Who here is eating 1200 calories after ...

pandapotlovebug

...not counting calories for a long time and gaining weight. 1200 is tough! (Isn't it?)im hungry! any tips on how to eat so little? How many of you are successful at this allowance?

TheVirgoddess

You only have 28 pounds to lose, your goal is likely too aggressive.

You should set it to lose .5-1lb a week (my guess is that you're at 2).

Eat more

ejchapman123

Ease back in! Do a couple weeks at 1300-1400, then dial it back. There is no huge rush!

diannethegeek

These are my really general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

callsitlikeiseeit

i have found that if i eat at home, 1200 is pretty easy to stick to. BUT... we eat out a LOT (Which is why i work out, so I can cover those extra calories LOL). eating out is a lot harder to stick to that low of a number.

and ditto to the comments about youre trying to lose it too quick. that little to lose will take longer, and a smaller deficit will help you reach that goal without feeling ravenous.

Kalikel

1200 is fine for me. I don't get hungry. Some days, I eat less. Some days I eat more.

I averaged 1147 last month. It wasn't hard.

It's really easy to stay full if you eat a lot of fruits and veggies.

HeatherCrazyCat

Yeah, 1200 Calories is really tough, isn't it?
I started off with over 50lbs to lose, and began my weight loss journey eating 1200 Calories a day.
For the first 2 weeks I felt horrifically hungry, but after that it was ok.
I decided after my first month to go up to 1290 as I exercise 3-4 times a week, and was starting to feel giddy and light-headed!
Last week I was on holiday and relaxed my diet for the week - still sensible and active, but not tracking every single thing. This week I'm back to feeling starving all the time!
If you try and eat more things that are low in Calories but high in protein and/or fibre, that might help you feel more full?
Or if you get the chance to exercise more, you can eat more, yay!
Failing that, there is no harm in upping your Calorie intake a little, and reaching your target slightly slower rather than on the express route. The end goal of good health is what matters, and you are more likely to stick with it if you are making food choices that keep you satisfied

ManiacalLaugh

I stick to 1200 only on sedentary days. If I work out I have to eat up to 1400 at least or I feel famished. (I'm 5'4)

This all kind of depends on your current height and weight, though. If you're of average height or above, 1200 might just not be enough for you.

jvs125

I like volume, so I try to find low calorie foods that take up lots of space in a plate/bowl. Also, higher protein foods help a lot so I try to have a good serving of protein with every meal.

Kimegatron

I guess it depends on what you're used to? I have a hard time getting to 1,200. I lost 5lbs and it raised me to 1,230. Then I go walking and mfp gives me another 400 calories or so. It's hard to eat more!

HeatherCrazyCat

Those are great tips, Dianne! I'm starving tonight after using up my day's calories, so I'll be bearing them in mind

pandapotlovebug

Thanks all
I'm on day three and I haven't stayed under 1200. I'm actually over today already.... and I I don't like to be hungry lol!

Kalikel

You might be able to eat more than 1200 and still lose. Many people do!

agreenid

I exercise so I have 400 or so additional calories to play with.

FunkyTown007

I've been doing 1200-1400 for a long time now. Usually my day looks like this:

6 am: Any kind of Fruit (100- 150 cals)

10 am: 2 whole wheat toast+ boiled egg+ 20 gram feta cheese+ salad (1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 green pepper/chilli) That's about 320 cals

2 pm: 20 grams almonds/ 250 ml of O.J/ or sometimes I have a little amount of anything I want (116/ 118/ 200 cals)

6 pm: Lunch *when I am eating at home it's usually >> ( protein+ veggies+ 100 grams rice/pasta)
or ( 2 Toast+ 150 grams tuna/ 150 grams grilled chicken/ 150 grams grilled fish+ Salad)
Lunch is usually anywhere from 500-700 cals

So 150+ 320+ 200+ 700= 1370- 200 treat cals= 1170

Ang108

pandapotlovebug wrote: »

...not counting calories for a long time and gaining weight. 1200 is tough! (Isn't it?)im hungry! any tips on how to eat so little? How many of you are successful at this allowance?

