Help! My dieting sucks

FaileBashere

So I am getting a bit overwhelmed with dieting. I have vastly improved my exercise (spin classes and barre classes at least 4 days a week @50 minutes each) but my dieting is still a struggle. I always start out great in the day (for example, my breakfast was 245 calories and I have a snack coming up in an hour) but I'm having a hard time finding foods that fit within the 1200 calorie limit that don't leave you starving at the end of the day. Do any of you have suggestions, recommendations, samples of your own 1200 calorie diets? Thanks!

janejellyroll

Are you sure that 1,200 is the right calorie goal for you? That's the absolute lowest for most women and if you're exercising, you should be able to eat at least some of those calories back.

How did you get a 1,200 goal?

Sedu1906

Same issue...have yet to figure it out. Cutting out sugar and seriously contemplating cutting out meat.

livingleanlivingclean

Sedu1906 wrote: »

Same issue...have yet to figure it out. Cutting out sugar and seriously contemplating cutting out meat.

You don't need to do either - what is your calorie goal and what are you eating?

WinoGelato

If you are exercising you should be eating more than 1200. That's a NET goal and even then may be too aggressive, depending how much you have to lose.

Buncha36

Here is a website I use to figure out how much i should be eating.
It has you enter your weight, (i put the weight I want to go down to) and your height, how much you exercise/intensity and it gives you the calculation of how much calories you should be intaking.

If you want to get more specific, on the left hand side, you can use that NET caloric intake number it gave you, and chose it to calculate your macro nutrients for the day. meaning your protien, carbs and fats.

Its a wonderful tool!!!! I promise it is soooo helpful and makes 'dieting' a little less confusing

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

EllaLeahB

What types of food are you eating? You also may need to increase your calorie goal, that sounds really low. It's possible you may need more protein and even more fats like avacado or nuts. I've never been to a spin class, but I'm sure you burn off quite a bit of calories and whenever you're burning you're supposed to eat those back. Have you ever eaten quinoa?

ishmallow

Buncha36 wrote: »

Here is a website I use to figure out how much i should be eating.
It has you enter your weight, (i put the weight I want to go down to) and your height, how much you exercise/intensity and it gives you the calculation of how much calories you should be intaking.

This seems like an issue point. Without a gauge on the difference between your weight and your goal at least.

Ideally you would either use something simply like the goals settings in here and tweak as needed.

For that you can use your actual weight then cut cals from that at, again, a moderate and comfortable rate adjusting with familiarity etc.

You might be really pushing yourself too far down. Refocus on the numbers and goals. Afterwards you can look at your diet...

TavistockToad

WinoGelato wrote: »

If you are exercising you should be eating more than 1200. That's a NET goal and even then may be too aggressive, depending how much you have to lose.

This... you probably don't need to eat so little.

CMNVA

When I started on MFP, I set a 1200 calorie goal. The *only* way I could adhere to it was to NOT exercise. I could manage it when I was sedentary. You are doing a good bit of exercise so I can imagine that you are really hungry by the evening.

Also, when I was on 1200 calories, I tried to keep my breakfast no higher than 230 calories (which included the milk/sugar in my tea). I did not have a snack either. This allowed for higher calorie lunches and dinners which was where *I* needed the bigger meals.

deannalfisher

what is your current height/weight/age? what is your goal weight? what did you set the goal on MFP to be (maybe its too aggressive); are you eating back workout calories? (the MFP calories recs are based on that principle)

Francl27

Eat more. I would have given up within a month at 1200 calories.

earthnut

It sounds like you need to eat more. I'm short, so 1200 calories is appropriate for me, and i burn about 200 calories a day. I can keep satiated by eating enough water, fiber and/or protein.

