0A 1,200-calorie diet is a way of eating that limits the number of daily calories that you consume to 1,200. This diet is considered a low calorie diet because it provides significantly fewer calories than most average adults need to maintain their weight. Many healthcare providers, including doctors and dietitians, prescribe low calorie diets as a go-to strategy for weight loss. A common recommendation to spark weight loss is to decrease calorie intake by 500-750 calories per day. This usually translates to a low calorie diet of 1,200-1,500 calories per day for adult women and 1,500-1,800 calories per day for adult men. Note that 1,200 calories is at the low end of the recommended low calorie diet ranges for women.Some researchers categorize low calorie diets as dietary patterns that deliver between 800-1,200 calories per day, while very low calorie diets are categorized as diets that deliver fewer than 800 calories per day .These diets are typically followed for short periods of weeks to months to promote rapid weight loss. Low calorie and very low calorie diets are commonly used in clinical settings under medical supervision, such as weight loss centers, but they're popular with the general public as well. In fact, many weight loss coaches, personal trainers, and popular dieting websites offer 1,200-calorie meal plans, promising that following a 1,200-calorie diet will help you "slim down fast." These diets typically promote the use of "low calorie," "fat-free," and "reduced-fat" foods to help keep calorie intake low and usually involve calorie counting so that dieters make sure they're staying under their daily limit.While a 1,200-calorie diet may be appropriate in the short term in certain situations, 1,200 calories are far too few for the majority of adults. Plus, while you may initially experience fast weight loss when dramatically reducing your calorie intake, studies show that low calorie diets rarely work for keeping weight off for good.