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Is 1200 Calories too much?
poodledoodlepop
Posts: 23 Member
I am on 1290 calories a day and I feel like I eat all day long, What is everyone else eating & do you feel like it's too little or too much?
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Replies
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It's not too much unless you are professionally short. And certainly not if you have 117 lbs to lose.0
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With as much as you have to lose, you could eat much more. Minimum healthy amount is 1200. Just don't go below that...0
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How much weight are you trying to lose? What did you put in for your rate of loss?
If you feel like you are eating all day long, maybe look for some more calorie dense foods - nuts, fats, full fat dairy, etc to help you reach your goal.
You should also be eating back some of your exercise calories as well.
I lost 30 lbs eating anywhere from 1700-2000 cals a day and am currently maintaining eating >2000 cals.
It's never felt like too much to me LOL!
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1200 should be the minimum you eat. some days I struggle, and need more, therefore it pushes me to exercise!0
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1200 never feels like too much. I always need to eat back exercise calories or else I am ravenous. I am short and only want to lose 5 lbs and never felt that it was too much.0
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poodledoodlepop wrote: »I am on 1290 calories a day and I feel like I eat all day long, What is everyone else eating & do you feel like it's too little or too much?
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I feel like 1200 must be a typo!
I try to maintain 1200-1400 calories a day, and I try to do it with nutritionally dense foods.....in other words, I've become a freak at packing in the most I can in that calorie count.
And I don't feel like I'm eating anywhere close to all day......not even half a day......heck.....I spend about one hour total of my day, actually eating.
Is your diary open? I wanna see what I'm missing out on0 -
poodledoodlepop wrote: »I am on 1290 calories a day and I feel like I eat all day long, What is everyone else eating & do you feel like it's too little or too much?
**Friend me on here! Im looking for friends**
This is also me. Yesterday I had 1281 calories and felt stuffed.0 -
1290 calories hardly gets me through lunch. Don't eat lower than that, it really is not good for you. Find calorie rich foods if you need to, log accurately.
Is this a new thing for you? Did you suddenly lose your appetite because eating 1290 calories a day should not have put you in a position where you need to lose 100lbs.
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1200 too much? If I can make it to the end of the day on that and only feel slightly hungry, it's a good day. I have to leave calories at night so that I don't go to bed hungry. I cannot sleep when I'm hungry.
I have a treadmill that I use so I can eat more, so I don't get the urge to eat my own arms.0 -
Are you weighing and sure of your calories?0
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if it is a changed diet, and you are making healthy choices, and are feeling full on this improved diet....awesome. Most people would want to be in that position.
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I don't know how anyone could fee like they're eating all day long on 1200, unless you're just eating broccoli. If that was the case I'd never have gotten overweight!
I lose on close to 1500 per day and I eat most of my exercise calories back so up to about 2000 per day and still losing my steady 1lb per week. I'm from the "those who get to eat the most and still lose wins" school of eating.0 -
I've been on medication for the past month and I've found that since then I've lost my appetite. I'm struggling to even eat 1100 calories a day let alone 1220 which is what I'm meant to be having.
I'd recommend if you're still struggling to eat that amount of calories is to use a protein powder in smoothies or eat more calorie dense foods0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »How much weight are you trying to lose? What did you put in for your rate of loss?
If you feel like you are eating all day long, maybe look for some more calorie dense foods - nuts, fats, full fat dairy, etc to help you reach your goal.
You should also be eating back some of your exercise calories as well.
I lost 30 lbs eating anywhere from 1700-2000 cals a day and am currently maintaining eating >2000 cals.
It's never felt like too much to me LOL!
This.
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Don't go below what you're eating now. If you're too full to get all the calories in then a couple scoops of peanut butter, handful of nuts, or some avocado will easily get you there without eating a meal. 1290 may seem like a ton of calories but it really isn't, especially if you aren't eating any exercise calories back. Your body needs that fuel.
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Unless you are extremely short (5' or less),
or are closely supervised by your doctor,
you should not go under 1200/day.
You're probably eating more than you think, unless you're weighing & measuring your food.
Here are some useful posts.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1
This blog post about goal setting (including weight, calories, and macros) has links to several calculators.
The third one, from the Baylor College of Medicine, takes into account your height, age, and activity level to show
how many calories you should be eating to maintain any weight. Keep the BMI in a healthy range, of course.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-6670450 -
BTW, with 120 lb to lose I doubt you
a - need to cut so drastically
b - actually are at that calorie level.
I started with 110 to lose, and at about 5'10" I started with 1700 calories, am now at 1400.
Have lost 80 lb, improved all sorts of health markers, my doctors are happy with my progress, etc.
You don't need to starve yourself. In fact, it's counterproductive, because you'll feel bad and it's not a lifestyle
you can maintain for the rest of your life.0 -
kristen6350 wrote: »Minimum healthy amount is 1200. Just don't go below that...
Yes, the universal, some might say magical number of 1200.
