fine.

I have one sensible proper meal and then have low calorie soups/broths (cabbage/veg soup, miso, cuppa soups etc) and things like a massive bowl of sugar free jelly in the evening to stop me snacking. Low calorie chocolate bars (skinny whips etc)

it’s not very sustainable for me, I’m better going slightly higher calories and eating proper less processed foods.

2000 calories isn't true for most people, especially women.

I would be morbidly obese if I ate that, I'm short.

TDEE is energy expenditure, not calories in.

My recommended calorie intake to lose 1-2lb a week is 1200. I would say it's very common for people under 5'2"

Very few adult women need 2000 calories. That would be for instance a 180 cm women of normal weight exercising 2-3 times a week.

1500-1800 is much closer to what a average women need in our society.

Fast 800 works for me, as the food is very filling and tasty.

How very depressing. I’m losing weight eating actual food.

I am always puzzled when lots of people say 1200 is too low. The reason I don't do diets with calorie counting is that I am only ever allowed 1257 according to sites like my fitness pal. If you are short, fat and sedentary this amount is about right to lose weight I think.

Which of the items the PP listed aren't "actual food"?

They aren’t anything people would choose to eat. They are sad replacements for joy-bringing food and nourishment.

I know exactly what TDEE is, and it is calories in if you wish to maintain your weight. PP referred to a ‘short slim woman’ who presumably has no need to lose weight and therefore does not need a calorie deficit. To repeat, it’s very unlikely that there are many adult women with a total daily energy expenditure of 1200kcal.

I personally find 1200 really hard to stick to, I'd just be constantly thinking about food. If you've significantly upped your exercise recently (sounds like you have with C25K) you might find 1500 calories more manageable. I'm 5'4 and late 30s also for context and have managed slow gradual weight loss on those sorts of numbers. Other people's suggestions on low calorie filling foods such as soups/broths are great. Grapes are a good sweet snack as they are filling with high water content.

What worked for me was calculating required calorie intake at the target weight and usual activity levels. Then eating that. The weight came off quickly at first then slowed down nearer the target until it stabilised. If it stabilises slightly higher or lower than required the calculation was just slightly off.
Going into a massive calorie deficit to fast-track the process is going to be miserable, and possibly lead to some yo-yo-ing when you try to eat "normally" again.
You'll get a load of people telling you that calories are meaningless, and yes, there is some evidence to show that the other nutrients also have an impact, but as a yard-stick, caloric intake is an extremely useful tool.

If low carb didn't work it was because you were counting calories and not eating enough fat AND probably not going fully hardcore low carb.

If you go fully low carb you can eat a huge amount of protein for fullness and the weight still drops off IME.

Whether it's particularly healthy/ethical to eat that much meat/cheese is another matter!

Speak for yourself. We love eggs in our household and eat them almost daily. Broccoli - delicious. I prefer cavalo Nero over spinach, but I frequently blitz raw spinach with frozen berries and a shot of coffee for mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Yes, it's entirely possible to lose weight on chicken nuggets and macaroni cheese but nothing the poster listed is objectionable or undesirable.

I recently did 1,000 Kcal / day for 2 weeks

Fruit for breakfast with black coffee or 100g greek yoghurt with berries.

Veg soup + 2 ryvitas for lunch or jacket potato with cottage cheese, sweetcorn and a shitton of lettuce.

Normalish dinner, but small portion and carb light.

Maybe a satsuma for a snack.
It was brutal but I lost 2 Kg.

Firstly check if 1200 is the calorie deficit you need. Secondly, you don’t need to lose a certain amount per week, do it in slightly slower time and up your calories a little (or up them in the first few weeks, then reduce as you’ll find it easier after a few weeks in). Thirdly, 5000 steps is quite low, can you increase this so you can eat a little more. I aim for 15k a day when dieting, and whilst I do a lot of outdoor walks on weekends (i’m in a walking group) I do a lot of my steps mid week indoors. Sometimes up and down the living room (like now, whilst browsing phone and watching TV) and sometimes via some indoor walking videos on youtube (Leslie Sansone is great for beginners).

If I only did 5k steps I wouldn’t lose as i’m short and not a massive amount overweight (had just tipped from normal to overweigh) so my TDEE is not very high. So at least this way I get to eat more / lose faster and its good exercise.

Exactly. For many people who are short and not hugely overweight they have no choice but to eat 1200 or they don’t lose. The toddler comparison is frustrating and comes from people who aren’t short in height or never had to diet

Correct. My TDEE is 1547 (not sure how they work it out so precisely)

If I want to lose 1lb a week, you have to cut by 500 a day. That makes just over 1k cals

So lets say Im happy with half a pound a week, (I wouldnt be and would lose motivation) but that still leaves me only allowed around 1300 a day

And like someone else said unfortunately any exercise makes me ravenous, I would eat someone if they stood still too long. So that doesnt work.

Well their TDEE will be higher of course, but if they want to lose 1lb a week they need to be in daily deficit of 500, so 1700 TDEE is not unusual for many ladies.

PP specifically said that the imaginary woman was slim. Slim women don’t need to lose weight and don’t need to maintain a deficit. TDEE of 1200 kcal is very very unusual.

I look slim. Im half a stone overweight (thats what I want to lose). So I need to cut my calories or up the outage.

I wouldnt say Im short but Im not tall either, but I am old and sedentary

Is your TDEE 1200kcal?