1200 Daily Calorie

nylcaj8410

Hey everyone.....

My daily calorie intake max is 1200 calories. I am looking for support and motivation help... I do have motivation but I am looking for food ideas and what not.... I feel but like literally 2pm I am already at 550 calories remaing for the day.... I am eating extremely healthy but I feel like I have nothing left for the rest of the day.....what are some healthy LOW calorie snack ideas??? I also struggle with what to have for dinner everynight.... any ideas to keep me on track???

I do exercise, 6 times a week doing instanity so I am burning roughly 230-300 calories a workout.

Thanks for the help!

Pearsquared

Max 1200 calories, you say? I say popcorn. Popcorn for us all.

itstimeRK

I'm 26, on a 1200 calorie diet, and I keep my food diary open to friends! I've already lost 27 lbs and still need to lose about 35 more. You can add me to your friends if you'd like and I'll gladly lend you my support.

rlprichard29

I have been on this for 3 weeks....I have stayed around calorie intake and every now and then get where it will state I'm probably not eating enough. But it states what I should weigh in 5 weeks...and I've lost nothing. So why is that? I've been getting water in also.

nylcaj8410

same here I lost initially 3 pounds and now nada....

suruda

I do 1200 calories also...apples are my best friend! I slice them thin and have them with me all day. I also snack on celery or snap peas. I tend to eat very plain food currently, sliced chicken breast and an apple for lunch, 1/2 cup of yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast and then tons of veggies and lean protein for dinner. I like mushrooms sautéed and served over a turkey burger patty. I also love roasted brussel sprouts and root vegetables. 1200 calories feels like more if you try to consume a lot of them in fruits and veggies! I often have a few left at the end of the evening for a sweet chocolate treat (either SF pudding or a dove dark)

I've lost 16 lbs since 1/4 and I'm 50 yo

rosebette

If you're burning between 200-300 a day, you can always eat back your exercise calories. Since MFP already has built in a deficit, if you eat your exercise calories, you are still "netting" 1200 calories. For instance, if you stay at 1200 and burn 300, you are really netting only 900 calories, which is why you might feel hungry. It would also be helpful to know your stats. If you are younger, active, and don't have much to lose, 1200 might be too low. I'm older and am usually around 1200, but eat back exercise calories. Like the other posters, I eat a larger breakfast, then small meals all day.

PoisonIvy088

If I were you, I'd also eat back exercise calories. You get to eat more because you burned that energy. So you can eat 1500, but still net 1200. I do this and I'm losing fine, although I'm on slightly more than 1200.

I usually set aside 150 calories for 2 snacks a day between meals. I keep my breakfast and lunch to 250-300 calories. and then I have enough room for a nice large dinner.

throoper

I also aim for 1200 but eat back exercise calories.... 1200 is hard to stick to otherwise!

I concur with a previous poster that fruits and veggies are a good way to eat a lot but keep it relatively low cal. Oven roasted veggies with garlic and a little olive oil are sooooo good and pretty light. Other good snacks are fried or hardboiled eggs, light string cheese, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, mini sweet peppers, apples, jerky... For dinner I often have a big bowl of steamed broccoli or asparagus and some grilled lean meat (chicken breast, pork loin, etc).

jessjess210

Pearsquared wrote: »

Max 1200 calories, you say? I say popcorn. Popcorn for us all.

Wait for it.....no? I'll start. OP, first of all there is a good chance that you can probably eat more than 1200 calories and still lose weight at a pretty good rate. Second, I've done insanity and I know it burns more than 300 calories, and therefore is very hard to sustain long term if you aren't fueling your body. Are you using an HR monitor?

Also, you might want to go online and use one of the many TDEE calculators to figure out how many calories you should be eating based on your height, weight, age and activity level. You will see it's more than 1200, and in turn much more sustainable in the long run.

margolinville

rlprichard29 wrote: »

I have been on this for 3 weeks....I have stayed around calorie intake and every now and then get where it will state I'm probably not eating enough. But it states what I should weigh in 5 weeks...and I've lost nothing. So why is that? I've been getting water in also.

