You can't lose weight on 1200 calories a day because you're no longer in a calorie deficit. Your body has adapted to what it's been doing and plateaued. If you start your diet with a 500 calorie deficit per day, your body adapts to this in various way so that over time your energy requirements are reduced.
Cutting calories by 500–750 calories per day, as some health professionals advise, is likely to encourage weight loss, at least in the short term. Many studies have shown that following low calorie diets, including 1,200-calorie diets, can promote weight loss.
Muscle is denser than fat.
While one pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle, muscle occupies about 18 percent less space. In addition, muscle burns calories while fat stores them. So, if your weight isn't decreasing but your clothes are starting to fit more loosely, you may be building muscle.
“And then, of course, everybody's metabolism is slightly different. But the average weight loss that most people see on the 1200 calorie diet is about one to two pounds per week.”
Remember, eating fewer than 1,200 calories typically doesn't provide enough fuel or nutrients, according to Harvard Health Publishing. In fact, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 per day for people AFAB or 1,500 per day for people AMAB unless under the supervision of a doctor.
It is possible that some people might not lose any weight or will need to remain on a restricted calorie diet for a significant time before seeing results. Weight loss will vary between people. For some people, an alternative approach, such as getting more exercise or consuming less sugar, might be a better option.
A. The time it takes to lose weight on a particular amount of calories differs from person to person. For example, it would take one 3 to 6 months on average to lose 30 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet. It is based on CDC; one can lose 1 to 2 pounds per week on average.
The amount of food we consume daily has a significant impact on bodily function. Most adults need a minimum of 2000 calories to sustain metabolism, muscle activity, and brain function.
If you're trying to lose weight, a small calorie deficit is okay. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) recommends a calorie deficit of no more than 250 to 500 calories per day for active adults.
You're eating too much during your eating window.
“If you end up consuming the same number of calories (or more) during your eating windows as before you started intermittent fasting, then you won't lose weight.”
You will likely gain muscle mass and may begin to lose some fat mass. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it also burns more calories. Closely tracking your weight during this window can be confusing—your clothes may feel looser while the number on the scale stays the same or even goes up a few pounds.
You're Eating Too Much
If you've already refined your diet and are still not losing weight, it may be that you're simply eating too much. In order to lose weight, your body needs to run a calorie deficit, meaning you need to burn more than you consume. That being said, you don't need to deprive yourself either.
For example, to burn 1,200 calories you would need to swim laps for two and a half to three hours. At a health club with a pool, however, a 160-pound individual can burn 1,200 calories with a workout that includes one hour of swimming, one hour of weight training and 38 minutes of walking on a stair treadmill.
A 1,200 calorie diet, according to most nutritionists or food experts, is a restrictive, unsustainable, likely unhealthy diet for any adult woman.
If you're fairly inactive, a healthy target for weight loss would be around 1,300 - 1,500 for women and 1,800 - 2,000 calories for men. If your activity levels are higher, you may want to be raising this figure to account for around half the calories you're burning through exercise.
Eating too few calories can be the start of a vicious cycle that causes diet distress. When you cut your calories so low that your metabolism slows and you stop losing weight, you probably will become frustrated that your efforts are not paying off. This can lead you to overeat and ultimately gain weight.
It is commonly said that if you eat too few calories, your metabolism will slow down to a point where you no longer lose weight. Part of this is true: as you lose weight your energy expenditure does drop. However, consuming too few calories cannot and will not cause you to gain weight. This is simply impossible.
In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional.
Your Metabolism Will Slow Down to Store Fat
The more you work out or manage your calorie intake to lose weight, the more your metabolism wants to compensate by slowing down to maintain your current weight, this is called metabolic compensation. It kicks in to preserve and store fat for future energy.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
Men's bodies require a higher caloric intake. This means that a typical woman can eat between 1200 and 1500 calories a day to lose weight. A typical male body needs about 1500 to 1800 calories daily to lose weight.