I can only speak about myself and because I do well on 1200 calories a day, does not mean the same is true for you. I am going on 70 and am under 5 feet tall. I gained a lot of weight ( after being in my normal weight range all my life ) after being diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer. I figured that without thyroid I would gain and started to eat ( mostly rice, pasta and bread in exaggerated portions in addition to other healthy foods) out of self pity and gained a lot of weight.
When I started MFP in April 2013 I ate first 1400, then 1300 calories and only after I went down to 1200 calories after not losing anything for six month, did I start to lose the planned .5 pounds a week. I have since lost 65pounds.
I now eat more than I ever did, because I also stopped eating breakfast. I had forced myself to do so all my life, because I was made to believe that it was the most important meal of the day. I am a volume eater and now eat two largish meals between 2-9pm. This is a way of eating that works for me and might not work for many others.
Eating almost 100% natural foods and not snacking ( which is easy for me, because I don't like sweet stuff ) has made a big difference.
This is what I get to eat today, including half a pound of potatoes, half a pound of fresh strawberries with cream.

Home Brewed Coffee - Black Coffee No Sugar or Sweetener, 12 oz 4 0 0 0 0 0

1st Meal ( After 2pm)
Homemade - Hiyashi Chuka Cold Japanese Noodles, 1.5 cups 289 38 6 19 2,149 32
radishes - veg, 50 grams 30 1 0 0 0 0
Generic - Fresh Sliced Cucumbers, 314 g 38 5 0 4 8 0
Marcum - Coarse Ground Black Pepper, 1/8 tsp 3 1 0 0 0 0
Fresh - Lime Juice, 2 tbsp 8 3 0 0 1 0
Red Onion - Chopped, 0.12 Cup 6 1 0 0 0 0
Tetley - Earl Grey Tea, 2 cup 0 0 0 0 20 0
Fresh Herbs - Cilantro, 2 tbsp 4 0 0 0 0 0
Fresh - Serrano Pepper, 2 pepper 4 0 0 0 2 0
Tomato - Tomato Slices, 6 slice 30 0 0 0 0 0
Total: 412 calories

2nd Meal ( Before 9 Pm )
Homemade - Tzatziki, 1 cup 136 16 4 12 144 16
Haddock - Haddock (Baked), 4.9 oz 178 0 1 39 139 118
Generic - Fresh Sliced Cucumbers, 400 g 48 7 0 5 10 0
Potato - Small Steamed, 225 g 173 38 0 5 14 0
Total 535 calories

Other Foods (1pm - 10 Pm)
Nespresso - Café Con Leche, 200 ml 52 4 3 3 0 0
Strawberries - Raw Strawberries (Fresh), 250 g 80 19 1 2 3 0
Lala Light - Crema Acida, 3 tbsp 80 3 7 2 41 0
Total: 212 calories

Totals 1,163 136 22 89 2,528 165
Your Daily Goal 1,200 150 40 60 2,300 300
Remaining 37 14 17 -29 -228 134

Total: 1136 calories
Btw: I have never had a cheat meal or cheat day, don't force myself to eat anything I don't like and had no problems on holidays.....I just ate at maintenance. Sustainability is not a problem.

daniwilford

I only eat that low on my rest day. I usually skip breakfast or replace with 100 calories of fruit that day, because I am less hungry then. I can not skip breakfast and last through my workout on the other days but after exercise, I usually still have 1200 net calories for the rest day.

australianna

I don't know how you could go so low especially after putting on weight. I was more successful when my goal were more realistic. Better to eat more, I started out a 1800 and lost 25 lbs very slowly. I am now on 1590 to reach my goal and I am getting there. It's not easy but it would be more difficult to do being hungry all the time. Now I am unable to overeat as I did before because I trained myself by sticking to the designated amount. I feel I was successful because I was not hungry. Take it slow, that works best. Also don't forget that exercising allows you to eat a little more.