Try getting a digital scale. Weigh yourself every morning before you eat or drink anything without clothes. Stop eating a lot of salty foods

margolinville

PoisonIvy088 wrote: »

If I were you, I'd also eat back exercise calories. You get to eat more because you burned that energy. So you can eat 1500, but still net 1200. I do this and I'm losing fine, although I'm on slightly more than 1200.

I usually set aside 150 calories for 2 snacks a day between meals. I keep my breakfast and lunch to 250-300 calories. and then I have enough room for a nice large dinner.

I eat before I exercise. Then I'm not hungry afterwards. Especially if I run for 20 minutes.
If I over eat I stationary bike 2x that day for 1.5 hour. I make sure I bike after the last meal slowly,

nylcaj8410

Yes I have a HR monitor actually today I burned 400 calories doing instanity It was just a rough estimate earlier...

jessicasingh528 wrote: »

Pearsquared wrote: »

Max 1200 calories, you say? I say popcorn. Popcorn for us all.

Wait for it.....no? I'll start. OP, first of all there is a good chance that you can probably eat more than 1200 calories and still lose weight at a pretty good rate. Second, I've done insanity and I know it burns more than 300 calories, and therefore is very hard to sustain long term if you aren't fueling your body. Are you using an HR monitor?

Also, you might want to go online and use one of the many TDEE calculators to figure out how many calories you should be eating based on your height, weight, age and activity level. You will see it's more than 1200, and in turn much more sustainable in the long run.

Nickers5405

Make your first meal of the day the biggest and your last meal of the day the smallest. Eat most of your carbs in the first half of the day and higher fats / protein in the second half.

Goodluck!

scaryg53

I snack all day, kale chips are good snack, veggies and berries, nuts and seeds

KimFrench1979

I am on 1200 also, I find a big breakfast helps me thru to lunch most of the time, but I have been having frozen meals for lunch and a diet shake and a yoghurt really helped me at dinner time. I sleep better when I don't have a full stomach, and then I can't wait for breakfast again. At the moment I'm not doing a lot of cooking for myself yet, but what I'm doing is working for me.

dontjinxit

I had a lot of salads as snacks when on 1200 calories. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, vinegar - all super low calorie and filling when in a heap together.

laurahickman14

One step at a time - looking to make more friends and share lots of motivation and tips with you all - the more friends the happier!

miss_rye_

I am eating close to 1800 a day, and losing just fine. I eat this every day, work out or not. I love that I can eat and not fear food. Plus, I won't binge this way either.

RGv2

nylcaj8410 wrote: »

Yes I have a HR monitor actually today I burned 400 calories doing instanity It was just a rough estimate earlier...

jessicasingh528 wrote: »

Pearsquared wrote: »

Max 1200 calories, you say? I say popcorn. Popcorn for us all.

Wait for it.....no? I'll start. OP, first of all there is a good chance that you can probably eat more than 1200 calories and still lose weight at a pretty good rate. Second, I've done insanity and I know it burns more than 300 calories, and therefore is very hard to sustain long term if you aren't fueling your body. Are you using an HR monitor?

Also, you might want to go online and use one of the many TDEE calculators to figure out how many calories you should be eating based on your height, weight, age and activity level. You will see it's more than 1200, and in turn much more sustainable in the long run.

1200 max sounds really aggressive. How tall are you and roughly what do you weigh?

Are you aiming for 1200 max gross intake, or 1200 net. Big difference if you're burning 400 a day in exercise.

nylcaj8410

im 5'5 right now 131

sarahpadg

I love the Dannon light & fit strawberry greek yogurt. 80 calories and it keeps my blood sugar up for the hours between breakfast and lunch. I eat breakfast at 4:30 am each day and usually don't get lunch until 11 so these are great.

lkniebuehler

I eat about 1200 cals a day, give or take...I get hungry about every 4 hours and I try to keep my meals and snacks high in protein and fiber to keep me fuller longer. Ideas: fish, string cheese, greek yogurt, high protein/high fiber cereal (Kashi Go Lean) and green apples.

