The Enduring Myth of the 1,200 Calorie Diet For Women
Where it came from and why it’s essentially a starvation diet
You can lose weight on a 1,200 calorie-restricted diet. But you can also lose your mind.
I did it several times in my 20s, when I was deeply enmeshed in the American diet culture and before I understood anything about whole foods and a healthy relationship to eating them.
It did what I wanted. I lost about 2 to 3 pounds per week without fail. But I also grew unhealthily obsessed with food. As soon as I’d finished what I’d allow myself to eat for breakfast, I’d start obsessing over what I was going to get for lunch. I’d plan my dinner all day long in the back of my mind while trying to work.
I was also exercising vigorously and lifting weights. I remember struggling to focus at work and being utterly obsessed with the number on the scale and the number of calories I’d consumed in one day.
Looking back, I don’t know how I managed it. My only explanation is that when you’re in your 20s, you can put yourself through many things that seem impossible (and stupid) when you're older.
What I know now, and what I wish I knew then, was that there are much healthier ways of weight loss. Ways that can be just as effective without making a person go crazy.
Where did the idea for 1,200 calories per day come from?
I chose to go on the 1,200 calorie diet back in the day because it was the conventional wisdom of the time that if you wanted to lose weight and you were female, 1,200 calories was the way to do it. You could be allowed 1500 if, and only if, you were active.
I decided that sticking to 1,200 calories AND being active was the quickest way to success. More like the quickest way to insanity.
I learned in an article from Lifehacker that the 1200 calorie diet has been around since the 1920s. It came about from the book called Diet and Health: With a Key to the Calories. This book was very popular, and the 1,200 calorie idea took hold in the public psyche and stayed there.
Is there any evidence 1200 calories per day is a good idea?
No, there is none that I was able to find. Now, you will lose weight on it if you can manage it. But, you can also lose weight in healthier and more sustainable ways that don’t make you hungry every minute of your life.
The problem with keeping yourself to 1,200 calories is that it won’t last. It’s not something people can do long-term. And once they‘ve lost the weight, and go off the diet, they’ll go back to their former ways, in many cases gaining back what they had lost.
How many calories do women need per day?
It varies, but a recent study published in Science found that the average woman aged 20 to 60 burns around 2,400 calories per day.
This number changes based on factors such as how active you are and how much you weigh. But the bottom line is, 1,200 calories is half of what most women need to survive each day. 1,200 calories won’t even give you enough for your basic daily needs.
The Minnesota Starvation Experiment
In 1944, the Minnesota Starvation Experiment was conducted to try to understand how to re-feed people who were suffering from starvation.
World War II was causing starvation and hunger issues around the world, so 36 volunteers signed up to help scientists study the psychological and physical effects of starvation.
To starve the subjects, they were allowed 1,570 calories per day to simulate a “semi-starvation” diet.
They were given 370 calories more to starve themselves than women are told to eat on the 1,200 calorie diet.
What were the effects of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment?
During the calorie-restricted phase of the experiment, the men experienced the following:
- decreased strength and stamina
- decreased body temperature, sex drive, and heart rate
- obsessive thoughts of food
- fatigue
- headaches
- irritability
- depression
- apathy
When they got off of the diet and began eating normally again, but their problems continued. Some developed eating disorders and body image concerns.
According to Chantal Gil, PsyD, of DukeHealth, “this study suggests that the act of restriction and extreme dieting impacts an individual’s physical, social, behavioral, and psychological well-being. To this day, the Minnesota Starvation Study is considered one of the most critical pieces of psychoeducation to share in the treatment of eating disorders.”
How can you lose weight safely?
Losing weight is so hard, and our diet-obsessed culture makes it difficult to recognize when you’re engaging in unhealthy behaviors. For some people, counting calories can trigger unhealthy obsessions with food. And your body may need a different number of calories on any given day based on what you’ve done that day. If you increase your activity, your body will increase your hunger to try to keep a balance.
Experts agree the best way to lose weight is to try to eat healthy foods, keep active, and listen to your hunger cues. It sounds easy, but it’s not.
If you’re struggling with weight loss, you may want to consider consulting your doctor or a nutritionist for help. But please, don’t starve yourself to lose weight.
