Realistic Calorie Goal?

Theoprastus

So I'm about 180 pounds, which at 5'9" for an 18 year old girl puts me at about 27 BMI. I want to get to about 165 pounds (which is just in my healthy weight range) by the end of September, since that's when my next doctor's appointment is and I'm kinda tired of her telling me I'm too heavy every time I go. Since I'm pretty sedentary, my daily calorie goal is 1200, which from what I understand is the minimum amount of calories a woman should eat in a day. The only problem I have with meeting it is that I usually can't meet this goal when I'm also trying not to go over on my sugar and carb macros. Is the goal I've set for myself realistic and good if I'm struggling to get to 1200? Does anybody have simple (like, all I have is a microwave-simple) recipes or go-to-foods that are low in carbs and sugar but still nutrient dense?

theownley

Liquid eggs are low carb / filling, but do more than one serving. Walmart carries a protein powder (isolate) that is very low in carbs, frozen veggies are easy to prepare and low carb. I substitute mash potatoes for califlower mash. You can use microwavable steamed califlower (fresh taste a little better) with milk ( I Use sugar free almond milk original). Replacing your sides with seasoned (ms dash or mustard so you aren't adding to much sodium) veggies helps a lot. My food diary is also open to friends. I do a mix of high carb and low carb days. I also don't eat meat which if you do you could eat lean meats and fish.

Theoprastus

@theownley Great suggestions, I'll definitely try these! Thanks!

PrizePopple

Is there a medical condition in play that necessitates that you reduce carbs? If not then it's not going to be a big deal to eat the carbs allotted to you. Fruit has quite a bit of naturally occurring sugar (which is also a carb). Veggies and whole grains give you fiber your body needs to keep you regular. When you set yourself to lose 2 pounds per week and have yourself set at sedentary it almost always drops you to 1200. With a goal of 15 pounds to lose you'd be better off with a goal of .5 lb loss per week.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say a physician is going to be happy to see that you are losing weight at a safe and sustainable rate. Especially if you go in and are able to detail the methods you're using to obtain your goals. I know my GP, endo, GI, and GI surgeon (as well as the dietician at the hospital) have really enjoyed the fact that I've educated myself well on the dietary needs for my medical conditions and have continued to lose weight. The dietician at the hospital recognized me from my initial hospitalization and walked into my room post-op and pretty much turned around saying "I remember you, you're on it." :laugh:

melonayde

I would highly recommend surfing through the Eat More 2 Weigh Less area of MFP. It has helped me sooo much!

tomatoey

Theoprastus wrote: »

So I'm about 180 pounds, which at 5'9" for an 18 year old girl puts me at about 27 BMI. I want to get to about 165 pounds (which is just in my healthy weight range) by the end of September, since that's when my next doctor's appointment is and I'm kinda tired of her telling me I'm too heavy every time I go. Since I'm pretty sedentary, my daily calorie goal is 1200, which from what I understand is the minimum amount of calories a woman should eat in a day. The only problem I have with meeting it is that I usually can't meet this goal when I'm also trying not to go over on my sugar and carb macros. Is the goal I've set for myself realistic and good if I'm struggling to get to 1200? Does anybody have simple (like, all I have is a microwave-simple) recipes or go-to-foods that are low in carbs and sugar but still nutrient dense?

I don't think 1200 is realistic for a 5'9 young person at all, no.

I'm 5'7 and lost over 50 lbs (from 178) eating 1800-2200 total. (I didn't do MFP then, so didn't "eat back" exercise calories, I just ate that all the time. I.e. used the TDEE approach. I did work out hard most days.)

If I were you, I'd pick a calorie target that's easy to live with and forget about the date goal.

tomatoey

Your doc will be happy with any loss, pretty sure.