Serah87

laurahickman14 wrote: »

One step at a time - looking to make more friends and share lots of motivation and tips with you all - the more friends the happier!

You say the same thing every time you post, is that all you have to say??

Serah87

nylcaj8410 wrote: »

im 5'5 right now 131

OP you are 30 years old, you need to eat more, figure out your TDEE, plus you don't look like you have much to lose, half pound to a pound a week would be ideal.

ETA: I'm 45 years old, 5'2, and lost weight eating 1700-1800 calories.

sgthaggard

nylcaj8410 wrote: »

im 5'5 right now 131

IMO, your weight-loss goals are too aggressive. I'm 5'6" started at 135lbs, ate 1350 calories + exercise calories (weight training 3x a week, running 3x a week) and I've been losing an average of 0.7lbs a week.

There's really no need for you to be eating that few calories.

softblondechick

Soup! Vegetable soup, miso soup with tofu, chicken soup...I put zucchini in everything. And salad....end of day, I sip herb tea.

RGv2

sgthaggard wrote: »

nylcaj8410 wrote: »

im 5'5 right now 131

IMO, your weight-loss goals are too aggressive. I'm 5'6" started at 135lbs, ate 1350 calories + exercise calories (weight training 3x a week, running 3x a week) and I've been losing an average of 0.7lbs a week.

There's really no need for you to be eating that few calories.

^^^Agreed. Are you set at 2lbs per week? Just a quick TDEE calculation shows a TDEE around 1900-2000 calories. That's probably why you find yourself running out of calories so fast.

Also, are you aiming for 1200 net or gross. That makes a difference here too.

AlisonH729

Agree. Calculate your TDEE. (And if set to -2 lbs a week consider -1lb or even -.5)

At 5'2 and 118 I am eating around 1400 calories a day. (I can really eat more than that but I set it a little low to account for logging errors. Like bites of cookie and sips of soda I steal from my fiancé and don't account for.)

I started at 1200 and was miserable. I lost weight but it wasn't a sustainable lifestyle. But like so many others I put my numbers into MFP and figured eat less, lose faster right? Then when I came on the boards and saw everyone talking this thing called TDEE, which I had never heard of, I read up on it and discovered (woo hoo!) I could eat more. 200 extra calories may not seem like much but just think, if you had eaten the same breakfast and lunch you would have 750 calories left for dinner. Which is a lot, IMO.

You don't have to torture yourself for this to work.

nylcaj8410

Serah87 wrote: »

laurahickman14 wrote: »

One step at a time - looking to make more friends and share lots of motivation and tips with you all - the more friends the happier!

You say the same thing every time you post, is that all you have to say??

ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?

Isabelle_1929

My two cents about the "oh my gosh 1200 calories is the bare minimum !"

On this forum, every time someone mentions in a post eating 1200 per day, there is a bunch of folks saying: "you don't need to starve yourself like that. Proof: I did lose by eating more".

My advice: try and see what works FOR YOU. There are people who cannot lose if they eat more than 1200 (and no, not all idiots who don't know how to measure their food). Or some will lose by eating a bit more (like 1400), but they'll lose so slowly (i.e. one pound per month) that they get discouraged, and give up. That's my case, personally.

Also I prefer to feel a little more hunger everyday, but for a shorter period of time. I also prefer feeling hunger instead of having to spend a large amount of my free time working out. I don't like sport and exercise. I do it because of my health, but if there was a magic "fitness pill", I'd buy it by the gallon.

Again, it is a personal choice.

You may try to increase the calories, of course. If you can lose comfortably at 1400 cals per day, heck, why not !! But there is nothing like empirical study. Try it for yourself.


Edited to add: low cal snacks? Surprisingly, eggs are not bad at all. A medium size hard boiled egg , with a large cup of herbal tea, makes a good afternoon snack. And greek yogurt as well. Some are really low on calories and I find them quite filling. Plus they feel like dessert.