But it sounds like you are exercising more than that, so you need more calories. For me, i eat back any calories i burn after about 200 calories. 100 minutes could be 400 calories or more. And if you are average height or taller, you need more calories too.

brb_2013

I'm seeing you haven't come back to add information but I'm also going to say that you're likely trying to eat too little. Honestly what's the rush? Why be miserable? I'm eating 1500 and doing 20 mins of exercise max per day and I've already dropped 5lbs in 2 weeks of very mild/little effort except to stick to 1500 calories. Now I'm adding in watching macros and making sure I get enough protein but take it one step at a time. Raise your goal, seriously, and you can ALWAYS lower it later if you don't lose weight... but you probably still will because spin class is no joke. Eat more and I promise you will feel good, still lose, and you will have wiggle room for the future (can't cut more from 1200 you know)

AlexRankin354

i just try to eat really smartly, after about a week of dieting you probably know when you get hungry so you can target those times. eating three meals throughout the day with a couple of snacks at those target times should keep you full all day. for my snacks i choose the foods that gave the most volume or filling-up-factor, for example high protein yogurts work really well for me (arla and skyr are my favourites). i also find that a hot drink with my evening meal or just before bed made me feel fuller. definitely don't cut out meat though, especially if you're exercising! you need to be able to repair your body!

FaileBashere

I'm very short, 4'11", and I was given the 1200 calorie limit from MFP. I am working out, so I do add in the calories from working out, so it's 1200 net. I think eating "smart" is hard, I didn't realize just how many calories are in foods...it's really difficult to find enough food that fits into the net 1200 without only being able to eat like two or three times a day. Suggestions?

I have a wedding in May , trying to lose 10-15lbs by then

rdl81

Try and eat whole foods so you can eat so much vegetables for very little calories it's hidden sugar in food that add extra kcal. Also 1g fat = 9kcal vs 1g protein/carb is 4kcal. Have a look at my diary things like chicken breast really filling low kcal add some veg and total kcal is low but you will be full. You need to eat food that fills you up but low kcal. Try eating 1200 kcal of green veg for example

try2again

rdl81 wrote: »

Try eating 1200 kcal of green veg for example

Veggies are fine, but I have better success with satiety with a healthy mix of fiber & protein. Oatmeal, eggs, lean meats, Greek yogurt, beans, high fiber cereal, berries, cottage cheese (all of these things in addition to your lo-cal veggies). Eggs are 70 cal, Dannon Greek yogurt 80, I have some light string cheese that is 50/stick, and if you don't object to carbs, there are 45 calorie breads and 150 calorie pasta that are made with more fiber & very filling. You just have to find the right balance... it takes some time.

kerrold

I agree eating smart can be hard especially when you don't know what to eat.
The plan I am currently doing has me trying lots of new foods and recipes and I have enjoyed everything I have eaten so far. The exercise suggestion are also included in the plan
My calorie goal per day is currently 1400 (as per the level of the plan I am doing) but feel free to add me as a friend and check out my diary and you may get some ideas from there.
What better motivation to get to your goal than a wedding, I love weddings!

brewerfan13

FaileBashere wrote: »

So I am getting a bit overwhelmed with dieting. I have vastly improved my exercise (spin classes and barre classes at least 4 days a week @50 minutes each) but my dieting is still a struggle. I always start out great in the day (for example, my breakfast was 245 calories and I have a snack coming up in an hour) but I'm having a hard time finding foods that fit within the 1200 calorie limit that don't leave you starving at the end of the day. Do any of you have suggestions, recommendations, samples of your own 1200 calorie diets? Thanks!

Easy Mac 220 calories pet serving. Eat your breakfast then have a serving of Easy Mac for both lunch and dinner.

TavistockToad

brewerfan13 wrote: »

FaileBashere wrote: »

So I am getting a bit overwhelmed with dieting. I have vastly improved my exercise (spin classes and barre classes at least 4 days a week @50 minutes each) but my dieting is still a struggle. I always start out great in the day (for example, my breakfast was 245 calories and I have a snack coming up in an hour) but I'm having a hard time finding foods that fit within the 1200 calorie limit that don't leave you starving at the end of the day. Do any of you have suggestions, recommendations, samples of your own 1200 calorie diets? Thanks!

Easy Mac 220 calories pet serving. Eat your breakfast then have a serving of Easy Mac for both lunch and dinner.

