HELP! Calories are kicking my butt...

StephEyeAm

I have my calories at 1200 per day. Seems like I am always going over my limit, my questions- Is 1200 an okay amount? What can I change in my diet to fit these calories without feeling like I am starving all of the time? I don't care for seafood of any kind so Im basically stuck with chicken which can get boring. I do enjoy cooking so I'm up any suggestions or ideas that anyone has. Thank you!

agreenid

Check into sites like skinnytaste.com for recipe ideas, or even the recipe section here on MFP.

I have the same calorie goal per day (1200) and usually pad that with exercise. I underestimate the calories burned (if the machine says I burned 500, I log it in at 425) and try to leave myself with at least 100 calories by the end of the night but I have no problem eating enough to make me full. Lots of vegetables and making sure you get enough protein is key for me... I also start my day with a shake that keeps me full till lunchtime.

fearlessleader104

If you are asking, then the answer is no.

StephEyeAm

agreenid wrote: »

Check into sites like skinnytaste.com for recipe ideas, or even the recipe section here on MFP.

I have the same calorie goal per day (1200) and usually pad that with exercise. I underestimate the calories burned (if the machine says I burned 500, I log it in at 425) and try to leave myself with at least 100 calories by the end of the night but I have no problem eating enough to make me full. Lots of vegetables and making sure you get enough protein is key for me... I also start my day with a shake that keeps me full till lunchtime.

I am definitely trying to up my protein and am starting to incorporate shakes into my daily calories. Trying to find the balance between calories and exercise and hunger is proving to be very difficult.

Ready2Rock206

Are you sure 1200 is a reasonable calorie goal for you? That's the absolute minimum. Many people can and do eat a lot more and still lose weight. Also if you do any exercise you should be eating back the calories or at least a portion of them. I couldn't function on 1200 calories.

cflynn99

I had a hard time sticking to 1200 calories. I found out that since I only had 10 pounds to loose I shouldn't have set it to 1lb per week, so I changed my goal to .5lb per week instead of 1lb and it helped so much in keeping me from being too hungry all the time.

jaqcan

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

Are you sure 1200 is a reasonable calorie goal for you? That's the absolute minimum. Many people can and do eat a lot more and still lose weight. Also if you do any exercise you should be eating back the calories or at least a portion of them. I couldn't function on 1200 calories.

^^This!

Need2Exerc1se

StephEyeAm wrote: »

agreenid wrote: »

Check into sites like skinnytaste.com for recipe ideas, or even the recipe section here on MFP.

I have the same calorie goal per day (1200) and usually pad that with exercise. I underestimate the calories burned (if the machine says I burned 500, I log it in at 425) and try to leave myself with at least 100 calories by the end of the night but I have no problem eating enough to make me full. Lots of vegetables and making sure you get enough protein is key for me... I also start my day with a shake that keeps me full till lunchtime.

I am definitely trying to up my protein and am starting to incorporate shakes into my daily calories. Trying to find the balance between calories and exercise and hunger is proving to be very difficult.

When you exercise, are you eating more to keep your calories at 1200 net? Whether 1200 is appropriate for you is hard to know without more information like height, current weight and activity level.

But, if you are hungry a lot then what you are currently eating is probably too low.

KarenJanine

What is your height and weight and how much do you want to lose? For most people a weight loss goal of 0.5 to 1lb per week is a healthy approach, which for most people (apart from the very short or very light) would give a higher calorie goal than 1200.

Also, MFP works out your calorie goal without exercise included. Therefore if you workout you are credited with extra calories.

DirrtyH

Protein, fiber, vegetables. Eggs, yogurt, cheese. (I'm not quite reaching my protein goal, but I'm coming close and I pretty much never eat chicken.) High fiber cereal. If I drink too many of my calories I'm hungry. I have to be careful about protein drinks for that reason.

Everyone will tell you 1200 is too low, and it might be, but if you're short like me it might be appropriate.

kxforg

How much are you over? I am able to do 1200 per day but I eat oatmeal for brekkie, a huge salad for lunch, 75% veggies and 25% protien for dinner.