AuroraGeorge8393

When I initially started trying to lose weight my deficit was far too aggressive, and like you, I was constantly hungry. No matter what variety of meals I tried, I just could not adjust to 1200 calories a day. Most days I was famished. In the end, I was forced to set more reasonable goals for my height (5ft 6in), starting weight (191) and build (medium/large). On most days, I now eat around 1880 calories. A few days I've gone over, some days I've been under that goal, but it's working for me. I've lost 15 pounds over the last 10 weeks. Maybe you need to reassess your deficit.

pandapotlovebug

natashamacleish wrote: »

When I initially started trying to lose weight my deficit was far too aggressive, and like you, I was constantly hungry. No matter what variety of meals I tried, I just could not adjust to 1200 calories a day. Most days I was famished. In the end, I was forced to set more reasonable goals for my height (5ft 6in), starting weight (191) and build (medium/large). On most days, I now eat around 1880 calories. A few days I've gone over, some days I've been under that goal, but it's working for me. I've lost 15 pounds over the last 10 weeks. Maybe you need to reassess your deficit.

I'm hoping that this is true.that I should eat a little more and make sure I exercise. I was probably eating way over the recommended allowance before, and that's why I gained. I gained 13 pounds since my last weigh in and logging on here! Idk how long its been. Still curious about how many do it at 1200! I'll keep trying!

AuroraGeorge8393

pandapotlovebug wrote: »

natashamacleish wrote: »

When I initially started trying to lose weight my deficit was far too aggressive, and like you, I was constantly hungry. No matter what variety of meals I tried, I just could not adjust to 1200 calories a day. Most days I was famished. In the end, I was forced to set more reasonable goals for my height (5ft 6in), starting weight (191) and build (medium/large). On most days, I now eat around 1880 calories. A few days I've gone over, some days I've been under that goal, but it's working for me. I've lost 15 pounds over the last 10 weeks. Maybe you need to reassess your deficit.

I'm hoping that this is true.that I should eat a little more and make sure I exercise. I was probably eating way over the recommended allowance before, and that's why I gained. I gained 13 pounds since my last weigh in and logging on here! Idk how long its been. Still curious about how many do it at 1200! I'll keep trying!

I'm glad to hear you are not giving up. I started gaining weight in my early 20s, but managed to stay in the upper end of the healthy weight range until four years ago. Then last year, during a really stressful period, I gained 20 pounds in just 4 or 5 months.

The turning point came for me when I stepped on the scale in April and discovered that I weighed 191 pounds and that my BMI (30) meant I was technically low level obese. That really shocked me. I knew I was overweight, but I was in denial about just how much weight I'd actually gained. I was determined to get healthy and stay healthy.

This is the first time I've had steady success with a diet and I really believe that calorie counting and weighing my food are making all the difference. While some of my food portion guesstimates we pretty accurate, once I purchased the scale, I found that others were wildly inaccurate. In some cases by as much as 200 or 300 calories. I would never have known this if I hadn't purchased the scale.

Good luck with your own weight loss journey. I hope you find a deficit that is workable for you.

Machka9

MFP suggested 1200 for me, but I manually adjusted it to 1250. Not much, but those extra 50 cal just gave me some extra flexibility.

Plus exercise sure helps!

I don't eat all my exercise calories back, but if I walk for an hour, for example, which burns 200 cal, I might eat 100 cal of that, and all of a sudden I'm up to 1350 cal.

And on a Saturday, I might cycle 40 km which burns about 800 cal. I might eat about 400 cal of that ... 1250 + 400 = 1650.

rosebette

I usually eat around 1200 calories. Like most, I find it easier if I am preparing all my own meals. Eating out and social occasions are harder. My diary is open if you want to take a look. I tend to eat 3 meals and two small snacks a day. The snacks really help me feel fueled.

madeleadele

My net average is 1228 for this past week, so I believe this applies to me.
For me, my hunger differs a lot, so I let myself bounce around the 800-1500 net cals per day range, and end up with an average of ~1200. My diary is open, so feel free to take a look!

Try to keep a structured meal schedule; find what works for you. Also, for me, being hungry really gets me excited about food, and I find I feel fuller and enjoy it more.