Who need fruit and veg.... :laugh:

TavistockToad

rdl81 wrote: »

Try and eat whole foods so you can eat so much vegetables for very little calories it's hidden sugar in food that add extra kcal. Also 1g fat = 9kcal vs 1g protein/carb is 4kcal. Have a look at my diary things like chicken breast really filling low kcal add some veg and total kcal is low but you will be full. You need to eat food that fills you up but low kcal. Try eating 1200 kcal of green veg for example

Why on earth would anyone want to eat just green vegetables?? Plus fat doesn't make you fat, women especially need fat to regulate hormones.

TavistockToad

FaileBashere wrote: »

I'm very short, 4'11", and I was given the 1200 calorie limit from MFP. I am working out, so I do add in the calories from working out, so it's 1200 net. I think eating "smart" is hard, I didn't realize just how many calories are in foods...it's really difficult to find enough food that fits into the net 1200 without only being able to eat like two or three times a day. Suggestions?

I have a wedding in May , trying to lose 10-15lbs by then

Pre-logging your day might help. Are you set to lose 0.5lb per week?

Savannah2990

Buncha36 wrote: »

Here is a website I use to figure out how much i should be eating.
It has you enter your weight, (i put the weight I want to go down to) and your height, how much you exercise/intensity and it gives you the calculation of how much calories you should be intaking.

If you want to get more specific, on the left hand side, you can use that NET caloric intake number it gave you, and chose it to calculate your macro nutrients for the day. meaning your protien, carbs and fats.

Its a wonderful tool!!!! I promise it is soooo helpful and makes 'dieting' a little less confusing

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Thank you for above info .. I'm on a 1200 calorie intake and work out 6 days at least .
Weight not coming off as I expected, just learning the in and outs of all this .
I think I need more calories and definitely lower sodium choices .

ritzvin

FaileBashere wrote: »

I'm very short, 4'11", and I was given the 1200 calorie limit from MFP. I am working out, so I do add in the calories from working out, so it's 1200 net. I think eating "smart" is hard, I didn't realize just how many calories are in foods...it's really difficult to find enough food that fits into the net 1200 without only being able to eat like two or three times a day. Suggestions?

I have a wedding in May , trying to lose 10-15lbs by then

You are close to my height and near your goal weight, so the 1200s is a reasonable net calorie goal (unless you are muscular).

At that point, you have to really cut down on "filler" foods (the cheap starchy stuff with little added nutritional value - breads, pasta, rice - their purpose is to add calories cheaply but us petite folks don't need extra cheap calories). Make sure you are getting protein, fat, fiber.. So you feel full. Make most of your calories serve a nutritional purpose. Bulk out recipes with as many vegetables as possible. Very little room for junk food or wine without getting a workout in.

ritzvin

I eat a lot of the following: yogurt with jam, cottage cheese, egg/tuna/salmon/tilapia/etc salads (using sparing amounts of diet mayo) on thin arepas or crackers, stir fry vegetables with beans, meat, & (small amount of) rice, apples. I pre-portion pretty much everything out.

ritzvin

and don't forget to eat back those spin class calories.

rdl81

People are totally missing my point. I am saying if you struggle to feel full and are trying to stick to a calorie target which u are finding a challenge then you could eat more green vegetables as this will make you feel full up but contribute very limited calories. That is the point I am trying to make. I also said that processed foods tend to be not very filling and high kcal so try sticking to whole foods such as meat vegetables etc. The point I was making is that it would be physically impossible to eat 1200 kcal of green veg as that would be loads and loads and loads

FaileBashere

I'm really struggling with this, i'm going to re-try and do the 1200 calorie thing again, but with 8 hours of exercise a week i can't tell how many calories i should be allowed to add back in, and MFP seems to grossly overestimate this. 4 months til my wedding and I haven't lost any weight

rdl81

You could use an online fdee calucualor to work out your kcal and then add those here manually as your target....that's what I do

getupforchange

Do you use a HRM when going to your exercise classes? The machines in your gym will often over estimate your burn but if you use a HRM it's more accurate and you know how many extra calories you have to play with. Some people swear by eating back all their calories after exercise, but you can always start off by eating back half of them and see how you go? 1200 sounds way too low with that much exercise and if you're struggling to fill up you'll most likely fall off the wagon eventually because you can't do it long run if it leaves you so hungry.