1200 Calories a day? HELP!

kwohl

My first few days and this is a struggle. I am 5'6, 160 pounds, and want to lose 20 pounds. I am finding it so hard to eat just 1200 calories a day. I am starving, especially at night. Has anyone lost weight going higher in calories and had results? I am feeling like this is going to be a disaster and I have barely started. Ten years ago I think I had more will power. I'm 45 now and need more motivation....bring it.

42firm03

What did you tell MFP you wanted to lose per week? Set a less aggressive/more tolerable goal and you'll get more calories.

The winner is the one that doesn't quit!

I'm four inches shorter than you and can eat 1400 to lose 1lb/ week. Same age.

3dogsrunning

What do you have you weight loss per week goal set to? At 20 lbs to lose you should be at .5-1 lb a week.
Do you exercise? MFP expects you to log that exercise and eat those calories back.

You more than likely could and should be higher than 1200.

booksandchocolate12

I'm 5'3" and want to lose 30 lbs and I get more than 1200 a day.

Change your weekly goal to .5 or 1 lb per week.

glow_worm_eyes

I'm 36 and I have my calories set to 1200. However, these are my net carbs. I have a Fitbit so I eat any extra that I burn. I like to jog, so some days I can eat up to 2000 calories and still have the 1200 net. I think a Fitbit may help. This will help you figure your tdee and decide how many calories you can manage with a deficit.

I also have hypothyroidism but I will not use it as an excuse. I am currently 170 lbs and my gw is 155.

And not that my idea is the end all/ be all, but I think it will work.

dragon_girl26

I'm pretty close to your stats...5'6". 172, currently my calorie goal is 1620, though I am fairly active. My first question would be, how much do you have MFP set to lose? If you chose 2 lbs a week, that's a really aggressive goal. With only about 20 to lose, it really should be more .5 to 1lb per week at this point (I have mine set to 1lb per week.). The weight will come off slower, yes, but you don't really want to lose too rapidly, anyway, and risk losing more muscle and lean body mass than you want. Also, you will have more calories to play with, which will make this easier and more doable for you.

AmyRhubarb

I couldn't do it either, and you likely don't have to.

Are you logging exercise and eating those calories back, so that your NET cals are up to goal?

Definitely check your settings as the others have said, and make sure you goals aren't too aggressive.

And for what it's worth, I'm 47, a couple of inches taller, but started around your same weight, and I've dropped as low as 133 and went from a size 12 to a 4/6. These days I'm more or less maintaining, but have done it all eating 1800-2000 calories a day, exercising 5-6 days a week for 30-60 minutes a day, a combination of strength workouts and some cardio days in between.

It is doable, but it takes patience, and some learning - use the diary to it's fullest - log everything, and at the end of the week, look back over it & see where you did well & where you could do better. Is a whole bag of chips with lunch worth it? maybe, but could you be satisfied with just one serving, or even a half serving? Some things are worth it, some are not, but it's a learning process for sure.

One day at a time! Eat your calories, drink water, exercise, take rest days, get good sleep, and have patience. Do it right or do it over - doing it right may take longer, but the results will stick, and that makes it all worth it!

dramaqueen45

I agree- set to lower loss per week and you should get more calories per day to play with. If you are still hungry the things I do to help with this are: eat high fiber low calorie foods- lots of veggies and low calorie fruit such as apples. I also eat small amounts of good fats- nuts, seeds, avocados- these are filling and stay with you longer but watch portions. High protein also helps- I eat low calorie cheese, greek yogurt or beef jerky which helps keep me feeling fuller longer.

kommodevaran

Don't rely on motivation and willpower. Up your calories to at least your BMR (1387) and lose at a more reasonable rate.

MFP really should stop the 2 pounds/1200 calories nonsense.

dragon_girl26

kommodevaran wrote: »

Don't rely on motivation and willpower. Up your calories to at least your BMR (1387) and lose at a more reasonable rate.

MFP really should stop the 2 pounds/1200 calories nonsense.

