Less than 1200

livelovebbg

I could eat 1200 calories worth of peanut butter in one sitting - try a spoonful of that!

dija15

jennlloyd94 wrote: »

I'm just wondering how many of you find it hard to reach the 1200 calorie goal. I used to eat way more and then changed my diet to mainly veg/fruit and lost a bit of weight. And I've now started protein world twice a day but even having a big ish lunch I don't seem to reach my 1200 target. Especially today when I'm on the wards and seem to burn more than I take in! How are you suppose to eat when your so full...could I be drinking too much water in between and hence the full feeling?

I have the same problem. I eat the three meals and sometimes a snack bu still do not get to 1200.

SamandaIndia

dija15 wrote: »

jennlloyd94 wrote: »

I'm just wondering how many of you find it hard to reach the 1200 calorie goal. I used to eat way more and then changed my diet to mainly veg/fruit and lost a bit of weight. And I've now started protein world twice a day but even having a big ish lunch I don't seem to reach my 1200 target. Especially today when I'm on the wards and seem to burn more than I take in! How are you suppose to eat when your so full...could I be drinking too much water in between and hence the full feeling?

I have the same problem. I eat the three meals and sometimes a snack bu still do not get to 1200.

I hear you. Especially when I have a lot of protein and green leafy veg. On an example day, I had bacon and 2 eggs for breakfast, a huge salad with grilled chicken for lunch then turkey cabbage rolls. That's about 300 calories a meal so 900 total. What I found useful and nutritious and mobile to add, is packs of assorted nuts and dried fruit or just extra fruit. Even 10 cashews or macadamia or almonds contribute both fat and protein plus extra nutrients. Hope that helps. Avocado is a good addition too, as are raspberries and blackberries.

Water is great. If your pee is light yellow then you are drinking enough, yellow is dehydrated, dark orange is serious dehydration (not your issue) but clear is bad- it means you have overdone the water and that can unbalance our electrolytes. Check the colour of your pee to make your own decision on hydration.

Christine_72

livelovebbg wrote: »

I could eat 1200 calories worth of peanut butter in one sitting - try a spoonful of that!

Same here...

scolaris

Yeah I don't get it with the 1200 calorie schtick. It's so unsuitable for anyone who isn't exceptionally diminutive, elderly, or sedentary. And I think most of the people who say it's easy to eat so little & they struggle to eat more are probably just eating more than they realize!

mkakids

jennlloyd94 wrote: »

I get what a lot of you are saying and I totally can see where you are coming from. I appreciate the tips, I think what doesn't help is that I do shift work. So I only have 2x 30 mins breaks throughout my 12.5 hour shift. Which means I eat what I would class as an adaquate lunch and I'm full on it. I have dried fruits, popcorn , rice cakes, wraps, soup etc and other snaking bits. But mornings I just have a quick shake/fruit because I start at 7.30 and need to get to work. And then I got home around 8.30/9.00 which is too late to eat a huge among so have a shake and something like beans or roasted veg. I dont feel like I'm painfully restricting myself. I'm never hungry,and I just drink plenty throughout the day. I take multi vitamins etc already. I dont eat bread so I don't have peanut butter unless I'm making a satay or something. Thanks again for your advice. I'll keep it in mind.

Too late to eat.....why? If you don't like to sleep on a full stomach it's fine to not eat close to bedtime. ....but if it doesn't bother you there is NOTHING wrong with eating late at night. I regularly have a LARGE snack literally 10 minutes before bed. I generally eat 60-70% of my calories between 6-10pm.

SamandaIndia

scolaris wrote: »

Yeah I don't get it with the 1200 calorie schtick. It's so unsuitable for anyone who isn't exceptionally diminutive, elderly, or sedentary. And I think most of the people who say it's easy to eat so little & they struggle to eat more are probably just eating more than they realize!

Personally, I am lttle, 5ft 4 inches and genuinely not hungry after 100 grams of meat or 2 eggs, for at least 4 hours. Yes I do weigh it. Surprising perhaps, but although difficult to comprehend, I am consciously eating, not because I am hungry but because I want a broad range of nutrients. I fully understand OPs post and also hear the disbelief too- understandable. Both realities can exist.

ritika33

Don't go the 1200 route, you are going to end up damaging and slowing down your metabolism. You'll lose weight (mostly water weight from not eating as many carbs) and then plateau very fast. You will also lose a lot of muscle if you don't maintain it and end up with a skinny-fat physique. A good rule of thumb is to eat ~10-12 times your bodyweight in lbs if you are trying to lose weight. So 1600 cals for a 160 lb person and so on.

Just my $0.02

dearmrsowl

jennlloyd94 wrote: »

I get what a lot of you are saying and I totally can see where you are coming from. I appreciate the tips, I think what doesn't help is that I do shift work. So I only have 2x 30 mins breaks throughout my 12.5 hour shift. Which means I eat what I would class as an adaquate lunch and I'm full on it. I have dried fruits, popcorn , rice cakes, wraps, soup etc and other snaking bits. But mornings I just have a quick shake/fruit because I start at 7.30 and need to get to work. And then I got home around 8.30/9.00 which is too late to eat a huge among so have a shake and something like beans or roasted veg. I dont feel like I'm painfully restricting myself. I'm never hungry,and I just drink plenty throughout the day. I take multi vitamins etc already. I dont eat bread so I don't have peanut butter unless I'm making a satay or something. Thanks again for your advice. I'll keep it in mind.

Meal prep is key. Make some overnight oats that you prepare the night before and can just grab in the morning. Store breakfast burritos, frittatas or breakfast muffins in the freezer and pop them in the microwave in the morning while you're preparing your shake. Even leaving the house early doesn't have to mean not eating breakfast. You could also incorporate calorie dense foods into your shake. Blend up some oats, add flax seeds, chia seeds or peanut butter.