Why Your 1200kcal Diet is Trash!
From experience, when I meet female clients already using calorie tracking apps for weight loss the most common target they're tracking to is 1200kcal. Sometimes this can be a genuine calculation they’ve received from a calorie calculator.
For a 5’2” female weighing 70kg with a sedentary activity level. Most calorie calculators will suggest an intake just below 1200kcal to facilitate weight loss of 0.5kg per week. This is based off a predicted daily calorie expenditure of 1700kcal, and a standard -500kcal per day calorie deficit.
For this person to lose weight at this rate 1200kcal per day is the required amount. However, there are some problems with this.
The issue with very low calorie diets
Practically speaking, consuming 1200kcal or less a day can pose several issues that make it practically, if not physiologically, unsustainable. These include:
It’s more difficult to source all the necessary fats, fibre and micronutrients when total food intake is so heavily restricted. This can lead to low energy levels and possible nutrient deficiencies.
It’s more difficult to meet adequate protein requirements on reduced food intake. This could possibly result in muscle loss and suboptimal toning results.
It is almost impossible to accommodate any social based dietary variance on a 1200kcal plan. Restaurant visits will likely be a minimum of 800kcal which is a huge chunk out of your daily calorie intake. Even if you can make this work by accommodating elsewhere in the day, then you’ll just be further compromising the nutrient quality of your diet.
It is possible to meet your micronutrient and macronutrient requirements on a 1200kcal diet. However, in doing so you are likely to leave no wiggle room for any treat snacks/social engagements. This can lead to a very miserable time and lack of adherence.
If you are someone who 1200kcal is genuinely the appropriate calorie intake for weight loss of 0.5kg a week then here are two things to consider:
Try targeting 'Mild Weight Loss' instead. This will be a target closer to 1500kcal. Yes predicted weight loss is slower (0.25kg per week) however overall weight loss will be greater if it's a plan you can actually stick to for 6-8 weeks rather than a 1200kcal plan you keep starting and quitting after one week because it's too restrictive.
Increase your activity level. 1200kcal targets or less are usually generated when activity level is selected as 'Sedentary'. Increasing this to 'Lightly Active' will move this figure closer to 1400kcal and only cost you adding an hours walk a day, or a few gym sessions a week.
It is always better to be doing more exercise and eating more calories than doing less exercise and eating less calories even if the deficit is the same. The more we can eat the more nutrient quality and protein we can get and the more flexibility we will have in our diets. Using one or both of these adjustments will allow you to pursue your goal at a more sensible calorie intake.
binge-restrict cycles
Of the numerous women I meet who are currently tracking to 1200kcal, most of them are not losing weight. This makes no sense physiologically as 1200kcal is likely to be less than most people's basal metabolic rate let alone accounting for all the additional activity and movement they do each day.
The reality is, the attempt to eat so little calories in the week increases the chances of over consumption on the weekend when the restriction of all the foods we enjoy gets too much and leads to binging. This leads to an average calorie intake that is much higher than 1200kcal a day and in the case of 'no weight loss' the average calorie intake will actually be maintenance rather than any form of deficit.
This is the most common and most unfortunate pattern I see. Over restriction in the week, over consumption at the weekend. A cycle of binge and restrict, guilt and abstaining. The net result is a miserable time dieting with very little food or nutrient quality in the week, and then a miserable time over eating junk and feeling guilty at the weekend all with zero progress towards your goal. It really is the worst of both worlds.
Changing a cycle like this starts with eating more in the week before we can start to address reducing the weekend overeating. If this cycle can be broken you’ll be surprised by the amount of calories you can eat consistently and still lose weight once the extremes of restriction and over consumption have been ironed out.
Final thoughts
There are very few people tracking to 1200kcal for whom it is appropriate for, and even fewer for who it is working for. In almost all cases settling for a higher calorie target that you can actually stick to consistently is the route forward! If you’re stuck in this cycle and need some help, don’t go looking for another 1200kcal nutrition plan online - drop me a message and let’s arrange a consultation to start putting a plan together.
Dan