Agreed, or at least offer better guidelines. 2 lbs per week is safe for some people, but for those of us who don't have that much left to lose, it shouldn't really be an option.

dramaqueen45

Sometimes that's the only thing that motivates me to exercise- I get to eat more!

kwohl

Thanks for all of the advice....I exercise two to five times per week....now I am upping it to 5 for sure.....I do 4 days of cardio (two days of spin, 55 minutes, two days of elliptical for 40 minutes, one day of barre class).....so do you all eat your calories as well that you got by exercising?

kommodevaran

Eat back half of your exercise calories. (All of them if you don't up your baseline; but I really think you should be eating more than 1200 every day.)

MelissaLimeKiwi

I think it's normal to be hungry the first few days of a new diet. It goes away. I remember feeling hungry at night and I had already eaten my allotted 1800 calories. I had to use willpower to just go to bed. After a few days I was fine and now after 11 days I can even eat way under 1800 (1300-1500) and not feel hungry.

kettiecat

I've been doing very well on 1200. The key is to eat foods that are high volume low calorie.

AnnPT77

Try experimenting with the timing & composition of what you eat, too. You may find a little different routine more satisfying/satiating. Try a variation for a couple of days, then move on to another if that one doesn't help.

By "timing", I mean things like 3 meals plus 2 snacks, vs. 3 meals no snacks, vs. 5 small meals (etc.), as well as big/small/no breakfast, with dinner then small/big (i.e., opposite direction), bedtime snack or no, etc.

By composition, I mean (within a range of healthy variations!) eating relatively more protein, or relatively more healthy fat, or a good bit of high volume/low cal food (usually fiber-containing fruits/veggies), more carbs vs. fewer carbs, etc.

Calories in < calories out (CICO) seems to work for many/most people, but there appears to be enormous variation in what people find satisfying and therefore sustainable. I found I needed a solid breakfast, with good protein; then ample protein through the day, with some high-volume/low-cal foods as well. I've rarely been hungry since figuring that out, even at 1200.

And to your specific question about others' loss rates: I'm 60 y/o, 5'5", 122 (or fewer) pounds (depending on the day), retired (sedentary other than quite extensive exercise that I estimate conservatively, log, and eat back entirely). I think, despite trying to stabilize my weight, I may still be losing verrrrrrry sloooooowwwly at 1700 net calories (usually 1900-2100 eaten, given exercise). I've eaten anything from 1200 net on up, en route to losing 60+ pounds between April 2015 and now.

Wishing you well - the early days are the hardest, til you get things sorted out.

swim777

I eat cereal for a night snack. The fiber one nutty clusters and almonds fill me up and satisfy me when others are snacking

admckee486

I agree that the beginning is hard and everything takes some time to get used to!
My calorie goal is 1200, too. I eat back about half of my exercise calories. My diet consists of a lot of veggies. I also love egg whites, low fat cheese, chicken breast, and fruit.

areallycoolstory

would chia seeds help?

RaeBeeBaby

I'm similar size and weight - 5'5" and about 160, age 55. Staying at 1200 per day was too hard for me to sustain long term. I decided to try using TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) less 20% to find a more realistic daily goal. There are lots of TDEE calculators on the web. Currently, my baseline is 1410 cals per day. I workout 5-6 days a week with a mix of cardio, strength and yoga and eat back about half my exercise calories. I'm steadily losing at the rate of about 1 pound a week.

Slow and steady wins the race!

mangrothian

Since I don't have your current weight or goal weight, it makes it hard for me to do a TDEE calculation, so I've done one for you assuming that your goal weight is an ideal BMI (136lbs / 61.8kg) for a 45yr old, 5'6 female. If you're trying to lose 20lbs, that puts you at 156lb / 70.9kg.

Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) if you are sedentary should be about 1650Cal (I'm rounding to whole figures for the sake of ease). A safe deficit for you is -20% of your TDEE, which gives you 1320Cal to eat. This equals a weightloss of 0.6lbs a week if you're logging correctly. If you're exercising lightly 3 times a week, it would go up to 1495Cal and an 0.75lb a week loss. If my weight values aren't right, you can play around with your Calorie intake here.

If you put your weight loss in mfp at 2lb a week, it's too agressive. The lowest amount MFP will ever give you is 1200Cals, and theoretically to lose 2lb a week you'd actually need to each much less than that, which is not safe for your body.