Something that everybody says, but I've found very true, is to fill up on veggies! I'm not saying fill up on raw, plain stuff; just try to incorporate them into your meals and snacks. For instance, I love sugar snap peas raw; I usually throw my meat/vegetable cooking on a bed of lettuce...

Also, make sure you're meeting the fiber and protein goals! High protein foods early in the day are essential for me to not gnaw my arm off before lunch.

courtneylykins5

I've been on 1200 for a while. The biggest thing that helps me is not drinking my calories.

esmesqualor

I am also set to 1200 cals (51 years old, 5'9"). Because I am a very slow loser. My days usually come in closer to 1300 or even 1350, which is fine. I need to not be starving and if it takes a little longer but is more comfortable then it is worth it. For me the key is preparing my own food and eating lots (really lots) of veggies. I eat a big salad (really big, lots of different greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, grated carrots, 1 tsp olive oil, fresh lemon, salt) with 2 soft boiled eggs or steamed or canned fish for breakfast , or a big smoothie (water, many veggies, some frozen berries, 1/4 avocado, flax and chia seeds) these choices really keep me going until about 1pm. Lunch is a combination of lean protein and veggies (sometimes lentils and steamed veggies, sometimes a big salad with quinoa and beans or lentils, sometimes some chicken and some veg form). Dinner varies, but again, 3 cups of raw greens (spinach, arugula, mixed lettuces) with 1 tsp olive oil, fresh lemon, garlic, and some lean protein, another veggie variety (cauliflower, cabbage, beets, whatever I have) and depending on what I ate earlier in the day a serving of grain. I usually have some fruit for dessert or fruit in the blender with some flax or chia seeds, soy or almond milk (lower in calories than regular milk and doesn't gas up my stomach). Though I sometimes want to eat something else I can honestly say I feel really great eating this way. My energy levels are pretty even and my hunger comes on much more gradually then it did when I was eating more refined carbs and treats. For snack I have some almonds or other nuts, or some avocado on a rice cracker, or 1 or 2 oz of chicken breast wrapped in a lettuce leaf with tomatoes.

susan_the_machine

Get scanned with InBody and then do it again a month later. First of all, you learn how many calories to eat a day just breathing. It's higher than you think it is. Don't go below it.

I had been proud of myself for using 1200 net calories a day and sticking to it.

Today I learned that the 4 pounds I lost in 4 weeks was mostly lean body mass!!!! I feel shocked that my body is apparently in "starvation mode."

It is possible that I may lose weight a little faster by upping my calories to my BMR (basal metabolic rate) and add more calories on days when I exercise.

I thought a pound a week meant that I was doing well. Good balance of food types; proteins, carbs, and fat. But, I was wrong. I just wasn't eating enough!

I want to lose weight relatively quickly. It feels right to eat less. It is going to feel really weird to set and keep a higher calorie count.

But, I do believe the nutritionist when she tells me that my body needs enough food every day to allow it to burn fat.

1200 calories a day may be sabotaging your weight loss. I feel stunned.

catt952

ManiacalLaugh wrote: »

I stick to 1200 only on sedentary days. If I work out I have to eat up to 1400 at least or I feel famished. (I'm 5'4)

This all kind of depends on your current height and weight, though. If you're of average height or above, 1200 might just not be enough for you.

Do you mean you eat 200 extra calories regardless of the amount of exercise you did? Say you burnt 300 or so.. Do you eat 1400 net calories on those days? or just total calories?

susanna9992015

Try eating Shirataki noodles! House brand in the white container. They taste great and totally fill you up. !!

pandapotlovebug

ejchapman123 wrote: »

Ease back in! Do a couple weeks at 1300-1400, then dial it back. There is no huge rush!

I did change it to 1.5 lbs per week. I'll try it! Maybe it's too aggressive for me right now. I'll try 1380 per day.

petitehealth

im 5'2 trying hard to stick to around 1200-1250 cals. Macro goals are 100c/49f/98p. i love eating and hate hunger too. I have been planning my entire day in advance and eating at least a snack every two hours. I've been losing about a pound per week so far. Also working out a lot..I may need to start eating more soon. eat lots of fiber! i try to eat at least 30g of fiber per day.