- Carbs matter in that if you eat too many, especially too many high GI carbs, you will become hyperinsulinaemic and put on weight. 1200 calories per day is very low and unnecessary unless you want to starve yourself at the same time. As long as you keep the glycaemic load of your diet low enough, then you should begin to lose any excess weight. If not then try cutting back carbs even further, or reducing daily intake by approx 250 calories.
- There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. Good carbohydrates are unprocessed and in their natural state such as in vegetables and fruit. Bad carbs are things made with enriched flour, white bread, most pastas and most snack foods. Sugars and corn syrup are bad carbs too. Your body cannot break these carbs down as easy and use them for energy. Watch sodium as well. It takes a little bit to get use to not seasoning everything with salt, but too much sodium will not allow you to lose weight.
- At 1200 calories and lower per day your body starts to lose muscle and store any calories it can since your body believes it is starving. Focus on lean proteins (chicken, turkey, fish, lean red meat now and then), good carbs for energy, a little fruit for glucose, and a good amount of vegetables spread out throughout the day (1500-2000 calories). You will lose weight eating 2000 calories a day with the right food.
ADDITION BY REEMAMALIK: NO... Fruit does not contain a lot of glucose but fructose... and sucrose... glucose comes mainly from wheats like rice and grains... so you do need to eat rice and grains... the Chinese people are the slimmest yet they survive on rice...so no...rice is not bad at all... the sugar in tropical fruits is just as bad as refined sugar so limit intake of any fruits that you don't eat with the skin... such as melons, mangos, bananas, etc... apples and any other fruits you consume with the skin usually contain glucose which is definitely better than fructose containing tropical fruits... so cherries, grapes and apples are the best fruits to eat if you crave something sweet...