There's no reason why you should have to eat so little. Go out on a 40min brisk walk 3 times a week, or get a sweat going at home, and get to eat a little more. With 20lbs to lose, you can't expect to lose it superfast without it affecting your health. Slow and steady is the right course.

cheeky_marie

OP, your BMR (the amount of energy your body needs just to keep you alive) calculates to about 1400 calories per day. Try eating at least that much and let your everyday activity plus exercise create your deficit. I know I don't feel satisfied on anything less than my BMR calories. You don't have a ton of weight to lose, so a drastic deficit isn't necessary. You'll lose more slowly but it will be much more enjoyable for you. As AnnPT77 said, find out what timing and composition works for you. Upping protein and veggies (high volume but low calorie) tends to increase satiety the most. And if you're still hungry, it's okay to eat some of your exercise calories back, though MFP tends to overestimate calories burned in my experience and I don't eat them all, personally. The most important thing is to find a balance that works for you - getting to your goal slowly is much better than never getting there at all because you can't sustain your lifestyle changes. Good luck, OP!

scolaris

I would say dial down the rate of loss so you can eat more & be more comfortable. It's also better for skin shrinkage at our age!
But good work: that hunger means you are probably spot on with accurate logging! I'm always suspicious when people say they can't possibly eat their whole 1200 calories because they feel full; often that's a sign they're eating more than they think...

rachfking

If I'm hungry after dinner I have a cup of decaf tea. Mmmm

Jeano5138

kwohl wrote: »

My first few days and this is a struggle. I am 5'6, 160 pounds, and want to lose 20 pounds. I am finding it so hard to eat just 1200 calories a day. I am starving, especially at night. Has anyone lost weight going higher in calories and had results? I am feeling like this is going to be a disaster and I have barely started. Ten years ago I think I had more will power. I'm 45 now and need more motivation....bring it.

The key is to distract yourself with drinking lots of water (infused with lemon is my personal favorite) and controlling your urges by eating every 2 to 3 hours in small amounts. Look up the WLC program,it helps reset your metabolism and I've lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks. It helps!!!! And is great motivation!

PaytraB

kwohl wrote: »

Thanks for all of the advice....I exercise two to five times per week....now I am upping it to 5 for sure.....I do 4 days of cardio (two days of spin, 55 minutes, two days of elliptical for 40 minutes, one day of barre class).....so do you all eat your calories as well that you got by exercising?

As mentioned before, with 20 lbs to lose, you shouldn't be set to lose more than 1 lb/week. This will give you more calories to consume each day and you'll lose at a healthy, sustainable rate. These calories are meant to fuel your body in a resting/inactive state while losing weight at your set weight loss goal (average).
As well as losing less aggressively, eat back half to three-quarters of your exercise calories. These calories are meant to fuel your workouts.

1200 calories is most likely too low for your body. If you continually feel hungry, it's easier to give up. Remember that this journey is more about a life-long, healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

puffbrat

I am 5'6" 172lbs and losing 0.5-1lb/week at 1650 calories per day. I also eat back exercise calories. You should be able to eat more calories each day and still lose weight steadily.

TeaBea

Jeano5138 wrote: »

kwohl wrote: »

My first few days and this is a struggle. I am 5'6, 160 pounds, and want to lose 20 pounds. I am finding it so hard to eat just 1200 calories a day. I am starving, especially at night. Has anyone lost weight going higher in calories and had results? I am feeling like this is going to be a disaster and I have barely started. Ten years ago I think I had more will power. I'm 45 now and need more motivation....bring it.

The key is to distract yourself with drinking lots of water (infused with lemon is my personal favorite) and controlling your urges by eating every 2 to 3 hours in small amounts. Look up the WLC program,it helps reset your metabolism and I've lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks. It helps!!!! And is great motivation!

"Reset your metabolism" - nonsense. Unless you have medical issues - your metabolism works just fine. WLC is this the code for Herbal Life (diet shakes) or is it one of those elimination diets, with various "phases"? Hint** you don't need to eliminate foods to lose weight, and elimination doesn't help you maintain. Lifestyle changes help you maintain.

OP - just eat the number of calories that is sustainable for YOU. 1200 is just a default, it's a good default when you're a senior or 4'11" tall. Not appropriate for most of us.