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Is this a typo? When I looked at your diary you actually average 1350, give or take, on most days. If you're not weighing your food, it could actually be even more than that. You've had a pretty broad range of calorie intakes. How full you feel depends on the nutrient density of the foods you eat as well. Some days you're going to be more hungry than others, but you'll find some middle ground. Also, your calorie burns could be overinflated, but weigh ins will help you figure that out as well.0
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poodledoodlepop wrote: »I am on 1290 calories a day and I feel like I eat all day long, What is everyone else eating & do you feel like it's too little or too much?
**Friend me on here! Im looking for friends**
I was gaining at 1500 and maintaining at 1200 when I first started this so I dropped my calories to 1000 and did that for a few months. I saw results but I also figured out that my count was way the heck off...well I think I was under counting by 200-400 calories a day which is huge when you are trying to eat 1000. My 1500 was more like 1900 so it makes sense that I gained and my 1200 was more like 1400-1700 so it makes since that I maintained or had little loss.
I found 1000 calories impossible to maintain in a healthy way. I was either not getting my protein or my fiber. I could not find food that covered both on that small a number of calories.
Anyway the moral of the story is: make sure you are counting everything. EVERYTHING. I thought I was, but I was leaving out the butter on my oatmeal, the cream in my coffee, the mints I eat when I have to work closely with a client, my gummy vitamins. That all adds up quick.
Also, go for protein and avoid sugar if you want to not feel like you are eating all the time, and not feel hungry. Greek yogurt is a good thing for that.0 -
queenofpuppies wrote: »poodledoodlepop wrote: »I am on 1290 calories a day and I feel like I eat all day long, What is everyone else eating & do you feel like it's too little or too much?
**Friend me on here! Im looking for friends**
I was gaining at 1500 and maintaining at 1200 when I first started this so I dropped my calories to 1000 and did that for a few months. I saw results but I also figured out that my count was way the heck off...well I think I was under counting by 200-400 calories a day which is huge when you are trying to eat 1000. My 1500 was more like 1900 so it makes sense that I gained and my 1200 was more like 1400-1700 so it makes since that I maintained or had little loss.
I found 1000 calories impossible to maintain in a healthy way. I was either not getting my protein or my fiber. I could not find food that covered both on that small a number of calories.
Anyway the moral of the story is: make sure you are counting everything. EVERYTHING. I thought I was, but I was leaving out the butter on my oatmeal, the cream in my coffee, the mints I eat when I have to work closely with a client, my gummy vitamins. That all adds up quick.
Also, go for protein and avoid sugar if you want to not feel like you are eating all the time, and not feel hungry. Greek yogurt is a good thing for that.
Good advice. I also did very poorly at being accurate with my counting which can lead to stalls or gains when you think you should be losing.0 -
kristen6350 wrote: »Minimum healthy amount is 1200. Just don't go below that...
Yes, the universal, some might say magical number of 1200.
That's for women. And it should be the net amount. Males should be netting well above that.
OP - I eat a minimum of 2000 calories a day, but I'm not a very useful comparison. You shouldn't guage your intake on other people's calorie goals. Use the tools provided by MFP to determine a reasonable calorie allotment, try to eat close to that amount and, if you exercise, eat a little more. In looking at your diary, I have a feeling you aren't weighing your food and may be eating more than you think. Learning how to properly weigh and log my food made a world of difference in my weight management.0 -
I dont know why but if i try to eat dense nutrients 1200kcal a day i weel too full but when i eat around 1000 it is okey
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When I first started I was on 1290 calories(-2lbs/week), because I also overhauled my diet at the same time, eating large quanties of "healthy" foods seemed overwhelming (compared to eating all my calories with 1 meal at a fast food place as I did before). Once the newness of a new diet wore off I was stuggling to stay within my calorie range. Upping myself the 1500 made a huge difference.0
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1200 is like nothing for me. If I dip that low I get cranky, tired, crazy, and completely lose my libido. H to the No.0
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arditarose wrote: »1200 is like nothing for me. If I dip that low I get cranky, tired, crazy, and completely lose my libido. H to the No.
Ditto. And I'm only 5'1" and maintain on around 1700 calories. But 1200 was way too low for me during weight loss. I started at 1325 and upped it to 1450 after a while, and found I could lose steadily at that rate.0 -
arditarose wrote: »1200 is like nothing for me. If I dip that low I get cranky, tired, crazy, and completely lose my libido. H to the No.
Ditto. And I'm only 5'1" and maintain on around 1700 calories. But 1200 was way too low for me during weight loss. I started at 1325 and upped it to 1450 after a while, and found I could lose steadily at that rate.
Yep, it was not too bad when I was bigger but even then, I stuck with it for two weeks and slowly increased.
I recently tried an aggressive deficit and wish I had just stuck to a very accurately logged 250 calorie deficit. Probably would have lost more because sustainability.0 -
1200 is nothing...
these kind of threads wreak of___________(fill in the blank)0 -
LOL. Well, I've been short for my entire 35 years. I've never been paid for it, though. Does that make me an amateur or a professional?
Worth noting: Amateur comes from the French word "aimer" which means to love. Am I only an amateur at being short if I love it?
Oh, Friday musings...
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