There are other lean cuts of meat other than chicken or fish. I use marinated pork tenderloin and I also like to cook with marinated flank steak. They provide lots of flavor and help add variety to my meals with not too many additional calories.

SusanKing1981

I'm short and pretty inactive (lazy in my case) and I'm at 1200. I have 200 for breakfast, 500 for lunch and snacks and 500 for my dinner. I eat a lot of food but then I do load my plate with veggies and salad. I eat a ton of salmon but then you don't like fish so that doesn't help I suppose.

StephEyeAm

I am only 5'2", I am going to try logging my food for the entire day in the morning that way I know exactly where my meals/ snacks are at calorie wise. I generally eat between 1500-1800 daily and when I do a hard workout a little more if I feel hungry. I also noticed that a week or so ago when I ate more I actually lost weight, which I have heard before that if you eat more you can lose weight, finding that magic increased caloric intake that is very difficult for me. I appreciate all of your input!!! Thank you all!!!

Lizzy622

We all have that sweet spot and unfortunately it is very individual. Although the calculators give you starting point, it is trial and error and shifts as you lose weight. Good luck.

Lisajohnston

I am short and at 1200 some days i'm over but lately i've been pretty good. I am also doing a LowFODMAP diet for health reasons to figure out what is causing my digestive issues. I eat usually either eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, variety for lunch and dinner. Veggies and fruit for snacks. I don't restrict what I eat I just make sure I balance my day accordingly, I also find it helps to plan your day so you can plan how many calories you will consume to balance it out. I eat chicken and pork often and salad or veggies with it. I sometimes eat more often and have smaller amounts each time so I am never really hungry as I'm eating every few hours.

kmsoucy457

I have a very hard time keeping my calories down to 1200, too. In the last couple of weeks I've started exercising more so I can eat more but even then I am still over my 'net' by an average of 200 calories. So I'm still in a deficit, just a smaller one.
I am shorter (5'3") and have a desk job so categorized myself as 'sedentary'; the 1200 calorie allotment allows for .8lb/wk loss. Even going over, I have been losing just about a half pound per week. I do try to overestimate calories in and underestimate calories out, but I'd rather have a pleasant surprise than the other way around.

StephEyeAm wrote: »

I also noticed that a week or so ago when I ate more I actually lost weight, which I have heard before that if you eat more you can lose weight,

In the end it all comes down to math: you'll only lose weight by eating more if you are exercising away more calories than those extra you're taking in. CICO: You lost weight because you used more energy than you body took in - and well done, by the way!

Lukyanenko

Take a look at what you eat. Find foods that keep you full for longer. For me changing my breakfast to oatmeal with fruit and nuts, yoghurt with berries for lunch and chicken/fish with veggies and barley for dinner is what keeps me full for longer. And when I add a little sorbet for dessert it makes it easier to avoid snacking on sweets.

acorsaut89

StephEyeAm wrote: »

I am only 5'2", I am going to try logging my food for the entire day in the morning that way I know exactly where my meals/ snacks are at calorie wise. I generally eat between 1500-1800 daily and when I do a hard workout a little more if I feel hungry. I also noticed that a week or so ago when I ate more I actually lost weight, which I have heard before that if you eat more you can lose weight, finding that magic increased caloric intake that is very difficult for me. I appreciate all of your input!!! Thank you all!!!

Do you have a lot of weight to lose? If you do, in the beginning you have a larger margin for error simply because your body is bigger and it takes more to keep going. Once you lose weight, your margin of error becomes much smaller.

So right now, it could be a big range but that may change. If you legitimately ate between 1,500 and 1,800 and lost weight than that's your number. 1,200 is very low. You'd probably have to be about a 4'11 80 year old woman who is bed ridden for that. Your body needs food for fuel and not eating enough (in the long run) is just as harmful as eating too much.

Also - if you eat more than your body needs for maintenance you will gain weight. So this whole eat more to lose is a myth . . . you need to consume less than you burn to lose weight. It's really that simple.